Washington State University Tri-Cities is proud to announce that its mechanical engineering program has earned the Career Launch Endorsement from Career .

The endorsement highlights the program’s integration of hands-on, career-connected learning, including paid, supervised internships that are embedded into the degree pathway. The endorsement affirms the program’s dedication to preparing students for real-world success in mechanical engineering and positions it as a model for workforce-aligned education.

“This recognition celebrates the clear and purposeful pathway we’ve built for our students,” said Dr. Changki Mo, director of the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and Messiha Todary Saad, professor of mechanical engineering in a joint statement. “We’re incredibly proud to receive this official endorsement.”

The Career Launch Endorsement process evaluates programs based on three primary criteria:

• Strong industry partnerships
• A student-centered, career-integrated curriculum
• Paid, work-based learning as a core degree component

���سԹ�’ mechanical engineering program met and exceeded all benchmarks, ensuring that students graduate job-ready with both academic knowledge and professional experience.

“Career Connect Washington plays an important role in bridging the gap between education and industry,” said Chancellor Sandra Haynes.�� Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Kate McAteer said, “This partnership with CCW allows us to deliver education that directly serves students, industry, and the regional economy.”

In addition to statewide recognition, the endorsement will increase the program’s visibility in CCW’s online directory and open future grant opportunities to further enhance student success and program development.

Key Industry Partners

The endorsement was made possible in part through partnerships with employers who provide mentorship and internship opportunities, including:

• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) – Evangelina Galvan Shreeve, director of STEM education and workforce development
• Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) – Karthik Subramanian, chief engineer
• Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) – Jonathan Bricker, chief engineer and director of engineering and nuclear safety

Looking Ahead

The mechanical engineering program plans to expand student recruitment, deepen industry collaborations with regional industry and increase individualized student support to help students from all backgrounds thrive in engineering careers locally, nationally and globally.

By Carmine Hanks

Washington State University Tri-Cities Institute for Northwest Energy Futures’ (INEF) Director Noel Schulz was recently elected to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Board of Directors.

The IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization known for bringing together engineers, scientists, and professionals to promote the development of technology and its applications worldwide. Schulz, Bob Ferguson Endowed Professor, will serve as the Division VII Director-Elect for 2025 and Division VII Director for 2026 and 2027. She will steer IEEE initiatives and policies that enhance the organization’s mission to foster technological innovation for the benefit of humanity.

“I am deeply honored to join the IEEE Board of Directors,” Schulz said. “This role represents an opportunity to collaborate with global leaders in engineering and technology, ensuring IEEE continues to be at the forefront of innovation and professional development.

Many of today’s pressing engineering challenges are in power and energy and demand complex, cross-cutting solutions. Schulz’s strategic vision and commitment to finding opportunities in challenges will be pivotal in guiding IEEE’s efforts to tackle critical societal issues such as energy transition, climate change, and technological equity.

“The engineering community eagerly anticipates her contributions, confident that her expertise and leadership will enhance IEEE’s mission,” said Partha Pande, interim dean of the WSU Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture. “In this leadership position, Schulz represents to an international audience the importance of ongoing support for academic institutions such as WSU in preparing a qualified and resourceful future workforce.”

Previously, Schulz served as a volunteer leader for 12 years on the IEEE Power & Engineering Society (PES) Governing Board, including two years as PES president. The Division VII Director position is elected by the 38,000+ members of the IEEE PES, reflecting the trust and respect Schulz has garnered among IEEE members globally.

Schulz has made significant impacts in the field of power and energy, one of the key areas encompassed by Division VII, which also includes industry applications and electronic materials. Before becoming INEF’s director, Schulz served as the Edmund O. Schweitzer III Chair in Power Apparatus and Systems at WSU, where she built an exceptional career focused on power systems engineering, academic leadership, and energy sustainability.

Additionally, Schulz brings expertise in coordinating global efforts and humanitarian work. She was the U.S. administrative lead for the Department of Energy-funded U.S.-India Collaborative for Smart Distribution Systems with Storage (UI-ASSIST) and worked to bring electricity to Harnoo village in India, significantly enhancing its women’s quality of life and economic security.

“Noel will do great things in this role,” stated Sandra Haynes, chancellor for ���سԹ�. “As a renowned engineer and educator, this achievement spotlights Noel’s longstanding contributions to the engineering community and her leadership in advancing innovation and talented individuals within the field.”

Students presented a range of research and course projects as part of the Washington State University Tri-Cities Showcase for Research and Creative Activities, on Wednesday.

The showcase gives students the opportunity to display and discuss the research and projects they have been working on and helps them practice skills they will use in their professional careers.

