Go Cougs!
Assefaw Gebremedhin was awarded the 2021 George Pólya Prize in Applied Combinatorics.
Amit Bandyopadhyay received this year’s Distinguished Faculty Award in recognition of his achievements in research, scholarship and teaching. Bandyopadhyay will deliver this year’s Distinguished Faculty Address on March 22.
Dave Torick received the President’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Career-Track Faculty.
The clean energy research of John McCloy, Jacob Leachman and others is highlighted in the current issue of Washington State Magazine.
Birgitte Ahring received a $2.5 million DOE grant to develop a way to drastically improve energy production at small waste water treatment plants.
Led by Jan Boll, researchers have developed a tool that could help timber operations choose the best areas to log to prevent flooding in downstream areas.
The Daily Evergreen featured a story on how a research team including Abdelrhman Mohamed, Hannah Zmuda, Phuc Ha, Erik Coats, and Haluk Beyenal has found a more sustainable process to treat wastewater that uses less energy than current methods.
A WSU student team including Meghan Smith, Hunter Hohman, Kali Saueressig, Cory Condon, Austin Cornell, and Georgia Robinson with alternates Grace Lium and RJ Clemons took first place in the recent Associated Schools of Construction competition, the largest construction management competition in the U.S.
WSU Bremerton students Quinn Morley and Tom Bowen have been selected NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Fellows for their novel Mars Rover drilling concept.
Mechanical engineering major Alyssa Hovenkotter is this week’s student in the spotlight.
Events
Tuesday, March 2 @ 11 AM
ESIC Power Group Seminar – The Next-Generation Retail Electricity Markets in the Context of Distributed Energy Resources w/Josue Prado, WSU-Vancouver.
Tuesday, March 2 @11 AM
MME Seminar: Soft Robots and Soft Structures w/Gina Olson, Carnegie Mellon University.
Soft robots use geometric and material deformation to absorb impacts, mimic natural motions, mechanically adapt to motion or unevenness and to store and reuse energy.
Tuesday, March 2 @ 1:10 PM
VoiceThread Basics:
VoiceThread is a tool used to engage students in meaningful conversations around media. Learn the basics features including how to create, comment, collaborate, and share with your class.
Tuesday, March 2 @ 3:10 PM
VoiceThread and Canvas:
Learn how to engage students in meaningful conversation by interacting with their peers and media.
Wednesday, March 3 @ 12:10 PM
Faculty-Led Workshop: Mindfulness Made Simple (Part II):
In part two of this two-part experience, we will assess the effectiveness of the mindfulness-based practices that you learned in the previous session.
Wednesday, March 3 @ 4:10 PM
Canvas getting started:
WSU is moving from Blackboard to Canvas and we are here to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Thursday, March 4 @ 8:10 AM
Panopto Basics:
Panopto enables instructors to capture and archive lectures, create video clips and prepare media elements for their course. Students will be able to view archived lectures and can also create media of their own. Learn about Panopto features, how to download the recorder, and create and edit your videos.
Thursday, March 4 @ 11 AM
MME Distinguished Seminar: 3D Printing Functional Materials & Devices w/Michael C. McAlpine, Kuhrmeyer Family Chair Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Friday, March 5 @ 11:10 AM
Canvas assignments and rubrics:
In this training we will cover assignment and rubric creation, peer reviews, and the plagiarism checker.
Friday, March 5 @ 1 PM
Women’s Leadership Summit:
Designed to provide Cougs at all career levels an opportunity to celebrate successes and learn from past experiences of WSU faculty and alumnae.
Friday, March 5 @ 2:10 PM
Panopto and Canvas:
Want to connect your Panopto quizzes to the Blackboard grade book?
Monday, March 8 @ 4:10 PM
CEE Graduate Seminar – Edward P. Kolodziej:
In the U.S. Pacific Northwest, one species of salmon, (coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch), annually exhibit unexplained acute mortality upon stormwater exposure when adult salmon migrate to urban and near urban creeks to reproduce.
Tuesday, March 9 @ 10:10 AM
Canvas tests and quizzes:
In this training we will review the full array of powerful question formats and setting options that allow you to precisely control and manage delivery of online assessments.
Tuesday, March 9 @ 2:10 PM
Teaching from a distance: Strategies and best practices:
WSU Pullman – Online.
In this training, we will cover simple ways to engage with students and optimize your course space.
Thursday, March 11 @ 2 PM
VCEA Three-Minute Thesis Competition:
Ph.D. students will be competing for a chance to move on to the WSU-wide competition as well as a $1,500 scholarship for Fall 2021 (first runner-up will receive a $1,000 scholarship and second runner-up will receive a $500 scholarship). Additional prize money in the form of travel stipends is up for grabs at the main WSU event.
Share Your Event
Add your upcoming events to the WSU event calendar and we’ll share them here each week!
Opportunities
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Summit March 4
Join us for the Spring 2021 Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Summit. The event will bring together WSU faculty, staff, and students to learn about efforts and initiatives happening within our university community. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet people with shared interests and passions and learn how to get involved in the work of equity and social justice.
Awards Available to Undergraduate Researchers – Apply by March 5
Undergraduate research award applications will be accepted through March 5 for students engaged in research, scholarship, and creative arts. Awards for the next academic year are available to students in all majors on all campuses. Students can accept a scholarship for one or two semesters.
