May 24, 2022 Voiland College This Week

Go Cougs!

Alana Pulay and Kaiyan Qiu received 2022 New Faculty Seed Grants.

KOMO TV featured Xianming Shi’s research of recycling masks into cement mixtures.

Su Ha has accepted the position as director of the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.

Jason Peschel has accepted the role of interim director of the School and Design + Construction.

Research led by Su Ha and graduate student Wei-Jyun Wang has developed a new energy-efficient way to produce hydrogen gas from ethanol and water that has the potential to make clean hydrogen fuel a more viable alternative for gasoline to power cars.

Jhoana Avante and Prem Jongdeenarn took first place in the AIA Spokane’s “Open Category Student Design Competition 2022.

Simpson Strong-Tie recognized Don Bender and Daniel Dolan for their contributions in the areas of product testing, research, code development and education.

Yong Wang has been appointed executive editor for a new catalysis section of Chemical Engineering Journal, dedicated to publishing experimental and theoretical studies in the fields of heterogeneous catalysis, molecular catalysis, and biocatalysis with industrial impact on chemicals, energy, materials, foods, healthcare, and environmental protection.

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Opportunities

CySER Summer Workshop May 23 – June 4

This two week-long workshop will feature presentations by cybersecurity experts, research presentations, industry best practices, hands-on tutorials, a student poster session, networking opportunities, field trips to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratory and Keyport Naval Undersea Warfare Center, optional picnic on Memorial Day, food, and fun.

“Why is Now a Good Time to Be a Student?” ACS Webinar June 1

The Eastern Washington section of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS), in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Washington State University, is hosting a student webinar, “Why is Now a Good Time to Be a Student?” This free 90-minute webinar, which includes five 15-minute presentations and a 15-minute round table discussion, will be presented on Wednesday June 1, at 11 a.m.

The goal is to provide students with an overview of opportunities available at various venues. Five presenters, including WSU’s John McCloy, will share their experience and discuss several comprehensive, career-building undergraduate and graduate internship opportunities, including numerous examples for different areas of research. As a bonus, The Eastern Washington section of ACerS will award 20 complimentary Global Graduate Researcher Network memberships to the first 20 graduate or doctoral students who register.

SMART Symposium: Creating Leaders of the Future – July 12 – 14

Listen, engage, and collaborate at SMART’s annual three-day symposium. Department of Defense (DoD) science and technology leaders chart a course on future priorities, while SMART scholars present their own journeys and technical contributions towards these goals.

NextProf Pathfinder Future Faculty Workshop – Apply by June 22

The University of California San Diego and the University of Michigan are pleased to announce the 2022 NextProf Pathfinder Future Faculty Workshop on October 2-4, hosted in La Jolla, California.

This workshop is designed for 1st and 2nd year Ph.D. students and master’s students intending to apply to a Ph.D. program. NextProf Pathfinder prepares participants for a successful career in academia over three days by offering information from current faculty on what it takes to build a competitive graduate school record to obtain a faculty position in the professoriate.

NextProf Pathfinder encourages those in groups underrepresented in the engineering and computer science professoriate to pursue careers in academia. It is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents of any ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, veteran status, socio-economic status, first generation to college status, and religion. All travel and housing costs are covered for accepted applicants. Applications are now open, and will close on June 22.

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!

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Be Safe Cougs

Commitment to Lab Safety

(5/10 memo from Dr. Christopher J. Keane, Vice President for Research, WSU Vice Chancellor for Research, WSU Pullman, Co-Chair, SHS Steering Committee and Stacy Pearson, Vice President, Finance and Administration, Co-Chair, SHS Steering Committee)

As WSU continues our mutual efforts toward the advancement of education, research, and outreach, we also renew our commitment to the safety of our students and researchers. As both an employer and educator, WSU has an obligation to ensure a safe and healthy workplace that is also a safe and healthy learning environment. All personnel who use laboratories must comply with health and safety requirements.

The Vice President for Research and Vice President for Finance and Administration request the support and commitment of Deans and their Associate Deans and Department Chairs with research, teaching and clinical laboratories to laboratory safety. Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), the Office of Research Assurances (ORA) and the Safety, Health, and Security Steering Committee continually review laboratory safety protocols, practices, and incidents. Based upon these reviews, we identified the two following safety focus areas for improving laboratory safety.

Update Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plans (CHPs)

WAC 296-828CHPs identify laboratory responsibilities, training requirements, hazard controls, decontamination, and emergency safety measures. They include Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for work with hazardous substances such as corrosives, toxins, and carcinogens. CHPs must be reviewed annually.

Update Laboratory Signage

Laboratory signage helps identify laboratory hazards prior to entry. The signage system assists with classifying chemical, biological, and radiological hazards, with fire code compliance and chemical inventory management. CHP and Signage guidance documents are linked or available on the EH&S Website.

EH&S and ORA are available to provide assistance to departments, safety committees, principal investigators, lab managers, and other key personnel. Please contact Shawn Ringo or Mike Kluzik for immediate assistance.

We are also requesting that principal investigators (PIs), lab managers, teaching lab instructors, or other key personnel within each college:

• Sign and post the attached updated safety commitment in their laboratories, indicating they are also compliant with presidential oversight committees (e.g., IACUC, IBC, IRB, RSC); and,
• Update their CHPs and Signage and send a PDF copy of the CHP and a copy of the signage spreadsheet to EH&S at tom.ebeling@wsu.edu by August 31, 2022.