By Karen Hunt, WSU Office of Research

Washington State University joins the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the University of Washington in hosting a free two‑part virtual workshop on Friday, Sept.��17 to explore research collaboration and preview the new Energy Sciences Center (ESC).

“We’re excited to join PNNL and UW in this day‑long virtual event, which serves as a launching point for fostering collaborations between university staff and students and the scientific staff that will be housed in the ESC,” said Christopher Keane, vice��chancellor for research in Pullman and vice��president for research at WSU. “We encourage our professors, postdocs, and students to participate in this event.”

In part one of the workshop, PNNL will include a leadership kickoff, give an overview of ESC��capabilities, showcase current collaborations, and have technical presentations by PNNL��scientists on:

• ��and chemical conversions
• ��and phenomena for energy storage
• Materials and characterization for��.

In the fall of 2021, the new $90��million ESC will open at PNNL. Research in the ESC will focus on fundamental studies of chemistry and materials for energy storage, as well as the development and characterization of materials for quantum information sciences. With capabilities that include advanced electron microscopy, x‑ray spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance instruments, the ESC will be one of the most advanced facilities in the world with the combination of experimental capabilities unavailable anywhere else in the country. The 140,000‑square‑foot facility will feature a combination of research laboratories, flexible-use open spaces, conference rooms, and offices for 250��PNNL��researchers, visiting scientists and engineers, and support staff.

“The ESC will be a focal point for collaborative research among PNNL��scientists, industry, and partners at the university, and other major institutions in the region, U.S., and abroad,” said Wendy Shaw, the chief science and technology officer in PNNL’s Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate. “Through these workshops, we are excited to work with the WSU��faculty, researchers, and students to building collaborative pathways.”

Register for the eight‑hour workshop by going to��.

A second workshop is being planned by PNNL and university partners to foster discussion and identify collaborations around the three topic areas.

For questions about the event, contact Wendy Shaw at��wendy.shaw@pnnl.gov��or 509‑375‑5922 for technical information and Becky Ford at��bford@pnnl.gov��or 509‑372‑4977 for logistical information.

By Karen Hunt, WSU Office of Research

Batteries developed by Shuo Feng could someday revolutionize the nation’s power grid and help electric vehicles go further on one charge than ever before.

Feng is one of five students who completed their doctorate program through the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Washington State University Distinguished Graduate Research Program (DGRP) in May.

The DGRP plays an important role in training the next generation of researchers and scholars and provides an important conduit for WSU students to work on a nationally relevant project central to PNNL’s mission, conducting fundamental science or applied research relevant to energy, earth systems or national security.

“I am working on developing high energy-density lithium-sulfur batteries which can be used in future power grids and electric vehicles,” said Feng. “During the last two years, our team at PNNL has thoroughly discussed the challenges in practical sulfur cathodes and elucidated the design principles of sulfur cathodes for practical applications. Our investigations on material synthesis, cathode porosity, and electrolyte permeability provided a basis for the next phase of lithium-sulfur battery research.”

The PNNL-WSU DGRP is designed to help doctorate students work collaboratively with faculty at WSU and scientists at PNNL. In this program, the students complete their course work and qualifying exam at WSU and then transfer to PNNL for the remainder of their research. This provides students the opportunity to leverage PNNL’s state-of-the-art research infrastructure and to work directly alongside their advisors and other collaborators at PNNL.

“The PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program is a unique opportunity that taps into the knowledge and world-class capabilities available at both institutions,” said Asaph Cousins, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and WSU DGRP program manager.

The DGRP plays an important role in training the next generation of researchers and scholars and provides an important conduit for WSU students to work on a national project central to PNNL’s mission.

“The DGRP sets students up for success in the next phase of their research career and beyond. The training and experience in a national laboratory setting allows these students to build on the knowledge from the classroom and learn how to tackle hard scientific questions and real-world technological challenges,” said Suresh Baskaran, director of research partnerships at PNNL.

Along with Feng, this year’s graduates are Xiaolu Li, Gowtham Kandaperumal, Benjamin Schuessler, and Monish Mukherjee, which is the largest group of DGRP students to graduate within a single semester.

