Showcase Abstracts Due Jan 29
Please allow this message to serve as a reminder that abstracts for Showcase are due TODAY, January 29th. No exceptions will be made to this deadline. We highly encourage faculty working with graduate students and undergraduate researchers in particular to participate in this important activity. Showcase creates tremendous visibility within the university for our research efforts, and participation is an excellent resume builder for students. This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight what we do to the WSU community. Only 30 abstracts have been received from CAHNRS at this point in time, and we hope to increase that number to 50 by the deadline.
For more information, visit http://showcase.wsu.edu/abstracts/default.aspx. Please participate!
International Travel Opportunity for Your Students
Please make sure your students know about the I-CAL program. The Grains Foundation and the National FFA Organization are now accepting applications for the International Collegiate Agricultural Leadership (I-CAL) program. The 12 undergrad students for this year’s I-CAL mission will journey to Malaysia and Taiwan from May 16-28, 2010. The I-CAL program is intended for students who wish to continue their future education and career path in agriculture. Learn more and apply for the program: http://bit.ly/deCqx4.
Assistance Available for Elearning to Angel Transfer
Over the last few months, a large number of WSU faculty have successfully transferred their Elearning courses to Angel. For those faculty who have not transferred their Elearning courses and require assistance in transferring their Elearning course to Angel, time is running short. The last day to request transfer assistance is March 1, 2010. If faculty require assistance in transferring courses, they can contact Center for Distance and Professional Education at 509-335-3557 or visit http://online.wsu.edu/services
Research Update Webinar
To bring WSU Extension faculty and staff selections of cutting edge research, a series of monthly webinars is being initiated throughout 2010. Generally, these Research Update Webinars will be held the first week of the month. A complete listing of the topics can be accessed through the WSU Extension Professional Development Web site’s master calendar: http://bit.ly/9qq4xW. For more information regarding the Research Update Webinar series, contact Jim Lindstrom (jlindstr@wsu.edu), 509.358.7871.
WSU Career Expo
The WSU Career Expo will take place on Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Beasley Coliseum. Find a complete list of companies attending at http://www.cacd.wsu.edu or, just to name a few you may be interested in: Cargill, Conagra Foods, Foster Farms, Hilmar Cheese, Syngenta and Wilbur Ellis. Don’t miss this great opportunity to connect with employers and obtain a possible same day interview!
WSU’s 10th Annual Cougar Quest Summer Camp
Young people can gain academic motivation and discover new interests through participation in WSU’s Cougar Quest summer camp, a simulated six-day college encounter intended to be a fun adventure in experiential learning for children entering grades 7-12. Through a variety of workshops, participants can gain knowledge about college majors and career options. Workshops include cheese making with Michelle Costello, interior design, fashion illustration, economics and many more. For more information, visit http://www.cougarquest.wsu.edu/, or read a WSU Today feature at http://bit.ly/9Kdgd2.
Kudos
Juan Pena, who received an Auvil Scholarship for Fall 2008/Spring 2009 to conduct research in Dr. Brenda Schroeder’s laboratory, was chosen as a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) scholar. This is an award for undergraduates who are completing research and are members of underrepresented student groups in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program of NSF. Juan was selected to participate at the first Annual Conference for the Pacific Northwest LSAMP Alliance on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27, 2010 at the University of Washington, Seattle campus. At this conference he was asked to present his research project and to sit on a panel and answer questions in regards to his own experiences on certain topics.
Markus Keller, Chateau Ste. Michelle Distinguished Professor of Viticulture, is the author of the about to be published “The Science of Grapevines: Anatomy and Physiology.” Although it won’t be officially published until Feb. 12, it’s already a bestseller on Amazon’s Plants and Physiology list due to pre-orders. More information on the book is available here: http://textbooks.elsevier.com/web/product_details.aspx?isbn=9780123748812.
David Weller, USDA-ARS research leader and plant pathology adjunct professor, received one of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Awards during WSU’s annual MLK celebration. Weller was honored for providing ongoing leadership in reaching out to Native Americans in Washington and encouraging them to consider careers in mathematics, science and engineering. In 2006 Weller established the program Pumping-Up the Math and Science Pipeline: Grade School to College. Its goals are to identify, teach, mentor and employ the next generation of students in these fields. In 2008 he forged a working relationship with WSU’s College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) to mentor and support students studying in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. His vision is to increase diversity in STEM fields while helping underrepresented populations break the cycle of poverty and inferior educational opportunities. Read more about the Pumping Up the Math and Science by visiting http://cahnrs.wsu.edu/archives/2008/pipeline-program.html.
Linda Chalker-Scott is the author of the newly published “The Informed Gardener Blooms Again” and editor and co-author — along with 20 other colleagues including WSU authors Art Antonelli, Mike Bush, Teresa Cerny-Koenig, Carrie Foss, Jenny Glass, Rita Hummel, Rich Koenig, Ginny Lohr, Tim Miller, Todd Murray, Dave Pehling, Carol Ramsay, and Phil Waite — of “Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens: good science – practical application,” for which Mohan Kumar provided photographs.