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WSU private support tops $122 million

September 26, 2017 Trevor Durham

Washington State University supporters committed $21.6 million in private support in June—a record for that month—to bring WSU’s total fundraising activity to more than $122.6 million in gifts, grants, revocable commitments and other contributions during Fiscal Year 2017.

“This is a testament to each and every generous individual and organization who believe in WSU and want to be a part of instilling a margin of excellence across the University,” said Gil Picciotto, interim vice president for advancement and CEO of the WSU Foundation. “Regardless of where our donors chose to contribute—be it scholarships, research, liberal arts, medicine, athletics, etc.—their support demonstrates their faith in the … » More …

Schweitzer, SEL gifts energize WSU’s power program

September 25, 2017 Trevor Durham

Washington State University’s power engineering program will establish the Edmund O. Schweitzer III Chair in Power Apparatus and Systems in the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, thanks to gifts totaling $1.5 million from Edmund and Beatriz Schweitzer, and the employee owners of Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.

“We are humbled by the generosity of Ed and Beatriz, and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), and excited by the leadership and vision they demonstrate with the creation of this new endowed chair in Voiland College,” said WSU President Kirk H. Schulz. “The Schweitzers and SEL are writing a new chapter in their legacy for investing in WSU’s faculty … » More …

Gift advances WSU thermodynamics research

September 20, 2017 Trevor Durham

Washington State University announced the creation of the Alexandra Navrotsky Institute for Experimental Thermodynamics, made possible by a $1 million gift from Alexandra Navrotsky, Distinguished Interdisciplinary Professor of Ceramic, Earth and Environmental Materials Chemistry at University of California-Davis.

Navrotsky recently made a similar gift to UC Davis.

The new WSU institute will be part of the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.

Navrotsky’s gift will create an endowment to support experimental thermodynamics research. The endowment will be used to advance the careers of aspiring scientists, including two of Navrotsky’s former Ph.D. students who recently joined WSU’s chemical engineering and chemistry faculty. … » More …

Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation pledges $1M to WSU Wine Science Program

August 20, 2017 Trevor Durham

The Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation will donate $1 million to the Washington State University Viticulture & Enology Program, the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

Announced at the annual Auction of Washington Wines Gala on Aug. 19 in Woodinville, Wash., the donation will be dedicated to teaching labs and facilities as well as scholarships for viticulture and enology students.

Half of the $1 million donation will support the build-out of the Life Science Teaching Laboratory at the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science … » More …

Meet Loan Lam

June 29, 2017 Trevor Durham

“Your daughter has Leukemia.”

Loan Lam’s parents were stunned. It was July 1999 and Loan was a few days away from celebrating her 9th birthday. The formal diagnosis: childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of cancer in children. With ALL, the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell).

Advancements in modern medicine saved her life. According to the National Cancer Institute, from 2005-2011, the five-year relative survival rates for ALL: 91.2 percent for children and adolescents younger than 15 years, and 92.9 percent for children younger than 5 years.

However, beating ALL requires rigorous treatments. “Pediatric … » More …

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 …