Remember playing “The Oregon Trail” computer game in middle school? As a pioneer leading your family westward in a covered wagon, you hunted virtual deer, rabbits and bison—but not too many. You had to leave enough game animals alive to sustain your party until you reached Oregon. And along the way, you were subject to chance events such as snowstorms and snakebites, and the most dreaded fate: “You have died of dysentery.”
Yes, the game was delightfully unrealistic. But controlling the use of finite natural resources and adapting to changing conditions have been central to human survival in the American West for ages. In fact, WSU archaeologist Timothy Kohler and his partners in the Village Ecodynamics Project are using computer models to better understand the processes that affected prehistoric societies in the Southwest.
For the first time in almost a decade, the WSU Psychology Clinic is offering services for children, including assessment and treatment of learning disabilities.
Three doctoral students and their supervisors now offer services for individuals under age 18. The clinic, which continues to provide adult services, began offering child services in January. It is the only place in Pullman that provides child assessment and therapy on a sliding-scale fee based on income, said primary supervisor Dr. Masha Gartstein.
“It’s something we always wanted to do to fill the needs of the community,” she said.
Veterans’ families can use the clinic free of charge.
Two members of the CAS community will receive 2013-14 President’s Employee Excellence Awards at the Celebrating Excellence Recognition Banquet, part of the WSU Showcase annual celebration of faculty, staff, and student achievement on March 28.
The awards recognize civil service and administrative professional staff for outstanding contributions in work quality, efficiency, productivity, problem solving, work relations, and community service.
Kris Boreen
Kris Boreen, budget and finance manager for the Department of Physics and Astronomy, served in a number of WSU administrative and finance manager positions before landing in physics and astronomy two years ago. Since then, she has helped the department find optimal ways to invest resources, reduce expenses, identify resource needs and manage a complex budget. She asks questions, suggests options, provides answers and hammers out solutions, sometimes working late into the night and on weekends.
Boreen brought “an infusion of positive can-do energy” that helped improve staff morale. She cares about the success of the university, department, faculty, staff and “most definitely the students,” said a nominator.
Sisouvanh Keopanapay
Sisouvanh Keopanapay, academic coordinator in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, supervises about 40 interns working in Pullman-area courts and police departments and creates other innovative ways for students and faculty to connect with each other and with the justice community. After she revamped her department’s internship program, it added 25 students in two semesters, said one nominator.
Keopanapay coordinates a variety of tasks efficiently and creatively, including institutional research. She initiated a study abroad program and mentors other advisers. She also advises about half of the department’s undergraduates and “her evaluations are always at the top of the charts,” said a nominator.
Interest in obtaining biologically active compounds from natural sources has increased for a variety of reasons, including concerns that habitats worldwide—and their chemical-harboring unique flora and fauna—are being lost to development. These compounds also typically offer low toxicity, biodegradability, renewable availability and low cost.
Earlier this year, Jonel Saludes, assistant professor in organic and bioorganic chemistry, and fellow WSU faculty member Doralyn Dalisay, assistant research professor in the WSU Institute for Biological Chemistry, spoke at an international seminar organized by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), located in central Luzon, one of the major islands of the country.
“They too have outstanding ideas and research but lack the facilities and equipment to move things forward,” said Saludes. “I envision collaboration where WSU could help them identify and determine the structure of the compound(s) responsible for the desired bioactivity.”
WSU master of fine arts students are participating in some creative cross-pollination through two art exchange exhibitions with peers at nearby universities this month.
Students are showing work in printmaking, photography, painting, sculpture, installation, video and ceramics at the University of Idaho in Moscow through Feb. 20. They are sharing exhibit space at WSU Vancouver with students from Portland State University Feb. 15-April 15.
The collaborative shows are designed to introduce students from all three universities to other artists and their creative work while providing real-world experience in the many facets of exhibition planning and execution.
JJ Harty is among WSU students showing work in both exhibits.
“I’m participating because I love to share my work and ideas,” he said. “I also want to make connections with others artists and expand my curriculum vitae and professional portfolio while fostering communications and community between universities.”
