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PULLMAN – Fruit consumers and growers will be delighted if Shaojin Wang, a WSU assistant research professor of biological systems engineering, can achieve his research goal. Wang is pursuing a method that could replace the chemical fumigation of apples and cherries grown in Washington with simple low-pressure treatments.

Low-pressure storage technology changes the normal composition of air, creating an environment inhospitable to pests that would otherwise attack the crop. While pests are controlled, fruit is kept fresh without over-ripening or senescing.

Wang is working on a technically effective and environmentally sound process to disinfest cherries and apples using low-pressure methods.

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PULLMAN – When Brandon Howard was confronted with the provocative question, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” his first thought was, “I don’t know. Let’s Google it.”

Panelists Meriem Chida and

Jason McConnell

On Tuesday the WSU Center for Civic Engagement invited Howard, an elementary education major, and four other panelists to discuss that question in its first Under the Big Tent debate of the semester. The other panelists were
Meriem Chida, assistant professor in Apparel Merchandising, Design and Textiles,
Steven Kale, professor of history,
Jason McConnell, president of the Graduate … » More …

CANYON, Texas – Two WSU graduate students have won awards in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards competition.

Jenifer Shafer, a Ph.D. student in chemistry, was awarded the second place prize in the “Fuel Separations and Waste Forms” division. Shafer’s award was based upon her research paper titled, “Partitioning of U, Np, Th and Eu Between Acidic Aqueous Al(NO3)3 Solutions and Various TOPO Extraction Chromatographic Materials,” which was presented at the Actinides Scientific Conference in July 2009.

Travis Grimes, a Ph.D. student … » More …

RICHLAND – Tucked away in a metal-sided warehouse at the Richland Airport, WSU researchers sift through years, even decades, of data files and human tissue samples in an attempt to track how previous nuclear workers were affected by plutonium, uranium and other nuclear-industry related elements.

The project is called “The United States Transuranium & Uranium Registries,” (USTUR) and is operated by the WSU College of Pharmacy, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Health and Safety.

“The project is to basically increase the confidence in the regulatory system for protecting workers and also, by extension, members of the public … » More …

PULLMAN – The 2010-2011 annual Security/Fire Report for the WSU Pullman campus was released on Friday, Oct. 1, and is available online.

The 20-page report is designed to provide the WSU community with an accurate statistical look into the campus’ fire safety and sex assaults record. In addition, it provides information on the overall safety system that WSU Pullman has instituted, including:

crisis communication

reporting assaults and crimes

campus safety systems

housing safety

safety-related maintenance

alcohol and drug policies

Facebook safety measures

sexual assault prevention

fire safety

university contact information

fire and crime statistics

… » More …