August 2016

Projects

Entomologist Richard Zack named interim associate dean

Award-winning professor and WSU entomology researcher Richard Zack has been appointed interim associate dean of academic programs in CAHNRS, as of Aug. 1.

Zack will support CAHNRS’ curriculum development and assessment, strengthen student recruitment and retention and expand course delivery at research and extension centers and urban campuses, including the new organic agriculture systems and agriculture and food systems majors at the WSU Everett campus.

He earned his Ph.D. in entomology at WSU in 1982. Learn more here.

Bradley leads nat’l faculty visit to see Ecuador textile production

In June, Linda Bradley, professor in the Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles, led a study tour of national apparel faculty to the highlands of Ecuador, studying sustainable fabric design and printing techniques.

The tour has spun off a research project on the symbolic meaning of changes in traditional Ecuadorian dress.

“It introduced apparel professors to this great place, where we can take students to learn about how fabric is designed, painted, printed, batiked and then turned into garments for the American market,” said Bradley, who has taken students to Ecuador five times. “Since we really don’t have much apparel production in the US any more, we need to take students abroad to see how clothing is produced.”

Extension food safety expert Stephanie Smith shares picnic tips

As an avid camper, Stephanie Smith, WSU Extension Food Safety Specialist, knows a thing or two about keeping food safe on a picnic.

“Any food is safe, as long as it’s handled properly,” says Smith, who educates Washington residents on preparing foods safely. “The most important thing: Keep it hot or keep it cold.” Learn more about Smith’s summer food safety tips here.

Awards and Grants

Jill McCluskey picked for Washington Academy of Sciences

Jill McCluskey, distinguished professor of sustainability and associate director of the School of Economic Sciences, was one of four WSU faculty named to the Washington State Academy of Sciences on July 28.

An economist, her interests include product quality and industrial organization, consumer preferences for food, technology and information, and environmental quality and energy. Read more here.

Animal Sciences teaching honor for emeritus McNamara

John McNamara, emeritus professor of Animal Sciences at Washington State University, received national recognition for his more than 30 years of training future animals scientists last month.

McNamara earned the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) Fellow Award, in the teaching category, at its annual meeting July 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“It’s a very nice recognition after a 43 year career,” said McNamara, who has worked at WSU since 1983 and retired this year. Read more here.

Entomologist Allan Felsot named society expert for EPA

The Entomological Society of America has selected Allan Felsot to serve as the society’s subject matter expert with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs.

Felsot, a professor and extension specialist in entomology and environmental toxicology at WSU-Tri Cities’ Food and Environmental Quality Lab, will serve for three years as a liaison between the academic entomology community and the EPA.

He’ll provide unbiased input on topics such as integrated pest management, spray drift, invasive arthropod species, insecticide resistance, label clarity, and medical and urban entomology. Learn more here.

Food Science ‘Beadsicle’ creators honored at expo

Five students in the WSU/University of Idaho School of Food Science—Ewa Pietrysiak, Matthew Tanoei-Husada, Dian Masli, Deepali Jain, and Poonam Bajaj—traveled to the 2016 Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo, July 16-19 in Chicago, to accept their first place prize in the DDW Natural Coloring Competition for Students.

The students’ eye-catching product, “Beadsicles”, adds flavored beads to frozen treats, mingling different colors and flavors for a wide variety of options. They received $2,500 to split, and their poster was displayed at the DDW booth.

$787K in grants for Entomology researchers

Congratulations to Department of Entomology researchers who earned nearly $800,000 in grants this summer:
• Entomology professor and WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center Director John Stark received a $369,100 grant from U.S. Department of the Interior/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Ecological Services Program.
• Entomologist Doug Walsh earned a $50,000 grant from USDA/NIFA and awards from the Washington Hop Commission totaling $106,365, as well as $16,000 from the Washington Mint Commission, $19,746 from the Washington Wine Commission, $34,000 from the Washington Alfalfa Seed Commission and $4000 from Dow Chemical.
• Entomologists Steve Sheppard and Brandon Hopkins received a $85,777 grant from Project Apis M.
• Sheppard also received a $75,000 award.
• Betsy Beers, professor and entomologist at the Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center, received $5,000 from Valent, and grants totaling $10,500 from ISK Biosciences Corp.
• Associate Professor David James received a $12,000 grant from the state’s nursery surcharge.