“The DGRP offers a valuable opportunity to learn new technologies and communicate with scientists with different backgrounds in PNNL. It provided me with different angles to think about my research and dig deeper with cutting-edge technologies,” said Li. “The experience helped me to look into what I really want to do and plan the right career path for me.”

The program aligns WSU faculty and students with scientists and their research programs at PNNL to increase the number of STEM doctorate students at WSU who will then go on to work in universities, national laboratories and industry. The program matches students’ research interests with existing areas of collaboration between WSU and PNNL, such as nuclear science and engineering, electric power grid, bioproducts, catalysis, environment, water and soil science and engineering, and other emerging areas of collaboration.

“The opportunity presented by DGRP to work in a national laboratory setting has provided me with great exposure to the wide diversity of ongoing research projects at PNNL,” said Mukherjee. “This has immensely helped me envision relevant research problems and has prepared me for a career in research. Adapting to the research infrastructure at PNNL has also helped sharpen my skillset with analytical software tools and experimental facilities.”

The research topics for this graduating group of DGRP students cover a wide spectrum of topics: bioconversion of lignocellulose to lipids for the production of biodiesel, interface stereology in polycrystalline materials, development of high energy-density lithium-sulfur batteries, grid resiliency, and consumer participation in power systems via smart devices.

“My dissertation research focused on interface stereology in polycrystalline materials. In other words, extracting three-dimensional information from two-dimensional pictures. We developed a method of characterization that can assist in studying the performance behavior of a given material through another lens. While still in relative infancy, this project still has far reaching applications to materials and computational science with plenty of opportunity to explore and research further,” said Schuessler.

With real-world national laboratory experience, DGRP graduating students will start their early careers as scientists at PNNL and at other organizations, including those in industry.

“My next venture is working in the utility industry and bringing to the table my research specialization in the resiliency of distribution grids, analytics, and design. I am joining Commonwealth Edison as a senior engineer for the Chicago West region in the summer,” said Kandaperumal.

RICHLAND, Wash. – A professor with the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory at Washington State University Tri-Cities is developing a way to drastically improve energy production at small waste water treatment plants. The research has the potential to be scaled globally.

Birgitte Ahring, professor of biological systems engineering and chemical engineering, received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for the project. She is partnering locally with the Walla Walla Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Clean-Vantage, LLC.

Sewage sludge is a remnant semi-solid material produced at sewage treatment plants. Ahring said while a portion of sludge is converted into biogas, at a mixture of 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide at the majority of wastewater treatment facilities in the U.S., there still remains a significant portion of the waste to be disposed.

Ahring said converting a larger fraction of sewage sludge into useful energy will reduce the need for landfilling of the material and reduce the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment plants, worldwide.

New, more effective process

Ahring said many waste water treatment plants currently use a process called anaerobic digestion, which uses microorganisms that don’t require oxygen, to essentially digest some of the sludge material and to convert the organic material into biogas. Due to the nature of sewage sludge, part of the organic material will, however, be resistant to digestion using the process.

Ahring said a much higher amount of biogas can be produced by applying a specialized upfront pretreatment process using heat and oxygen-based agents before the anaerobic digestion process. In a final process step, she said the biogas can be further upgraded to pure methane, which can be used as a bio-natural gas. Methane gas can be used by an assortment of transportation industries, and thereby as a substitution for diesel and gasoline as a renewable fuel.

Together, the integrated new process has been named the “Advanced Pretreatment/Anaerobic digestion technology.”

“Many of these plants, like the one in Walla Walla, produce biogas by anaerobic digestion, but the low efficiency means that the amount of biogas is too low for organized use of this fraction,” Ahring said. “What DOE was calling for was a rethinking of the way we process sewage sludge today, so that the process becomes far more efficient and economically viable.”

Currently, 40 to 50% of the carbon in sewage sludge is converted in the biogas process, Ahring said. With the new process, the team estimates they can improve carbon conversion efficiency by more than 50% from the current level. With the biogas upgrading, the overall methane yield is expected to increase by more than 100% compared to what is currently produced at wastewater treatment plants.

