By WSU Insider

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Washington State University Board of Regents approved the design and construction of a 40,000-square-foot academic building for undergraduate studies in biology, chemistry and education in science, technology and math, or STEM, fields.

The $30.4 million facility is being funded by the state legislature. The budget bill financing the project is awaiting Governor Jay Inslee’s signature.

The building will sit west of the Consolidated Information Center and house a dozen labs for physics, biology, chemistry and anatomy/physiology. It will have two 96-seat classrooms and a central gathering area with stadium seating for large group presentations and community gatherings. Preliminary site work will begin in October and construction will be completed in spring 2021.

The Regents also approved the schematic design for the planned WSU Pullman baseball clubhouse at the current Bailey‑Brayton Field. The board approved the $10 million building’s design and construction at its January meeting, with the improvements to be paid for with private donations.�� The project will include a locker room, pitching lab, academic area, team meeting rooms, and areas for Cougar equipment and training. Construction will commence in August and conclude a year later, assuming a sufficient amount of pledged donations are collected.

Other items the Regents approved included the refunding of Trust and Building Fee Revenue Bonds originally issued in 2009 and the creation of a new Center for Arts and Humanities.

Refinancing 2009 Bonds will save millions

The Board of Regents approved a resolution to authorize the issuance and sale of bonds to refinance the 2009 Trust and Building Fee Revenue Bonds, with a maximum per amount not to exceed $83,850,000.

In the current market, the refunding transaction is estimated to result in $7.3 million or 9.3% net present value savings over the remaining term of the bonds. Trust Land and Building Fee revenues are restricted for capital purposes only. Thus, the estimated annual savings of approximately $670,000 would accrue back to the trust and building fee revenue accounts.

The University originally issued the Trust and Building Fee Revenue Bonds in December 2009 to finance multiple projects including: construction of a Veterinary Medical Research Building on the Pullman campus, a portion of the costs of construction of Applied Technology Classrooms on the Vancouver campus, and a portion of the costs of construction of the Global Animal Health – Phase 1 research building on the Pullman campus.

New center reinforces WSU’s commitment to the arts and humanities

The new Center for Arts and Humanities will serve as an organizing point for creative and scholarly activity and public engagement in the arts and humanities, with the further potential to support innovative teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The Center’s primary goals will be to expand WSU’s capacity for foundational research in the arts and humanities, nurture interdisciplinary connection and collaboration, increase the public visibility and outreach of WSU arts and humanities faculty, and to catalyze WSU’s engagement with emergent fields of humanistic and artistic knowledge.

Working in concert with academic departments, which will remain centers of more specialized, field­-specific inquiry, the Center will advance a broader agenda, one that crosses traditional scholarly boundaries, encourages innovation, and advocates for the vital contribution of the arts and humanities to the public good.

Media Contact:

• Phil Weiler, vice president for marketing and communications, 509‑335‑1221,��phil.weiler@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – As part of a class at Washington State University Tri-Cities, adjunct education professor Cathie Tate picked up two simple objects: a popsicle stick and a paper clip. She asked the future teachers sitting before her how they would describe the objects to a young child.

With students describing traits such as color and material, she then asked her students: “Ok, how would you compare the two objects?”

It was a start of a lesson in showing the students how to describe mathematical concepts in a simple manner. It was also one of many lessons for the students in how to make teaching math less daunting and more fun. It is what many students describe as a talent of Tate’s.

Tate was recently recognized for her teaching accomplishments after being honored with a Crystal Apple Award by the regional Educational Service District. The award recognizes public school educators who have made a positive impact on the lives of their students.

Deisy Cardoso, a former student of Tate’s at Delta High School and now a current student majoring in education at ���سԹ�, said Tate is the person who inspired her to major in education with an endorsement in middle level mathematics.

“I was thrilled when presented with the opportunity to take her course here at ���سԹ�,” she said. “In that class, she provided me with the tools to confidently teach math to future students and encourage them to take responsibility for their learning.”

Nominator Judy Morrison, academic director of ���سԹ�’ College of Education, said Tate has a passion for making math an approachable subject, even encouraging a love for the subject in students – including those who were hesitant of teaching math at first.

“Many elementary teacher candidates are anxious about approaching mathematics as not only an adult learner, but as a future teacher who will be entrusted with helping pupils to understand and enjoy mathematics,” Morrison said. “Cathie uniformly takes these students from a state of anxiety about teaching math to one of excitement for the future.”

