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Proudly representing a legacy at WSU and in the workplace

June 29, 2017 Trevor Durham

As a new graduate seeking employment, Connor McCarthy (’16) made sure his résumé included the Patrick D. Redmond Scholarship he received as a certified accounting major in WSU’s Carson College of Business. The scholarship provided a good start to his junior year. “It relieved some of the financial stress I was experiencing and really allowed me to focus on my studies,” Connor says. “That was greatly appreciated.”

Listing the scholarship on his résumé also was a nod to Patrick (Pat) Redmond (’77 Finance), a respected bank executive who succumbed to cancer in January 2011. Pat’s surviving spouse, Ann (’76 Mktg.), established the scholarship to preserve … » More …

Honoring the journey through a gift to WSU

June 29, 2017 Trevor Durham

Washington State University alumna Jenny (Chapman) Rose embodies the tenacious Cougar spirit that ignites her passion as a teacher, role model to her three sons, and an activist for K-12 education. Although Jenny recently concluded eight years of service as president of the Spokane Education Association (SEA), her engagement in matters that impact public schools is stronger than ever.

Spirit and passion are the driving forces in Jenny’s life. Her personal and professional achievements have arisen from the experiences she enjoyed during her four years at WSU. She joined Chi Omega sorority her freshman year, participated in campus activities, never missed a home football or … » More …

Collaborative Study on Biodegradable Mulch Can Create a Better Environment for All

June 29, 2017 Trevor Durham

In 2002, when Professor Carol Miles certified the first organic ground in the Washington State University Vancouver Research Extension Unit (REU), she used plastic mulch to keep the pernicious, abundant weeds at bay. Plastic mulch (made of polyethylene) reduces weed pressure, moderates soil temperature, conserves moisture, and results in higher crop yield. Disposing of used plastic mulch, however, crowds landfills, and causes pollution when it is burned or stockpiled. Fragments that remain in the field threaten soil health and the environment, endangering microorganisms, insects, fish, and mammals.

Early in her career at WSU Vancouver REU, Professor Miles started looking for biodegradable alternatives to plastic mulch … » More …

Meet Spencer Anderson

March 31, 2017 Trevor Durham

College Bound, With an Interception

Washington State University senior Spencer Anderson had always planned to attend college, perhaps even graduate school. “Both my parents graduated from college,” he said, “so secondary education was expected of me.” At WSU, Spencer majors in communication and broadcast journalism, and minors in sports management.

WSU senior Spencer Anderson Spencer was born and raised in the Tri-Cities in Washington. He confessed he “wasn’t the most creative or imaginative kid growing up.” By the time he reached middle school, he’d set his sights on a … » More …

Keeping Sheep on the Mountain

March 16, 2017 Trevor Durham

Dr. Thomas Besser, professor in Washington State University’s Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, and adjunct faculty at WSU’s Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, is internationally-recognized as a leader in bighorn sheep disease research. During the first part of his career, however, Besser’s work focused on food safety research to reduce human disease risks. He developed practical measures to decrease the frequency of human food-borne and zoonotic disease agents, such as Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7, which can be acquired from cattle and other livestock.

Besser’s research path took an interesting turn in 2006, when, a student in his lab was conducting … » More …

Taking research into the marketplace

March 14, 2017 Trevor Durham

Pocket Labs, the research team led by Lei Li, assistant professor in the Washington State University School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, is also a startup that began in Innovation Corps (I-Corps) in fall 2016. The National Science Foundation (NSF) developed the I-Corps program in 2011 to help move academic research from the lab to the marketplace. Last year, the NSF provided WSU with a three-year grant to make the University one of 51 others participating in the NSF National Innovation Network.

Led by the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, and in partnership with the Carson College of Business and College of Arts and … » More …

It Takes a Village to Create a Healthier World

March 14, 2017 Trevor Durham

“When people say ‘it takes a village,’” Dr. Guy H. Palmer said, “they mean the power of many is greater than the power of one.” Meeting the goal of eliminating rabies as a cause of animal and human suffering by 2030 will indeed take a village. According to estimates by the World Health Organization, rabies takes the lives of nearly 60,000 people every year, including approximately 1,500 in Tanzania. Almost half of those are children under the age of 16.

Palmer, the Jack and Janet Creighton Endowed Chair in Global Health, Regents professor in the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine and founding director … » More …

Scholarship preserves legacy of service, commitment

March 14, 2017 Trevor Durham

Kathleen Irwin celebrated her 102nd birthday in January, at a party at Rockwood Retirement Center in Spokane, where she resides. She wore a Cougar Football-themed cardigan and crimson and gray earrings to mark the occasion, and to convey her unwavering loyalty to Washington State University.

Inside Kathleen’s apartment, a treasured keepsake hangs in a frame on a wall. The memento notes the year 1994, when Kathleen and her husband, Claude, were recognized and honored as Benefactors of WSU for their generous commitment to students through the Claude and Kathleen Irwin Regents Scholarship.

For the past 20 years, the scholarship has assisted full-time students who excel … » More …

Meet Celia Balderas

March 14, 2017 Trevor Durham

Celia Balderas
Senior, majoring in Comparative Ethnic Studies at WSU Pullman, and recipient of the Lou and Ruth Allen Pass It On scholarship, which encourages recipients to practice the Pass It On Principle: you get most for yourself when you learn to share what you receive with others.

Celia is from Pasco, Washington. She graduated from Chiawana High School and Columbia Basin College where she was a Running Start student. She is the second-oldest of seven children and will be the first in her family to attend and graduate from a university.

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Meet Navaraj (Raj) Lamichhane

March 14, 2017 Trevor Durham

Navaraj (Raj) Lamichhane
Junior, Business Administration, WSU Vancouver
International Student from Nepal
Recipient of the Stanton E. and Lana Y. Schmid Multicultural Opportunity Scholarship, which carries out WSU’s land-grant mission of accessible higher education while recognizing the commitment of former Vice President for University Affairs, Stan Schmid.

Activities: Secretary, Associated Students of Washington State University Vancouver (ASWSUV) Senate; President, International Students’ Association at WSU Vancouver (promotes multicultural exchange of perspectives between International and American students); volunteer for campus clubs helping students with their educational needs.

What do you like best about WSU?

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