Upscaling the project for use globally

Ahring said once the new process has been demonstrated in pilot scale through a BSEL-based pilot facility, the process will be ready for upscaling at small plants, such as the Walla Walla Wastewater Treatment Plant. From there, the process will be ready to disseminate broadly in the U.S. and even globally, she said.

Ahring said partner Clean-Vantage, LLC, has worked on the specialized pretreatment for years, and has successfully licensed the process overseas for other applications. With the new technique for upgrading the biogas to pure methane being developed at WSU, the overall concept will enhance the potential for sewage sludge as a raw material for renewable energy production.

Ahring is working with colleagues at PNNL to produce the technical economics for upscaling and a disposal cost model, which will detail the actual cost of the project at wastewater treatment plants based on size. The model will also detail how many extra dollars will be profited with the additional energy production at wastewater treatment plants.

“With this project, we can show we can produce a high-value product while reducing the amount of sludge needing final disposal,” she said. “We are getting rid of a waste problem and turning it into a useable product. Other cities can then take this model and implement it in their own areas. I am confident we will make it work. All of us involved on the project have a lot of expertise in this area, and we have previous experience in working together.”

Media contacts:

• Birgitte Ahring, ���سԹ� professor of biological systems engineering and chemical engineering, 509-372-7682,��bka@wsu.edu
• Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell),��maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Arthur Baranovskiy was in seventh grade when he broke his arm, an event that would serve as a catalyst for connecting him to his future career.

Instead of participating in physical education class with the rest of his peers, he participated in drafting classes, which led him to an interest in engineering. At , in addition to the hands-on STEM opportunities and training he received related to engineering, he pursued an internship with in Kennewick, which solidified that engineering was the perfect career path for him.

“The internship was pivotal because it confirmed my passion for engineering, and specifically, electrical engineering,” he said. “What I didn’t know at the time was that it would lead to a future business helping other students. It would lead me to a future passion.”

At , Baranovskiy was able to combine what he was learning in his coursework in electrical engineering and other applicable courses with practical experience at the through three different internships. In pursuing these experiences, he realized there are a range of options and paths for students to take, but that they may not be obvious or well-known to students.

As a result, he decided to start his own company this year to help educate students about how they can best prepare for careers in engineering and related fields while still studying to be an engineer, himself – a company called .

While he still plans to pursue a full career in electrical engineering after graduating this week at the ���سԹ� commencement ceremony, his company will serve as a positive outlet for him to help the next generation of engineers.

“I want to help students to reach the same conclusion as early as I did and prepare them with the extra tools to be successful,” he said.

Preparing future engineers

Through AYB Drafting, Baranovskiy said he provides students with in-depth training and connections to a range of tools including AutoCAD and other technical software, content areas not taught in the classroom that are applicable to specific engineering paths, soft skills like interview and resume prep and others that would make them an ideal candidate for their desired engineering job or company. He also plans to work with current employees to provide them with training in a range of technical areas.

In addition, he works with companies to pair them with students for internships that meet ideal specifications.

He went through program to develop the company. WSU’s I-Corps is an eight-week program that engages faculty, students, staff and community entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into successful business products.

With his business partner Keith Warner, the duo has obtained their business licenses and established necessary legal requirements to begin working with local companies as a training and staffing firm. He said they are in the process of meeting with companies each week to pitch the opportunity locally in the Tri-Cities and have spent the past few months recruiting students for the opportunity, which they have narrowed to a pool to begin training.

“Through this program, we want it to be very exclusive and reward only the most passionate and motivated students,” he said. “We take students who really care about engineering and give them the chance to prove it and really use their passion. This eases the transition and learning curve for when students head into their first engineering job. It’s also a perfect fit for the Tri-Cities where we have so many engineering needs.”

