CAHNRS News – August 21, 2009

Ready, Set, Go!

Greetings and welcome to fall semester 2009! It must be time for classes to begin – the marching band is practicing on the field behind Ensminger, more than 100 of us gathered for the college potluck, and the parking spaces on campus are filling up earlier every morning. It is good to see faculty, staff and students rejoin the community.

We will have a more formal reunion on Sept. 17 at the second annual CAHNRS Fall Festival. Last year’s event was a huge success; every academic department and student club brought their best to share with the CAHNRS family and the rest of the university community. It was a great way to reconnect and rejuvenate for the new semester. We hope to see you at this year’s event.

Happily, overall student enrollment appears to be up dramatically over last year. According to preliminary figures, WSU will welcome the largest freshman class in its history this fall. That’s good news educationally and economically. CAHNRS, too, looks like it will enjoy a healthy boost in enrollment, especially in the agriculture-related majors. That is good for the bottom line, but also may put additional pressure on faculty and staff. Please know we will do everything possible to support you.

Last year was a difficult one – for everyone at every level of our organization. Together, we worked through some very difficult issues in a short amount of time, which stretched our existing resources to the limit. I want to thank each of you for your patience and persistence. While we are still living with the realities of the budget reduction, I feel we are well positioned to start a new year of teaching, research and extension. As always, I will keep you posted and seek your input should new challenges arise.

Go Cougs!
Dan Bernardo, CAHNRS dean and director of WSU Extension

Welcome New CAHNRS Faculty!

  • Christopher A Benedict, Extension Educator E-2, WSU Extension Pierce County
  • Catherine, Black, Associate Professor, AMDT
  • Michael P Brady, Assistant Research Professor, School of Economic Sciences
  • Judith Capper, Assistant Professor, Animal Sciences
  • Arron Carter, Assistant Professor, Crop and Soil Sciences
  • Ting Chi, Assistant Professor, AMDT
  • Axel Elling, Assistant Professor, Plant Pathology
  • Ana F Espinola-Arredondo, Assistant Professor, School of Economic Sciences
  • Katherine M Evans, Associate Professor Associate Scientist, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture WSU Wenatchee
  • David Gang, Associate Professor, Institute of Biological Chemistry
  • Thomas E Henick-Kling, Director/Professor, Viticulture and Enology
  • Christopher L Hilgert, Extension Educator E-2, WSU Extension Spokane County
  • Natalie R Kinion, Extension Educator E-1, WSU Extension Franklin County
  • Helmut Kirchhoff, Assistant Professor Assistant Scientist, Institute of Biological Chemistry
  • Patrick Malone, Extension Specialist E-2, Community Revitalization
  • John P Navazio, Extension Specialist E-2, WSU Extension Jefferson County
  • James K Pru, Assistant Professor, Animal Sciences
  • Kathleen A Ryan, Assistant Professor, Interior Design
  • Qin Zhang, Professor, Biological Systems Engineering

Organic Produce Stand on WSU’s Glenn Terrell Mall

Fresh-picked organic produce from WSU’s Organic Farm will be offered for sale at a farm stand on WSU’s Terrell Mall from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning Aug. 26. Sales are expected to continue until mid-October. Learn more about the farm at http://css.wsu.edu/organicfarm

Art of Aloha

AMDT’s Historic Costume Collection is displaying an exhibit entitled “Art of Aloha” at the CUB Gallery Aug. 20 – Sept. 30. The ethnic mix in Hawaii has led to the development of a unique cultural practice known as the aloha spirit, an ideology in which cultural diversity is celebrated. The proud expression of the aloha spirit, and of the arts of many ethnic groups, is celebrated in Hawaii’s aloha shirt. Check out the exhibit to learn more!

Friends of Animal Science Tailgate BBQ & Silent Auction

Please join us at 2 p.m., Sept 5, at Ensminger Pavilion to learn about the exciting things happening in the Department of Animal Sciences and what our talented students are doing. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. All profits benefit scholarships.

To register, please send check to:
Dept. of Animal Sciences, WSU, P.O. Box 6310,
Pullman, WA 99164-6310
or contact Alice Hopkins at (509) 335-8095.

