Dec. 18, 2018 Voiland College This Week

Go Cougs!

Led by Partha Pande and Jana Doppa, a Washington State University research team has uncovered significant and previously unknown vulnerabilities in high-performance computer chips that could lead to failures in modern electronics.

Mathew Hunt won the 2019 National Student Intern of the Year Award from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Cooperative Education and Experiential Division.


For Your Information

WSU undergraduate research award applications open through Feb. 15. Washington State University students can apply online now for awards to support their mentored research, scholarship and creative activities in academic year 2019‑20.


Upcoming Seminars and Events

DateEventTimeLocation
VariousWSU Training for Supervisors
Topics include workplace management issues, recruitment and hiring, equal opportunity, preventing sexual harassment, etc.
VariousVarious
VariousHRS Research Administration Series
Subjects include grant process, compliance, F&A costs, cost sharing, award administration, etc.
VariousVarious

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Add your upcoming events to the WSU event calendar and we’ll share them here each week!


Be Safe Cougs

WSU Reduced Operations Schedule

WSU will begin its December Holiday Reduced Operations starting Monday, December 24th, 2018 and will continue through Tuesday, January 1st, 2019. This period includes three university holidays (December 24, 25 and January 1). Most university operations and services will be unavailable during this time. More information can be found at December Holiday Schedule and at December Holiday Reduced Operations.

Buildings Are Locked

If you will need access to buildings during the periods of closure and/or reduced operations please ensure you have a means to gain entry into the building(s). VCEA buildings will be locked on non-business days, holidays, and during WSU’s reduced operations beginning Friday, 12/21/18, at 11:00 pm and lasting through Tuesday, January 1st, 2019. Buildings will reopen Wednesday January 2nd 2019 at their regularly scheduled times. Temperatures will remain unchanged in VCEA buildings to accommodate those needing to work. Building access, via key and/or Cougar Card, is provided by your school/department.

Please Be Prepared in Event of Facility Emergency, Such as Power Loss

Please ensure your work is safeguarded in event of emergency, or loss of service. A power failure is one of the most likely emergency situations at WSU, and depending on what you are operating can create a high risk situation quickly. PACCAR is the only VCEA building with limited backup power. When the power goes out power outlets do not work, hoods do not work, the air systems shut down, and elevators halt. (For PACCAR occupants toilets will also not flush – the building’s water reclamation system provides the toilets with water, but does not operate in a power outage.) The only systems that consistently work in a power failure are emergency lights, fire alarms, and emergency fire sprinklers. WSU does have generators but they are only used for an extended power loss, and only certain areas of campus may be brought online with the generators.

If you wish to be notified of a facility emergency (such as a power outage), or a scheduled maintenance activity (such as an elevator or water shut down), you can sign up at My Facilities. The subscription allows you to specify the building(s) and activities you would like notices regarding.

Limited Snow & Ice Removal

In event of poor weather, the university is not providing full snow or ice removal during the holidays. Please be careful as you navigate university roads, sidewalks, exterior areas, and getting in and out of vehicles. For details on snow closed areas, snow removal, etc. please visit Snow Removal.

Safety in Buildings

There will be very few persons in buildings over the winter closure/reduced operations period. For everyone’s safety please do not prop exterior building doors open. If you see a building exterior door open, please close it. If something in the building seems wrong, please don’t hesitate to contact the WSU Police at 911 or the non-emergency number at 509-335-1380. If there is an emergency please pull the fire alarm, evacuate the building, and wait for emergency responders to arrive. If you have a cell phone, please also call 911 to notify them of the situation’s circumstances.

Accidentally Locked Out

If you are locked out of your area or a building you can call the non-emergency number for WSU Safety Services (aka WSU Police). If time allows they will let you into the area/building, however you will need to have ID with you. The non-emergency number is 509-335-1380.