After graduating this spring and while pursuing his master’s in electrical engineering from ���سԹ�, Baranovskiy will drive head-first into his new business while continuing his work full-time in the development and research of advanced batteries with a team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

“My plan is to continue at PNNL full-time and put all of my effort into my career and battery research, and to also develop the business on the side,” he said. “The business model allows for easy scaling and suspension. We welcome conversations with local companies to really get the ball moving.”

Using his own foundation to help the future��

Baranovskiy said it was his experience at Delta High School, ���سԹ�, previous internship at Meier Architecture Engineering and current internship at PNNL that really gave him the fortitude to launch the company.

Through his academic experience at ���سԹ�, Baranovskiy had the opportunity to partake in a range of hands-on engineering projects while learning valuable engineering theory and practical skill.

For his senior design capstone project in electrical engineering at ���سԹ� this year, Baranovskiy and four other engineering students designed a solar panel system and associated power supports that could easily be installed in a remote community in Uganda known as the Kagoma Gate Village. The group designed the project to provide stable power during the day and for at least three hours of power at night for a classroom and office space in the village. The project figured perfectly into his work at PNNL.

At PNNL, he is completing an internship developing batteries for future vehicles and grid applications, and formerly completed two internships with facilities and a team researching countering weapons of mass destruction where he did a significant amount of drafting.

“Through these opportunities, I have developed an in-depth knowledge of the different types of programs specifically to the field of engineering in which I’m working,” he said. “I have also learned how to best conduct myself in a range of situations, as well as present projects effectively to my superiors. It has been essential experience that I believe has given me a leg up for my future as an engineer.”

Baranovskiy said he looks forward to using his own experiences to grow the potential for other future engineers.

“I want to use what I’ve learned in my own career path, in addition to what I’ve spent months researching and gathering as part of my new company, to prepare and connect other passionate students to want the same things,” he said. “Relevant job experience is vitally important to your future success as an engineer. I would like to help connect more students to these experiences.”

For more information on AYB Drafting, visit .

 

Interested in a career in engineering? Visit tricities.wsu.edu/engineering. The ���سԹ� admissions application is open now at .

RICHLAND, Wash. – Fulbright scholar Fitria is using her educational experience at and the to find new and improved ways of creating successful biofuels and bioproducts.

In her home country of Indonesia, Fitria, who goes by one name, is a team member and former project leader in biomass process technology and bioremediation at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences Research Center for Biomaterials.

There, she works to convert lignocellulosic biomass—the cellulose and lignin-rich substances that give plants their rigidity—from agricultural residues to ethanol and other bioproducts such as wood adhesives, biocomposites, pulp, and paper.

In recent years, the Indonesian government has focused more heavily on the production of biofuels. And while ethanol, which in Indonesia is mostly made from cassava, a starchy root from a tropical crop, is readily available, they are exploring other options, especially lignocellulosic-based biomass from local vegetation. Cellulose from the remains of pressed, harvested oil palm fruit bunches could be a viable option, as Indonesia is the largest producer. Other potential products include rice straw and sugar cane bagasse.

In order to fulfill her career goals, Fitria joined a team led by Bin Yang, associate professor of biological systems engineering at ���سԹ�, in August 2016. Over the past three years, she has worked in the at ���سԹ� to improve the understanding of fundamental mechanisms of pretreatment technologies for cellulosic-based fuels. Her work helps advance cutting–edge biomass conversion technologies and to facilitate the commercialization process.

At ���سԹ�, she is studying several types of lignocellulose biomass, such as corn stover and wheat straw, which are among the most common agricultural waste products in the U.S.

“Wheat straw is abundant in eastern Washington,” she said. “The remnant material in the harvesting process is usually left on the field, and about 60 percent is used for ground cover. But you can’t remove all of the residue on the field. We want to use the remaining material to make biofuels.”

Fitria is specifically examining how to improve the pretreatment process in turning remnant lignocellulosic materials into biofuels with Yang.

In the early stages, cellulose, which is the main component of cell walls in plants, must undergo a pretreatment process to separate it from other major components, hemicellulose and lignin, to help enzymes convert it to sugar. After that, it is fermented into ethanol. Other components in plants, such as mineral components, however, might hinder this process, which she is now investigating.