Top Ten Senior Awards – Nominations Due March 26
The Top Ten Senior Awards provide an opportunity for faculty, staff, community members, and other students to nominate a deserving senior for their contributions to Washington State University. Nomination forms, selection criteria, and information about the selection process can be found on the Alumni website.
WSU Spring Family Weekend April 9-11 – Submit Your Virtual Event!
Family Weekends always offer fun and meaningful opportunities for families to engage with WSU. This year especially, students, parents, and alumni are looking for more ways to connect with the Coug community.
For this reason, we encourage you to host an event for Family Weekend! It’s a great way to build a connection between your school, department, or program and the Cougs who support your amazing work. We invite you to submit your event to be featured in our official Family Weekend calendar at family.wsu.edu. The deadline to submit an event is Monday, March 22.
Community and Equity Certificate Program Courses
WSU HRS is excited to introduce a new professional development opportunity available to all WSU faculty and staff. The Community & Equity Certificate lays the groundwork for a challenging, personal journey for individuals who are committed to creating equitable and inclusive environments. Through the certificate program, faculty and staff will expand their understanding of equity-mindedness and build a toolkit for engaging more effectively with students, colleagues, and community partners. Faculty and staff must complete seven workshops across four areas to earn the certificate.
Smith Teaching and Learning Grant – Apply by March 15
Washington State University faculty with innovative ideas to enhance teaching and learning are encouraged to apply by March 15 for a Smith Teaching and Learning Grant of up to $5,000.
Oaks Academic Technology Award Nominations Due March 22
Nominations are now being accepted for the fifth annual Oaks Academic Technology Award, which recognizes an instructor’s innovative application of an existing technology to transform teaching and learning in their classroom (face-to-face, online, videoconferencing).
WSU SURCA opens student applications, judge registrations
Students’ applications and judges’ sign-ups are now open online for the ninth Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA), which will be held virtually on March 29.
Live Auto-Generated Captioning Now Available for Zoom
WSU Zoom now provides live automatic speech recognition captioning/transcription capability for live virtual meetings, webinars, and course lectures.
Zoom Webinar Option Now Available to All Instructors
The Zoom support team at Information Technology Services is excited to offer all WSU instructors a semester-long Zoom webinar option for spring 2021 courses. These webinars will allow up to 100 or 500 attendees.
Graduate Student Opportunities
2021 VCEA Three Minute Thesis Competition – Nominations Due March 4
The 2021 VCEA Three Minute Thesis Competition is open to all Ph.D. candidates who have successfully passed their preliminary exam by March 11th, 2021. That date also happens to be VCEA’s qualifying competition to be held virtually on Zoom at 2pm (students must be able to attend at this time).
Students will be competing for a chance to move on to the WSU-wide competition as well as a $1,500 scholarship for Fall 2021 (first runner-up will receive a $1,000 scholarship and second runner-up will receive a $500 scholarship). Additional prize money in the form of travel stipends is up for grabs at the main WSU event.
Contact your faculty advisor or email Chris Gass for more details.
Preparing Future Faculty Virtual Workshop May 14 & 21
Designed for Ph.D. students and postdocs interested in pursuing academic careers, this workshop will include sessions on how to obtain a faculty position (hiring process, preparing documents, interviewing, negotiating) and how to be successful in beginning an academic career (articulating research, prioritizing activities, work-life balance). You will also have the opportunity to engage with other aspiring academics to expand your network of colleagues and collaborators. For those interested in participating in this workshop, please complete the application on the event website.
Faculty, staff, and post-docs: sign up to judge at SURCA 2021 on March 29
Your expertise is needed! Faculty, staff and post-docs are sought to register to serve as judges by the March 10 deadline to help judge student presenters at the annual Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (SURCA) on March 29. Learn more at surca.wsu.edu.
Additional Opportunities
More opportunities for VCEA graduate students.
Be Safe Cougs
WSU COVID-19 Information
Visit WSU’s website to get the latest information and resources on WSU’s COVID-19 testing and response.
Caring for Self, Caring for Others – Resources
Self-care is more important than ever. Caring for others adds an additional layer of complexity, but self-care continues to remain paramount. Please use these resources to help you on your self-care journey.
WSU Crisis Resources
Call 911 in any emergency situation or if a student poses an immediate threat to self or others.
Cougar Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Call 509-335-4511 during business hours, or 509-335-2159 after hours.
WSU Employee Assistance Program
1-877-313-4455
Office of Compliance and Civil Rights
509-335-8288
Center for Community Standards
509-335-4532
Office of the Dean of Students
509-335-5757
Title IX Coordinator
509-335-3288
WSU Campus Police
509-335-8548
Community Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Press 1 for veteran’s services or send a text to 838255
En Español
1-888-628-9454
For Deaf and Hard of Hearing via TTY
1-800-799-4889
Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741
Text STEVE to 741741 for support specific to individuals of color
Trevor Lifeline (LGBTQ)
1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678
Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse
509-332-4357
After hours and/or emergency medical care:
For emergency care, dial 911 or contact Pullman Regional Hospital 509-332-2542
Helping Students in Distress
Select your campus for a full list of local resources.
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DEADLINE: Submit items by 12 pm Thursday for inclusion in the following Tuesday newsletter.