Dec. 20, 2022 Voiland College This Week

Go Cougs!

Student teams from the School of Design and Construction took top prizes at the Northwest regional Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) student competition.

To learn more about how electricity travels through metal wires and circuitry, the fictional feline Dr. Universe talked with Bob Olsen.

Judy Theodorson discussed sensory design with The Inlander.

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Opportunities

MLK Spirit Awards – Nominations Due Jan. 20

The Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award Committee is seeking nominations for the 2023 Spirit Awards. The WSU Spirit Awards celebrate the life, legacy, and spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. by honoring WSU community members who are dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. The awards recognize individuals around the WSU system who continue King’s work in an extraordinary way. Nominations are due Jan. 20.

Graduate School Scholarships – Nominations Close Feb. 1

The nominations for the Graduate School Scholarships are open now through Feb 1.

IDEA Grants

Washington State University faculty seeking to innovate and to promote issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) in undergraduate teaching and learning can apply between Jan. 15 and March 13, for two grants from the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President. The awards are the Smith Teaching and Learning Grant and the Transformational Change Initiative (TCI) Grant for Advancing IDEA.

WSU Center for Interdisciplinary Statistical Education and Research

The Center for Interdisciplinary Statistical Education and Research (CISER) provides services in support of WSU researchers in designing data-collection protocols and statistical analysis of the data resulting from research studies. Need help? Send us an e-mail.

Spring ’23 Canvas and Educational Technology Trainings

The Learning Innovations Team at Academic Outreach and Innovation (AOI) is excited to announce its Spring 2023 training schedule. Trainings start on Jan. 3 with topics including Canvas, Panopto, Perusall, VoiceThread, and teaching videoconference classes. Please visit our training offerings page to review the schedule and register.

Showcase 2023 – Abstracts Due Jan 18

Each year Academic Showcase and the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) Research Exposition celebrate original scholarship, research, and creative expression across WSU’s academic community. Abstracts are due January 18.

SURCA 2023 Applications Open to Undergraduates Through Feb. 21

Washington State University undergraduates can submit abstracts from Dec. 5 through Feb. 21 to present their research, scholarships, and creative activities on March 27 at the 2023 Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA).

WSU Undergraduate Research Awards – Apply by Jan 20

Washington State University undergraduate students can apply online now through Jan. 20, 2023 for any of seven awards to support their mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activities in academic year 2023-24.

PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program – Apply by Feb. 13

The WSU Office of Research, the WSU Graduate School, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are pleased to announce the call for applications (PDF) for the seventh cohort of the Distinguished Graduate Research Program (DGRP). Incoming students are nominated jointly by a WSU faculty and a PNNL scientist.

Interested co-advisors from WSU and PNNL should submit a joint-DGRP application online by Nov. 18 for priority consideration. Advisor applications have a hard deadline of Feb. 13, 2023.

The DGRP is intended to increase the quality and quantity of STEM doctoral students across the WSU system, while providing an enhanced research experience by aligning WSU faculty, students, and PNNL scientists with the unique capabilities and research programs at PNNL. Students in the DGRP are funded by their WSU and PNNL advisors, not by the DGRP.

For more information, please visit PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program, or email DGRP@wsu.edu.

GPSA Dissertation Grant – Apply Today

The Awards and Scholarships Committee offers dissertation grants to support the research needs of WSU Ph.D. students. These grants will be awarded on a rolling basis to help cover expenses generated as students work to complete their dissertation projects.

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!

Voiland College T-Shirts

Show your Voiland College pride by purchasing a Voiland College t-shirt! Two designs to choose from. Now on sale at the FIZ community studio (Dana Hall room 15) for $15.00. We only accept Cougar Cash, so come prepared with your Cougar Card.

Cyber Security Awareness Training – Complete by Jan. 31

Following updates to university Executive Policy, all active WSU employees, including faculty, student employees, and temporary hourly, are required to complete annual cyber security awareness training by Jan. 31, 2023. Visit Human Resource Service’s new learning platform Skillsoft Percipio to complete cyber security awareness training.

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We’re Hiring!

Voiland College is hiring for several staff and faculty positions.

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Be Safe Cougs

December Reduced Operations

WSU campuses will be closed Monday–Tuesday, Dec. 26–27, and Monday, Jan. 2, in observance of university holidays. December Holiday Reduced Operations will be Wednesday–Friday, Dec. 28–30. Most university operations and services will be unavailable during this time. The following topics provide quick references to common questions such as facility preparations, outage notices, and contacts.

Please Secure Windows and Doors & Remove Garbage

Please be sure to close and lock all windows and doors in your area before leaving. If you plan on being gone for multiple days, please dump your trash prior to leaving to ensure you do not come back to unexpected surprises (rot, smells, or pests).

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, 12/23/22, at 11:00 pm and lasting through Monday, January 2nd, 2023. Buildings will reopen Tuesday January 3rd, 2023. Temperatures may be adjusted in VCEA Pullman campus buildings to as low as 65 degrees, with the exception of laboratories. Building access, via key and/or Cougar Card, is provided by your school/department.

Safety In Buildings

For everyone’s safety please do not prop exterior building doors open. There will be very few persons in buildings over the winter closure/reduced operations period. 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 Pullman campus 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.

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. VCEA Pullman campus buildings are not on 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 building 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.

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.

Facility Service Outage Notices

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

WSU Emergency Alert & Inclement Weather Notification

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 the WSU Alert website. 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.

Limited Snow & Ice Removal

The university is not providing full snow or ice removal during periods of reduced operations, days of closure, or on holidays. Please be careful as you navigate university roads, sidewalks, exterior areas, and getting in and out of vehicles.

Accidentally Locked Out

If you are locked out of your area of a building, you can call the non-emergency number for WSU Safety Services (aka WSU Police). If at the Pullman campus and time allows, they will let you into the area/building, however you will need to have ID with you. If you are not in Pullman, the WSU Safety Services may be able to help you get in contact with the correct unit to let you into an area at your campus. The non-emergency number is 509-335-1380.

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 WSU 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 VCEA Facilities Operations & Safety Services Director at 509-432-1649.

HRS Resources

Policies and procedures on inclement weather & suspended operations: Inclement Weather – Human Resource Services, Washington State University.

Road Conditions & Emergency Preparedness

Washington State Department of Transportation provides weather and road conditions.

FEMA provides information on how to build an emergency preparedness kit.