Fitria is also working with Jian Liu, a senior chemical engineer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, to study the impact that mineral components have on the pretreatment process. She will also start as part of the this fall. This WSU-PNNL collaboration not only aids in her doctoral study, but also provides her with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory.

“Working at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will be very important to her future research career,” Yang said. “Fitria has displayed remarkable skill in science, engineering and leadership, and she will continue to grow and make significant contributions to the field of biomass to bioproducts.”

Fitria’s research at ���سԹ� is in line with WSU’s identified of providing and in . It is also in line with WSU’s .

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – After taking one class at a time over a 40-year journey, Washington State University Tri-Cities business administration alumna Vanessa Moore said she now has a sense of professional security and knowledge she can utilize throughout the remainder of her professional career – especially with her position out at the .

After getting involved with a variety of business programming in the mid-1970s as a student at Hanford and Richland High Schools, Moore said she always had a yearning to go into business. She participated in the Cooperative Office Education program at her school, which was business-related, and also in Future Business Leaders of America.

She decided to attend WSU in Pullman because she liked the smaller university size as compared with other public schools and the close-knit community atmosphere where she began her degree in business administration. But shortly afterward, her plans diverged.

“My plan was to go for five years and get two degrees: one in accounting and the other in business administration,” she said. “But plans change.”

Switching gears mid-career

Moore got married in the spring of 1976 and afterward, decided to continue with an associate’s at Columbia Basin College in Pasco. There, while raising two sons, she took one class at a time before earning her associate’s. The slow process allowed her to focus on her family, while gradually working toward her degree. All the while, her husband managed his family’s business.

“I was fortunate to be a stay at home mom at the time, so I was able to take one class at a time and study,” she said. “I wouldn’t have to be away from home that much. I could fit study time in between. And all the while, I could make sure there was no financial burden on our family.”

In 1985, Moore returned to the workforce, holding various positions with Bank of America until taking a job with the prime contractor at Hanford. With improved financial security, she said complacency set in and she took a break from school. A few years later, however, she was laid off due to workforce restructuring.

Knowing that getting her bachelor’s would provide her with a safer foundation for if she were to ever experience that strain again, she decided to go back to school for her bachelor’s at ���سԹ� in 2009. Once again, she would take one class at a time.

“I never wanted to be in that position again – not having a bachelor’s,” she said. “I remember looking at the job postings when I wasn’t working, thinking, ‘Sure I have years of relevant experience, but you have to have a degree.’ It motivated me to get back in and go until I was finished. You always want to be prepared.”

Why ���سԹ�?

Moore said ���سԹ� provided a great local option for higher education, in addition to the rigor and reputation of an established business program. She said many of her family members are also WSU Cougs. Moore’s brother, Duke Mitchell, also previously served on the WSU Advisory Council of Tri-Cities, in addition serving on the board at Columbia Basin College.

“Of the six of us siblings, four of us are Cougs,” she said. “It’s special knowing that you all have this connection to the same school.”

While studying at ���سԹ�, Moore said she relished the interaction that she got from the diverse group of students on campus, as well as her professors. The age range of the students, she said, provided her with a good atmosphere to feel comfortable with people her own age, but also to experience the younger side of life with more traditional-aged student.

Her older age, she said, also allowed her to connect to current events that she could then help to explain to some of her younger peers.

“I was able to provide my perspective of what it was like in the real-world, and I think some of the other students appreciated that,” she said.

She also enjoyed the classes, themselves. From her business programming, which is directly applicable in her current position as a staffing coordinator for the work-based learning department at , to her core-curricular classes ranging from history to science, she said there was always something applicable to her life to be gained.

Her business courses were taught by professors, who, in conjunction with their role as educators at ���سԹ�, also held current or former jobs out in the business sector.

And while on her educational journey, Vanessa use what she learned to co-found three companies and guide two charitable organizations through the non-profit solidification and requirements process.

A bachelor’s is worth it

Now, after spending many years completing her business administration degree and finishing this past semester, she said it feels surreal driving to work every day to PNNL and passing ���سԹ� without having to go to class, but that the effort was worth it.

