RICHLAND, Wash. – A Washington State University Tri-Cities student mechanical engineering team created a working prototype of a solar water purifier that they hope will one-day be used in developing countries where access to clean water is scarce.

The project was led by recent engineering graduates Mitch Blocher, Daniel Lara, Alex Andres, Sergio Alvarado and Zachary Garcia under the advisement of their instructor, Steve Jordan, who also sponsored the project. The group created the project as part of their senior design capstone engineering course.

“The foundation to this project is based on a similar senior project from the past in which a group was tasked with developing a solar milk pasteurizer,” Andres said. “When our advisor came up with the idea of taking this solar milk pasteurizer and implementing it into a solar water purification system, his first thought was to make it portable and user-friendly enough to send out to third world countries without access to purified water.”

The system uses a solar reflector, positioning system, pumping system, electronics and a heat exchanger to regulate heat, pump water through the system and purify the water out of a standard bucket or other water container. The system, they said, had to be relatively simple, as the parts needed to be locally sourced and able to be fixed in developing countries.

“First, recognizing that the design of this system revolved around a well-thought-out control system, breaking down the complex processes into a simpler, high-level subsystem based on their tasks greatly helped,” Blocher said. “From there, each sub-system could be designed because we knew what function each system, sensor and part needed to perform, as well as how it interfaced with other components.”

Blocher said their final design had to meet specific portability and weight criteria, in an effort to ensure it was portable. He said when fully assembled, the system stands six-feet tall and nearly four-feet in width, but it can be broken down small enough to fit in a backpack, where it weighs 20 pounds.

Lara said one of the most challenging parts of the project was the COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations that it presented. He said trying to pull together their project in a remote environment, which still required physical assembly, proved difficult, but they made it work.

Andres said availability of materials and components amid the pandemic also proved challenging.

“That being said, ���سԹ� gave us as much opportunity as permitted to supplies and resources” he said. “Our advisor was also very cooperative and dedicated to getting us all we needed to accomplish our design.”

Lara said it feels humbling to know that they were able to contribute a new design that is easy to manufacture and even easier to transport in an effort to provide a commodity, which is growing scarcer and scarcer each year.

“It feels gratifying to know that we were able to design a functioning prototype to show people that it is indeed possible to build a system such as this when there are few options available on the market,” he said.

“Engineering is all about innovation,” Andres said. “It has truly been a privilege to not only come up with a solution to a worldwide crisis, but to do so working side-by-side with other brilliant engineering students, advisors and faculty has been even more rewarding. It is truly a moment that I believe will stick with every one of us for the rest of our lives.”

The team hopes that future engineering teams will take the project and advance particular components so that they can one-day send it overseas for implementation in the developing world.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Life preparation. It was the thing that most drove Dana Dollarhyde to get a college degree and the thing that she said she is most grateful for her college experience from Washington State University Tri-Cities.

Dollarhyde chose ���سԹ� for her college option because it was affordable – she received thousands in scholarships and also qualified for the College Bound Program, which would pay for her tuition in full. But it was ���سԹ� staff and faculty that helped her find her passion for graphic design and marketing and a career pathway that made most sense for her personal goals.

“I knew I wanted to get a degree in something that I was going to use, not only career-wise, but also in life,” she said. “I wanted it to be something practical that I could apply directly to my life. ���سԹ� helped me find that path and helped get me there. I found my ideal degree program.”

That program, she said, was digital technology and culture – an multimedia and arts-based degree that allows students to study and explore communication through media platforms. And it was the connections she made along the way that led to her success.

Finding her dream career

Dollarhyde had first decided on a pathway in computer science when she started at ���سԹ� as a freshman. She took introductory courses in coding and other related fields, but realized the path wasn’t for her. She decided to take a course in digital technology and culture, which would allow her to build skills in graphic design, video production, photography and web design. The degree program proved to be a perfect fit.

She switched majors, intending to still use her experience in computer science, and instead dedicated full-force to a career path in graphic design.

In her courses, she was taught out to use programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere and more. She learned how to edit videos, take photographs using a DSLR camera and how to market herself digitally in the multimedia sphere.

Her professors, she said, were knowledgeable and supportive of her and her peers in their preparation for a career in multimedia fields.

“I really enjoyed my classes and my professors really cared about us succeeding in our field,” she said. “I was also able to make a number of connections that set me up for success.”

Connecting degree to real-life

As a student at ���سԹ�, Dollarhyde first worked for the financial aid office, and then in the Office of Admissions as a student ambassador. Through this role, she gave tours and educated prospective students about life as a student at ���سԹ�.

She was then connected with an opportunity to work as a student graphic designer with the Office of Student Life, where she used what she had learned in class to produce flyers, pamphlets, screen displays and more.

In combination with her role as a graphic designer, she also served as an orientation leader, where she worked with new students to educate them about all that ���سԹ� has to offer and use her creative mentality to help come up with programming and activities.

By the end of her student experience, Dollarhyde was overseeing her fellow student leaders in the Office of Student Life, which provided an incredible learning opportunity where she also gained some management experience.

