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WSU planetarium previews 3D science learning – free Oct. 1

September 27, 2013

The latest digital technology for viewing the universe at the WSU planetarium will be previewed in a free, public demonstration at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in Sloan Hall 231. A demo for WSU organizations, departments, clubs, units, students, staff and faculty will be at 2 p.m. Seating is first come, first served.

The demo of the SciDome 3D projector by maker SPITZ, Inc. will include teaching visuals, lessons from the extensive SciDome curriculum, the Layered Earth software for earth science teaching and previews of full-dome shows featuring astronomy and space science, biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics and the arts.

In addition to using the planetarium for WSU classes, the Department of Physics and Astronomy welcomes hundreds of school children from the region each year to the facility.

Continue planetarium preview

New insights into intelligence role in start of Pacific war

September 23, 2013

Recently uncovered documents about prewar Japanese intelligence that offer new insights to the World War II Pacific theater will be discussed in a free, public presentation on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at WSU Pullman. Tosh Minohara, professor in the Graduate School of Law at Kobe University, Japan, will present “Reconsidering the Road to Pearl Harbor: The Role of Intelligence in Decision Making,” noon-1:30 p.m., Sept. 25, in Bryan Hall 324.

His approach will be two-fold: first, to briefly overview the obscure history of the Japanese Black Chamber, a code breaking operation; and second, to examine the intelligence dimension of policy formulation in Tokyo. This will include the impact of signals intelligence on decision making, most notably at the critical juncture of November 1941 during U.S.-Japan negotiations. The talk is sponsored by the WSU Department of History, the George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment, and the WSU Asia Program.

Psychology prof to lecture on public project success, failure

September 20, 2013

Psychology Professor Craig Parks will present “Build the Skate Park and Kill the Swimming Pool: Why People Want Some Societal Projects to Succeed and Others to Fail” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, in the Honors Hall Lounge. His presentation will explore the reasons some public projects succeed or fail.

Parks is the inaugural program speaker in the Honors College Distinguished Lecture Series. A branch of his research examines the conditions under which people will work for the common good or actively oppose a collectively beneficial endeavor, and the ways cooperation is affected by individuals’ personality and influence.

“We are pleased that Dr. Parks will be our first guest speaker. His research into human cooperation is ground-breaking,” said M. Grant Norton, dean.

Learn more about the Honors College distinguished speaker

Mock Career Fair preps Cougs for jobs

September 18, 2013

Students of the College of Arts and Sciences will get the opportunity to make their degrees more marketable to outside industries at the Mock Career Fair this evening.

Employers such as the City of Pullman, Schweitzer Engineering Labs and Pullman Regional Hospital will be present at the Mock Career Fair to practice interviews with students, said Arlene Parkay, academic coordinator in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Students can learn how to better market themselves with real employers,” said Parkay. “It’s a practice, but some are looking to hire.”

WSU researcher tracks levels of microcystins

September 18, 2013

Ellen Preece wants to know if microcystins, liver-damaging toxins produced by algal blooms in freshwater lakes, accumulate in Puget Sound seafood.

She’s not the only one who wants to know. Preece, a doctoral student in the WSU School of the Environment, is helping the Washington Department of Health determine whether seafood accumulates enough microsystins to be a health concern for populations who rely on locally harvested seafood to meet their protein needs.