“I am very grateful for my experience here and the people I came to know and what I have gained as a result,” she said. “Getting my degree was important to me, and I wanted to finish it without accruing any student loans. The feeling of completion and accomplishment and knowing that I did well is so validating.”

She said she also wants to thank her family and employer, PNNL, for their support.

“My husband, Leonard Moore, was so supportive of it all and patient in understanding why it was important for me,” she said. “He, I and the boys kind of went on this journey together … I am also thankful to my employer for the tuition reimbursement program, and to my colleagues. My manager at work was so excited for me when I finished.”

Moore’s brother, Duke Mitchell, said seeing his sister graduate from WSU after all these years is inspiring.

“In my opinion, higher education is one of the primary keys to success in life for everyone, not only now, but throughout history,” he said. “I am so proud of Vanessa … She has raised children and helped raise grandchildren and she has always been a great role model for everyone throughout the years. Her graduation from WSU now is just one more example of her strength and character.”

‘Don’t wait and lose out’

Moore encourages people to take advantage of the opportunities while they are younger.

“It definitely got harder as I got older,” she said. “The ability to stay up late and study and remember it all. I noticed a big difference in my 60s as compared to my 40s.”

She also encourages people to think about the earning potential and possibilities at stake without a bachelor’s degree.

“Think of the earning power that was lost and the opportunities,” she said of her years without a university degree. “There are a lot of benefits that come with a bachelor’s degree. Don’t wait and lose out on those opportunities.”

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Members of the public are invited to attend a presentation by Glenn Fink, a senior cyber security researcher at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, on the topic of the internet and its security and privacy risks at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the East Auditorium at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

His presentation, titled “The Internet of Things: A Security and Privacy Perspective,” will focus specifically on the issues that society faces in terms of the internet, the way forward for solutions from research and legislation and what people can do to protect themselves and their family from runaway security and privacy risks.

Fink said devices, ranging from television sets that spy on people to remotely hacked vehicles, all pose different risks and pose different issues that affect everyone in society.

“This presentation presents a real opportunity for those to learn more about how cyber security impacts our daily life, as well as the risks that are associated with different devices and platforms,” said Mohamed Osman, ���سԹ� professor of electrical engineering. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Fink present on our campus on this important topic.”

Fink has worked in areas including computer security, visualization, bio-inspired software design and human-centric computing at PNNL since 2006. He is a lateral thinker who excels in visionary leadership of multidisciplinary teams.

He was the project lead and primary inventor of several technologies including PNNL’s Digital Ants technology, which earned an award for Excellence in Technology Transfer from the Federal Laboratory Consortium in 2018.

The presentation is sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society.

For more information, contact Tish Christman at tish.christman@wsu.edu.

 

Media contacts:

Mohamed Osman, ���سԹ� professor of electrical engineering, 509-372-7287, osman@wsu.edu

Tish Christman, ���سԹ� School of Engineering and Applied Sciences administrative assistant, 509-372-7683, tish.christman@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� public relations specialist, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – A group of Washington State University Tri-Cities education students and current teachers are the first to benefit from a new course focused on how to teach computer science in the K-12 classroom.

The course, which specifically focuses on introductory levels of computational thinking, fundamentals of computers and the basics of introductory programming, will be included in an eventual series of courses as part of a proposed computer science education endorsement at ���سԹ�.

“Computer science is a crucial component of a student’s education, which is why it is important to offer a program that will support the preparation for our schools’ teachers in this area,” said Jonah Firestone, education professor at ���سԹ�. “As a result of that, we submitted an Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction grant to create a program that would eventually lead to an endorsement.”

Thanks to a second grant from OSPI, matching funds from Battelle and in-kind donations from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory this spring, the ���سԹ� team was able able to move forward with a first course this fall semester, Firestone said.

Developing the course

Firestone and Judy Morrison, director of the ���سԹ� College of Education, worked with PNNL computer science professionals to develop the course, in addition to holding summer institutes with current teachers to determine the types of material that would be incorporated.

