Pomace power: Reducing waste while improving snack nutrition
Your favorite puffed snack food may soon contain more fiber and nutrition, thanks to research at the School of Food Science.
Girish Ganjyal, an assistant professor and WSU Extension food processing specialist, and some of his graduate students have discovered how to add carrot pomace – the pulpy leftover from juicing the veggies – to cornstarch, increasing the “puffiness” of snack foods. Read more here.
Professor’s smart textile work to take off with new institute
Hang Liu, assistant professor in Apparel, Marketing, Design and Textiles, will energize her research into smart textiles and wearable sensors as part of a new innovation institute created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Liu connected with researchers at MIT to secure WSU’s involvement in the Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute, announced April 1. WSU is one of 38 universities—and the only one in Washington—to join the research hub, which integrates fibers and yarns with circuits, LEDs, solar cells and other capabilities to create fabrics that can see, hear, store energy, monitor health and change color.
“People don’t always relate textiles with high tech. But I’ve always believed textiles have a huge future,” says Liu, whose research focus is on conductive nanofibers—barely visible threads that act as sensors in clothing to monitor vital signs or detect chemical or biological agents. “This is an area with huge potential.”
Rayapati trains next generation of Nepal plant virus scientists
Training the next generation of scientists to fight plant viruses, Naidu Rayapati, professor in Plant Pathology, led a diagnosis workshop in March in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The USAID-funded Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Integrated Pest Management helped 11 early career scientists from Nepal Agricultural Research Council stations across the country, teaching them how to detect plant virus diseases that impact South Asia, collect samples and achieve results. Read more here.
Master’s collection combines Peru textiles, current trends
Modern fashions meet the textile riches of Peru in an exhibit at the Johnson Annex gallery through Saturday, May 7.
Astrid Vidalon-Shields, a graduating master’s student in Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles, put together a contemporary fashion design collection that incorporates traditional Peruvian textiles with upcoming trends.
Sharpe, Koepke develop tool that simplifies DNA analysis
Published April 12 in PLOS One, the article looks at a new software tool, CisSERS—Customizable in silico Sequence Evaluation of Restriction Sites— that lets scientists evaluate DNA results without high-powered computers.
Collaborators included Ananth Kalyanaraman and colleagues from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Professor Kate Evans at the Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research Center, and Professor David Kramer at Michigan State University.
CAHNRS, ag stakeholders share priorities in Capitol Hill visit
Jim Moyer, CAHNRS Associate Dean for Research, joined Ellen Gray and Deborah Moore, Washington state’s two representatives to the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET), to share priorities for agricultural research in a recent visit to the United States Congress.
The trio spent four days on Capitol Hill, meeting with Congressional representatives on agricultural issues and informing the state’s delegation on legislative needs.
Plant Path students host thrips researcher Diane Ullman
The Plant Pathology Graduate Student Organization welcomed Diane Ullman, who spoke at their annual Distinguished Lecture Series on April 11 in Pullman.
Ullman, professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California at Davis, shared her on-going collaborative research of sustainable management strategies for thrips, a tiny pest insect, to control viral infection of tomato crops.
Awards and Grants
Grant to help BSE’s Sablani extend food shelf life
Shyam Sablani, associate professor in Biological Systems Engineering, received a $450,000 grant from the USDA to develop plastic packaging that will extend the shelf-life of prepared food up to five years.
Currently, metal cans and glass jars are used to package shelf stable foods, using steam or hot water to kill spoilage and disease-causing bacteria. But new technology, being pioneered at WSU, relies on microwaves to kill off bacteria in foods. Since tin cans and microwaves don’t mix, and glass is too dense, plastic packaging is preferred. But plastic provides lower shelf life compared to metal and glass packages because it doesn’t block oxygen and water vapor as well. Sablani and his team will work to incorporate oxygen and water vapor absorbing materials into new polymers to create better plastic storage bags.
The team includes Juming Tang, WSU professor in Biological Systems Engineering, U.S. Army scientists, researchers at Bowling Green State University, and Kuraray America Inc.
The new packaging would eventually be used for commercial purposes, military rations, which require safe storage at room temperature for three years, and future space missions. NASA wants a way to store food for five years in anticipation of a trip to Mars.
