March 9, 2018

Grants

Congratulations to recent Entomology Department grant awardees:

• Betsy Beers who is the recipient of a $45,048 from the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission to work on Integrated Pest Management of SWD in Sweet Cherry. (3/2/2018)

For more info go to:  http://informer.or.wsu.edu/RecentFacultyAwards.aspx

Seminars and Exams

Megan Asche will be giving her MS seminar and taking her final exam on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.  Beginning at 12:00 PM with her seminar followed by the exam.  Megan’s thesis is titled “A Comparison of Hygienic and Flight Behavior Among Different  Strains of Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae).”   Her ommittee members are Steve Sheppard, David Crowder and Vince Jones.

James Hepler is scheduling his PhD Preliminary Exam for March 27, 2018 at 12:00 PM.

Abigail Cohen is scheduling her PhD Preliminary Exam for April 18, 2018 at 12:00 PM

Upcoming Events

The 22^nd Annual Insect Cinema Cult Classic will be on Friday, April 6^th in Todd Hall Room 276, beginning at 5:30 PM.  Do your kids BUG you? Join the WSU Entomology Department for the 22nd Insect Cinema Cult Classic as we showcase insects on the big screen like you’ve never seen them before! This free event is open to everyone and will feature the screening of two classic insect films. (Titles yet to be determined) There will also be live arthropods to view and interact with, as well as popcorn, door prizes, and a raffle.

The 2018 Insect Expo is scheduled for April 7^th, 10 AM-2 PM at the Ensminger Pavilion The 2018 Insect Expo is scheduled for April 7th, 10 AM-2 PM at the Ensminger Pavilion on the WSU campus. WSU’s Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) hosts this free annual family-friendly event with activities for all ages. Activities include: facepainting, living arthropods displays and handling, fossil-making, etc. and visitors have the chance to take home a mealworm and watch it metamorphose into an adult beetle! Come learn about how insects and other arthropods impact your life while having a fun time!

Spring 2018 graduating students should plan to attend the Grad Fair on March 21^st or 22^nd  (at 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM both days) at the Lewis Alumni Centre.  This is where can confirm your graduate application status, register to walk in commencement, rent your cap and gown, and order any commencement related products for sale.  For more complete information go to: https://graduations.wsu.edu/.  Faculty members planning to participate in commencement can also order their regalia during this time.  Be watchful for messages from our Graduate Center concerning graduation info.

Last chance to Register & Submit Abstracts for the 2^nd Annual WSU Plant Science Symposium:  Diversity in Agriculture: Faces of Plant Science – Friday, March 30, 2018 – Location: Ensminger Pavillion, WSU Pullman

Registration is free, including light breakfast, lunch, and social mixer.  Register & apply at:

http://plantsciencesymposium.wsu.edu/registration/  Industry and international scientists will speak on topics including crop diversity, pest resistance, plant biotechnology, and career migration. Diversity is inherent to plant breeding, not only in the germplasm and environments we study, but also regarding the people, techniques, and ideas.

WSU Printing is offering special pricing for posters for the WSU Showcase on March 29^th and SURCA event on April 2, 2018.  To get the special pricing mention the code:  SURCA30. The discount is 30% below the regular cost.

CAHNRS Announcements

Washington State University College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences is hosting a Palouse Region Invasive Species and Exotic Pest Workshop on April 3, 2018 at 9:00 AM at the Ensminger Pavilion. At this workshop, we will be talking about priority pests significant to the region such as feral swine, northern pike, spotted wing drosophila, key weed species, exotic wheat pests and pathogens. The workshop is co-hosted by the Washington Invasive Species Council, and is funded by the US Department of Agriculture. Certified Pesticide Applicators and crop advisors may earn up to 5 Washington or Idaho re-certification credits (pending approval).

Registration: http://bit.ly/2EJBKiI or Registration: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3341950

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1877789158961069/

Flyer: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/documents/palouse-and-panhandle-flyer.pdf

Questions? Contact Todd Murray tmurray@wsu.edu  or Justin Bush.