A yearning to teach

Tate has taught at ���سԹ� since spring 2009. She teaches math for elementary teacher courses through the ���سԹ� College of Education. In addition to

serving as an adjunct professor at ���سԹ�, she teaches full-time at Delta High School, educating students in the subjects of calculus and multi-variable calculus. She also presently serves as an adjunct college in the high school professor for Central Washington University and used to teach courses at Columbia Basin College.

At the K-12 level, and especially with the Pasco School District, Tate said she has worn many hats: middle and high school teacher, department chair, instructional coach and math facilitator. She was also on the planning committee for Delta High School in 2008. But what she loves most is the interaction with her students, whether that be students at the K-12 level or the college level.

“I can’t imagine not getting up each morning and going to teach,” she said. “Students, high school or college, inspire me to be a better version of myself. I want to bring my ‘A’ game to every class because that is what my students deserve. I joke with my students that the day I stop caring about bringing my ‘A’ game to class is the day I retire.”

Overcoming math stereotypes

Tate said she was inspired to go into a career teaching mathematics by an instructor she had at Columbia Basin College in the 1970s.

“She was the first female math instructor I had ever had,” she said. “In 1974 and 1975, mathematics was an unusual profession for females. She became a role model to me and encouraged me to become a math teacher.”

Tate said she was told many times that, as a female, she couldn’t do math.

“I chose to become a math teacher to change this perspective,” she said. “Along the way, I realized that our schools were filled with math anxious students and it was my job, as a high school math teacher, to eliminate that stress.”

Changing the perception of math

Tate said at the high school level, she was able to impact about 100 students in a year, but she felt that she could give even more. She said she was thrilled when she was offered the opportunity to teach mathematics for elementary school teachers at ���سԹ� so that she could try to make even more of a difference.

“How do I change an adult student’s perspective of mathematics?” she said. “I do this by asking them the first day of class to trust me. I explain that we will be looking at math through a different lens and that I am there to help them be successful. I inform them that they will be given more than one opportunity to succeed at a learning target. I also ask the students who have found previous math courses easy to open their minds to view math through the eyes of a struggling student.”

Tate said seeing the light in a student’s eyes when they first understand and embrace a concept is still the most rewarding part about teaching.

“It is indescribable and it still has the power to rejuvenate me as a teacher,” she said.

Preparing the world’s future educators at ���سԹ�

At ���سԹ�, Tate said she enjoys being able to interact with a new generation of teachers and hopefully inspires in them a passion for math.

“In my role at ���سԹ�, I am able to show adult learners that math is fun,” she said. “If future teachers can have fun in math class, this will impact the students they will someday teach.”

Tate also inspires students’ parents, of which sometimes double as current students.

Anna Arthur, a previous education student of Tate’s at ���سԹ� and the parent of a student of Tate’s at Delta High School, said Tate is a favorite teacher of both her son and herself.

“She has a way of teaching you with respect, which becomes mutual and deserved,” she said. “Learning how to teach math was a fun, entertaining and educational experience because Cathie knows what she is talking about and how to create an environment of learning that takes the fears away about mathematics.”

“She can effectively speak to her students about the academic topics while still reaching a level of mutual respect and friendship, but still maintaining a professional manner,” Arthur’s son Stuart said.

Tate accepted her Crystal Apple Award from ESD 123 earlier this month.

Students earn top honors at regional, state, international science competitions

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – High school students in the Tri-Cities have seen success not only at the state level in science fairs, but also at national and international competitions after collaborating with researchers at Washington State University Tri-Cities for their research projects.

The goal of the partnerships, the professors said, is not only to provide students with exposure to a variety of science and engineering projects that can stand to have large impacts, but additionally so that more students will receive exposure to hands-on opportunities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. With this experience, the students can witness what is possible through those career paths, they said.

“I think a lot of the time, students may not even know that some of these areas are an option for a career,” said Aftab Ahamed, a lab manager at the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory at ���سԹ�. “Through these partnerships, these students not only see success in the sciences at the state, national and international level, they’re learning the ins and outs of what being a scientist, an engineer, a researcher looks like at a high level.”

Increasing opportunity in the sciences

In the last several years, ���سԹ� researchers and professors have partnered with a variety of Tri-Cities high school students that have competed in the Mid-Columbia Regional Science Fair and moved on to the Washington State Science Fair, Expo Sciences Asia and even the Genius Olympiad International Science Fair, each where students have earned top honors. These students have worked with professors on projects ranging from the development of biofuels and biogases, to developing and refining bioproducts to solve global challenges, to the refinement of toxic plastics to safe biodegradeable plastics and more.

