Feb. 8, 2022 Voiland College This Week

Go Cougs!

The Daily Evergreen reported on Tim Ginn’s research to study solute transport in rivers.

Xianming Shi discussed better ways to use rock salt on snow with Popular Science Magazine.

The Spokesman Review highlighted Taiji Miyasaka’s artwork at Spokane’s Podium sports complex.

Mona Ghandi received a USA Property Award Award in the Public Service Architecture category for the Morphogenisis Lab entry, “A shelter for the Mind.”

Ayumi Manawadu received the WTS Spokane/Coeur d’Alene chapter’s Paula Hammond Leadership Legacy Graduate Scholarship.

Yan Zhang received CUTC’s Milton Pikarsky Memorial Award for the best Doctoral dissertation and Master’s thesis in the field of science and technology in transportation studies.


Events

Tuesday, February 8 @11 AM Virtual

ESIC Seminar: Update on the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” w/Carl Imhoff, Angela Becker-Dippmann, PNNL

Wednesday, February 9 @ 11:10 AM

EECS Colloquium: AI in HPC Systems Stack: “Storage Systems and Deep Learning Systems” by Bing Xie, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Univ.

Thursday, February 10 @ 12 PM

VCEA Town Hall:
Please join Dean Mary Rezac and the VCEA Leadership Team as they provide updates on Voiland College’s initiatives. Is there someone in our college you feel deserves a kudo? Is there a topic you would like to hear about at future VCEA Town Halls? Let us know by filling out this form.

Thursday, February 10 @ 4 PM

WSU GradSWE Women in Engineering Speaker Series: Paola Pesantez-Cabrera:
Graduate Society of Women Engineers is pleased to announce that Dr. Paola Pesantez-Cabrera is our next speaker in our series that highlights outstanding female engineers in industry and academia.

Friday, February 11 @ 11:10 AM

EECS Colloquium: “Enhancing the Cybersecurity Ecosystem by Understanding and Mitigating Human Vulnerabilities” by Zhibo “Eric” Sun, Arizona State Univ.

Monday, February 14 @ 11:10 AM

EECS Colloquium: “Holistic Performance Analysis and Optimization of Unified Memory” by Tyler Allen, Clemson Univ.

Wednesday, February 16 @ 12 PM

Lane Family Lecture in Environmental Science:
“Environmental Justice in Rural America” Internationally prominent environmental justice activist Catherine Coleman Flowers provides insights for addressing the disproportionate impacts of inadequate waste and water sanitation infrastructure on rural communities.

Thursday, February 16 @ 4 PM in Spark 227

The Society of Women Engineers Undergraduate Research Mixer:
Come network with Voiland College faculty and learn about their research!

Friday, February 17 @ 2 PM – Zoom

WSU Graduate Society of Women in Engineering: The Academic Panel:
Grad SWE is hosting a panel this semester, featuring professional academic women in engineering at WSU–highlighting their achievements, journey to this career, and advice for current graduate women in engineering! Open to all students from all WSU campuses!

More Events

Find more Voiland College events on the event calendar.

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Opportunities

Kids’ Science and Engineering Day – Saturday, March 26

Save the date! On Saturday March 26th, 2022, SWE will be hosting the 13th Annual Kids’ Science and Engineering Day (KSED) in-person at WSU!

FREE FOR WSU EMPLOYEES: Online Series Equips Researchers for U-I Collaboration

UIDP’s Insights for Researchers Webinar Series, Feb. 3-April 14, provides researchers from both companies and universities with guidance and tools to strengthen sponsored research collaboration.

  • Learn about the types of research ripe for industry-university collaboration and how to manage expectations when navigating partner priorities and needs.
  • For university researchers and those in academia who facilitate sponsored research relationships: Get insight into what industry seeks from academic research partners, ways to recruit industry sponsors, and practical tips for successful collaboration.
  • For industry researchers and their academic connectors: Learn about the motivations and constraints that arise when forging relationships with academic partners.

The President’s Award for Leadership – Nominations Due March 4

Help recognize those who have shown outstanding leadership and service to the WSU community this academic year. The President’s Award for Leadership has been an honor bestowed annually to students, faculty & staff, community organizations, and student organizations that demonstrate exceptional leadership and service to the university and the community as well as to those who support leadership development in WSU students.

LGBTQIA2S+ Faculty/Staff Distinguished Achievement Award – Nominations Due March 4

Nominations are open for the LGBTQIA2S+ Faculty/Staff Distinguished Achievement Award!

The President’s Commission for Gender Identity/Expression and Sexual Orientation (GIESO) is creating a new award to celebrate and honor excellence within the LGBTQIA2S+ community at WSU.

This award demonstrates the institution’s commitment to fostering a more welcoming campus culture and climate and shows LGBTQIA2S+ employees that they are seen and are a valued and vibrant part of the WSU community.

Smith Teaching and Learning Grant – Apply by March 14

Washington State University faculty with innovative ideas to enhance teaching and learning are encouraged to apply by March 14 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 sixth annual Oaks Academic Technology Award. The self-nominated award recognizes instructors for their innovative application of technology to transform teaching and learning in their classroom (face-to-face, asynchronous online, or videoconferencing).

The winner will receive $3,000 in faculty development funds, distributed to the award winner’s academic department. To apply or learn more about the award, including the evaluation rubric, visit the Oaks award application webpage.

Office of the Provost Launches Mentoring Innovations Initiative

WSU faculty are invited to apply for mini-grants to support innovative mentoring initiatives.

The grants are part of the new Mentoring Innovations Initiative out of the Office of the Provost. The goal of initiative is to promote faculty success through the development of creative mentoring resources. Building on the concept of mutual mentoring, the initiative seeks to support teams in creating original and equity-minded approaches to faculty mentoring. Such teams might form within departments, as interdisciplinary groups (accommodating common research interests and approaches), or as affinity groups (accommodating common challenges).

Nominate a Colleague for the Crimson Spirit Award

Do you know a WSU employee who is exceptionally creative in problem-solving or who consistently goes above and beyond? Nominate that WSU employee for the Crimson Spirit Award today!

Visit Crimson Spirit Award to nominate a WSU employee or to see past award recipients.


Be Safe Cougs

Free N95 COVID Masks

Rite-Aid, Safeway, and others are distributing free N95 masks to the public provided by the federal government. Well-fitting respirators approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health — including N95s — provide “the highest level of protection,” according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Masks are limited to three per person. Here’s a list of companies from the federal partnership that are distributing masks or planning to, while supplies last.

Get Free At-⁠Home COVID-⁠19 Tests

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests. The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. Order your tests now so you have them when you need them.

COVID-19 Contract Tracing

Contact tracing identifies COVID-19 positive individuals and their close contacts and establishes isolation durations for people testing positive and quarantine durations for their close contacts. The Washington Department of Health defines a close contact as any individual within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 minutes in a 24-hour period. Contact WSU’s Environmental Health & Safety’s Jason Sampson at 509-335-9564 or Shawn Ringo at 509-335-5251 for guidance and contact tracing for WSU faculty and staff.

Helping Students in Distress Guide

Faculty and staff are often able to recognize when a student is struggling, but it can be hard to know what to say or do. State and federal laws and University policies mandate reporting in some situations. You can reference this guide when you’re concerned about a student. Each WSU location has a guide with specific campus and community resources.

Campus Connect and Mental Health First Aid Training

Learn how to identify Cougs in crisis and connect them with support by signing up for a training with WSU Health Promotion. Sessions are available for all WSU locations.

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