CAS Story Hub

Bone defect research takes first at 3 Minute Thesis

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) 3 Minute Thesis qualifier competition took place on March 6, in which 10 PhD students challenged themselves to present a distilled thesis within three minutes and with only one slide as a visual aid. Under the pressure of time and conveying their research to a general audience and […]

Leap year helps keep time accurate

About five million people around the world will celebrate their once-every-four-year birthday on Feb. 29, including several current Cougs. Being born on a leap day can not only delay a birthday but often requires odd paperwork. For instance, some states require ‘leaplings’ to list their birthdate as Feb. 28 or March 1 on driver’s license applications. Although it can […]

Jeffrey Vervoort elected 2024 Geochemistry Fellow

In recognition of his research to advance understanding of the Earth’s crust, geology Professor Jeffrey Vervoort has been elected as a 2024 Geochemistry Fellow by the Geochemical Society and European Association of Geochemistry. “This award is particularly gratifying because the Geochemical Society and European Association of Geochemistry make up my closest scientific community, and therefore this award represents recognition from my scientific […]

Foley Distinguished Public Service Award

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and four-star Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis will be the inaugural recipient of the Thomas S. Foley Award for Distinguished Public Service. The new Distinguished Service Award will be given annually by the Foley Institute at Washington State University to individuals who have demonstrated integrity, courage, and a commitment to democratic values in public service and […]

AI research supports health equity in rural Washington

Washington State University sociologist Anna Zamora-Kapoor is studying how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) could help improve cancer survival outcomes among the Pacific Northwest’s rural Hispanic population. As one of 25 fellows in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) AIM-AHEAD leadership program, and in partnership with Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster, Washington, Zamora-Kapoor is using […]

Teachers’ growth mindset appears more important than warmth

Students tend to like friendly teachers, but they like those who believe they can improve even more, new research indicates. Students in a study still responded positively to instructors described as being cold but who also had a growth mindset, meaning they felt students’ ability in a subject could improve by working hard and trying […]

Polar bears unlikely to adapt to longer summers

More time stranded on land means greater risk of starvation for polar bears, a new study indicates. During three summer weeks, 20 polar bears closely observed by scientists tried different strategies to maintain energy reserves, including resting, scavenging and foraging. Yet nearly all of them lost weight rapidly: on average around 1 kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, per day. […]

Documentary film explores Richland, Washington’s complex heritage

In her award-winning documentary “Richland,” Irene Lusztig drew heavily upon the expertise of Robert Franklin, history professor at WSU Tri-Cities and assistant director and archivist for the Hanford History Project. The film, which investigates a community that created an identity, and future, on a type of “nuclear origin story,” opened at the Tribeca film festival in New York […]

Top research coverage of 2023

Whisky, contraception, cannabis: many of the Washington State University studies that garnered the most attention from news media in 2023 seemed to involve human pleasures—and their consequences. That focus may say something about the global mood in the first post-pandemic year, but it also speaks to the real-world impact of WSU’s research enterprise. Three initiatives […]