adriana | CAS in the Media | Washington State University

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

Vancouver junior, Cowlitz Tribe member awarded National Udall Scholarship

October 19, 2018 adriana

WSU Vancouver cultural anthropology major Emma R. Johnson has received a prestigious and nationally competitive Udall Undergraduate Scholarship in its tribal public policy category.

“The Udall (Scholarship) is incredibly important to me,” said Johnson. “Completing all the work to apply and then being successful, it’s a really huge deal. It is helping me complete my education.”

Johnson is WSU’s fifth Udall recipient since 2015. The Udall Foundation, a federal agency, works both to strengthen the appreciation and stewardship of the environment, public lands and natural resources, and to strengthen Native Nations to facilitate their self-determination, governance and human capital goals.

The scholarship funds Johnson’s college tuition and fees for 2018-19, moving her closer to her career goal of serving the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, of which she is an enrolled member.

“My culture degree will come into play a lot in my future career working with both cultural and natural resources,” she said.

Find out more

WSU Insider

Why didn’t Kevin de León go after Dianne Feinstein?

October 19, 2018 adriana

Democratic state Sen. Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens, Calif., is running an online ad that consists of a TV commercial that his opponent, Steve Poizner, ran in 2010 when he was a Republican running for governor.

In the ad, Poizner promised to cut “taxpayer-funded benefits” for “illegal immigrants.”

But Poizner is now running as an independent and would prefer that voters not be reminded of views he held waaaaay back in 2010 — many of which he says he no longer holds.

Political advertising expert Travis Ridout, a professor of political science at Washington State University and co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, said he’s never seen a candidate do this before. He doubts it will be effective.

“The average viewer might be a bit confused,” he said. “They’re asking, ‘Why am I seeing an ad for governor?’ Maybe the (Lara) campaign is hoping that some people in the media write about it so more people can be reminded of (Poizner’s) former views.”

Find out more

San Francisco Chronicle

CAS faculty receive Office of Research awards

October 17, 2018 adriana

The WSU Office of Research presented awards to eight faculty members, including three in the College of Arts and Sciences, for their outstanding achievements in research, as part of opening ceremonies for WSU Research Week.

The Creative Activity, Research and Scholarship Award went to Kim Christen, professor in the Department of English, director of the Digital Technology and Culture Program, director of the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation, and director of Digital Initiatives for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Christen has generated more than $4 million in external funding, including WSU’s first institutional grant from the Mellon Foundation. She has leveraged this support to create and sustain interdisciplinary projects and workspaces, most prominently establishing with WSU Libraries the new Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation.

She directs several digital humanities projects, including the Plateau Peoples’ Web Portal, a collaboratively curated site of Plateau cultural materials; Mukurtu CMS, a free and open source content management system and community digital archive aimed at the unique needs of indigenous communities; and the Sustainable Heritage Network, an online community of people dedicated to making the preservation and digitization of cultural heritage materials sustainable, simple, and secure.

An Exceptional Service to the Office of Research Award went to Tammy Barry, professor in the Department of Psychology. Barry co-chairs the Research and Arts Committee & the Centers, Institutes, or Laboratories task force, and provides outstanding support for the many Office of Research initiatives.

The awards included a prize for submitting the best idea to the National Science Foundation’s 2026 Idea Machine, a competition to help set the U.S. agenda for fundamental research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and STEM education. The winner of this award is Peter Reilly, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, for his idea “Ultra-High Mass Spectrometry: The Next Frontier.”

Find out more

WSU Insider

Renewable energy offers common ground for Democrats, Republicans

October 16, 2018 adriana

As the battle lines are drawn for next month’s hotly contested midterm elections, some Americans may be comforted to know there is at least one area of common ground for Democrats and Republicans.

Regardless of political standing, age or gender, U.S. voters are in favor of renewable energy, according to research by Christine Horne, professor of sociology at Washington State University.

Horne and Emily Kennedy, a former WSU sociology professor now at the University of British Columbia, are the authors of a new study in the journalEnvironmental Politics that shows while conservatives and liberals tend to disagree on many environmental issues, they both view the development of solar power and other forms of renewable energy as financially savvy and a step towards self-sufficiency.

The research identifies an area where policymakers on both sides of the aisle could work together. It also could have important implications for utility companies and other businesses involved in the manufacture and sale of renewable energy technologies.

“I think anyone who is paying attention to our current political climate might be interested to see there is an area of common ground,” Horne said. “Marketing renewable energy as a way to be more self-sufficient is a message that would appeal to both liberals and conservatives.”

Find out more

WSU Insider
Citizen Truth
NWPR
OPB
The Fifth Estate – click to view

WSU faculty member, students to perform at Carnegie Hall

October 16, 2018 adriana

Washington State University students Francis Fay and Gordon Shaw, and faculty member Ruth Boden will make their debut in Carnegie Hall on Nov. 3 in Manhattan, New York.

The three will perform with international cellist Mischa Quint and the InterHarmony Cello Ensemble.

Two musci students and their professor with their instruments. — Francis Fay, Gordon Shaw and Ruth Boden, l-r, to appear at Carnegie Hall. The invitation came as a result of their participation in the InterHarmony International Music Festival this summer in Aqcui Terme, Italy.

The invitation was extended to the trio as a result of their participation in the InterHarmony International Music Festival this summer in Aqcui Terme, Italy, where Ruth Boden was on faculty, and Francis Fay and Gordon Shaw were students.

Fay is a junior music major studying cello performance, and Shaw is a sophomore music major studying music composition, cello and guitar. Boden is an associate professor in the WSU School of Music where she teaches cello, bass, music theory and coordinates the chamber music program.

Find out more

WSU Insider