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Marcia Ostrom named WSU Food Systems program director

Marcia Ostrom.
Ostrom

Leading statewide outreach supporting access to healthy food for all, Marcia Ostrom is the new director of the Washington State University Food Systems Program.

Founder of the WSU Small Farms Program, which she led for 15 years, and a 21-year WSU faculty member, Ostrom took on directorship March 16, 2022. Ostrom is an associate professor in the WSU School of the Environment and an Extension specialist in sustainable food and farming systems, leading outreach to diverse food and farming communities in Washington.

“The director’s role is an incredible opportunity to lead efforts to build positive change within our institution and across Washington state,” Ostrom said.

WSU Food Systems offers multi-disciplinary education and research to support regional food systems development from farm to table. Working with partner organizations and communities, the program fosters successful farm businesses, promotes better processing, distribution, and sustainable practices, and educates for a more secure, economically vibrant, and equitable regional food system.

The program was originally created as part of the Washington Safe Food Initiative in response to public requests for expanded WSU research and education aimed at socially disadvantaged farmers, sustainable and organic agriculture, and community food security.

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Graduate School names Dissertation Year Fellowship awardees

Anna Jordan.Anna Jordan from the College of Arts and Sciences is among three doctoral students who received dissertation fellowship awards from the Washington State University Graduate School.

Jordan is pursuing her doctorate in cultural anthropology, focusing on exploring psychological anthropology, as it relates to post-imprisonment life.

Jordan’s dissertation delves into the everyday experiences of formerly incarcerated adults living in Los Angeles. Her goal is to explore and understand ethical dilemmas rooted in post-prison life as they pertain to a changing political and social environment.

“It is a wonderful honor to be selected as a recipient,” she said. “I am deeply grateful for the support and recognition of what I believe is important research.”

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CAS faculty among those honored with President’s Award for Leadership

Washington State University President Kirk Schulz recognized 62 individuals and organizations for their outstanding leadership and service to the university and the community during the President’s Award for Leadership ceremony on April 19 in the Compton Union Building.

Ruth Gregory.
Gregory
Eric Remaley.
Remaley

Among those honored this year were five WSU faculty and staff members, including Eric Remaley, senior instructor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics; and Ruth Gregory, assistant professor and director of undergraduate studies in Digital Technology and Culture.

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Astronomers identify likely location of medium-sized black holes

Vivienne Baldassare.
Baldassare

Intermediate-mass black holes are notoriously hard to find but a new study indicates there may be some at the center of dense, star clusters located throughout the universe.

“One of the biggest open questions in black hole astrophysics right now is how do black holes form that are between the size of a stellar mass black hole and a supermassive black hole,” said Vivienne Baldassare, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Washington State University. “Most of the theories for their formation rely on conditions that are found only in the very early universe. We wanted to test another theory that says they can form throughout cosmic time in these really dense star clusters.”

The research team’s work not only suggests that black holes can form in nuclear star clusters but also provides a mechanism by which intermediate-sized black holes could potentially form throughout cosmic time rather than just during the first few billion years of the universe.

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WSU Fulbright awardees bound for Hungary to teach, research

Washington State University math major Annie Lu and alumna and staff member Amethyst Freibott have received Fulbright awards to research and teach, respectively, in Hungary, the Distinguished Scholarships Program said.

Amethyst Freibott.
Freibott
Annie Lu.
Lu

“Both Annie and Amethyst have detailed plans for their Fulbright experiences that start this fall, and they will be excellent ambassadors in Hungary for both WSU and the U.S.,” said April Seehafer, DSP director.

“I am flooded with gratitude to have Fulbright support me in this opportunity to do something I love so much,” said Freibott, who received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) award. She works from Boise as assistant director for the top scholars initiative in the Office of Admissions.

“I’m excited to receive the Fulbright U.S. Student award to study and research abroad,” said Lu. “It’s very rewarding to have years of hard work pay off in this way. I’m lucky to get this opportunity and have a platform to show my work and contribute more.” Lu conducts research into computational mathematical biology with mentor Nikos Voulgarakis.

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