More than 45 projects were on display representing graduate and undergraduate students as well as the ���سԹ� Clean Energy Ambassadors Network (CEAN) teams. ��CEAN incorporates student teams working with WSU faculty, industry mentors and their peers to research clean energy and climate related topics, potential impacts on disadvantaged populations and ways to share their findings with their community.

The following projects received awards:

• Best Capstone in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science
  Automated Toolbox Inventory Control System, Reem Osman, Steven Pixler, Caitlyn Powers, Navin Sabandith, Caleb Thomas

 

• Best Capstone in Mechanical or Civil Engineering
  Solar Powered Refrigeration System for Milk Transport, Josh Romero, Erick Martinez, Marcos Salas, Pascal Elsinghorst

 

• Best Creative Project
  The Cloud, Emily Sierra

 

• Best Undergraduate Project in Life, Biological, or Food Sciences
  Artificial light at night (ALAN) and bird-window collisions on the WSUTC campus, Nelly Pacheco

 

• Best Undergraduate Project in Physical, Computer, or Engineering Sciences
  Low-Power Cooling System Redesign, Jacob Getchell

 

• Best Graduate Project: (Tie)
  1. Effect of harvest time, alcohol concentration and maceration time on wine and grape phenolic composition and astringency perception – Juliana Pazos
  2. Comparison of Freeze-Killed versus Freeze-Dried Leaves for the Production of Frost Tainted Cabernet Sauvignon Wines – Mitchell Davey

 

CEAN Projects:

First Place – Flowing Forward: Innovations in Efficiency for Archimedes Screw Generators
Raul Aguilera-Vazquez, Edgar Bustamante-Angel, Leo Gomez & Noel Saldana
Industry Mentors: Gary Spanner, Adrianna Miller (1st Washington), Noel Schulz (WSU/PNNL)

Second Place – Clearing the Air: Exploring Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage in Eastern Washington
Student Ambassador Team: Sara Christensen, Elise Colson, Bailee Fehringer & Kalimae Mountain Industry Mentors: Todd Schaef (PNNL), David Heldebrant (PNNL), Jillian Cadwell (���سԹ�)

��Co-Third Place:

1. Powering the University, Empowering the Community: A Campus Microgrid for Renewable Energy Generation and Education
   Student Ambassador Team: Asmita Acharya, Laurren Nirider, Nur Syeda & Manuella Tossa, Dae Ya Wah
   Industry Mentors: Noel Schulz (WSU/PNNL)
2. Harnessing Energy Potential: Molten Salt
   Student Ambassador Team: Jordy Bautista, Jackie Figueroa, Rebecca Negrete-Ramos, Jose Vargas
   Industry Mentors: Tim Nies (Energy Northwest), Suh-Jane Lee (���سԹ�)

Judges for the Research and Creative projects included ���سԹ� faculty and The CEAN posters were judged by the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the ���سԹ� Entrepreneur in Residence/Innovation Lab.

Many project ideas come from local business partners such as Bechtel, and Washington River Protection Solutions who have problems they are attempting to solve or are looking for alternative or more cost-effective solutions. In some cases, the student’s work is adopted and implemented by the sponsoring company, giving students hands-on experience developing real-world solutions that make a difference.

By Seth Truscott

Collaborating with European scientists to develop ideas, fuels, and products that solve global environmental and energy challenges, Washington State University Professor Bin Yang is headed to Toulouse, France, as the newly announced recipient of the Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award.

The award will fuel Yang’s work alongside colleagues at the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, INSA Toulouse, expanding international partnerships for development of global decarbonization and biofuels and bioproducts production.

“I am grateful to the Fulbright Program for allowing me to expand on ideas and broaden ties between Washington state, the U.S., and France,” said Yang, a professor at WSU’s��. “It’s a great honor to work with European leaders in technology and sustainability at Toulouse and other partner institutions.”

The six-month exchange begins in spring 2025 and builds on existing collaboration between Yang and scientists at Toulouse, part of the France’s����(��������).

Working with European colleagues in the bioeconomy—economic areas embracing technologies like biomass to produce fuels and chemicals—Yang seeks to make advances in energy and sustainability while promoting WSU research to the international scientific community.

“Innovating together is the key to a better future for the world,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to develop a roadmap for the decarbonization of the bioeconomy between the United States and France, as well as the manufacture of products that serve the visions and goals of both countries.”

Yang’s laboratory at�����سԹ���focuses on development of renewable energy technologies, with an emphasis on production of biofuels and chemicals from cellulosic biomass: plant materials grown as crops or harvested as agricultural waste. He recently pioneered new pretreatment and manufacturing technologies to process biomass into jet fuel, bioplastics, carbon fiber, hydrogen carriers, and other bioproducts.