Benjamin Stuermer, a PNNL software engineer and instructor for the course, said the course and eventual endorsement program has immense benefits for K-12 education.

“I think it’s really important that we’re doing this because teachers are currently going in radically different directions with the material they are teaching students in the area of computer science,” he said.

Stuermer said this is at no fault to teachers, as they are doing the best they can with the materials they can find. But by solidifying applicable courses and an endorsement program, teachers would be better equipped with materials that are proven to be effective at various grade levels.

Introducing new concepts

The students in the course are learning the patterns by which computer coding is formed and how to develop the mindset for eventually writing code by means of

sequencing certain steps in certain orders. The teachers are using a program known as “Scratch” to develop basic computer code in a visual form. Additionally, they’re learning how to write lesson plans for the material and how to break down these technical subjects into language that a young student can understand and retain.

“I work in a STEM school, so having this course is a great resource,” said Diane Hollis, a fourth-grade teacher and master’s of education student at ���سԹ�. “It will allow me to incorporate more technology into my class and will be crucial to what we regard as the growth mindset for our students – ‘even if you can’t do it yet, you will be able to.’ My students will be learning a new skill that they can use for the rest of their life.”

Sumiyyah Jalalyar, an eighth-grade teacher and master’s of education student at ���سԹ�, said the computational ways of thinking she is learning through the course will serve as an immense benefit for her students in math and science.

“Having more teachers knowing about computer science and being knowledgeable about computational thinking serves as a resource for students,” she said. “It’s the direction that education is headed in for the future, so it’s a great opportunity for us as teachers to learn.”

Refining for the future

Stuermer said they will continue to refine the course, making it better and better for future teachers. They will then focus on developing further courses, he said.

Firestone said he hopes to attract teachers from a variety of subjects and fields in education for future courses, in addition to those with a background in technology, mathematics and computer science.

The “Foundations of Computational Thinking” course will be offered a second time during ���سԹ�’ spring semester, with potential tuition assistance for course participants available from the project’s grant. For more information, contact Firestone at 509-372-7198 or jonah.firestone@wsu.edu.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Vincent Danna (’17) was in middle school when he lost all of his hair.

He suffers from a condition known as alopecia universalis, which is when the immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles. His personal struggle led him to want to become a dermatologist and help those who experience serious skin diseases and other ailments.

“It sounds silly,” he said, “but my experience really spiked my interest in wanting to help other people through medicine.”

His passion led him to pursue a degree in biological sciences at Washington State University Tri-Cities, which in turn helped him land an internship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). He continues to conduct cancer research with the computational biology group at PNNL.

He plans to use both experiences to get into a good medical school so that as a doctor, he can help others with similar and more serious medical conditions.

Real-world cancer research

At PNNL, Danna and his colleagues are analyzing ovarian cancer data in order to digitally categorize the productivity of what are called kinases. Kinases are enzymes within a cell that modify proteins and play a major role in the process of cell division.

Under the supervision of his PNNL mentor, Jason McDermott, Danna’s research focuses on identifying whether certain kinases are significantly overregulated or underregulated within cancer cells, which could demonstrate how kinases lead to the formation of malignant tumors. Targeting dysregulated kinases, he said, has the potential to stop the spread of the cancer, or to prevent it from developing altogether.

This spring, the team analyzed kinase data from 69 ovarian cancer patients. Danna said their results are promising.

“Cancer is essentially the over-replication of cells,” Danna said. “Chemotherapy targets fast-growing cells, but that can affect the whole body, as well as normal cells, which is why patients typically lose their hair. With our research, we hope to target something more specific, like a kinase or a gene.”

In the future, he said individuals may be able to take a drug or another inhibitor to suppress or better regulate those kinases.

“Targeted therapy is recognized as being one of the healthier and more beneficial methods in treating patients with ovarian cancer,” he said.

Danna and his colleagues at PNNL are now investigating whether dysregulated kinases have implications for phenotypes. Phenotypes are an organism’s gene-expressed observable characteristics, such as hair color. The outcome could help predict a patient’s lifespan and ability to fight ovarian cancer.

