WSU Pullman

Wine industry history project earns Boeing graduate fellowship

Four years ago, on his way home to Walla Walla from school in Arizona, Taylor Hermsen was thumbing through an in-flight magazine when he was struck by an idea for his doctoral research. “The magazine was all about wine,” Hermsen said. “Being a native of the Inland Northwest, I thought I knew a lot about my home, but the fact that many people visiting eastern Washington are doing so […]

What’s at the core of a dark personality?

Dark personality traits such as narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy are socially aversive personality styles that are often confused because of their similarities. Using a quantitative technique called network analysis, WSU psychologists David Marcus and Jonathan Preszler, along with their colleague Virgil Zeigler-Hill at Oakland University, are investigating the behaviors that make up the common core of dark personality traits.

3D printing: ‘still life’ art exhibit, innovative teaching tools

The show “Sculpting in Virtual Space: Experiments in Teaching” showcases diverse 3-dimensional prints created by several fine arts students and two faculty members, Hallie Meredith, art historian and clinical assistant professor, and Jamin Kuhn, instructor of fine arts digital media. New sculptures by WSU fine arts students are mixed with miniature versions of iconic artworks […]

McGuire honored for contributions to nutrition education

Shelley McGuire, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences, has been selected to receive the 2018 “Excellence in Nutrition Education Award” from the American Society for Nutrition. She will receive the award, given for “outstanding contributions to teaching nutrition,” at the society’s flagship meeting in Boston this June. For more than two decades, McGuire […]

Dramatic decline in genetic diversity of Northwest salmon charted

Columbia River Chinook salmon have lost as much as two-thirds of their genetic diversity, Washington State University researchers have found. The researchers reached this conclusion after extracting DNA from scores of bone samples — some harvested as many as 7,000 years ago — and comparing them to the DNA of Chinook currently swimming in the […]

Self-fertilizing fish reveal surprising genetic diversity

As weird animals go, the mangrove killifish is in a class of its own. It flourishes in both freshwater and water with twice as much salt as the ocean. It can live up to two months on land, breathing through its skin, before returning to the water with a series of spectacular 180-degree flips.

Foreign languages and cultures department newsletter, Fall 2017

In this issue of News Travels, learn about our new language certificate programs, a wide range of student activities held throughout the semester, creative learning activities like dancing lessons, field trips, and tasty tiramisu. Plus, don’t miss the photos from three faculty-led study abroad trips and a recap of honors and achievements by faculty and students. Read […]

Digital archiving project receives prestigious Mellon grant

Washington State University researchers have received a $555,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support development and evaluation of a unique online platform for gathering, curating and sharing Native American library and archive collections nationwide. This three-year grant follows a $69,500 grant by the Foundation to WSU in 2015 for the project-planning phase. […]

Researchers see gene influencing performance of sleep-deprived people

Washington State University researchers have discovered a genetic variation that predicts how well people perform certain mental tasks when they are sleep deprived. Their research shows that individuals with a particular variation of the DRD2 gene are resilient to the effects of sleep deprivation when completing tasks that require cognitive flexibility, the ability to make […]

Opera Workshop students develop singing, acting, stage skills

The WSU Opera Workshop presents opera and musical theatre productions, giving singers and actors several opportunities to perform exciting repertoire while developing singing, acting, and stage-movement skills. This fall, students filled Bryan Hall Theatre with song, performing two one-act comic operas, each with an abiding moral to the story. Directed by Julie Anne Wieck, associate […]