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Acclaimed artist, WSU art professor to show work in latest DrewBoy Creative show

Doug Gast.Douglas Gast has lived all over the place. But in the Tri-Cities, the acclaimed artist and art professor has found a good fit.

“It’s a great community—the perfect size. It’s experiencing growth, something that means possibility,” he said.

Part of that growth is in the local art scene, which is particularly exciting for Gast, who is an associate professor of fine arts at WSU Tri-Cities and administers the bachelor of fine arts and Digital Technology & Culture programs.

Gast is contributing to the scene by taking part Friday in the latest show at DrewBoy Creative gallery in Richland.

His own personal artwork aims to “identify and make use of the elements of the media that are fundamental to its definition” and create “physical and conceptual spaces where thought and communication can occur,” according to his artist statement.

His work is designed to be “thought through, instead of being thought of. It calls into question a variety of controversial socio-political situations.”

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Cougar Marching Band’s formula for success resonates with members

Perhaps the secret to the academic success of the Cougar Marching Band is there are very few secrets.

Junior Kevin Kissinger says he instantly gained almost 200 friends when he joined the group as a freshman. That kind of support system helped him stay on track and reach out for help when he needed a hand.

Troy Bennefield.
Bennefield

“A part of their success is that their activity requires them to organize their time,” says Troy Bennefield, director of athletic bands. “The staff and I try to make sure they know that their job here is to get a degree, and we hope that being a part of the marching band adds to their experience. Another thing we do is (try to match band members according to their needs), if there’s a freshman struggling in calculus, he or she may be marching next to a math major. We try to make sure students understand they can reach out, and really foster a family atmosphere. People are eager to help.”…

“It should be fun. They form social bonds, and I think it brings them closer to WSU as an institution. They feel like they’re part of the spirit of the university,” Bennefield says. “When they play the fight song, it’s a big part of bringing people together. They understand they can be a part of that, and they’re giving back to the university and not just getting their degrees.”

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WSU Insider

Does legal weed make police more effective?

Marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington state has “produced some demonstrable and persistent benefit” to police departments’ ability to solve other types of crime, according to researchers in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University.

“Our models show no negative effects of legalization and, instead, indicate that crime clearance rates for at least some types of crime are increasing faster in states that legalized than in those that did not,” the authors write in a study published in the journal Police Quarterly.

A crime is typically considered “cleared” if authorities have identified and arrested a suspect and referred him to the judicial system for prosecution. The Washington State study examined clearance rates for crimes in Colorado and Washington from 2010 through 2015, using monthly FBI data.

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The Washington Post
Tulsa World
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Science Daily
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The Columbian
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Is Yellowstone about to blow? Vast fissure sparks URGENT closure in Grand Teton National Park

A fissure has opened up in Grand Teton National Park just 60 miles (100km) from the Yellowstone volcano, prompting officials to immediately close the area. Experts have detected expanding cracks in the rock buttress, which is being closely monitored by geologists for movement.

While it hasn’t blown its top for more than 600,000 years, scientists are working to better understand Yellowstone in the hopes of predicting the next eruption.

Peter Larson.
Larson

Researchers at Washington State University said pools of molten volcanic rock build in subsurface magma chambers and are key to the eruption process.

“It is the coal in the furnace that’s heating things up,” said study coauthor Professor Peter Larson.

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Brinkwire

Dr. Universe: Why does music give us chills?

If you are anything like me, maybe you’ve suddenly felt a chill while listening to music. Perhaps, you got goosebumps and saw your arm hairs stand on end. Maybe you even teared up.

Greg Yasinitsky.
Greg Yasinitsky

The truth is I really wasn’t sure why music gives us chills, but I was determined to find out. My first stop was the Washington State University School of Music. That’s where I met up with my friend and music professor Greg Yasinitsky.

He played a few different notes on the piano in his office. He told me that if you play three or more notes at once, it’s called a chord.

“Major chords tend to make us happy,” he said. “Minor chords are more ominous or sad.”

However, when the music tends to be sad people don’t always describe it as unpleasant, he adds. Just think of an emotional or dramatic part of a movie. Even if the music has more of a sad sound, sometimes it brings about a positive emotion.

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Dr. Universe