By Tina Hilding, College of Engineering & Architecture
PULLMAN, Wash. – A sports trivia contest and silent auction to support WSU Team Gleason (http://teamgleason.eecs.wsu.edu/) will be 7-9 p.m. Thursday, May 1, at Banyan’s in Pullman.
Cost is $30 for each trivia team of 2-5 people. Dinner will be available for $10. A cash bar will be available.
Football Coach Mike Leach will make a 30-minute appearance sometime during the evening. See http://teamgleason.wix.com/sportstrivia.
As part of their senior design project, Washington State University computer science students worked with Team Gleason, a nonprofit that raises awareness about ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and supports individuals with neuromuscular diseases or injuries.
Steve Gleason, a WSU alumnus and former New Orleans Saints football player, lives with ALS. The students worked to develop better and more affordable eye tracking software for ALS patients.
The project and collaboration are expected to expand next year with a handful of senior projects and a new campus-wide Team Gleason club. The students intend to start a national initiative of collegiate Team Gleason clubs, including at Tulane University where Gleason earned a graduate degree.
The fundraiser is organized by a sports management senior project team. Silent auction items will include a football signed by Gleason, two autographed photos of his famous blocked punt (http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2011/09/new_orleans_saints_cult_hero_s.html), a samurai sword signed by former Cougar football players Marcus Trufant and Jason Gesser and more items.
The WSU student group will also demonstrate their eye-tracking technology and tell of their plans for the upcoming year.
Alumni and others who cannot attend but would like to place bids on items should contact Dave Bakken (professor and 1985 WSU alumnus) at bakken@wsu.edu or 509-592-0238. Cash donations can be made at https://secure.wsu.edu/give/default.aspx?fund=3438.
Contacts:
Dave Bakken, WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 509-592-0238, bakken@wsu.edu
Tina Hilding, communications coordinator, WSU College of Engineering and Architecture, 509-335-5095, thilding@wsu.edu