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First cohort chosen for PNNL-WSU graduate research

Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have selected the first group of students for the PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program. Chemistry PhD students Ernesto Martinez, Austin Winkelman, and Anthony Krzysko were among the 12 WSU students selected for the program’s first cohort.

The program adds a new dimension to WSU and PNNL’s long partnership, which includes joint faculty appointments and research projects. The program is available to students who have been accepted into a WSU graduate program and are primarily pursuing research related to clean energy, smart manufacturing, sustainability, national security or biotechnology.

“Engaging graduate students with the talented energy, environment, national security and fundamental science researchers at our institutions will increase the scientific and research capacity in our region,” said Chris Keane, vice president for research at WSU.

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WSU News

Non-invasive prostate cancer diagnosing, monitoring

Clifford Berkman

Technology being developed at Washington State University provides a non-invasive approach for diagnosing prostate cancer and tracking the disease’s progression.

The innovative filter-like device isolates prostate cancer indicators from other cellular information in blood and urine. It could enable doctors to determine how cancer patients are responding to different treatments without needing to perform invasive biopsies.

“It may be possible to predict which drugs would be most effective in treating a patient’s cancer,” said WSU chemistry professor Clifford Berkman. “More broadly, this technology could be expanded to other types of cancers and diseases.”

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WSU News

Phys.org

Science Newsline

Knowridge Science Report

Tri-City project tweets fake news, but for a good cause

Some WSU Tri-Cities students are participating in a local interventional art project aimed at exploring the ease, power, and impact of misinformation or fake news.

Peter Christenson
Christenson

Peter Christenson, assistant professor of fine arts at Washington State University Tri-Cities, invited students in his Information Structures class to participate in the project of creating and distributing parody news via the Twitter account @nullsetnews.

The project is run through Null Set, a local art collaborative that has taken on several different projects in the last few years, including publishing a magazine. Christenson is the catalyst behind Null Set and curates the fake news posts.

“We’re sending a message that says, ‘Be careful what you read. Make sure you do your research before you share it with others,’” said Daria Naidenov, a WSU student and project contributor.

The public is also encouraged to participate by tweeting to @nullsetnews or using the hashtag #nullsetnews.

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Tri-City Herald

Weak Weed and Red Tape: Marijuana Research Is Slow Going

Some researchers studying marijuana want better stuff from their dealers.

Nicholas Lovrich
Lovrich

“We can’t get very far with the Mississippi weed. That’s just the reality,” says Nicholas Lovrich, a professor emeritus of political science at Washington State University who is chair of its Cannabis Committee on Research and Outreach.

Mr. Lovrich is referring to the marijuana that comes from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s cannabis-research lab, the only federally approved marijuana-growing facility in the United States. It’s the easiest weed for a researcher to score, but many scholars say there’s a downside: It’s lacking in potency and diversity.

More than half of the states have legalized medical marijuana, but researchers say they are still limited in their efforts to test its health benefits.
More than half of states have legalized medical marijuana; eight states have approved recreational use of the drug. Researchers, however, say they are hamstrung by federal regulations that can inundate them with paperwork and put their funding at risk.

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The Chronicle of Higher Education

Skillfull political ad campaign remains key election tool

Despite being vastly outspent by the campaign and supporters of Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump won the 2016 election. Some are suggesting that the outcome has transformed the practice of American politics in fundamental ways—and that the television ad, in particular, has outlived its usefulness.

Others believe that conclusion is premature.

Travis Ridout
Travis Ridout

In a new study published in The Forum, a political science journal, Travis Ridout, professor in the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs at Washington State University, and his research colleagues provide analysis of the 2016 advertising that shows Clinton’s spots relied heavily on personal attacks (think of the ads depicting children who watched Trump cursing and fulminating) while Trump’s spots tended to contrast his positions with Clinton’s positions on substantive issues.

“For all of the talk of the unusual advertising campaign that Trump ran in 2016,” the authors observe, “his message strategy was more traditionally policy-focused. Ironically, it was the Clinton campaign that deviated sharply from the conventional playbook.” Overall, 70 percent of pro-Trump ads were about policy, compared to only 25 percent of the pro-Clinton ads.

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