From the Dean
What a great week. In the past week, members of the Voiland College family celebrated two major gifts, record enrollments, and another Coug victory. In the ‘Congratulations’ section below, you can find links to stories relating to the $1M+ gifts provided by Dr. Alexandra Navrotsky to the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering; and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories/Ed and Beatriz Schweitzer to the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Each of these gifts will enable enhanced research engagement of Voiland College faculty and students and is designed to promote international prominence of the research groups involved. Congratulations go to the leaders and researchers in these schools for creating the environment that enabled these gifts to be realized.
On the student front, you’ve almost certainly noticed the groundswell of students in classrooms, laboratories, and hallways. If you thought there were more than you’d seen before, you were correct. This year, Voiland College’s undergraduate enrollment tallied 4650. This represented the largest class ever on each of our campuses, except Pullman which was just 7 students short of the all-time record.
As shown in the figure above, 75% of the Voiland College undergrads study in Pullman, 13% in Vancouver, 8% in TriCities, 3% in Everett, and 2% in Bremerton. As we continue to grow, we must stay focused on ensuring the student experience is exceptional and that we support each one of these students in obtaining full-time employment in their field of study. To that end, I encourage you to be as flexible as possible with the job-seeking students over the course of the next few weeks as they participate in company information sessions, the WSU Career Expo and VCEA Technical Fair, and follow-on interviews. Let’s do what we can to help them succeed.
Go Cougs!
Mary Rezac, Dean
Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
mary.rezac@wsu.edu
Voiland College in the News
Spokesman Review
WSU News
- Experi-mint: Eucalyptus as alternative to dense jet fuel
- EU support provides students, faculty with European research opportunities
Congratulations
WSU’s power engineering program will establish the Edmund O. Schweitzer III Chair in Power Apparatus and Systems in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, thanks to gifts totaling $1.5 million from Edmund and Beatriz Schweitzer, and the employee owners of Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.
On September 20, Voiland College was proud to announce 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.
Trent R. Graham, a 5th year PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering, received a poster award at Smash NMR Organization 2017, an international NMR Conference in Baveno, Italy.
Luna Magpili, clinical associate professor in the Department of Engineering and Technology Management, has been recognized as one of the “20 Professors in Engineering Technology to Know” by OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com. The list is comprised of some of the outstanding professors and Universities in the field.
A research team led by Hongfei Lin, associate professor from WSU’s Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, has developed a novel process for synthesizing dense jet fuel from mint, pine, gumweed, eucalyptus or other plants.
For Your Information
Friday’s Football Game
The Pullman campus will maintain regular operations on Friday, September 29, when Cougar Football plays USC in a home game that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Martin Stadium. To allow for game-related parking, faculty, staff, and students must remove their vehicles from affected parking lots (PDF) no later than 1 p.m. on Friday, September 29. Parking options, including free shuttles from park-and-ride locations, are available. In order to ensure the University’s academic enterprise is fully operational and to accommodate the anticipated sellout crowd for the game, faculty, staff, and administrators will be provided as much flexibility as possible to carry out their duties, manage classes, and address employee work schedules.
Safety Tip of the Week
Gone ‘Phishing
Phishing scams are among the most prevalent forms of cybercrime. Phishing is a kind of identity theft that uses fraudulent websites and false emails to steal personal data.
Be wary of emails asking for confidential information. Never use links in an email to connect to a website unless you are absolutely sure they are authentic. Make sure you maintain effective software to combat phishing.
For more safety information, contact Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@wsu.edu.
Upcoming Seminars and Events
| Date | Event | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 27-Oct 3 | Voiland Professional Practice and Experiential Learning Networking, Interviewing, Career Events | Various | Various |
| Sept 27 | Voiland College Safety Training | 3:30 PM | L.J. Smith, Room 259 |
| Sept 28 | MME Seminar Series: Dr. Erin Barker, PNNL | 11 AM | ETRL 101 |
| Oct. 2 | Donuts with the Dean (please encourage student attendance) | 9-9:45 AM | Sloan Bridge |
| Oct. 2 | Voiland College Safety Training | 1 PM | PACCAR 202 |
| Oct. 2 | SWE Evening With Industry | 5:30 PM | SEL Event Center |
| Oct. 3 | WSU Career Expo and Tech Fair | 10 AM-3 PM | Beasley |
| Oct. 5 | Dean’s Town Hall Meeting | 3:30 PM | ERTL 101 |
Share Your Event
Add your upcoming events to the WSU event calendar and we’ll share them here each week!
Research Opportunities
Requests for Proposals, Research Announcements, and Events
For Students and Postdocs
| Title | Sponsor | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate Research Fellowship Program | NSF | 10/24/2017 |
| American Fellowships Dissertation Fellowships | AAUW | 11/15/2017 |
| American Fellowships Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowships | AAUW | 11/15/2017 |
| Doris Duke Fellowship Program | The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation | 12/1/2017 |
| Career Development Grants | AAUW | 12/15/2017 |
WSU Student Research Opportunities and Internships
WSU offers a number of opportunities available to undergraduate students who wish to gain experiences working in their field of interest. Visit Honors College website for announcements about job openings and internships at WSU.
Send Us Your News
Include your kudos, opportunities, events, and more in the Voiland College This Week newsletter for employees.
DEADLINE: Submit items by 12 pm Thursday for inclusion in the following Tuesday newsletter.