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Ten seniors recognized for excellence

Each year, 10 graduating seniors from Washington State University are recognized for excellence in several areas: academics, athletics, campus involvement, community service, and visual and performing arts. Six students in CAS are among WSU’s top 10 of 2022.

The WSU Alumni Association and Student Alumni Ambassadors coordinate the 80-year tradition of honoring these outstanding students, who are nominated from across WSU’s six campuses.

A selection committee comprised of faculty, staff, and students chose the winners based on criteria that fit each category.

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WSU Insider
WSU Features

WSU announces Smith Teaching and Learning Grant recipients for 2022

Five Washington State University faculty proposals for Smith Teaching and Learning Grant awards have been approved for funding.

Projects this year were sought that address WSU’s commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA), and focus on specific areas that improve student learning through innovative practices.

“The five projects funded by Smith grants will literally impact the student success and academic progress of hundreds of WSU students, and we are impressed by the innovative ideas advanced by all of the applicants,” said William B. Davis, interim vice provost for academic engagement and student achievement. “We will look forward to seeing the progress on, and the results from, these projects, with final reports due in August 2023.”

In CAS, Faculty applying as principal investigators on the awarded grants are:

Sonia Lopez-Lopez.
López-López

Sonia López-López: “Spanish 308 for Heritage Speakers”
It involves the creation of a 300-level Spanish language course for students who speak Spanish fluently, having learned it at home, but whose competency might be limited due to a lack of formal understanding of the language. The course could help students gain better writing skills in their native tongue and contribute to their higher academic success.

Emeritus Society presents undergraduate researcher awards, grants

The Washington State University Emeritus Society of retired faculty has presented to students five undergraduate research awards and two grants in arts and humanities.

“Our organization underscores its mission to continuously advance our university, community, and state by making awards each year to exceptional students engaged in scholarly pursuits,” said Tom Brigham, society executive secretary and retired psychology professor.  “We are very pleased that our awards are something of a tradition at WSU, and we are happy to make a difference for so many.”

Society member Larry Fox, retired veterinary clinical science and animal sciences professor, made the award presentations at an April 14 event hosted by the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA).

First presented in 2009, these $500 awards in five categories are intended to encourage students to strive for scholarly excellence. Recipients for 2022 include:

Emeritus Society Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Awards

Diana Alonso, a digital technology and culture major mentored by Ruth Gregory; in the award category of arts, humanities, and creative activities for the project, “Design a Website for Undocumented Students Interested in Higher Education in Washington State.” It seeks to identify the obstacles that undocumented students encounter when pursuing a higher education and help overcome those barriers by creating a resource website for incoming and current undocumented Washington college students.

Shir Levy, a communication and society and psychology major mentored by Christopher Barry; in the award category of social, economic, and behavioral sciences for the project, “Perceptions of Confrontational Behavior in Sport Situations as a Function of Athlete Status, Narcissism, and Psychopathy.” The research shows that confrontational behavior is viewed differently as a function of sport versus non-sport contexts, and a person’s history as an athlete or non-athlete, and the perceiver’s self-reported narcissism, psychopathy, and self-esteem.

Wyatt Wallis, a physics and astronomy major mentored by Mark Kuzyk; in the award category of physical sciences and mathematics for the project, “Characterizing Dye Doped PMMA by the Young’s Modulus Measured Against Intensity of Light, CTA Concentration, and Method of Fastening.” The research investigated the consequences of applying tensile stress to a number of properties of PMMA fibers.

Emeritus Society Undergraduate Research Grant in Arts and Humanities

These awards were new in 2021 and each provides $1,000 to support original undergraduate scholarships in the arts and humanities. Recipients for 2022 are:

Nakia Cloud, an anthropology major and linguistics minor mentored by Trevor Bond. His project, carried out in cooperation with the Tribe Cultural Resource Program, is part of a grant-funded effort to digitize and interpret Nez Perce Native American material culture as it is linked to the McWhorter Collection at WSU. This will help preserve Nez Perce tribal history by recording video interpretations and memories of current members as they respond to historical photos, documents, and artifacts.

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WSU Insider

Increased Mental Health Risks Linked to High Potency Cannabis Concentrates

As more states legalize cannabis for medical and recreational purposes, the association between excessive cannabis consumption and psychosis is getting more research attention. An increasing number of states plan to conduct research on the mental health risks associated with high potency cannabis products such as concentrates.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports an increase in psychosis associated with cannabis use. Products such as wax, butter, and shatter are made with extracted THC and other cannabinoids, and they are usually “dabbed” or vaporized for a quick and powerful psychoactive or pain-relieving effect. NIDA warns that the higher the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency of the cannabis wax, shatter, or vape increases the risk of experiencing a psychotic episode. Some concentrates can have THC levels as high as 85-90%, so many states including Colorado and Washington are considering potency caps and product warnings.

Carrie Cuttler.
Cuttler

Although high potency concentrates are widely available in legal states, the research on their benefits and risks is limited. According to Washington State University lead researcher Dr. Carrie Cuttler, “There’s been a lot of speculation that these really high-potency cannabis concentrates might magnify detrimental consequences, but there’s been almost zero research on cannabis concentrates which are freely available for people to use. I want to see way more research before we come to any general conclusion.” Future research will identify patterns of use and potency levels that are associated with increased mental health risks.

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LabRoots

COVID cases are up. Most mandates ended months ago. So where does WA stand?

A new phase of the pandemic. A lull between waves. A time of reflection.

Scientists, politicians and public health leaders have spent the past few months using these phrases to describe where Washington stands in the battle against COVID-19. Now case rates are increasing once again, despite many people in recent weeks inching — or lunging — back toward pre-pandemic norms.

Public transit is often crowded, restaurants and bars packed again. Last week, a record crowd of more than 68,000 (mostly unmasked) Sounders fans packed into Lumen Field for a championship game.

But shifting public health guidance, the emergence of new variants and continued strain on hospitals has made it difficult for many to gauge their personal and community risk, leaving Washingtonians to wonder: Is this a new phase of the pandemic?

Renee Magnan.
Magnan

“There’s a lot of uncertainty now,” said Renee Magnan, an associate professor of social and health psychology at Washington State University. “We’ve all heard of pandemic fatigue. People are really tired of having to do the things. … And I can see that there’s frustration with how quickly, in some ways, recommendations have been changing.”

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The Seattle Times