Let’s Cheer On The Cougs Together!
A block of tickets is reserved for the Friends of Animal Sciences. Purchase your $27 ticket at https://www.groupticketwindow.com/groupticket/college/washst/group
Sign-in ID: ANIMALSCIENCES Password: FRIENDS

Workshop on Tenure and Promotion

Fran McSweeney, Regents Professor of Psychology and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, will give a workshop and answer questions about all aspects of faculty performance reviews. The workshop will particularly focus on tenure and promotion. Any faculty member who has an interest in these issues should attend, particularly those who are just beginning their careers at WSU or who will come up for an important evaluation soon. The workshop will be given on Thursday, Sept. 10 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Originating in Pullman and accessible in Spokane, Tri-Cities and Vancouver though WSU Videoconferencing Services, it will also be video streamed to allow access through the internet. Complete scheduling details are available at www.hrs.wsu.edu/tenure. This workshop is part of an effort to increase the transparency of all faculty personnel policies.

Journal Subscription Cancellations

The Owen Science and Engineering Library and the Fischer Agricultural Sciences Library will be cancelling a number of journals this fall to accommodate continuing and excessive journal price inflation. While our allocations are not finalized, we expect to have to cancel subscriptions in excess of $140,000. Linked below is a list of titles that are being considered for cancellation. Please contact Cindy Stewart Kaag, (509) 335-4241 or kaag@wsu.edu, with your questions, concerns or comments about any of the titles on list linked below before Aug. 28. You can also send comments to our collections manager, Joel Cummings, (509) 335-6493 or jcummings@wsu.edu, until Sept. 9.

For the list of cancelled subscriptions, see http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/SCIENCE/PreliminaryCancellationList2009.htm

Materials & Engineering Lab now part of the Composite Materials and Engineering Center

The Wood Materials & Engineering Laboratory at Washington State University has a long and illustrious history in wood composite materials, design and construction. Since its founding in 1949, the scope of the research, outreach and education programs of the laboratory has expanded beyond wood materials to include other natural fibers, polymers, inorganic cements, masonry and steel. In addition to materials engineering, the lab is extensively involved in developing standards, building codes and design methodologies for these wide-ranging composite material systems. To address this broader mission, the WMEL is now part of the Composite Materials & Engineering Center (CMEC). This new organizational structure more accurately reflects the complete scope of the lab’s programs.

Please visit the new website and change your bookmarks: http://www.cmec.wsu.edu/

CAHNRS Fall Festival

Come join us for food, fun and games on Sept. 17, 4-6 p.m. at Spillman Plaza (between Johnson and Hulbert Halls). There will be student club exhibits, department displays and a chance to win a scholarship toward a major in CAHNRS. Meet students, professors, advisors and the deans of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences.

Kudos

Congratulations to School of Food Science and Biosystems Engineering students CJ Hoye, Caparino Ofero, Fermin Resurreccion and Summet Dhawan, who participated in the Food Product Development Competition at the Idaho Milk Processors Association conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. The School of Food Science team took second place in the competition with the Pro*Pal yogurt leather snack food. The event is a great opportunity to compete with teams from other schools, but its other objective is to improve linkage between IMPA members and university faculty and students. The FPDC also affords IMPA members the opportunity to spot talented students for potential employment, not to mention the fact that some scholarships also come our way to support deserving students.

Kimmi Devaney, a senior in Agricultural Communications and Animal Science, has been elected President of the American Dairy Science Association-Student Affiliate Division. New officers were announced in Montreal during the Student Affiliate Division’s awards banquet Tuesday July 14, 2009.

“It is a great honor to be the first National ADSA-SAD President from WSU,” Devaney said. “As President, I’d like to increase involvement in SAD amongst dairy clubs across the country, especially those that have not recently been active in the organization.”

The American Dairy Science Association provides leadership in scientific and technical support to sustain and grow the global dairy industry through generation, dissemination, and exchange of information and services. The Student Affiliate Division provides a channel of communication for the exchange of information among the various member chapters and between ADSA and the member chapters; acquaints students with ADSA, its scope, purpose, and program; develops leadership and promotes scholastic achievement among students interested in the dairy industry.