Ahamed said he has worked with 11 students, including his own two children, at ���سԹ�. One of his students studied how he could use endophytic fungi to produce biofuels. Another student studied how to turn wine pumice, or the organic materials left over after a grape harvest, to produce bio-based jet fuel. Others worked on biogas production from agricultural waste materials and in converting toxic plastics to plastics that could be degraded safely and naturally using bacteria.

Bin Yang, a professor at ���سԹ� in BSEL, and then doctoral student Libing Zhang, have mentored several students. One completed a project pertaining to converting lignin, which is the main material comprised in the cell walls of plants, into biofuel. The other student’s project focused on creating a supercapacitor, which stores large amounts of energy similar to a high-performing battery. Earlier this year, Zhangyang XU, a doctoral student from Dr. Yangs’s lab, also mentored a student from Hanford High School in the sciences.

As an avid fishing family, Ahamed’s children, Afrah Aftab and Areeb Aftab, both from Hanford High School, were interested in seeing why the fish count

would fluctuate in the Columbia. It had been documented that there were toxic carcinogens stemming from industrious practices that would flow into water sources, which would cause embryological dysfunction and tumors in water wildlife. While scientists have developed a method using an enzyme called laccase to reduce those carcinogens in the water during the wastewater treatment process, the enzyme is quite unstable and typically only survives the process for 30 minutes. The students found a way to make it more stable, allowing the enzyme to survive for up to two days and also be reused in the process as part of their collaborative project with ���سԹ�.

Afrah and Areeb Aftab’s work in the ���سԹ� BSEL facility earned both first place at the Washington State Science Fair, as well as gold and silver, respectively, at the Genius Olympiad International Science Fair this year in Oswego, New York.

And also this past academic year, Kevin Yang, a Hanford High School student who was also mentored by Ahamed, earned first place at the Washington State Science Fair for his work in converting toxic plastics into degradable plastics using a soil bacteria through experimentation and genome-scale metabolic modeling.

Increased interest, potential for STEM

“It’s been a wonderful thing working with high school kids to get them interested in science early,” Ahamed said. “These partnerships are showing to be really fruitful and I am pleased to see all of these kids are doing very well. The high schools are talking about how WSU is a very good place to go. And we are seeing more and more students take interest in the STEM fields.”

Bob Lewis, a ���سԹ� associate professor of computer science who has judged the Mid-Columbia Science Fair for most of the past 10 years, said there is a need for scientists and engineers to become engaged with students before they reach the competition level, which is why these types of partnerships are so valuable.

“Many of the projects could have been substantially improved and could have led to a greater understanding and appreciation of science if a scientist had spent just a few minutes of consultation with the student early on, with periodic progress reviews as time goes on,” he said of some of the projects he judged at the competitions.

It is that same reason, Ahamed said, that he hopes to grow opportunities in the WSU BSEL facility for high school students, which may lead to paths for them to attend WSU into the future and hopefully inspire in them an interest in science and related fields

Many students who have worked with ���سԹ� professors for their science projects are now studying at WSU, Ivy League institutions and other prestigious universities, and all plan to or are pursuing a career in the sciences.

The students said they are also excited to have the hands-on opportunity to work in university labs.

“People will ask me, ‘Wow, how did you achieve this?’” Afrah Aftab said of her research opportunities at WSU as a high school student. “Many students don’t have these resources or get these opportunities at the high school level. We’re really luckily to live here and have WSU as a resource.”

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Six student projects were presented with $3,000 as part of the Chancellor’s Summer Scholars program to pursue research in academic fields including environmental and biological sciences, viticulture and enology, mechanical and electrical engineering and fine arts.

The Chancellor’s Summer Scholars Program offers students the opportunity to work collaboratively with a faculty mentor, developing skills to prepare them for a career in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) or STEM-related fields. The projects are funded by Washington River Protection Solutions, with Atkins also providing funding for an engineering heat transfer project that is indicated below.

Addressing nutrient pollution in the Yakima River watershed

Student Rhenton Brimberry is working with Sarah Roley, assistant professor of environmental sciences, to study the effects of seasonal irrigation flows on microbes and algae in the Yakima River watershed. Microbes and algae can mitigate nutrient pollution by removing and processing excess nutrients, but most of these assessments have occurred in the non-irrigated midwestern United States. In the irrigated West, seasonal irrigation flows influence nutrient quantity and quality, and so may influence microbial nutrient uptake, as well. By examining algal and microbial responses to nutrient inputs, this project can inform management of nutrient pollution in irrigated agricultural watersheds.

