CAS in the Media | Washington State University

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WSUV grad student receives Fulbright to study in Switzerland

April 23, 2014

Growing up in Florida, Eric Dexter was the only kid in his class who didn’t want to become a marine biologist. He barely graduated from high school. No one in his family had ever gone to college or traveled outside the country.

In September, the Washington State University Vancouver graduate student leaves for the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, on a Fulbright Fellowship. There he will receive specialized training on theoretical research techniques to further his research on invasive aquatic species on Lake Geneva, one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. The subject of aquatic invasive species is a matter of international concern.

WSU professor to head Spokane criminal justice reform efforts

April 21, 2014

Spokane County and city officials intend to hire Jacque van Wormer, assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology, to lead the initial implementation of criminal justice reforms recommended by a blue-ribbon panel last winter.

Van Wormer is expected to be hired under a $26,000, yearlong contract to serve as project manager for instituting recommendations in the 60-page report by the three-member panel. She said her work in recent years has revolved around reform efforts in other states, and said she is eager to help Spokane implement changes.

Those changes could reduce the high cost of criminal justice, at the same time providing offenders with tools to turn their lives around.

Van Wormer has master’s and doctoral degrees in criminal justice from WSU. She also has experience working in the field before joining academia.

More about the reform project plan

‘Radically original’ coach writes about warrior leader

April 17, 2014

A new book by Cougar football head coach Mike Leach is described as a readable history of Geronimo that also offers practical life and business advice gleaned from the Apache warrior’s leadership approach.

“Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior” (Gallery Books; hardcover $26) will go on sale May 6. Leach wrote it with Buddy Levy, clinical associate professor of English at WSU.

The book examines the strategies, decisions and personal qualities that made Geronimo a success. “Much of his genius can be ascribed to old-fashioned values such as relentless training and preparation, leveraging resources, finding ways to turn defeats into victories and being faster and more nimble than his enemy,” according to a news release from the publisher.

Learn more about Leach and Levy’s new book

The Confidence Gap

April 16, 2014

For years, women have kept their heads down and played by the rules, certain that, with enough hard work, their natural talents would be recognized and rewarded. Meanwhile, the men around them have continued to be promoted faster and paid more.

Evidence shows that women are less self-assured than men—and that success depends as much on confidence as on competence. WSU assistant professor of psychology Joyce Ehrlinger’s research is helping to explain why and what women can do about it.

Ehrlinger has studied the impact of women’s preconceived notions about their own ability on their confidence. She found that women’s comparatively lower confidence “led them not to want to pursue future opportunities.”

Find out more about The Confidence Gap in The Atlantic.

Will legalization spark marijuana research?

April 14, 2014

Scientists say pot holds broad medical potential, but strict rules hinder its study

In a secluded lab at WSU Pullman, furry vermin are providing startling revelations about marijuana and its effects on the sexes.

Rebecca Craft, professor and chair of psychology, has been studying male and female rats to see if they react differently to the drug. And it looks like she’s on to something, especially when it comes to THC, the chemical in marijuana that creates a sense of euphoria for recreational users.

There are many other things Craft also wants to investigate about the plant, especially about how women react to it differently than men. “It’s something we need to be talking about, and not in a knee-jerk way,” Craft said. “It does have some reasonable uses.”

Learn more about potential marijuana research

Researcher: Pot’s effects differ in sexes; studies historically focus on males