The small campus size, she said, made it easy for students to pursue leadership and other extracurricular opportunities – all of which were incredibly valuable to her college experience.

“The connections I made and the opportunities I had at ���سԹ� were great,” she said. “I always had someone to connect with and talk to because of the things I got to be involved in on campus. It’s the real reason why I was successful.”

‘���سԹ� prepared me for real life’

After graduating in 2018, Dollarhyde is now pursuing a career in design, where she works as a marketer for Retter and Company Sotheby’s International Realty – a job connection she made as a result of her mentor at ���سԹ�.

Chris Meiers, vice chancellor for student affairs at ���سԹ�, saw that the company was looking for someone to fulfill the full-time position and connected Dollarhyde with a contact at the company and gave her a recommendation.

“He thought I would be a good resource for them,” she said. “They were looking for someone to do design and web – someone with a full skills set. He reached out to me and it worked out really well.”

She spends her days producing website, creating digital graphics and other design materials, creating videos for realtors and more.

Looking back on her ���سԹ� experience, Dollarhyde said her experience at ���سԹ� really did prepare her for the real world, especially in her field.

“���سԹ� really prepared me for real life,” she said. “Looking back, it’s more than the degree you get. It’s the skills that you get, the connections you make. It’s the little things along the way that prepare you for something big.”

Interested in pursuing a degree in design or other multimedia field? Visit tricities.wsu.edu/cas/undergraduate/dtc.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – For student Lian Jacquez, finding the ideal university fit was a bit of a challenge – that is, until he arrived at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

Originally from eastern Oregon, he attended a university located in his home state, but found that the decision was an expensive one and more based on impulse than it was in finding a good fit for where he was at in his life.

But after his parents moved to the Tri-Cities, he decided to move back in with them so he could save money, but could also find a university that would allow him to pursue his passions. He decided to attend ���سԹ� and it ended up being one of the best decisions he has made to date.

Whether it be interacting and learning from his professors through tight-knit classes, to participating in a variety of clubs, to participating in student government, to finding the perfect job on campus, Jacquez said he feels like he has found a home at ���سԹ�.

“���سԹ� is a hidden gem,” he said. “We are located in an area that offers great opportunities without a lot of the competition that one might experience at a much larger university. And the people who work here – our faculty, administration, staff and everyone behind the scenes – are here to make sure we all succeed. We, as students, aren’t just a number or another name on the roster.”

Majoring in digital technology and culture –  a focus on the creative

Jacquez found his ideal major at ���سԹ� after taking the MyMajors Quiz on the university website. He was recommended to study digital technology and culture, elementary education and psychology.

“Out of the three, digital technology and culture, or DTC as we call it, resonated with me and made me the most excited to pursue, and I always imagined doing something in design,” he said.

Through the digital technology and culture program, Jacquez is learning about graphic design, photography, video production, sound production, media and technical writing and much more in the creative sphere. With his experience in the program, he said he initially wanted to pursue a career as a graphic designer. But after working more with individuals on campus and speaking with people in similar creative industries, he realizes he now wants to pursue a career as a creative director or program coordinator.

“Being the person creating the work is fun, but being able to establish a concept, all of its components and tracking it from beginning to end is more appealing,” he said.

Jacquez said he loves the creative freedom that he and all the other students in the DTC program have.

“There are guidelines and requirements, but we have creative reign to create something that is an extension of ourselves,” he said.

Varied campus experiences to fit every student

In addition to his experience in the DTC program, Jacquez is a student ambassador for the office of admissions on campus, is director of diversity affairs for the

Associated Students of ���سԹ� (student government), is vice president of the World Research Club on campus, in addition to serving as a member of the Queers and Allies Club.

He said since coming to ���سԹ�, he feels he can really make his academic and student life experience his own.

Through his experiences with the student clubs, he is able to truly connect with his peers and organize programming and events to benefit his fellow students. Through his role with student government, he is able to extend and create initiatives so that all students on campus feel connected with the resources to make them successful. And through his role as a student ambassador with the office of admissions, he is able to communicate and inspire prospective students who express an interest in attending ���سԹ�, giving them a genuine look into what his life as a student on campus looks like.

As director of diversity affairs with ASWSUTC, he said he values opportunities created on campus that directly benefit students, including a range of student resources: access services, counseling, a student pantry called Cougar Cupboard, the veteran center and being able to connect with the international student coordinator – both to see about options for studying abroad and to connect with international students. Another example is the UndocuQueer Conference that is being held this year on the ���سԹ� campus.

“I am really excited to learn more about the intersections of the LGBTQ and undocumented communities and the people who are affected by them,” he said. “This will be my first time attending the conference.”

Career connections

In addition to his job in the admissions office on campus, Jacquez said there are also a variety of resources to help students connect with prestigious internships at ���سԹ� and in the community.

Last spring, after participating in the campus Career Development Etiquette Dinner where students are connected to professionals for an evening of networking through dinner, he met an an internship coordinator who connected him with an internship at the National Park Service. He now works as an interpretive specialist for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

He also hopes to land another internship before he graduates, which he aims to get connected with through ���سԹ�.

