CAS Story Hub

Pilots for the presidents

Their brotherhood took off from the Sigma Nu chapter house in Pullman to careers as Marine Corps helicopter pilots flying two presidents of the United States. Alumni Jeff “Cliffy” Tontini (’89 History) and Dan “Dano” Ircink (’89 English) were pledge brothers to Sigma Nu fraternity as freshmen at Washington State University in 1985, but they […]

Teaching the teachers

Earlier this year, six CAS professors spent 12 weeks as learners themselves in the new WORD! Faculty Fellowship program. The experienced educators were challenged to think about how to help students write within the context of their various disciplines. WORD! workshops help faculty understand “how writing can be the process through which students learn the […]

Cannabis research center established

Early efforts in cannabis research at WSU have now grown into a full, multi-disciplinary research center with nearly 100 scientists working on a diverse range of cannabis-related projects. More than a dozen CAS faculty across chemistry, sociology, psychology, criminal justice, and political science are affiliated with the newly christened Center for Cannabis Policy, Research and […]

Toxin-adapted fish pass down epigenetic mutations

You can take a fish out of toxic water, but its epigenetic mutations will remain for at least two generations. A research team led by Washington State University scientists analyzed the epigenetics—molecular factors and processes that determine whether genes are turned on or off—of a group of Poecilia mexicana fish, or Atlantic molly, that live […]

Research fellowship program earns national recognition

A collaboration between the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology and the City of Pullman Police Department that connects doctoral students with law enforcement units has been recognized by this year’s Smart 50 Awards for its trailblazing approach. Implemented by Professor David Makin and Police Chief Gary Jenkins, the research fellowship program provides opportunities for […]

Arts & humanities grants advance creativity, scholarship

Representing five academic units and more than $75,000 in grant support, the Center for Arts and Humanities (CAH) has selected nine faculty to receive their 2021 Fellowships and Catalyst Award. Funded projects include first-ever recordings of Dutch compositions, research about gendered occupational segregation in the U.S. and Canada, a digital archive of personal narratives from […]

Living the life precarious

In the United States, the subculture of precariat van-dwellers and car-based nomads remains largely under the radar. “It sounds like the Dust Bowl all over again,” says Jennifer Sherman, WSU associate professor of sociology. “People are escaping places they can’t afford only to be exploited by some new sector in a new place and then, […]

Making a difference

The 2021 WSU President’s Awards for Leadership and Engagement Award of Distinction (LEAD) recognized 17 CAS students and a faculty member for outstanding contributions across our diverse campus communities. “This is a prestigious award that recognizes…the ways they give back to the community and empower others,” said Phillip Sinapati, ASWSU advisor and

Leveraging the secrets of hibernation to treat diabetes

WSU evolutionary biologist Joanna Kelley studies genetic adaptation to extreme environments: tropical fish that thrive in waters thick with hydrogen sulfide; an Antarctic midge which can survive brutally cold temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius; and now, the charismatic grizzly bear, a species that is insulin-resistant—a metabolic state similar to diabetes in humans—during hibernation but insulin-sensitive during […]

The Manhattan Project Electronic Field Trip

A WSU professor is part of a history film focusing on the Manhattan Project that was recently nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of “Outstanding Daytime Non-Fiction Special.” Robert Franklin, assistant director of the WSU Tri-Cities Hanford History Project and teaching assistant professor of history, was one of a handful of on-air talent that