PULLMAN, Wash. — The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science brings together many of the world’s outstanding scientists from a wide variety of disciplines. Four WSU faculty members are organizers of or participants in symposia at this year’s meeting, which will be held Feb. 12-16 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center and the Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers.
Bringing the Electricity System into the Information Age
Friday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m. to noon.
Anjan Bose’s research in the operation and control of the electric power grid has led to major breakthroughs in power system control technology that are in industrial practice today, including better computer controls of electric generation and transmission systems to avoid blackouts. He developed the real time computer simulator that is used to train power grid operators all over the world. He is an expert in how to maintain the reliability of the power grid given the changes taking place in deregulating the power industry and has served on a blue-ribbon power outage study team appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy to study several power outages in the East and Midwest. Most recently, he has served on a national commission investigating last summer’s East Coast outage. He has continued to be a technical leader in the industry and is a prominent consultant. Last year, he was named to the National Academy of Engineering. He is the dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture and holds the Distinguished Professorship in Power Engineering. Contact information: bose@wsu.edu or (509) 335-5593.
Agricultural Bioterrorism: Countering the Potential for Impact of Biothreats to Crops and Livestock
Saturday, Feb. 14, 9-10:30 a.m.
R. James Cook is the interim dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University. As a research plant pathologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service at Pullman, in 1988, Cook led the team of researchers who made the first field test of a genetically modified organism in the Pacific Northwest — a micro-organism for control of root disease in wheat. Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1993, Cook has held the Endowed Chair in Wheat Research at WSU for five years. For the past 10 years he has worked to integrate science and policy on biotechnology applied to food and agriculture. He served on the USDA Advisory Committee on Agricultural Biotechnology. He chaired an international working group, producing a report on safety considerations for biotechnology and has published on biotechnology issues through international and U.S. academies of science. Cook received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from North Dakota State University and a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1961. Contact information: rjcook@wsu.edu or 509/335-4561.
Plant-Derived Medicinal and Dietary Supplements Quality, Efficacy and Safety
Monday, Feb. 16, 12:30-2 p.m.
Dr. Moris L. Silber, a medical doctor and researcher in Washington State University’s natural resource sciences department, is co-organizer of the panel, which will call attention to the rapidly growing natural products industry and its need for scientifically valid quality control and standardization for herbal medicines and nutraceutical preparations. Silber received a medical degree from the Medical Pediatric Institute, Leningrad, USSR, in 1964 and a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology in 1972 from the Institute of Experimental Medicine at the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. He has published 73 scientific articles, two books and numerous articles in nutrition, sports and fitness magazines. Silber was a scientific adviser and nutrition consultant to the USSR National and Olympic teams from 1976-1989 and held the same position with the U.S. Olympic Women’s Swimming Team in 1995. He is a fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sports Medicine. Contact information: silber@mail.wsu.edu or 509/335-7756.
Plant-Derived Medicinal and Dietary Supplements Quality, Efficacy and Safety
Monday, Feb. 16, 12:30-2 p.m.
John K. Fellman is a horticulturalist whose research focuses on post-harvest handling and storage of fruits and fruit biochemisty. Fellman explores how better to preserve fresh fruits – including winter pears, apples and cranberries – to allow them to be marketed over a longer time. For example, Washington state is one of the nation’s leading producers of cranberries. But returns to cranberry growers have been plummeting because of global oversupply. Since the primary use is for processing, expansion of the fresh market could provide some relief. Fellman’s research has focused on possible storage techniques that could extend cranberries’ post-harvest life and suppress decay. Fellman also conducts research that analyzes the flavor components of fruits and has worked with apple growers to develop ways to determine when apples are at their peak ripeness. Fellman is an associate professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Washington State University; he earned a doctorate at the University of Idaho. Contact information: fellman@wsu.edu or 509/335-3454.
Founded in 1890 in Pullman, WSU is the state’s land-grant research university with some 22,500 students enrolled on four campuses and through distance degree programs. Ranked among the top 50 public research universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, WSU offers some 300 fields of study, including more than 150 majors plus many minors, options and certificate programs. For information, visit https://www.wsu.edu/.
