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Welcome to our CAHNRS colleagues
The Department of Horticulture is pleased to welcome Lee Kalcsits to its faculty. Kalcsits began his position as Assistant Professor in Tree Fruit Physiology at the WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee on March 1. Prior to joining the Department, he worked at the Centre for Forest Biology at the University of Victoria exploring the interactions between nitrogen source preference and temperature in tree seedlings. He is looking forward to introducing and developing new approaches for addressing physiological problems associated with tree fruit production.
We are also pleased to welcome Lisa Wasko DeVetter to our faculty. Wasko DeVetter began her position as Assistant Professor and Berry Specialist at the WSU Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon on March 1. Wasko Devetter will provide leadership for the raspberry, blueberry and strawberry research and extension program in western Washington, with a focus on understanding crop physiology and enhancing sustainable production. She is also interested in floral development and fruit quality.
CAHNRS Coug leads with Agriculture Future of America
Jenica Hagler, a WSU sophomore in Agricultural Business and Economics, has been selected to serve on the Student Advisory Team for the Agriculture Future of America.
“AFA embodies a strong commitment to agriculture that I see every day at WSU in CAHNRS agriculture students. I look forward to serving as a liaison for not only WSU, but for all areas of the United States,” Hagler said. “It is such an exciting time to see future agricultural leaders coming together in AFA to share our passion for the industry.”
Hagler is one of the nine Student Advisory Team members who will serve in 2014-2015. Her leadership responsibilities include planning the AFA Leaders Conference to be held Nov. 6-9 in Kansas City, Mo., as well as visiting potential and existing partners from across the nation to discuss opportunities for future agriculturalists. Additionally, she will represent WSU and the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences as an AFA Campus Ambassador.
“There’s a special excitement created when you bring 26 of our nation’s top collegiate agriculture leaders together to help move AFA’s mission and vision forward,” said Derek Mulhern, AFA program coordinator.
AFA is confident that Hagler’s combination of talent, commitment and academic excellence will “identify, encourage and support outstanding college men and women preparing for careers in agriculture and the food industry” through cultivated partnerships.
Learn more about programs and upcoming opportunities for CAHNRS students at http://facebook.com/cahnrs.
Funding for Extension professional development available
Applications are now being accepted for SARE Professional Development Program (PDP) mini-grants for hosting ($800 max) or attending ($500 max) professional development events. For hosted events, the primary audience must be Extension educators or other agriculture professionals. For more information about the SARE PDP program and application instructions, visit http://csanr.wsu.edu/csanr-grants/sare-pdp. Applications will be screened Apr. 15 and Aug. 15, or until funds are exhausted.
Get ready for Pulse! 2014 Mom’s Weekend Fashion Show
Friday, April 11, is the 31st Annual Mom’s Weekend Fashion Show: Pulse. More than 120 original designs by Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles students will come down the runway during this exciting and fast-paced event. Mini-collections by seniors, as well as sustainable designs made from materials such as yoga mats, balloons and cardboard, are expected to be show favorites. Tickets are available now through the Beasley Coliseum Ticket Office and Ticketswest.com for $12; the price at the door will be $16. Ticket raffles will be held at http://facebook.com/cahnrs.
Opportunities to celebrate the Extension centennial still open
In 2014, WSU and fellow land-grant universities are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the federal Smith-Lever Act, which established the Cooperative Extension Service. As part of the year-long celebration, WSU Extension is asking students, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers and friends to share their experiences of how Extension programs, services and people have enriched their lives. The goal is to collect 100 stories. To share yours, visit www.cahnrs.wsu.edu/extensionstories.
For more information, visit http://www.extension100years.net. Connect for updates on Extension celebrations at CAHNRS Facebook or Extension 100 Years on Facebook.
Kudos
José L. García-Pabón wrote an article titled “Strengthening Latino Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs in Washington” that was recently published in Rural Connections, a biannual publication from the Western Rural Development Center. Read more.
Ten WSU students participated in the ninth annual Western Regional Dairy Challenge in Tulare, California on February 27-March 1, 2014. Traveling to the event were: Kevin Gavin, Helen Floren, Caitlin Quesenberry, Kelby Stadt, Landon Macy, Joseph Britt, Chris Newhouse, Jessica Levy, Megan Cihak and Hannah Symonds. They were coached by Dr. Larry Fox. Three teams were ranked as Platinum and three as Gold-level. Macy, Quesenberry and Gavin were on a Platinum-ranked team. Levy, Cihak and Symonds were on a Gold-level team.
