research

Preserving the Puget Sound shoreline

Washington State University is partnering with conservation organizations to protect an ecologically important portion of Puget Sound shoreline along Henderson Inlet, south of Olympia. The agreement between Capitol Land Trust (CLT), WSU, and affiliated groups, including the Squaxin Island Tribe, will also provide environmental research and education opportunities to the entire region. The land trust […]

$1.89M NIH grant to advance research in rapid evolution

What if scientists could have the funding to explore new directions of research free from the initial goals written into many grants? With a recent $1.89 million Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institutes of Health, Seth Rudman has that opportunity. Rudman is an assistant professor in WSU Vancouver’s School of Biological Sciences. MIRA […]

Research to recover rare earth elements

Xiaofeng Guo, assistant professor of chemistry, is part of a national team of scientists who recently received $39 million to develop market-ready technologies to increase domestic supplies of elements necessary for the transition to clean energy. He will be investigating how supercritical carbon dioxide could be used to recover critical elements, especially rare earth elements, […]

Hands-on classroom: ancient dart throwing

The first complex weapon system developed by humans is helping Washington State University students learn about both ancient technological innovation and modern-day experimental archeology.  Originating in Europe over 30,000 years ago, the “atlatl” consists of a short stick or board with a cup at one end that enables the wielder to throw a dart farther […]

Platinum really is forever

Scientists at WSU’s Institute for Shock Physics discovered something unexpected when they tested humankind’s most valuable metals to see how much pressure they could take. It turns out platinum is the only precious metal that retains its atomic structure when subjected to the kind of pressure found at the center of planet Earth, holding up […]

Unique imaging instrument expands WSU capabilities

An X‑ray beamline with a first-of-its-kind imaging source is being installed at Washington State University’s Dodgen Research Facility. The instrument, valued at over $1 million, will allow researchers to study a range of materials at nano- and atomic-scales. “It’s a very versatile instrument,” said Liane Moreau, a WSU assistant professor of chemistry. “It’s the only one […]

Q&A on gender equality

August 26 has been observed as Women’s Equality Day in the United States for nearly 50 years, but equality is still a distant goal, says Amy Mazur, the Johnson Distinguished Professor in political science at WSU Pullman and a global expert on gender equality who has consulted with the World Bank, the European Union, and […]

Merging virtual and in-person field trips

Prior to 2020, students enrolled in Washington State University’s natural resource ecology course (SOE 300) made field trips to Kamiak Butte County Park, 20 minutes north of Pullman, as part of a semester-long project. As lovely as spending class time off-campus in nature is, it’s also a challenge for students who don’t drive. During the pandemic, […]

Research exchange to explore resilient, high-yielding crops

Students from Washington State University will travel to Germany next summer for a new research exchange program exploring complex plant traits underlying resilience and yield. Funded by a $300,000 award from the National Science Foundation’s International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) initiative, the 10-week program expands WSU’s partnership with Germany’s CEPLAS—Cluster of Excellence on Plant […]