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NSF‑funded research examines socio‑economics of flexible environmental rules

An interdisciplinary team of Washington State University researchers has just been awarded a $1.6 million grant to study under what conditions are individuals, groups and institutions likely to follow rules about the environment “to the letter” versus exercising discretion or making new rules.

John Harrison.
Harrison

“In the realm of science-based environmental management, it is useful to have flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, but it is also good to have clear rules as a basis for making investments toward long-term goals,” said John Harrison, Edward R. Meyer distinguished professor in the School of the Environment at WSU Vancouver and principal investigator on the grant from the National Science Foundation’s Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems program.

“Climate and societal change are increasingly volatile, making it nearly impossible to envision every possible scenario — like what should be done when the unexpected happens? — or how often should rules be changed as our scientific understanding of environmental systems advances?”

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Award honors Peabody’s groundbreaking historical work

Sue Peabody.
Peabody

The French Colonial Historical Society has established a new prize in honor of Sue Peabody, Meyer Distinguished Professor of History at WSU Vancouver. The Sue Peabody Award will be granted to a scholar with a doctoral degree and a full-time position at a scholarly institution outside Europe or North America to support attendance at the FCHS annual meeting.

The award is intended “to further Sue Peabody’s work promoting diversity and internationalization in the Society and in the field,” wrote Jennifer L. Palmer and Richard S. Fogarty, president and past president of the FCHS, respectively, in a letter announcing the award. They praised Peabody for “her eminent stature in the international field of French colonial history and … the high esteem in which she is held in that field and beyond.”

The letter notes in particular that Peabody is recognized for helping to support and promote the work of emerging scholars, including those from Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. In doing so, Palmer and Fogarty write, “she has expanded the global reach and significance of FCHS as an intellectual organization.”

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Ask Dr. Universe: Why can’t we breathe in space?

On Earth, humans have oxygen to breathe. But there’s very little oxygen to breathe in space.

Space is actually a kind of vacuum, which means there isn’t a whole lot of matter, or stuff, out there between the planets and the stars.

Yimo Liu.
Liu

For Earthlings like you and me, oxygen is an essential part of life. While 21% of Earth’s atmosphere is oxygen, my friend Yimo Liu reminded me it wasn’t always that way.

As a professor of biology at Washington State University, she is very curious about life on our 4.6 billion-year-old planet.

“After we have that first oxygen, other organisms that require oxygen start to evolve,” Liu said.

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Nature restoration project brings together community, arts, and science

In a narrow patch of land beside Missouri Flat Creek near downtown Pullman and the Washington State University campus, a new set of creatively designed signs celebrates a decade of ecological restoration efforts and a unique town–gown partnership combining environmental science and the arts.

Kayla Wakulich.
Wakulich

“Intriguing, educational, and beautiful—they are at the interface of art and science,” said Kayla Wakulich, a doctoral candidate in WSU’s School of the Environment (SoE) and staff assistant for the WSU Center for Civic Engagement. “To see them installed reaffirms that it was worth the wait—and the work.”

Over the years, more than 5,000 SoE 110 students have contributed upwards of 15,000 individual hours by planting native grasses and other beneficial vegetation, removing invasive plant species, monitoring water quality and wildlife, and checking for stream bank migration. The ongoing project has grown to include volunteers from local civic groups, such as the Phoenix Conservancy, Pioneer Explorers and Pullman Civic Trust, as well as four summer interns, three landscape architecture courses, two creative writing courses, and a visual arts course.

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Student-athletes explore name, image, and likeness opportunities

Dallas Hobbs.
Hobbs

For most of his collegiate career, Dallas Hobbs lived a dual existence.

There was the Washington State University football player and mainstay on the Cougar’s defensive line. And then there was the student entrepreneur who owns a multimedia design business, co-hosts two podcasts and has a small ownership stake in a start-up brewery.

In the past, “I couldn’t post on my personal twitter page and say, ‘Hey, I’m a freelance graphic designer, and I’m looking for clients,’” said Hobbs, 24, a redshirt senior and online MBA student at the Carson College of Business. “You weren’t allowed to solicit customers like that.”

Hobbs, who majored in fine arts and digital technology and culture as an undergrad, recently set up a limited liability company for his business ventures. Since he’s been able to promote his work, Hobbs has seen an uptick in prospective clients for his firm, Hobbs Design. He’s also the director of marketing and design for Common Language Brewing in Spokane.

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