Sciences News

Heather Cochran, administrative professional staff and academic coordinator for the Department of Psychology will receive the President’s Employee Excellence Award at the 2013 Celebrating Excellence Recognition Banquet on March 29.

Her broad experience and thorough knowledge of resources available to help students succeed at WSU and beyond contribute to her expertise as an outstanding advisor. She insists that advisees learn to “navigate the system” on their own to enhance their professional development and personal growth. She helps students construct multi-year plans to get the most from their time at WSU – a remarkable undertaking, considering that she advises upwards of 450 students.

Cochran cares about students and the challenge to help them figure out the “right fit” so they can make the most of their talents and interests. She is energetic, good-natured, receptive to feedback and collaborative with co-workers.

Cochran will be honored alongside four other outstanding WSU employees at the banquet, part of the Washington State University Showcase annual celebration of faculty, staff and student achievement.

Read more about all the honorees at WSU News >>

A concert by the WSU Wind Ensemble on March 22 will feature the premiere of two  compositions: the U.S. premiere of Francois Glorieux’s “Concerto for Euphonium,” and the world premiere of “Dark Matter: Petite Concertino for Tuba and Band” by Ben Kirby.

The concert will kickoff the 2013 Northwest Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference on the Washington State University campus. It is one of seven such regional conferences of the International Tuba Euphonium Association.

Master classes, lectures, demonstrations and live performances from Northwest teachers will advance tuba-euphonium pedagogy and literature. Students will participate in competitions, Read the rest of this entry »

Columbia River Near Hanford, Late Afternoon painting by Dianne Dickeman

“Particles on the Wall,” a multidisciplinary art exhibit examining how nuclear technology has affected humanity, opened today at the Washington State University Tri-Cities Art Center.

It interweaves visual art, poems and science with history and memorabilia to address issues of radioactive contamination, nuclear weapons and technology in Washington State — and the role of nuclear technology in southeastern Washington’s desert landscape.

“As a curator invested in local culture and education, I am particularly interested in the varied narratives and diverse depictions of the history of Hanford and the Columbia River nuclear era,” said Peter Christenson, assistant professor of fine arts and Art Center curator. “‘Particles on the Wall’ is truly an interdisciplinary approach to community-based education and is an impressive example of inspired artistic expression.”

Uniquely, it is a growing exhibit: it is different each time it is displayed. For the WSU Tri-Cities show, it includes nearly 50 pieces of art.

The WSU Tri-Cities Art Center is located inside the Consolidated Information Center at 2770 Crimson Way, Richland. Admission is free. Center hours are noon-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday. The exhibit ends April 4.

Learn more at particlesonthewall.org >>

Pamela Lee and Judy Meuth, both clinical associate professors in the College of Arts and Sciences, are the inaugural recipients of the annual President’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Nontenure Track Faculty at Washington State University.

Pamela Lee

The new award will be among those presented at the Celebrating Excellence Recognition Banquet on March 29, part of the WSU Showcase annual celebration of faculty, staff and student achievement.

Lee, a WSU alumna in the Department of Fine Arts and the Honors College whose art is featured inexhibits and collections nationwide, says she is passionate about the “art and craft” of teaching and extends herself to keep her teaching contemporary and engaging for students.

Judy Mueth

Meuth teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of Critical Culture, Gender and Race Studies, including the popular Women’s Studies 220 (Gender, Culture and Science) since 2003. She leads workshops and mentors interns, McNair scholars and honors students on their thesis projects.

Read more at WSU News >>

Do-gooder or scoundrel – in the wake of the early February announcement that the skeleton found beneath a parking lot in central England is that of King Richard III, how much does it matter? After all, he reigned for only two years and died more than a half-millennium ago at the age of 32.

There’s also the question of how much a long-buried skeleton can tell us about the person’s actions and behaviors back in the 15th century, said Jesse Spohnholz, associate professor of European history. “While the bones confirm that he suffered wounds in battle and also resolve the puzzle of where he was buried, they are silent when it comes to telling us how he reigned.”

Read more about the debate >>

With the help of a $1.7M federal Math and Science Partnership grant, WSU professors from several disciplines will provide instructional support for teachers in selected school districts over the next three years.

“The focus is on development of middle school math and science teachers’ content knowledge and on student-centered instruction through the use of ‘design challenges,’ which are integrated, project-based learning experiences,”  said David Slavit, professor of mathematics and education at WSUVancouver.

Materials developed through the partnership program will be available for all schools across the state.

Read more at WSU News >>

Just what does it take to get a grant or fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities? The Office of Grant and Research Development (OGRD) and the College of Arts and Sciences will sponsor an NEH Grant Application Writing Workshop on March 21 to explain the process.

Workshop host, NEH program director Dr. John Cox, will present and answer questions about the grant process, with an emphasis on writing and application review. Participants will also learn about NEH programs and special initiatives. A representative from Humanities Washington will also take part in the daylong event.

The workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m in CUE 518. Dr. Cox and the Humanities Washington representative will meet individually with WSU faculty and graduate students for pre-arranged appointments until 5:00 p.m and individual appointments will be available on March 22 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. as well.

Seating is limited and advanced registration is required.

“The problem is no longer food scarcity, but too much food,” said Halley Morrison, a recent WSU biology graduate and author of an interdisciplinary Honors College senior thesis that was published in the journal Appetite.

Morrison, together with Tom Power, professor and chair of the human development department, analyzed more than 200 mother-child surveys and found that a mother’s eating habits and behavior at the dinner table can influence her preschooler’s obesity risk.

Read more at WSU News and Appetite.

Randi Beardslee, a sophomore studying anthropology, will direct the 2013 benefit production of “The Vagina Monologues,” on Feb. 21-23 in the Jones Theater in Daggy Hall.

The award-winning play dives into the mystery, heartbreak, wisdom and outrage of women’s experiences with issues such as menstruation, rape, incest and battery. Based on interviews with more than 200 women, the end result has been described as “hilarious” and “empowering.”

“The show has many funny, light-hearted monologues,” said Randi Beardslee, WSU sophomore anthropology major and director of the production. “It brings women together to sympathize, empathize, mourn and, most importantly, celebrate.”

The show is sponsored by V-Day WSU, a registered student organization affiliated with Health and Wellness Services that raises awareness to end violence against women and girls. The production contributes to the average of $8,000 V-Day WSU raises each year. The majority of the proceeds are donated to Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse.

Buy  tickets >>

Anna Plemons, a graduate student in the Department of English, will present “A Place for Poems: Art as Activism in the California Prison” at noon in CUB 420 on February 13.

Her presentation is one of many Black History Month activities happening around the Pullman campus in February.

Read more at WSU News →