Integrated award for healthy aging researcher Cory Bolkan
Cory Bolkan, associate professor in the Department of Human Development, received the CAHNRS Individual Integrated Award, Friday, April 15, at WSU Vancouver from CAHNRS Acting Dean Kim Kidwell.
The award honors high-quality scholarly accomplishment that shows integration of teaching, research or extension. Bolkan researches healthy aging by promoting optimal physical, mental, and social health, and explores how relationships help with well-being in later life. She also teaches undergraduate courses related to gerontology, death and dying, and research methods, and is a faculty member in the interdisciplinary Prevention Science graduate program.
Gang, associate professor and fellow in the Institute of Biological Chemistry, will travel to Germany and Austria to discuss advances in research and develop international projects on topics such as citrus greening disease and 3D metabolic imaging of plant and animal tissues.
Pappu, the Samuel Smith Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, will work with collaborators in Spain, discuss plans for a joint project on insect-transmitted viruses of horticultural crops, and investigate biological and molecular bases of virus infection, plant defense, and how viruses overcome that defense.
AMDT’s Ting Chi selected for student appreciation award
Ting Chi, associate professor in Apparel, Marketing, Design and Textiles, received the 2016 Exceptional Professor Award from Associated Students of Washington State University on April 25.
The award honors faculty for outstanding work and service, and was a surprise for Chi, who was nominated by students. Chi, a WSU professor for the past eight years, teaches merchandise buying and planning, soft goods supply chain management, global sourcing, environmental and social issues, and apparel merchandising analysis.
“I am very touched by this award,” said Chi, who received an ovation from his senior capstone class when he announced the honor. “I feel very grateful for being able to teach and work with these students.”
Sullivan earns fellowship for tillage, cover crop studies
David Sullivan, a graduate student in soil science at Puyallup Research & Extension Center, this spring earned the Decagon Devices Grant A. Harris Research Instrumentation Fellowship. Sullivan received $5,000 in Decagon instruments to study environmental or geotechnical science.
For the award, he is researching strip tillage and cover cropping for enhanced water use efficiency in western Washington organic vegetable farms. He seeks a clearer link between food, energy, and water, helping Northwest farming systems become more resilient to climate change through better conservation of water. Read more here.
Horticulture undergrads get American Society honors
Rikki Rodriguez
Nine CAHNRS undergraduates have received 2016 honors from the American Society for Horticultural Science.
Griffin Berger, Jonathan Abarca, Chase Edwards, Brennan Hyden, Megan Davis, Deah McGaughey, McKinley Dixon and Austin Brown were named ASHS Collegiate Scholars. Rikki Rodriguez (pictured at right) received the Outstanding Undergraduate award.
Each spring, ASHS honors the academic achievements of junior and senior undergraduates from departments of horticulture, or of plant and crop science, who are majoring in horticulture. Students must be in the top 15 percent of their class and are selected on the basis of their achievements, leadership, participation in activities, and services to their departments.
Students, faculty earn entomology honors
Scholars and faculty in the Department of Entomology earned awards at the 100th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America, April 3 to 6 in Honolulu, Hawaii. “Science for the Next Century” was this year’s theme.
Entomology students and faculty won awards at the Pacific Branch Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, April 3-6 in Honolulu. Key among these was the Comstock Award for Graduate Student of the Year, which went to Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris, a doctoral student with Professor Elizabeth Beers. Schmidt-Jeffris, now a postdoctoral scholar at Cornell University, also won first place in Elevator Opportunity.
Doctoral student Adekunle Adesanya won first place in the student paper competition, as well as third place in Elevator Opportunity, a three-minute pitch of their research. Adesanya is mentored by professors Doug Walsh and Laura Lavine. Alix Whitener won first place in the student paper competition, and second place in the texting competition. Adrian Marshall won second place in the student poster competition. Both Whitener and Marshall are mentored by Professor Beers.
Professor Bill Snyder won the Plant-Insect Ecosystems Award. Professor Doug Walsh was elected to a second three-year term to serve as the Pacific Branch’s representative to the National Governing Board of the Entomological Society of America.
