It’s been a year since the pandemic circled the globe and changed the way everyone lives. The Spring 2021 digital issue of Washington State Magazine looks at how Cougs around the world met the challenges of COVID-19 in their home countries.
The issue also has stories on the booming green hydrogen economy and how WSU research is leading the way on hydrogen fuel, Murrow College alumni journalists reporting on the Black Lives Matter protests, an essay on history’s ability to help us during these times, and many other articles listed below.
To read the magazine, which is only digital due to budget cuts, visit the magazine website. In addition to all of the articles online, the issue is available in webviewer and PDF versions. If you prefer a print magazine, there is a paid print-on-demand option.
In the Spring 2021 issue:
Circling back to hydrogen – From the simplest element comes great potential to power the world. WSU researchers lead the way to the rising green hydrogen economy.
Distanced but connected: Our global pandemic stories – Cougs around the world, from Serbia to Sri Lanka, tell their stories of time during COVID-19. Together, their voices blend into one global human experience interwoven with an enigmatic touch of Cougar Spirit.
How history offers comfort in a pandemic – Gazing to the past for comfort and strength for the future. An essay by Nikki Brueggeman ’13
Reporting the protests – Alumni of the Murrow College of Communication brave the dangers of a protest to get to the heart of the message.
Meet you at the depot – When the train was the way to travel to Pullman
Take care! How to handle the trying times – The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown is stressful. WSU experts offer some advice.
Guess who’s coming to dinner – Wild and wonderful, more people are seeing wild animals in urban settings during the pandemic.
A pandemic’s new norms – Finding similar values in those ”different from us“
A race at the top – Cold temperatures didn’t hold back a WSU veterinarian from work at the Iditarod.
“This is the most bored I’ve ever been in my life” – The pandemic has worsened an already-increasing bout of boredom among teens.
Happier endings – A WSU Extension director helps troubled farmers seeking help.
From the president – A letter from WSU President Kirk Schulz
Talkback – Letters from WSU alumni
In Season: Lamb & mint – Roast lamb complemented with mint sauce simply sings of spring, plus recipes featuring lamb and mint
DIY Files: Can-do attitude – Home canning had already been making a comeback. Then the pandemic hit.
Caffeinated Cougs – WSU alumni keep the coffee roasting and flowing during the pandemic.
The winner is… – Alumnus Andrew DeCesare pursues his filmmaking dreams.
Big cat on campus – WSU student Isabelle Busch chases her lifelong passion to help cheetahs.
Working forward – History alumnus Stefan Bradley studies diversity in the history of Black people, including those who attended college in the Ivy League.
Working through it – Civil engineer Wayne Chang brings his expertise to international disaster relief and humanitarian work.
When Duane and Arleen met – They forged a lifelong romance after meeting at The Coug.
We Met @ WSU – Love stories from WSU alumni who met on campus.
Charles “Chadd” Kahlsdorf – The engineer wrote a children’s book about civil engineering.
Mike Urban – WSU Global Campus alumnus becomes the administrator of the city of Pullman
New Media:
- Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War – Excerpt from a book by Matthew Avery Sutton, Berry Family Professor of Liberal Arts and chair of the WSU Department of History
- Remote: Finding Home in the Bitterroots – Book by Regents Professor of English DJ Lee
- Legacies of the Manhattan Project: Reflections on 75 Years of a Nuclear World – WSU Press, edited by Michael Mays
- Sins of the Bees – Novel by Annie Lampman
- Paleo Nerds – Podcast by Ray Troll ’81 MFA Fine Arts and David Strassman
- Briefly noted – Short reviews of books by WSU faculty and alumni
Spring 2021 inspiration from the Cougar Nation:
- What to read: Recommendations from WSU leaders, WSU Press, and alumni
- What to watch: Movies and TV shows featuring WSU alumni, campuses, or faculty
- What to listen to: Music recommendations from WSU faculty and alumni
- Staff picks: What the WSM staff have been reading, listening to, and watching
Last Words: Orbital notations – Multimedia artist Etsuko Ichikawa shows beauty and menace in her installationBroken Poems of Fireflies.
The magazine staff also thanks the sponsors of the Spring 2021 issue.