First-place poster win for CAHNRS development team

CAHNRS’ Alumni & Development office took home first place at the National Agricultural Alumni Development Association’s 2016 Publications & Project competition.

Their poster, recognizing the national CAHNRS Campaign Council, created jointly with CAHNRS Communications and Creative Manager Gerald Steffen, won the Print Media Division for Stewardship Materials. Development officer Jessica Munson made the submission.

Plant Path faculty, students rack up society awards

Department of Plant Pathology faculty and students were well represented among awardees at the 2016 meeting of the Pacific Division of the American Phytopathological Society (APS), June 28-30 in La Conner, Wash.

The Pacific Division is the largest of the divisions in the APS with members from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and contiguous provinces in Canada (British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan).

Debbie Inglis, below right, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Division, presented by David Gent, APS Pacific Division President. Winning the Early Career Award, Jeremiah Dung, assistant professor at Oregon State University, received his master’s and doctorate in plant pathology at WSU in 2012.

Graduate students and former graduate students garnered many awards. Sowmya Ramachandran and David Wheeler took first and second place, respectively, in the oral presentation category. Ramachandran’s award was shared with Leslie Holland, a former master’s student in the department and currently a doctoral student at U.C. Davis. John Weber and Swarnalatha Moparthi were awarded first and second place awards in the poster category. Five of seven student travel awards were won by WSU plant pathology graduate students, including Zack Frederick, Lindani Moyo, Christian Olaya, Sowmya Ramachandran and Xuefei Wang.

Murray named phytopathological society president

Tim Murray, WSU professor of plant pathology and an Extension Plant Pathologist, was named president of the American Phytopathological Society, at their annual meeting, July 30-Aug. 3 in Tampa, Fla. APS officers are elected by the membership, which includes more than 5,000 members.

Murray has served as president elect for the past year and was vice president of the society the previous year.

National award for Extension emergency planning partnership

A team of four national Extension professionals won recognition for their efforts to develop emergency planning best practices.

Michael Gaffney, a WSU Extension professional and director of the Division of Governmental Studies and Services at WSU, teamed with Ashley Mueller of Nebraska Extension, Beverly Maltsberger of University of Missouri Extension, and Carrie McKillip of University of Illinois Extension to create Community/Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster program (COAD/VOAD). They received a first place Excellence in Teamwork award both nationally and regionally from the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP).

Team members worked with emergency management personnel and state disaster agencies to develop four rural COAD chapters. The project shows how to effectively collaborate across states to create materials and resources that can be used by Extension colleagues nationwide.

Faculty earn award for mapping positive ripples

Creating a way to map the impact of community-building efforts, three WSU Extension faculty members won the Innovation and Creativity Team Award from NACDEP.

Debra Hansen, director of Stevens County Extension and WSU’s Extension Community and Economic Development Program Unit; Rebecca Sero, a specialist with the WSU Extension Community and Economic Development Program Unit; and Lorie Higgins, an adjunct Extension specialist and associate professor of agricultural economics and rural sociology at the University of Idaho, won for their Ripple Effects Mapping project, which helps Extension participants map the chain of effects from their programs and collaborations.

National award for Rural Pathways to Prosperity

A third group of Extension faculty won a national NACDEP honor for their Rural Pathways to Prosperity leadership conference, or P2P.

Washington Rural Pathways to Prosperity Conference, “Small Business is Everybody’s Business,” uses technology to reach rural communities, revive the economy and strengthen entrepreneurs.

The project won the Educational Technology Team Award at the association’s National and Western Regional Awards.

Faculty on the team included Debra Hansen, Monica Babine, Margaret Viebrock, Carrie Backman, Gary Fredricks, Sheila Gray, Mark Heitstuman, Krisan Lehew, Laura Lewis, AnaMaria Martinez, Rob McDaniel, Clea Rome and Jordan Tampien.