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Researcher: Dispel Newtown’s misreporting

April 1, 2013

In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., grade school killings, the Associated Press has issued guidelines for reporters on coverage of mental disorders.

“That’s a good, first step in dispelling the myth that autism causes people to commit horrific crimes,” said a Washington State University psychology professor who has researched the disorder.

After Adam Lanza shot 27 people and then himself on Dec. 14, numerous media reports implied a link between his shooting rampage and the fact that he had Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning type of autism.

“When I first heard that, I thought, ‘Oh no, this is bad. This is really bad,’” said WSU psychologist Theodore Beauchaine, who spent a decade researching the condition that affects one in 88 children, according to the most recent estimate by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Grant funds preparation for invasive mussels

March 28, 2013

Researchers at Washington State University are preparing for a Northwest invasion of the zebra mussel – a small, distinctly striped and rather tenacious freshwater mollusk that can quickly encrust underwater surfaces. The mussels have caused significant damage in other parts of the country and pose an enormous risk to the hydroelectric infrastructure, recreational facilities and unique ecological system of the Columbia River Basin.

“Once they are established in the water, they are almost impossible to eradicate,” said Stephen Bollens, director of the WSU School of the Environment and lead investigator for a $630,000 grant from the Bonneville Power Administration to ramp up preparations.

WSU Professors Contribute to Middle School Instruction

February 15, 2013

With the help of a $1.7M federal Math and Science Partnership grant, WSU professors from several disciplines will provide instructional support for teachers in selected school districts over the next three years.

“The focus is on development of middle school math and science teachers’ content knowledge and on student-centered instruction through the use of ‘design challenges,’ which are integrated, project-based learning experiences,” said David Slavit, professor of mathematics and education at WSUVancouver.

Materials developed through the partnership program will be available for all schools across the state.

Workshop Demystifies Grant Application Process

February 14, 2013

Just what does it take to get a grant or fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities? The Office of Grant and Research Development (OGRD) and the College of Arts and Sciences will sponsor an NEH Grant Application Writing Workshop on March 21 to explain the process.

Workshop host, NEH program director Dr. John Cox, will present and answer questions about the grant process, with an emphasis on writing and application review. Participants will also learn about NEH programs and special initiatives. A representative from Humanities Washington will also take part in the daylong event.

The workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m in CUE 518. Dr. Cox and the Humanities Washington representative will meet individually with WSU faculty and graduate students for pre-arranged appointments until 5:00 p.m and individual appointments will be available on March 22 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. as well.

Seating is limited and advanced registration is required.

Findings from senior thesis published in Appetite journal

February 12, 2013

“The problem is no longer food scarcity, but too much food,” said Halley Morrison, a recent WSU biology graduate and author of an interdisciplinary Honors College senior thesis that was published in the journal Appetite.

Morrison, together with Tom Power, professor and chair of the human development department, analyzed more than 200 mother-child surveys and found that a mother’s eating habits and behavior at the dinner table can influence her preschooler’s obesity risk.