A new method to quantifying mycorrhizal fungi to assist in rebuilding damaged ecosystems

Student Megan Brauner is working with Tanya Cheeke, assistant professor of biology, to develop and test a new molecular technique for quantifying mycorrhizal fungi in roots and soil. The fungi, known as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, form symbiotic relationships with most plant species, and have been shown to improve native plant growth in disturbed ecosystems. However, quantifying mycorrhizal fungi from environmental samples remains difficult. Development of this technique will be useful for other fungal researchers and will allow further investigation into the effectiveness of mycorrhizal inoculations in ecological restorations.��

Effects of native and invasive plants on mycorrhizal colonization

Like Brauner, student Ella Krinitsyn, is working with assistant professor Cheeke on research pertaining to the use of mycorrhizal fungi to restore native plant populations. Her research focuses on on evaluating the correlation between the percentage of mycorrhizal fungi colonization and the percentage of native or invasive plants within sites they are hoping to restore at the Meyer’s Point Environmental Field Station in Olympia, Washington. The project will provide valuable information needed to find effective restoration strategies to improve the growth of native plants and mycorrhizal fungi in landscapes impacted by disturbances.

Manipulation of grape cluster thinning toward improving quality of wine grapes

Student Vince Hewett is working with Bhaskar Bondada, associate professor of wine science, to determine the effects of grape cluster thinning (tipping), removal of flowers and berries at different stages of grapevine development on fruit quality. Cluster thinning is a routine vineyard management practice intended to produce high-quality fruits by optimizing crop load, however, grape growers and wine makers are often not content with the fruit quality results of cluster thinning. The issue of poor fruit quality, despite taking thinning measure to improve berry composition, can be resolved by fine-tuning the cluster-thinning strategy.

Investigating heat transfer on a surface subject to nanoparticle coating

Student Abraham Martinez is working with Mohammed Noor-A-Alam, clinical assistant professor of mechanical engineering, to determine the effect that nanoparticles have on a standard heat transfer surface that can be applied to technology ranging from central processing units in computers to turbine systems where temperatures need to be maintained within a specific range. With the ongoing surge of nanoparticle research in various applications, there is little literature on the effect that nanoparticles have on heat transfer surfaces. The cooling of appliances that require heat transfer requires the design of a system that maximizes the amount of heat transfer between the components of interest and surrounding environment. Nanoparticle coatings on heat transfer surfaces can be used to enhance heat transfer.

Incorporating mechanical, electrical and artistic components to create “The Plastic Garden”

Students Amy Alvarado, Adriana Iturbe, Jared Johnson and Marsobyn Salalila are working with Sena Clara Creston, clinical assistant professor of fine arts and digital technology and culture, to blend their expertise in engineering and the arts to create a moveable and engaging “Plastic Garden” that responds to its environment and aims to evoke emotional expression from its viewers. Specifically, the team will spend the summer using 3D printers, laser cutters and engineering techniques to create the inner mechanics of flowers within the garden, which will open and close as to respond to their environment. Upon end completion, the garden will feature a range of mechanically-based plants and creatures that respond to their environment.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Five local freshman at Washington State University Tri-Cities are among the university’s latest class of STEM Scholars.

As part of earning the distinction, where STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the students are honored with a $8,400 per year scholarship and will join the university’s STEM Learning Community. The community consists of a cohort of students that pursue a range of extracurricular opportunities and activities in the STEM fields.

The students awarded include:

• Aaron Engebretson – Liberty Christian High School
• Jared Johnson – Richland High School
• Destiny Ledesma – Hanford High School
• Diamond Madden – Southridge High School
• Louis Theriault – Mid-Columbia Partnership

In order to be eligible for the program, students must have a minimum high school grade-point average of 3.75 based on a 4.0-scale, officially pursue a STEM-based major available at ���سԹ�, be enrolled as a full-time student at ���سԹ�, as well as actively participate in STEM Learning Community activities offered through the campus. Undergraduate majors eligible include: civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, environmental sciences, general biological science, general mathematics and general physical sciences.

“The students selected display an incredible work-ethic and strong potential for careers in the STEM fields,” ���سԹ� Chancellor Keith Moo-Young said. “We’re excited to offer them a variety of resources to propel them into their respective STEM majors, which will encourage them to lead their fellow students within those majors, pursue prominent research at ���سԹ�, as well as inspire future students to follow in their footsteps.”

