November | 2022 | CAS in the Media | Washington State University

^{CAS in the Media} _{Arts and Sciences Media Headlines}

Forgotten project revived: History professor spearheads effort to recall, celebrate WSU students lost in World War II

November 30, 2022 adriana

In December 1941, the United States entered World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In Pullman, at Washington State College, Ernest O. Holland was the school’s president and would be through 1945.

It was during those years Holland started gathering names and information about many of the college’s war dead, with plans to compile the information in a book.

With the end of the war, and Holland’s presidency, plans for the book were set aside and largely forgotten.

Raymond Sun, a WSU history professor, began a project to commemorate the school’s war dead from the 1940s. The project has taken the next five years and counting.

“I think it (Holland’s book) got lost in the shuffle and so I decided for a research project that I would create a digital archive or a digital memorial to honor the fallen servicemen,” Sun said.

The project got off the ground with about a dozen volunteers from Sun’s class on World War II, who combed through records to build a biography of each veteran.

Find out more

Lewiston Tribune

WSU programs hailed for top assessment efforts

November 30, 2022 adriana

The bachelor of science in physics degree is among nine Washington State University bachelor’s-degree programs from five colleges recognized for outstanding assessment of student learning that helped guide changes to undergraduate curriculum or instruction.

The programs were announced Nov. 8 at the Fall 2022 Celebration of Assessment Excellence. Hosts of the event were the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement, and the Office of Assessment for Curriculum Effectiveness (ACE).

“Assessment of student learning is one of the ways we can fortify WSU’s strengths and position as a top research and land-grant university,” said Bill Davis, interim vice provost for academic engagement and student achievement. “It can provide vital evidence and data to guide programmatic evaluation and evolution to better meet the current and future needs of our students, our disciplines, and our state.”

Led by faculty assessment coordinator Michael Allen, the physics department examined students’ ability to think independently and critically in acquiring, reproducing, and assessing information from a variety of sources. It evaluated research poster presentations in the senior-thesis course and found that students need to improve communication of research information from various sources. Based on this, faculty introduced a new prerequisite course where students create a thesis proposal to better prepare them to present their research in the course.

Find out more

WSU Insider

Common chemical in tires caused mass Coho salmon deaths in Puget Sound, scientists say

November 29, 2022 adriana

In a healthy ecosystem, salmon provide food for orcas and spawn in urban creeks. Their decomposing corpses also provide nourishment for soil and forests.

It’s this critical role that led scientists on a journey of searching for the mystery killer and one that ended in western Washington.

With more than 2,000 chemicals found in the water, it took researchers three years to narrow those thousands of chemicals to one.

A few months after the initial discovery, the team brought a sample of the chemical to Jen McIntyre over at Washington State University in Puyallup where it was put to the test.

“The fish would start to come to the surface of the water, they’d start swimming at the surface of the water, they would start to lose equilibrium and swim on their side and then upside down and eventually settle to the bottom of the tank and die,” said McIntyre who also explained how much testing was done to ensure accurate reporting and data.

What they discovered was a toxin called 6PPD-quinone produced when the common tire preservative 6PPD mixes with oxygen. As tires age, the rubber starts to peel off leaving bits and pieces in their path.

Find out more

KING 5 TV

Ask Dr. Universe: Making animals feel safe in captivity takes research, understanding

November 29, 2022 adriana

There are lots of things that make a place feel like home. Your home is probably full of sights, sounds and smells that feel familiar and cozy. Those things are important for animals in captivity, too.

To find out more, I talked with Charles Robbins, a wildlife biologist at Washington State University. He started the WSU Bear Center. It’s the only grizzly bear research center in the United States.

“The most important thing to bears and probably most animals is a feeling of safety –that they’re not being hurt, and the food is good,” Robbins said. “Probably all the same things that you and I would sense if we moved to a new place.”

The WSU grizzly bears live in social groups. They share six dens and take turns exploring and playing in the 2.2-acre exercise yard. Some of the bears came from Yellowstone National Park. That’s a massive place. Wild bears there can roam thousands of acres looking for food and shelter.

Find out more

Spokesman-Review

Climate protesters are chucking food at priceless paintings. Social movements expert gives perspective.

November 28, 2022 adriana

A social movements expert says these tactics only convince people who already think climate change is serious.

Young activists are taking an eye-catching tactic to demand action on climate change this year — hurling food at famous pieces of art.

The activists say they’re trying to stop an oil pipeline, limit fossil fuel use, and wake up the masses to the gravity of the climate crisis.

The wave of food-throwing climate protests prompted international outcry, with government officials and art experts shunning the practice and museums the world over increasing security, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“What I’ve found is that these tactics are likely to be viewed as positive by people who already believe that climate change is a serious social problem,” Dylan Bugden, a sociologist at Washington State University who studies global climate change protests, told Insider.

In Bugden’s research, he’s found disruptive and confrontational tactics aren’t effective on people who are not already concerned about climate change. “While that speaks to the limitations of this form of protest, it is also evidence that these tactics are unlikely to backfire,” Bugden said, adding, “These more extreme tactics tend to preach to the choir more than anything.”

Find out more

Business Insider