This is Yang’s second Fulbright Distinguished Chair award. In 2019, he traveled to Helsinki, Finland, as the first professor at WSU to be selected for the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Energy and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources Award.

“Bin Yang’s accomplishments have made him an international leader for development of the bioeconomy,” said Jean Marie François, professor of industrial microbiology and bio-nanotechnology and Yang’s host at Federal University Toulouse. “Recent awards recognize his pioneering contributions to the next generation biorefinery, sustainability, and green technologies that can overcome climate change. His upcoming visit is a great opportunity for students in our biochemical engineering and international master in bioeconomy programs and will significantly improve cooperation between our two institutions.”

The Fulbright Program awards distinguished chairs to renowned scholars set apart by significant experience and extensive publications in their fields. Yang is the first professor at WSU to receive the Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award.

The most prestigious award offered by the Fulbright France bilateral program, this distinguished chair was created in 2005 to mark Senator J. William Fulbright’s centennial and Alexis de Tocqueville’s bicentennial. Funded by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Fulbright Program, it reinforces collaborative research between France and the United States on topics of major significance for the future of both societies.

• Contact: Bin Yang, Professor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, (509) 372-7640,��bin.yang@wsu.edu

By Lacey Desserault

A fellowship program is providing opportunities for computational engineering, math, and science students from across the Washington State University system to study and research in Sweden over a three-year span. Two students from ���سԹ� were selected as part of this year’s cohort and will depart at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester.����

The STARS.Se Program, or Student Training and Research Semester in Sweden, was formed out of a partnership between WSU and the US National Science Foundation’s International Research Experiences for Students initiative (IRES). The program allows students to become globally educated for international leadership in applied engineering and science computing. Selected students take classes and participate in research with advanced equipment at Linköping University (LiU) in Linköping, Sweden for one semester. The current research supports the international development of Boeing’s and Saab’s new T-7A Red Hawk training aircraft, designed as an advanced pilot training system for the US Air Force.��

�����سԹ� students Christian Penick and Scarlett Reagan will join five students from other WSU campuses to study in Sweden this fall.��

“I decided to apply for the program because I knew it would strengthen my academic portfolio and I would enjoy exploring Sweden,” said Penick. “I always hear about students travelling abroad or coming to the US as exchange students, so I feel like being a part of this exchange program rounds out my college experience. I look forward to using the supercomputers to speed computations and learning how to model physical systems with software.”����

The fellowship provides each student with $12,000, does not require them to pay tuition in Sweden, and allows each student to transfer credits back to WSU and graduate on time. The students from WSU will work collaboratively with students from LiU, who will also participate in an exchange semester at WSU.��

Prior participant testimonials expressed that this opportunity allowed them to travel the world and led them to making strong global engineering connections.����

“The overarching objective of the STARS program is to contribute to educating diverse internationally minded students for leadership in globalized multicultural societies,” said Joseph Iannelli, professor of mechanical engineering in the WSU School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “The program offers $12,000 fellowships to remove financial barriers for students who long for international experiences. Based on their compelling applications, these brilliant computer science students look forward to studying and conducting research overseas and will become excellent ambassadors for ���سԹ� in Sweden. Together with students from Vancouver and Pullman they will advance internationally the ideal of ‘One WSU’.”��

The ���سԹ� School of Engineering & Applied Sciences has just launched the December 2023 edition of the newsletter Momentum.

By Leslie Streeter

Washington State University (WSU) Tri-Cities will team up with three universities to implement a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project to support minoritized women students in STEM through a co-mentoring network called WiSEN (Women in STEM Education Network).

Jillian Cadwell, research associate at ���سԹ� will work alongside project leads from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and sub-awardees from Gonzaga University and University of Montana. The nearly $600,000 award from the NSF will be used to create a network model to connect women in STEM students.

“Research shows that mentoring is a successful and vital means to support and retain women in STEM fields,” said Cadwell.

As a research associate in the WSU School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a member of the C-Y-F, an international, informal co-mentoring network for women faculty/researchers in academia, Cadwell knows the impact that mentoring can have on women in STEM.

“This could change the trajectory for institutions to improve equality in STEM and the way we are supporting women students,” said Cadwell. “That’s what is most exciting to me.”

The shared vision for WiSEN is to support women in STEM majors by providing a platform for connections. The group aims to celebrate cultural wealth, shared leadership, career-connected mentoring and recovery from the impact of COVID disruptions.

To be eligible for WiSEN students must be enrolled as a part or full-time, undergraduate or graduate student; pursuing a field of study that falls under a STEM major; and self-identify as a “woman”.

