CAS Story Hub

Microscopic partners could help plants survive stressful environments

Tiny, symbiotic fungi play an outsized role in helping plants survive stresses like drought and extreme temperatures, which could help feed a planet experiencing climate change, report WSU scientists. Recently published in the journal Functional Ecology, the discovery by plant-microbe biologist Stephanie Porter and plant pathologist Maren Friesen sheds light on

2020 MLK service awards

Chioma Heim, an undergraduate advisor in the Department of Psychology, and Aydan Garland‑Miner, a women’s studies major, were honored with Distinguished Service awards at the 2020 WSU Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. “This year’s recipients are blazing a trail through equity and inclusion issues with their creativity, hard work, and compassion for others,” said Allen […]

Increasing student and faculty engagement

Teaching Psychology 230 – Human Sexuality – puts Blythe Duell in front of up to 500 undergraduate students each class session. It’s a massive crowd compared to her previous teaching job at a small college in the south. She was intimidated upon returning to WSU in 2018 – where she’d earned a PhD a decade […]

English students aid game translation

Go Fish. Life. Apples to Apples. Checkers. These are games that bring people to together for the purpose of family and friend bonding. But for some new to the English language, translating how to play the games into a structure that is easy to understand can be difficult, considering the complexity of some instructions. That […]

Student Leaders of the Month

Mariela Frias-Gomez, comparative ethinic studies and women’s studies, and Hezekiah Willard, history, were recently honored by the Office of Student Involvement as “Student Leaders of the Month.” The award recognizes distinguished student leaders who impact the WSU community and encourage others to learn and engage.

Combating rising incarceration in rural areas

While big cities across the United States are making progress to reduce the number of people entering local jails, smaller cities and rural counties are experiencing an alarming rise in incarcerations. Understanding the factors behind this shift and helping rural Washington communities overcome their justice system challenges is the goal of new, grant-funded research by […]

Restructured course improves student success

Thanks to the hard work of several faculty members, Math 100, Basic Mathematics, has seen a dramatic increase in student achievement. Instructors Emily Sablan and Justin Eld, together with Associate Professor Sandy Cooper, have spent the last several years changing and refining the course to identify and address the fundamental mathematical knowledge and concepts that […]

Seeding big-picture, interdisciplinary research

With support from Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation Seed (IRIS) grants, CAS faculty and graduate students in diverse areas are combining forces with colleagues across the university to tackle critical questions by integrating knowledge in a wide array of fields—criminology, biology, English, medicine, archaeology, nursing, and more. “The IRIS grant program supports faculty efforts to build […]

Nuclear chemist honored with Seaborg Award

Sue Brannon Clark, a WSU Regents Professor and Battelle fellow at PNNL, is the 2020 recipient of the Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (ACS). An internationally renowned leader in nuclear chemistry, Clark’s outstanding career-long contributions include advancing innovation in nuclear safeguards and forensics, developing landmark nuclear research capabilities, […]

Alumna’s gift will keep on giving

What do you give someone for Christmas that not only helped you navigate college, but gave you everything to ensure your success? For Akanna Poor, a recent WSU Tri-Cities first-generation graduate, the answer was simple. Give a gift that will continue to give to others – all in the name of the individuals who helped […]