CAS News & Stories
Shaping Conversations: CAS in the Media
Trump, the Pope and a New Holy War
Matthew Sutton, professor of history at Washington State University, was the featured author of the Wall Street Journal’s “Saturday Essay” on April 17, 2026.
A gas that causes climate change is bubbling out of reservoirs
John Harrison, professor in the WSU School of the Environment, was featured in an article by the Los Angeles Times about the prevalence of methane in California reservoirs and its environmental impacts.
As Florida restricted abortion, state’s maternal mortality committee went dark
Melanie-Angela Neuilly, associate professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, was interviewed by the Florida Trib about the State of Florida’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee’s potential conflict with Florida’s public access and transparency laws.
Denver museum calls on children of the Colville Confederated Tribes to curate Clyfford Still exhibit
Michael Holloman, professor of art at WSU Pullman, was featured and interviewed in this article from the Spokesman-Review about the recent exhibition “Tell Clyfford I Said ‘Hi’: An Exhibition Curated by the Children of the Colville Confederated Tribes” at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado.
How a deadly fungus could decimate North America’s salamanders
WSU-Vancouver PhD candidate Ryan Wagner authored an article in National Geographic featuring research on how North American salamanders may be highly vulnerable to the fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, or Bsal for short.
From frog saunas to medicated baths: Scientists battle a global amphibian plague
WSU-Vancouver associate professor of biological sciences Jonah Piovia-Scott was featured in CNN’s “Call to Earth” editorial series about his work protecting Cascade frog populations from chytrid, an ancient fungus responsible for mass amphibian die-offs.
Achievements, Recognitions, & Awards
CAS research funded by President’s Big Ideas Initiative
Ten Washington State University research projects were awarded funding from the President’s Big Ideas Initiative, and two of those efforts come from professors affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences.
Department of English: Lauren Westerfield
Lauren Westerfield has been awarded the Juniper Prize in Creative Nonfiction for her book, Woman House: Essays and Assemblages
Biological Sciences: Summer Howard
Summer Howard has been recognized as a 2026 Leader of Distinction and Leader of the Year by the President’s Commission on the Status of Women.
Biological Sciences: Caroline Terry
Caroline Terry, fifth-year PhD candidate in the School of Biological Sciences, recently won the Best Student Presentation, Division of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry, at the 2026 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting in Portland, OR.
Michael Reisig receives 2025 WSUAA Alumni Achievement Award
Michael Reisig (’92, ’96), professor of criminology and criminal justice, has received a 2025 Alumni Achievement Award from the Washington State University Alumni Association (WSUAA).
Department of History: Leroy Ashby
Leroy Ashby, professor emeritus of History, was awarded a 2025 Eastern Humanities Washington Award in the category of Higher Ed Public Humanist.