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From Pullman to Star Wars

Musician Paul Henning, WSU alumnus and Pullman native, to speak at university

Paul HenningStaring out at Kamiak Butte from Washington State University’s campus about 20 years, Pullman native Paul Henning, just like so many other college students, wondered what direction his life was going.

The young music major couldn’t have imagined that he would soon be living in Los Angeles, working in the film scoring business, nor that nearly 20 years later, he would be part of the team working on the newest “Star Wars” films.

“I remember being in those seats and having no idea what to do,” Henning said of his time at WSU.

Henning, who has now been working in LA since 2000, will return to Pullman next week where he will deliver various presentations throughout the week. His main presentation is set at 7 p.m. Monday in the CUB Auditorium, during which he will share his story of going from Pullman to working on the score for “Star Wars.”

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Moscow-Pullman Daily News

Northwest Public Radio

More than just music at WSU

Co-assistant leaders of WSU Marching Band say job is about forming bonds, spreading Cougar spirit

Experiencing a Washington State University football game or sporting event would not quite be the same with a recorded playing of the fight song or without the steady beat of a drum line.

Sarah Miller
Miller
Brent Edwards
Edwards

“Think about what would happen if there was no music,” said Brent Edwards, co-assistant director of the Washington State University Marching Band and instructor in the School of Music.

The marching band delivers something unique not only to the university, but to the community as a whole. Edwards and his co-assistant director, Sarah Miller, clinical assistant professor of music, are part of the team that builds that ever-spirited group of musicians.

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Moscow-Pullman Daily News

WSU professor: Don’t get spooked by nukes

Expert tries to calm fears, raises concerns about North Korean nuclear crisis

Threat of a nuclear attack on the United States by North Korea may sound scarier than anything Halloween could bring, but Washington State University professor Thomas Preston believes the threat to the U.S. is not as scary as some might think.

Tom PrestonPreston, a C.O. Johnson Distinguished Professor of political science at WSU, shared his thoughts on the North Korean nuclear crisis in a continuation of the Foley Institute’s Coffee and Politics Series on Tuesday afternoon on the WSU campus.

When his book “From Lambs to Lions: Future Security Relationships in a World of Biological and Nuclear Weapons” was published in 2007, Preston said North Korea was then early on in its proliferation of nuclear weapons. Since then, Preston said, the country has developed more redundant capabilities.

The real threat, currently, is to North Korea’s neighbors. Half of South Korea’s population is located within 25 miles of the Korean Demilitarized Zone – that’s closer than Lewiston is to Pullman, Preston said. And besides its nuclear capabilities, North Korea has a large chemical weapons arsenal and a biological weapons program to boot.

Preston said people should keep those facts in mind when pondering why the U.S. does not just attack North Korea. More than 16 million people could be at risk of North Korea’s capabilities, Preston said, and a new Korean war could cause an estimated 1 million casualties.

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Moscow-Pullman Daily News

Circadian rhythms dictate lunchtime surgeries have better outcomes for cardiac patients

The time of day of surgery may have long-term impacts on the health of patients. Sleep deprivation is worryingly common among healthcare providers. Working tired leaves more room for mistakes – and mistakes in medicine are often dangerous.

Bryan Vila“The basic take-home is that fatigue decreases safety,” said Bryan Vila, a sleep expert and emeritus professor of criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University Spokane.

Learning healthy sleeping practices is “just as important as occupational training,” Vila said.

Looking at how the circadian rhythm affects the outcomes of surgery, researchers in France are claiming that patients who undergo major heart surgery in the afternoon may walk away with reduced perioperative myocardial injury and postoperative morbidity compared to patients who were operated on earlier in the morning1.

While the study focuses on heart surgeries only, a separate Canadian study found that the risk of mortality was doubled in patients who were operated on during the night. It attributes this to healthcare provider fatigue during later times of the day. The same study put forth that not operating at all may be better than performing emergency procedures while fatigued.

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MIMS Today

Nov. 8: Leading U.S. ethnographer to speak about race, civility

One of the nation’s leading urban ethnographers will talk about race and civility in everyday life in a free, public address, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, in the Elson Floyd Cultural Center at Washington State University.

The speaker, Elijah Anderson, will be honored by WSU with the 2017 William Julius Wilson Award for the Advancement of Social Justice in recognition his scholarly and applied work to promote racial integration and social harmony.

Anderson, who is the William K. Lanman Jr. professor of sociology at Yale University, will discuss the resilience of the “cosmopolitan canopy” — a metaphor for civil society — and how the canopy can help teach, reinforce and spread social tolerance and mutual understanding.

“A college campus can be thought of as a cosmopolitan canopy — an island of civility in a sea of segregated living, where diverse people come together and typically get along — unlike urban ghettos, suburbs and ethnic enclaves where segregation is more often the norm,” Anderson said.

He will discuss what happens under the canopy when the two predominant types of people there encounter each other, how each feels and functions, and what challenges they face and adapt to or hide from.

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WSU News