A unique feature of the project is that each aspect will be designed and implemented by women with the same or similar minoritized backgrounds as the students. Cadwell and the other project leads are faculty researchers and mentors, and their backgrounds are inclusive of Afro-Caribbean, European American, and Asian immigrants, giving them particular insight into the challenges faced by minoritized women.

The WiSEN co-mentoring network strategy will be informed by research on innovative mentoring models alongside the experiences and expressed needs of culturally unique and experientially diverse undergraduate and graduate students (student fellows) across the four institutions. As the WiSEN model is piloted, research data gathered will help develop best practices for mentoring minoritized women in STEM. After the two-year pilot the team will seek additional funding to expand the program to more universities.

The WiSEN program will also collaborate with Million Women Mentors, for which Cadwell is the Washington state co-chair. The partnership will help expand access to a national network of students, faculty, and corporate partners and help increase STEM networks.

Each partner university will have a WiSEN group with eight spots available for women in STEM students. The WiSEN group on the ���سԹ� campus currently has a waiting list.

By Seth Truscott

Creating plant-based fuels that are easier on the environment and the pocketbook, Washington State University Professor Bin Yang makes a positive impact through chemical engineering.

Yang is now one of the newest Fellows of the����(AIChE), a professional society of more than 60,000 scientists in 110 countries. He will be honored at the institute’s��, Nov. 5-10, 2023, at Orlando, Fla.

“I take nature as my inspiration,” said Yang, who works to understand and develop advanced biofuels and bioproducts from plant biomass—crops and plant residue used to create energy—while sharing knowledge and training the next generation of scientists.

“My ultimate goal is a real sustainability revolution,” he said. “I’m working to develop sustainable low-carbon fuels that reduce climate change.”

Fellow is the highest grade of membership in the institute, which fosters exchange on the frontiers of research in energy, sustainability, nanotechnology, and chemical plant safety and security. Fellows provide guidance and contribute to activities aiding development of safe and useful products for the benefit of society.

“I’m humbled and deeply grateful for this award,” said Yang, who thanked peers and colleagues who supported his nomination.

Involved with AIChE for the past 20 years, he has been a volunteer leader, organizing topical sessions and serving as a session chair. He is one of three WSU scientists to be named Fellows of the Institute. Yong Wang and Richard Zollars, faculty in the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, were previously named Fellows.

Developing new and sustainable fuels and products from biomass, Professor Bin Yang works with members of his lab at ���سԹ�.

Based at ���سԹ� for over a decade and a member of of the��, Yang has pioneered new technologies to process biomass into jet fuel, bioplastics, carbon fiber, supercapacitors, hydrogen carriers, and other bioproducts.

“Biofuels and bioproducts play a crucial role in decarbonization efforts by promoting sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products and processes,” Yang said. “Innovation is key to achieving a sustainable future for the world.”

A member of the university’s Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory (BSEL), Yang also studies how microbes can produce a biodegradable plastic. He was a 2019 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Energy and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources; holds six patents; has authored more than 135 papers and book chapters; and serves as an editorial and advisory board member for leading biorefinery journals.

Learn more about Yang’s work at his��.

Washington State University Tri-Cities engineering professor Xiao Zhang has been honored as a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors.

The Academy recognizes senior members for their success in patents, licensing, and commercialization as well as for having produced technology that has, or will have, a significant impact on society. Zhang will be inducted formally at the Academy’s annual meeting in June in Washington, D.C.

Xiao Zhang
Professor, Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering

Zhang’s research centers around improving understanding of plant macromolecules, such as cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose. Zhang has led the development of a number of bio-based product innovations for industrial applications, including: a cellulose-based coating for plant protection, foam packaging technologies, and lignin-derived composites and chemicals. Two technologies developed with WSU colleagues were recently licensed to multibillion-dollar companies.

Some of Zhang’s patented innovations include plant-based compositions to protect plants from cold damage; cellulose foams for high-performance insulation; conversion of knot rejects from chemical pulping; and fractionation of a waste liquor stream from nanocrystalline cellulose production. He has collaborated with many industrial partners on the development of these new bio-based materials and co-founded a start-up company, Pomona Technologies. Zhang is a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER AWARD and C. Howard Smith Award from Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada. He holds a joint appointment with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Energy and Environment Directorate and is part of ���سԹ�’ Bioproducts, Science, and Engineering Laboratory.

Story credit: WSU Insider:

The ���سԹ� School of Engineering & Applied Sciences has just launched the first edition of the newsletter Momentum. It will be distributed biannually to students, campus, professional societies, alumni and communities to communicate accomplishments to date and goals for the future.