Kate McAteer, ���سԹ� assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs, said the research component of the experience will provide the students with a solid foundation for their academic futures.

“These STEM Scholars have the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research right from the beginning of their academic careers,” she said. “It provides them with an early start on building a solid foundation of skills required to be successful scientists and engineers.”

Engebretson

Engebretson plans to major in engineering. In high school, he served as class president during his senior year and was his class valedictorian. He was a member of Key Club where he served as the vice president of the club. He received the Northwest Nazarene Bridge Academy Scholar Award for taking 15 or more college credits while in high school and maintaining a 3.5 or higher GPA. He also received the Essence of Liberty Scholarship from Liberty Christian School. He hopes to one-day join Engineers Without Borders, which works with developing countries to find solutions for water supply, sanitation, agriculture and civil works. He also hopes to explore research in nuclear science while attending ���سԹ�.

“The STEM Scholars program is very important to me,” he said. “It will surround me with fellow students that are driven, intelligent and interested in STEM … STEM careers are on the forefront of modern-day advancements and research. From the future of cars, to the future of modern medicine, STEM Careers provide solutions to a variety of different problems and challenges.”

Johnson

Johnson plans to major in electrical engineering. He is currently finishing his associate’s degree through Columbia Basin College’s running start program where he continues to receive high honors and is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. At Richland High School, he earned Summa Cum Laude. Additionally, Johnson gives back to the community through his role with the National Honor Society, as well as helping with Second Harvest food distribution, tutoring high school math and assisting with various elementary school functions. He said he is looking forward to exploring the variety of research opportunities at ���سԹ�.

“With a STEM education, there will be many job opportunities and career advancements,” he said. “STEM subjects have always been interesting to me in school. ���سԹ� provides a wonderful university experience, while still having small classrooms for personalized education. ���سԹ� is also a high-ranking STEM university.”

Ledesma

Ledesma plans to major in biology. In high school, she participated in the running start program at ���سԹ�, in addition to serving as her class senator during her junior and senior years. It is with that role that she and her fellow peers brought back the “Every 15 Minutes Program,” a two-day event that sheds light on drinking and driving. Ledesma also gives back to the community by volunteering every year with the Tri-Cities Union Gospel Mission where she makes dinner boxes for the homeless with her family. She also volunteers at the Tri-Cities Water Follies, where she has served in various roles throughout the last few years. She hopes to attend medical school and pursue either a career as a reconstructive surgeon or dermatologist. She looks forward to pursuing research opportunities at ���سԹ�, as well as getting involved with campus student government.

“It’s been such an honor and a blessing to have been able to receive such a prestigious scholarship,” she said. “I have been truly blessed with this opportunity to further my education … It will help prepare me to take on professional life after college and into the workforce. This program has truly changed my life.”

Madden

Madden plans to major in the physical sciences, with possibly an emphasis in chemistry. She earned 38 credits from Central Washington University’s running start program while she played softball, basketball and track and field for Southridge High School. Additionally, she played cello, violin and piano with the school’s orchestra, served in the school debate club, worked part-time for Tropical Sno and participated in the school’s Ignite program, which helps incoming freshmen transition to high school. She also volunteers occasionally with a local food bank. She hopes to pursue a career as a research scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which has been a dream of hers for years.

“Words can’t even describe how much the STEM Scholars program means to me and my family,” she said. “Being the second youngest of seven children in a single-income family, this gives me the assurance that I can continue and complete my education for a degree in the sciences … I believe WSU is a remarkable college, with Tri-Cities being the perfect location for me and given the fact that the university partners with PNNL.”

Theriault

Theriault plans to major in civil engineering. In high school, as a home-schooled student, he participated in the ���سԹ� running start program, which is what helped him decide on attending ���سԹ� for his undergraduate degree. Over the years, he volunteered to help the Academy of Children’s theater put on its summer camps, helped at his home school program’s “Camp Invention” and continues to serve as a camp counselor for numerous camps, including for the upcoming STEM Camps at ���سԹ� this July. He hopes to participate in WSU’s engineering study abroad opportunity at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences while earning his undergraduate degree at ���سԹ�. After graduation, he hopes to serve as a civil engineer, working possibly around the United States or for an international engineering firm.

“The STEM Scholars Award means the world to me,” he said. “I didn’t believe that I would be one of the chosen people when I signed up. It is going to help me pay for almost all of my college and help me save money for my future … I want to pursue a career in the STEM fields because I want to be able to make a difference in the world.”