Gavin, Floren, Levy and Symonds have been selected to represent WSU at the North American Dairy Challenge April 3–5, 2014, in Fort Wayne, Ind. Read more in Dairy Herd Management.
Dr. Ken Eastwell, Plant Pathologist and Director of the National Clean Plant Network at WSU Prosser, was selected to receive the Excellence in Regulatory Affairs and Crop Security Award from the American Phytopathological Society. According to the notification letter from Dr. George Abawi, APS President, this prestigious award recognizes outstanding contributions to regulatory plant pathology, crop security and trade enhancement efforts by APS members. Eastwell was selected for helping with the development of methods to detect and eliminate virus and virus-like agents that cause diseases of perennial specialty crops such as fruit trees, hops and grapevines. He will be honored at this year’s Annual APS Meeting being held August 9-13 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Kudos to those dedicated souls that despite all our pressures have maintained at least 6 if not more required safety meetings for their department or R&E Center: the Creamery, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Natural Resource Sciences, Prosser R&E Center and the Wenatchee R&E Center. Thanks for leading the way. Don’t forget when you do have your safety meetings to send a copy of the minutes to Jeff Battaglia of EH&S (1172 or jeff-battaglia@wsu.edu) and Sheila Brooks (6240 or sbrooks@wsu.edu) in ARC.
Des Layne, WSU Tree Fruit Extension Program Leader, wrote a column for the March issue of Growing Produce on the history and investing in the future of the Washington tree fruit industry. Read more.
Norman Lewis was elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biology for the 2014 class.
Events
March 20: 2014 Western Washington Wine and Grapes Workshop. To be held at the South Seattle Community College Teaching Winery, the workshop will cover must amelioration, color and fermentation management, vineyard nutrient and pest management, and pairing of winemaking styles with western Washington grape varieties. More info.
March 27-28: Academic Showcase and SURCA. Events include the Distinguished Faculty Address, Thursday afternoon; Academic Showcase, Friday morning; the Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA), Friday afternoon; and Celebrating Excellence, an awards program and banquet honoring faculty and staff, on Friday evening. Academic Showcase and SURCA are your opportunities to view original research projects and visit with the scientists and scholars who are discovering new knowledge and making a difference in the world. The Distinguished Faculty Address is presented annually by a faculty member whose achievements in research, scholarship and teaching have been extraordinary. The Celebrating Excellence recognition banquet honors recipients of the University’s highest awards, as well as newly tenured and promoted faculty. Schedule of events.
March 29: Food Science Quiz Bowl. Teams of students from seven universities will come together at the WSU/UI School of Food Science on March 29, 2014, to compete in a food science quiz bowl. The event will coincide with the annual Institute of Food Technologists Student Association Pacific West area meeting. The Food Science College Bowl will be held at the WSU Food Science and Human Nutrition building in room T101 starting at 3:00 p.m. Two teams will be quizzed at a time on their food science knowledge in a “Jeopardy” style trivia competition. The participating Pacific West region schools are Washington State University, the University of Idaho, Oregon State University, University of California Davis, San Jose State, Fresno State, and the University of British Columbia. The team that takes first place will have the opportunity to compete in the national competition at the 2014 Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting in New Orleans in June.
April 28-30: Northwest Wood-Based Biofuels+Co-Products Conference. WSU Extension and USDA are primary sponsors of the first-of-its-kind event to be held in Seattle. See https://www.nararenewables.org/2014conference for the conference website and http://nararenewables.org/feature/newsletter-13#story2 for background information. The conference features a packed agenda with first-rate speakers, including Peter Goldmark, Washington State Director of Public Lands.
June 18-July 16: WSU’s Full Immersion Spanish Institute. Anyone wanting to learn or sharpen their Spanish skills and better understand Hispanic culture will benefit from the program, offered through Chelan County Extension. More information is available here.
In eNewsletters
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March 11 – WSU’s On Solid Ground – Stink Bug Invasion, Unpalatable Poplars, Ag Forum. This edition features a story about the brown marmorated stink bug, deterring pests among poplars with Jeff Kallestad, and women in agriculture.
Feb. 27 – WSU’s Voice of the Vine – Red Debut, Terroir, Greenhouse. This edition features a look at the latest addition to the Blended Learning wine label, plus a discussion of terroir with Thomas Henick-Kling and an update on the WSU Wine Science Center.
Feb. 19 – WSU’s Green Times – Bioasphalt, Fungi, Soil. This edition features stories about paving roads with fryer oil and exploring environmentally-friendly veggie grafting with Carol Miles, while CSANR’s Chad Kruger talks soil quality.
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Check out The Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSNAR) page for event announcements, new publications and blog entries from Perspectives on Sustainability.