Community Involvement

Outreach Opportunity:  The Franklin Elementary Science Fair offers a unique, memorable and educational event for students to talk about their projects to real scientists.  This year they have a bumper crop of 4th and 5th graders and are in need of more volunteers to help review projects for the science fair on March 20-22.  This is a one hour commitment.  The student will make a short presentation, followed by about five minutes of discussion and questions.  You will then write a few comments on a card.  You will have the opportunity to talk with about 5-6 young scientists.  The students and the reviewers both have a good time.  If you are able to help review, that would be appreciated.  The dates and times when reviewers are needed are:

• Tuesday, March 20, 12:45-1:45 pm
• Wednesday, March 21, 1-2 pm
• Thursday, March 22, 2-3 pm

Please contact Franklin Science Fair chair Anna Rector at annrector@gmail.com if you are able to help.

University Announcements

GPSA Research Expo Call for Judges:  Nearly three decades ago, the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) of Washington State University (WSU) hosted the first annual Graduate Student Research Exposition. This competitive event provides an opportunity for graduate and professional students to present diverse, cutting-edge research that takes place at WSU. To make the GPSA Research Exposition a success, we need the expertise of faculty (including emeritus), staff, postdoctoral fellows, and alumni to select those students with exemplary scholarship and research. The GPSA asks for the support of faculty who would like to volunteer their time to help select graduate and professional students of high merit. Presentations will be delivered in poster format and judges are needed for a wide swath of categories including: (1) Medical & Life Sciences, (2) Engineering, Physical Sciences & Environmental Science, (3) Agricultural & Natural Sciences, (4) Social Sciences, (5) Arts, Humanities & Design, and (6) Administrative & Information Sciences. Students who win their sections will be awarded scholarships that total $10,000.  Time commitment for judges is approximately four and half hours, spanning from 7:30 a.m. to noon on the day of the event, March 29, 2018. Breakfast and refreshments will be provided.  If you are interested in joining the GPSA as a judge for the 2018 Research Exposition, please follow this link to the Judge Participant Form. Please complete this form at your earliest convenience. We will keep the application open until we have enough judges. Please also help the GPSA forward this email to faculty in your department. The GPSA sincerely appreciates the support of you!  Thank You,

Jing Sun, Director of Strategic Planning & Scholarship, Graduate & Professional Student Association

Washington State University   gpsa.strategic@wsu.edu

APAC’s Spring Professional Development Seminars: The professional development seminars offer a range of training opportunities for WSU staff and faculty. We encourage you to attend.
Please click on the event links below to register.

• March 21 10:30 AM.–12:00 PM      Our Responsibility as Career Developer Facilitators

James Bledsoe, Senior Career Coach, Academic Success and Career Center

• May 2 3:30–5:00 PM                    Proven Keys to Career Building & Recovering from Self Inflicted Wounds,  Mike Worthy, Regent, Washington State University
• May 17 TBA Servant                        Leadership

Robin Blanchard, CEO of Blanchard Consulting LLC

AMS sites will be scheduled.   Sponsored by the Office of the President.

Consider joining the WSU Administrative Professional Advisory Council.  APAC provides institutional-level advocacy in support of administrative professional staff by serving as a liaison with WSU Senior Administration. APAC members also communicate matters of interest to APs, solicit feedback from APs, provide professional development opportunities, and help make WSU a great place to work.  NOMINATIONS FOR APAC POSITIONS – https://apac.wsu.edu/about-apac/nomination-for-apac-positions/ : Nominations are open for positions on the APAC Council. Council terms are 3-year terms, although some terms may be to fulfill an existing vacancy and may not be a full 3-year term.

Council Positions Open

(6) Pullman Council Positions

(1) Tri-Cities Council Position

(1) Extension Council Position **Extension would include, but not limited to Puyallup, WSU West, Wenatchee TFRC, and Prosser.

We are also seeking nominations for the position of liaison between APAC and the National Coalition for Professionals Staff (NCPS), this is a 2 year term.

