July 13, 2021 Voiland College This Week

Go Cougs!

The Denver Channel aired an interview with Hongfei Lin about his plastics-to-jet fuel research.

Alana Pulay received a Teaching Conference Registration Award from the WSU Teaching Academy.

Vox interviewed Anjan Bose about projecting how the weather can impact future demands on the power grid.

Physics Today interviewed Lloyd Smith on the influence of tacky substances on the spin of Major League baseballs.

Haipeng Cai, Ananth Jillepalli, and Shira Broschat received course redesign grants distributed through the Office of the Provost.

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Opportunities

VCEA Return to Campus Social July 14

Welcome back! Please stop by the Dean’s Office on the 5th floor of Carpenter Hall on Wednesday, July 14 sometime between 2-4 p.m. and enjoy some light refreshments and beverages – and good company. We missed you!

Commercialization Gap Fund Letter of Intent Due July 23

The application process is now open for the 2022 Commercialization Gap Fund (GCF). The CGF awards researchers up to $40,000, with a maximum of $2,000 allocated towards business development activities, to those that demonstrate that their innovation(s) have the ability to make an economic impact in our society.

Canvas to Replace Blackboard Fall 2021

Information Technology Services, Academic Outreach and Innovation, and WSU Faculty Senate are pleased to announce that Canvas will be WSU’s sole Learning Management System beginning Fall 2021.

WSU’s Blackboard access will expire on Aug 21. In preparation for this, users who want to export Blackboard course data should contact migrationhelp@wsu.edu now to begin the migration before Blackboard becomes unavailable. Learn what other actions you need to make and what resources are available for this transition.

Fall 2021 CS Capstone Program Recruiting Projects

Do you have a computer science project but can’t find people to work on your project? Submit your project idea to the Fall 2021 WSU CS Capstone Program!

In this program, students bid on a pool of project abstracts. Any project with an adequate amount of interest will be assigned a student or a team of students, depending upon the project scope and needs. Project ideas will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis until the slots in the abstract pool are filled. Contact AJ at the earliest if you have a project idea!

For submitting project ideas to the program, contact Ananth Jillepalli (AJ) at ananth.jillepalli@wsu.edu or at 509-335-0393.

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Be Safe Cougs

Transitioning into the New Work Life: Strategies for Responding to Change EAP Seminars

Over the past year plus, we’ve faced challenges we never could have imagined prior to March 2020. As our State continues to open up, you may find yourself experiencing uncertainty, stress, and a mixture of emotions.

In this live webinar we’ll:

• reflect on the past year,
• identify possible stress responses,
• talk about the natural psychological process we move through in response to change,
• offer strategies to help you manage your way in this new work life, and
• provide information on resources and supports available to you.

Live webinars are on July 21, July 28, August 10, August 19. Register today.

Safety Tip of the Week – Smoke Safety

WSU community members should take precautions to reduce exposure to unhealthy, smoky air. Breathing in smoke can have immediate health effects.

Older adults, pregnant women, children, and people with preexisting respiratory and heart conditions may be more likely to get sick if they breathe in wildfire smoke. If you experience any signs of respiratory distress or other health concerns, contact your health care provider.

There are many steps you can take for limiting exposure to unhealthy, smoky air:

• Avoid being outdoors. Use public transportation rather than walking or biking.
• Stay inside as much as possible. Keep indoor air clean by closing windows and using an air filter and air conditioning. Make sure your air conditioner’s fresh-air intake is closed and the filter is clean to prevent outdoor smoke from getting inside.
• Do not add to indoor pollution. Avoid using candles, fireplaces, or gas stoves. Do not vacuum, because vacuuming stirs up particles already inside your home. Do not smoke, because smoking puts even more pollution into the air.
• Follow your health care provider’s guidance. If you have asthma or another lung disease, follow your doctor’s advice about medicines and your respiratory management plan.

Information on the air quality in Pullman will be continually updated on WSU’s alert website.

For more safety tips, contact Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@wsu.edu.

Return to Campus

Visit Voiland College’s Faculty/Staff Web page to find the steps you need to take to return to work on campus.

COVID‑19 Vaccination Declaration – Instructions

All WSU employees must declare themselves fully vaccinated in order to forgo face masks and physical distancing while at a WSU location. Here’s how to find where in Workday you can complete your COVID-19 vaccination declaration.

VCEA Return to Work Location Distancing and Disinfection Plan for SARS-CoV2 and COVID-19

All Voiland College personnel shall adhere to the Voiland College Distancing and Disinfection Plan.

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.

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Communications Resources

Here are some resources you can use to keep in touch with what’s happening around Voiland College and Washington State University.

Safety, Emergencies, and Outages

Power outages and campus closures are a few of the many events that can impact you.

Here are some tips to find out about significant events at WSU:

• Sign up for WSU Alert to receive e-mail, text, and telephone information about campus emergencies.
• Sign up for MyFacilities Event Notifications to be notified of construction and maintenance work which may impact you.
• Follow @WSUAlert on Twitter to receive WSU emergency information.

Use these resources to report emergencies and safety concerns:

• Call 911 to notify WSU Police of emergencies.
• Call 509-335-8548 for WSU Police non-emergency assistance or response.
• Call 509-335-3041 to contact Environmental Health & Safety about non-emergency safety concerns.
• Call 509-335-9000 to contact Facilities Services about facilities-related concerns.

News and Events

Here are some ways in which you can send and receive information on current Voiland College and WSU news and events:

• Sign up to receive the WSU Insider daily email about news and activities happening around WSU, from lost and found items to guest lectures.
• Visit Voiland College’s website to see the college’s news and upcoming events.
• Share Voiland College news with the media or in one of the College’s newsletters by emailing News@wsu.edu.
• Submit announcements of general university interest to WSU Insider announcements.
• Submit events like lectures and symposiums to the WSU Events We have created an event submission tutorial to assist you.

Voiland College Social Media

Social media is a great way to keep in touch with what’s happening in and around WSU and Voiland College.

Here are a few of Voiland College’s social media channels that you may find useful:

• Facebook is great for finding Voiland College news and activities as well as student club activities.
• Instagram is great to see and share what’s happening around the college through photos and video.
• Twitter is a convenient way to share information quickly, and find out what is happening in various industries Voiland College is involved with.
• LinkedIn is a great way to keep in touch with your colleagues.
• YouTube lets you Watch videos of events and activities around Voiland College and WSU.

WSU offers great tips and advice for using social media.