University honors chemistry professor
jsteward
Ralph Yount has given hope to millions of people who will never know his name. During his 44-year career as a professor of chemistry and molecular biosciences at WSU, Yount’s study of muscle function advanced medical understanding of diseases such as muscular dystrophy, ALS, and myasthenia gravis. His work focused on the way muscles contract, specifically the relationship between a muscle protein called myosin and ATP, the molecule involved in energy transfer. His creation of an ATP analog was critical to work that eventually led to two Nobel prizes and has been cited in more than 4,000 papers.
In the spring of 2020, WSU recognized Yount with an honorary doctorate.
Cesar Munguia, student services coordinator/advisor for Cougs Rise, received a 2020 Crimson Spirit recognition.
In the College of Arts and Sciences, an Outstanding Senior is defined as one who has excelled in academic performance and in service to their department or school and to the University community.
Anthropology instructor Jack McNassar is the recipient of this year’s Excellence in Online Teaching Award. The student-nominated honor, now in its fourth year, acknowledges WSU Global Campus faculty members who engage, inspire, support, and show care for their students.
Listen to Pat Carter, recipient of the 2020 WSU Outstanding Chair/Director award, talk about the School of Biological Sciences for a few minutes and you’ll be ready to jump online and register for every course the school offers.
Michelle Hendrickson, a fiscal analyst with the School of the Environment, received a 2020 Crimson Spirit recognition.
Three CAS community members received 2020 top awards from WSU Vancouver for advancing equity, teaching excellence, and student achievement.
Seventeen CAS faculty members from 9 academic areas and 3 campuses are among the newest members of the WSU 
For more than 80 years, WSU has recognized ten of the top seniors in each graduating class. The class of 2020 honorees includes six College of Arts and Science students: Morgan Atwood, Elyse Bennet, Ana Karen Betancourt Macias, Kathryn “Katie” Doonan, Thomas LeClair, and Colin Taylor.
Sophia Hutton, administrative manager for the School of the Environment, received a 2020 Crimson Spirit award in recognition of her creative problem-solving skills and outstanding service to her unit and the University.