Alternate Positions Open

(2) Pullman Alternate Positions
(5) All Other Campus and Non-Campus Locations Alternate Positions

**Note, locations are by employee’s appointment location.**

Please fill out the form below to apply. Applications are due March 14, 2018

The Office of Emergency Management conducted the spring semester test of the WSU Alert System on Tuesday, March 6^th. The test reached 16,280 students, faculty and staff within five minutes via text, phone and email. The campus-wide electronic door locking test was also a success. WSU tested its electronic locks on doors associated with the Cougar Card and Veterinarian Medicine system, locking roughly 3300 electronic door locks. Manual door locks were not included as part of this test. An all clear message was sent at 12:00 p.m. indicating the test was over and normal operations were to resume on the Pullman campus.  During an actual emergency like a hostile intruder, you should assess your situation:

• Run to a safe place (Get away if it is safe to do so)
• Find a space with a lockable door (classrooms and offices)
• Lock the door
• Cover the windows as well as possible
• Silence all audio devices (phones)
• Turn off lights
• Quietly form a plan to attack if an intruder enters your space with hostile intent

WSU encourages students, faculty and staff to be personally aware of developing incidents, assessing each emergency individually, and taking actions to ensure the safety of all.  WSU Police regularly conduct Hostile Intruder trainings. For more information on receiving this training, please call 335-8548. If you would like additional offsite training, Vivid Learning Systems has a free, online hostile intruder training available at https://vividlearningsystems.com/active-shooter-preparedness.  If you feel as though you should have received an emergency notification today, please check to make sure your contact information is correct in the Emergency Contact link found at myWSU. If you would like to receive emergency notifications, please visit myWSU and access that link to complete your registration. To view current alerts, please visit http://alert.wsu.edu and see oem.wsu.edu for emergency preparedness tips. Lastly, we encourage your feedback in completing a short survey about the WSU Alert notification system, and what can be done to improve the safety of WSU. Please follow the link below to provide your much appreciated feedback.  https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1NXDwWP96cn3I0t

Office of Emergency Management, Washington State University,  emergencymanagement@wsu.edu

Awards

2018 Administrative Professional Contribution Award:  The Administrative Professional Advisory Council is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the 11th annual Administrative Professional Contribution Award that will recognize an Administrative Professional employee’s exceptional contributions to WSU, the employee’s area or unit.  Exceptional is defined as beyond the expected or required performance; or have made a unique difference; or had far reaching, impelling or compelling impact to their work area. Nominations can highlight contributions made by the employee that address (but not limited to): productivity; innovative problem solving; positive working relationships; and/or university or community service.  The winner will be announced during the May 10, 2018 APAC meeting.  The nomination form can be found on the APAC website at https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1GQNIX77iKqgiFf

Application materials required: Nominator Letter, 2 Letters of Support. The deadline to submit your nomination is March 23, 2018.  For further information, contact Gayle Anderson at anderson53@wsu.edu or 335-8350

Employment Opportunities

1. Insect Microbione Postdoc, Penn State University, University Park, PA
2. Staff Research Associate III, Univ. of California, Riverside, CA
3. Plant Pest Specialist, State of North Carolina
4. Biological Science Technician, USDA Dept. of Ag-WSU TFR&E Center, Wenatchee, WA
5. Adjunt Faculty, Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
6. Postdoctoral Research Associate, Univ of Maryland, Entomology Dept., College Park, MD
7. Research Assistant, North Caroline State University
8. Research Specialist III, Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
9. Entomologist, Dept. of the Navy, Pearl Harbor, HI

Neill Public Library is looking for a summer intern to help with STEM events. For more information, email Samantha.croney@wsu.edu.

Safety

If you supervise the work of others, plan to take an upcoming “Supervisor as Safety Manager” Training. For more information and to register go to: https://wsu.skillport.com/skillportfe/main.action#summary/ILT/CDE$27427:_ss_ilt:scwsu/ilt_wsu_MGMT_334. The next session is April 18 – I hope to see you there.  Additionally, WSU is offering “Hostile Intruder Training” April 25 and July 25. Register here: https://wsu.skillport.com/skillportfe/main.action#summary/ILT/CDE$34396:_ss_ilt:scwsu/ilt_wsu_SFTY_637   March marks Workplace Eye Wellness Month and National Poison Prevention Week. As I have opportunity to walk through the many and varied workplaces that make up CAHNRS, it is apparent that eye protection and poison prevention are indeed important topics.