The connections at ���سԹ�, he said, are truly what has allowed him to get involved with many of these opportunities on campus.

“I love how incredibly diverse the campus is and the fact that not everyone is a stranger, thanks to the size of ���سԹ�,” he said.

For more information on the ���سԹ� Digital Technology and Culture program, visit tricities.wsu.edu/dtc.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – It was the proximity that brought Louis Theriault to Washington State University Tri-Cities, but it has been the valuable opportunities that have made him successful as a student and so far in his goal of becoming a civil engineer.

Theriault was homeschooled for most of his life, taking courses through the Mid-Columbia Partnership offered by the Kennewick School District. So when he had the opportunity to take running start classes at the university level at ���سԹ�, he thought he would give it a go.

The option turned out to be a perfect fit. Theriault completed his entire general education requirements for his university degree in two years at no cost to him through running start, all before entering as a full-time student at ���سԹ�. Before entering as a junior standing, he applied for and was awarded the STEM Scholars scholarship, which would pay for $8,400 per year for up to four academics years in tuition. And in his remaining few years at ���سԹ�, he could dive right into his engineering classes.

As a result of connections he had built at ���سԹ�, Theriault landed an internship at the Bechtel National campus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, this summer, which paired perfectly with what he had learned and is continuing to learn in his engineering classes.

The combination of the experiences, he said, has provided him with the foundation to be successful both in his career and as a young professional.

“I’ve had an amazing experience here at ���سԹ�,” he said. “The combination of what I’ve learned through my classes, my internship at Bechtel, and even opportunities for student life activities on campus, has allowed me to stretch myself as an individual and learn lots about my path as an engineer and as a professional.”

Small classes, large potential

In his courses, Theriault said he continues to learn essential engineering fundamentals and theory that applies directly to his future work as an engineer. And in conjunction with his work, his small class sizes have allowed him to really get to know his classmates, which he formed study groups with and therefore, a tight-knit peer group that he could count on.

Combining those things with getting to know his professors and their teaching styles, he has been able to excel in his engineering classes and thrive on campus.

“The personalization of the courses here and all of the individualized attention through the small classes has been really nice,” he said. “It’s easy to ask our professors questions because we get to know them. And I’m in a lot of the same classes as my peers throughout my time here at ���سԹ�.”

From course work to dream work

Through his internship this summer, he was able to apply what he’s learned and experienced in his classes to his job.

His work this summer focused on designing a support structure for a tank pertaining to the nuclear industry. He was responsible for the design, calculations to ensure that it would support the structure and for getting it reviewed and approved by his peers. By the end of the experience, he had an approximately 30-page report detailing the design. The support structure will be implemented to support a tank in the next several years.

Theriault said not only did the experience provide him with real-world, on-the-job skills in engineering, but it was an opportunity that allowed him to directly put to use all the things he had learned in his classes and more.

Theriault said he has been invited back for another summer experience next year. He hopes it will throttle him into a full-time job after graduating in the spring of 2020.

“I think that practical experience is crucial,” he said. “I am going into week three in some of my courses, and I know exactly what they’re talking about before we get to that material. I’ve been able to already apply some of those ideas. It’s been a big learning curve, but it’s definitely increased my knowledge, for sure.”

Feeling at home through student life

In addition to his academic experiences, Theriault also formerly served as a student ambassador with the ���سԹ� Office of Admissions. He gave campus tours and presented to students a genuine feel for what he had experienced through ���سԹ�.

He also participates in many of the campus activities. Whether it be resource fairs and networking events held by the Office of Student Life and the Career Development Office, or fun activities between classes in the Student Union Building or in the Floyd Atrium as hosted by the Student Entertainment Board, he said he tries to participate in as much as he can.

“It’s these types of activities that really help students get involved and have fun on campus,” he said. “I try to go to as many of the campus events as I can. I really appreciate that they have so many options for students, in addition to the academic-based activities and events.”

For more information on the ���سԹ� engineering programs, visit .

The nearly $114 million for construction and renovation projects throughout the WSU system has been approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee. The funding is part of the $4.3 billion capital budget that state lawmakers approved Friday and Inslee signed a few hours later.

Here’s the WSU projects included in the plan:

• Construction of new Plant Sciences Building on Pullman campus, $52 million.
• Construction of Global Animal Health Phase II Building on Pullman campus, $23 million.
• Preservation projects across the University system, $22.3 million.
• Preventive facility maintenance and repairs across the University system, $10.1 million.
• Design development for new Academic Building on Tri-Cities campus, $3 million.
• Joint Center for Deployment and Research in Earth Abundant Materials, a collaborative venture with University of Washington and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, $2 million.
• Renovations to add more STEM teaching labs on Pullman campus, $1 million.
• Pre-design development of new Life Sciences Building on the Vancouver campus, $500,000.

The capital budget, which the state uses to pay for fixed projects such as construction, renovations and certain types of equipment, was the largest piece of unfinished business from the 2017 legislative session. Seeking final approval of the capital budget was the  for the Government Relations and External Affairs team.