“The goal of that research is improving that patient’s quality of life and and to give them a better estimation of what they’re dealing with,” he said.

Additionally, Danna and other PNNL researchers are using similar processes to examine patient resistance or sensitivity to a type of cancer treatment called platinum therapy. The therapy uses platinum compounds to produce changes in the DNA structure as a way of treating specific cancers, including ovarian cancer.

Medical school and beyond

Danna said his science and statistics courses at ���سԹ� gave him the ideal foundation for being successful with his work at PNNL. He said gaining the biological knowledge, as well as developing the statistical analysis skills to understand the computational side of writing code and programming through his internship, is what gave him the background to be successful with his position at PNNL.

Combining his academic knowledge with the opportunity to work on research that has real-world medical applications, has given him a realistic look at how medical research is done, and as a result, is experience he can someday use as a doctor, he said.

“It feels good that the research I’m completing will hopefully make a difference in the lives of future cancer patients,” he said.

Danna plans to take the Medical College Admission Test this spring and apply to medical schools soon afterward. He is currently considering the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine as an option.

Looking to the future, he is excited to lead his own medical initiatives that one-day might positively impact the lives of patients.

“I know what it’s like to suffer from a condition that can affect your physical and even emotional well-being,” Danna said. “I hope to make a difference in the lives of my own patients, someday.”

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. –�����سԹ� is developing a teacher endorsement program in computer science that has attracted a $49,000 grant from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and a matching contribution from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Currently, there is no teaching endorsement program at any universities in Washington state for computer science, which makes program development in the subject increasingly important in today’s advancing technological society, said Jonah Firestone, ���سԹ� assistant professor of teaching and learning and campus lead on the grant.

“The state of Washington has pushed to have at least one computer science teacher at every school who has an endorsement in the subject,” Firestone said. “Up until now, it was usually a math or science teacher who also had an interest in computing that would serve that role. But we need to take that further and offer an endorsement in the subject in order to best prepare our teachers.”

The first phase of the grant funds, he said, will fund the development and offering of professional development workshops with teachers from five districts that include Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, Prosser and Othello. The workshops, which currently are being developed by ���سԹ� and PNNL and will be taught by PNNL computer scientists this spring, will provide training on computer science concepts and skills and for designing computer science curriculum.

The funds will also go toward stipends for educators who participate.

Firestone said there will be a combination of teacher recruitment for the program and recommendations from districts for current instructors who would immediately qualify for the program based on their roles in schools.

“We’re looking at teachers who are already in technology classes, plus we’re working with our contacts at the local science, technology, engineering and mathematics schools to inquire about teachers who would qualify and be interested,” he said.

The second phase of the grant entails the analysis of data collected over the course of the workshops, which will then be used for the development of a computer science certificate program for educators. Firestone and Judy Morrison, associate professor of teaching and learning, will co-lead the project. Together they will analyze the workshops and develop the certificate program.

Firestone said the certificate program will combine education courses with computer science courses.

“Classes on the content are not enough,” Firestone said. “We have to have classes on how to teach this material to the kids.”

���سԹ� is the only university in the state selected for the grant program. Twenty-four other districts, schools and nonprofits also were selected for the program, who will use the funds to train teachers, provide and upgrade technology, and expand access to girls, students from underrepresented populations and communities who have historically been underserved. The grants awarded to higher education institutions across the state total nearly $1 million.

“We are very grateful to OSPI for presenting this opportunity and to PNNL for providing the in-kind matching funds that will go toward the program and their time in working with us on this endeavor,” Firestone said. “This grant is allowing us to get this program started and off the ground. This is stage one of a multistage process.”

 

Contacts:

• Jonah Firestone, ���سԹ� assistant professor of teaching and learning, 509-372-7198,��jonah.firestone@tricity.wsu.edu
• Judy Morrison, ���سԹ� associate professor of teaching and learning, 509-372-7176,��jmorriso@tricity.wsu.edu
• Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� public relations specialist, 509-372-7333,��Maegan_murray@wsu.edu