Lab & Hazardous Environments

Please ensure the contact information outside your lab door is current, with a phone number emergency services can contact outside of normal operating hours. Please make sure experiments, materials, and chemicals are safeguarded in event building conditions change (such as a power outage), hazardous waste is appropriately collected/stored/disposed of before leaving the lab for extended periods (explosions often happen over holidays due to unchecked pressure build up in waste containers), hood sashes are down, and water sources are closed prior to leaving labs. If you plan to work in a hazardous environment over the holiday, please do not work alone (this practice applies anytime work takes place in a hazardous environment). Make sure you have a colleague working in the area with you, are familiar with fire alarm and exit locations, and best practice is to also tell someone (not working in the lab at the same time with you) where you will be and how long you plan to be there.

Emergency Contacts

In event of an emergency call 911.

In event of a security or safety concern contact the WSU Safety Services office at 509-335-1380.

In event of a facility issue (flood, leak, elevator shut down, hood failure, electrical/gas/water outage, etc.) call Facilities Services at 509-335-9000.

In event of a lab safety issue contact Environmental Health & Safety at 509-335-3041, or as appropriate the Office of Radiation Safety at 509-335-8916.

In event any of the above emergency contacts are necessary, as a courtesy, please notify the Voiland College Facility, Operations, and Safety Services Director at 509-432-1649.

Inclement Weather Resources

There are times WSU institutes a delay and/or closure due to weather and traveling conditions. The WSU Alert system will provide messaging should a safety situation, such as a weather impact, arise affecting safety on campus (messages are tailored to each campus). A message of this type is typically conveyed prior to 6:00 AM to news outlets and via WSU Alert. VCEA strongly encourages all personnel, and students, to sign up for safety alerts. Please visit WSU Alert. Employees are encouraged to use their own judgement, as it relates to the safety of getting to the worksite, should the university not be delayed or closed. If inclement weather prevents safe access to your WSU worksite HRS offers guidance and options below.

HRS Resources

Faculty and staff are encouraged to be aware of personnel processes for periods of inclement weather and for the possibility of suspended operations (BPPM 50.40 and BPPM 60.40).

Inclement Weather FAQ

Suspended Operations FAQ

Information is available on the Human Resource Services website providing links to policies and procedures, as well as WSU snow removal and tips for safe driving. Information can be found here: Inclement Weather

For road conditions Washington State Department of Transportation provides weather and road conditions.

For additional safety information contact Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@wsu.edu.


Research Opportunities

NSF PPAPG Changes

Be aware of the latest updates from NSF on PPAPG changes for the coming year (PDF).

Opportunities and Deadlines

OpportunityAgencyClose Date
Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM)NSFWSU Deadline: 1/8/2019
NSF CMMI CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop- March 25 – 27, in Charlotte, NCNSF01/08/2019
The Visiting Faculty Program (VFP) Program 2019 Summer Term
The VFP seeks to increase the research competitiveness of faculty members and their students at institutions historically underrepresented in the research community in order to expand the workforce vital to the DOE mission areas.  As part of the program, selected university/college faculty members collaborate with DOE laboratory research staff on a research project of mutual interest. Faculty member participants may invite up to two students (one of which may be a graduate student) to participate in the research project
DOE01/10/2019
Academic Showcase and the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) Research ExpositionWSU01/16/2019
Abstracts due
2019 JCATI Request for Proposals (PDF)JCATI03/01/2019
Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC)NSF ($2-4M/yr)WSU Deadline: Anticipated, 4/4/2019
Crimson Spirit AwardWSUOngoing
WSU Office of Research Information SessionsWSU Office of ResearchOngoing
ONNL Alternate Sponsored Fellowships (ASF) for Students, Faculty, and Visiting ScientistsPNNL, DOEContinuous
NSF-NIST Interaction in Basic and Applied Scientific Research in BIO, ENG, & MPS (Supplements to existing NSF awards)NSFContinuous
Experiential, Cooperative, and Work-integrated Education Research GrantsCEED- ASEEContinuous

Resources


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, including:

WSU Honors College Research Opportunities and Internships Database.

Voiland College Career & Internship Center.

WSU’s student employment/internship portal: Handshake.

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