• Safety glasses, goggles, helmets, and face shields can protect employees from the hazards of flying fragments, large chips, hot sparks, and splashes, as well as particles, sand, dirt, mists, dusts, and glare. If you need eye protection, le t your supervisor know!
• Some poisons may be harmful if they come into direct contact with your eyes or skin. Others may be toxic if you breathe or swallow them. Poisons can be solids, liquids, sprays and gases. You may encounter poison ivy or oak, mistake edible berries for poisonous ones, or be exposed to carbon monoxide from using gasoline or diesel powered tools, etc. A poison is anything that can harm someone if it is used in the wrong way, used by the wrong person, or used in the wrong amount.  If an accident happens with chemicals, medicine or household items, call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 for help from a local poison expert. For more info see that attached flyer.

Important Dates and Deadlines:

Spring Break is March 12-16, 2018

The CAHNRS 3MT (3 Minute Thesis) is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20. It will take place in the afternoon, exact time TBD, depending upon the number of student entries.  We would like for each department to send the information for their 3 top students being considered for the competition (3 PhD, and 3 Master’s level students are permitted).

Spring 2018 Commencement registration opens on March 21, 2018.  Commencement is at 3:00 PM on Saturday, May 5^th at the Beasley Coliseum.

Nominees for the Graduate School Recruitment Scholarship for STEM Disciplines are due on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 to Alanna Ellis (acellis@wsu.edu) in the Academic Programs Office.  This is a rare opportunity to acknowledge excellence among the graduate cohort at WSU, and we are well aware that there are many extraordinary graduate students in CAHNRS.  See previous newsletters for list of scholarships.

The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Scholars Program prepares eligible undergraduates for their future doctoral studies.  Preparation activities include faculty-mentored research experiences, travel to research conferences, specialized coursework, and academic and career counseling.  Applications for the 2018-2019 McNair Cohort are now being accepted.  Please visit mcnair.wsu.edu for more information.   The application deadline is 11:45 PM on March 23, 2018. 

WSU Showcase call for Abstracts – Celebrating How new ideas change THE WORLD:  Leverage the power of your ideas by sharing them with WSU colleagues at the 2018 Academic Showcase and GPSA Research Exhibitions. Sharing them with WSU colleagues at the 2018 Academic Showcase and GPSA Research Exhibitions.  SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT of up to 250 words and your contact information no later than Monday, January 22.  Detailed information about, Academic Showcase, the GPSA Research Exhibition, and Abstract submission guidelines can be found Academic Showcase, the GPSA Research Exhibition, and Abstract Submission Guidelines  can be found online. Academic Showcase and the GPSA Research Exhibition are celebrations of original scholarship, research, and creative expression by members of the WSU community and will be held Thursday, March 29, 2018, at WSU Pullman.

Mark your calendars to attend the E. Paul Catts Lecture events the week of April 16, 2018.  Our speaker is, Dr. Rufus Isaacs from Michigan State University. More details to come.

Student nominations for the LEAD Awards closed Monday, February 19. All other nominations close Friday, March 9.   Award Categories:  Student, Student Organization, Faculty, Staff, and Community Organization.  Honorees will be recognized during the LEAD Ceremony on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, on the Pullman campus.  Learn more about the President’s Awards and the LEAD Ceremony at lead.wsu.edu.

CAHNRS Awards Event is on Wednesday April 18, 2018.

Spring Semester Finals Week is April 30 – May 4, 2018.

Meetings: Regional, National, International

Pacific Branch ESA meeting in Reno, NV, June 10-13, 2018 at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, NV.  Meeting registrations opened in February. Register before April 16, 2018, to take advantage of the Early Bird reduced rates at https://www.entsoc.org/pacific/registration.  For information about the Student Competition go to:  https://www.entsoc.org/pacific/student-competition.  The deadline for hotel reservations is Monday, May 14, 2018.

The Annual Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting is in New Orleans, LA, August 5-10, 2018 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.  The theme of the meeting is “Extreme events, ecosystem resilience and human well-being.”

Entomological Society of America Pacific Branch Annual Meeting is in Vancouver, BC, Nov 11-15, 2018.  This year’s theme is “Crossing Borders: Entomology in a Changing World.”  Submissions for papers and posters will open in mid-April for the Lunch and Learns and Functions.  For more info go to:  https://esa.confex.com/esa/2018/cfp.cgi