Research News & Features

• Other Research Links
• Contact Info

• Arts & Culture
• Environment
• Health and Life Science
• Innovation & Leadership
• Physical Science & Technology
• Security & Safety
• Society

• New course prepares engineers to be better educators

  

  The first day of teaching for many professors is like jumping into the deep end of the pool - without swimming lessons. University professors are not required to, and often do not, have training in education. Read more

• DNA Analysis Finds Earliest Example of a Domesticated Bird in U.S.

  

  PULLMAN, Wash.—Washington State University researchers have found one of North America’s earliest examples of domesticated birds by applying modern DNA analysis to some very old turkey droppings. In a paper out today in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” WSU anthropologists say the turkeys raised by people in the Southwest were genetically distinct from previously known domesticated turkeys in Mexico. Read more

• Dryer preserves antioxidants in blueberry powder

  

  It’s well known that blueberries are good for you - rich in antioxidants and anthocyanins. Consumption of blueberries is associated with improvement of ischemic stroke outcomes and of antioxidant capacity in blood plasma. (In ischemic stroke, blood supply to part of the brain is decreased, leading to dysfunction of the brain tissue in that area.) Read more

• FDA Approves WSU Researcher’s Revolutionary New Food Processing Technology

  PULLMAN, Wash. – Imagine a salmon filet that looks, tastes and is as nutritious as freshly cooked salmon but has a shelf-life of more than six months. A new technology developed at Washington State University will make that dream a reality. Read more

• Key to curbing aggressive driving

  

  Criminal justice doctoral student Yu-Sheng Lin tapped into it in his study of risky and aggressive driving behaviors. Surveying Washington State University students, who averaged the age of 19, he joined up with marketing graduate student Mark Mulder and associate professor Jeffrey Joireman to look at the effects of impulsivity and thrill-seeking on dangerous driving. Read more

• Global reach of research: Grad student in Argentina puts WSU finding to the test

  

  When Daniela Romero heard WSU’s Markus Keller talking about irrigation during grape ripening, her curiosity was piqued. After all, applying water close to harvest time was simply not done. Read more

• WSU Researcher Helping Turn Algae to Fuel

  PULLMAN, Wash.—There are a lot of things standing in the way of Shulin Chen’s quest to make energy from algae, the simple, light-loving organisms we usually associate with pond scum, seaweed and deck slime. But in a world of rising greenhouse gases and dwindling energy options, he’s forging ahead. Read more

• Art and science blend to make great wine

  

  When sipping a fine winemaker’s red in front of the fire, it’s easy to appreciate the art that went into that blend. But anyone who has tried to make wine finds him or herself quickly caught up in what amounts to a science project. Read more

Recent News

• Focus of grant on heathy food, fitness

  SEATTLE – When the youth of Delridge and White Center’s Food Empowerment Education and Sustainability Team (FEEST) set local foods they’ve prepared on a pre-Thanksgiving table at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center on Nov. 25, they will have the power of the prestigious W.K. Kellogg Foundation behind them.

• A global perspective: Viticulture expert to publish grapevine science textbook

  PROSSER - WSU viticulturist Markus Keller's book is a bestseller - and it hasn't even been published yet. The textbook, “The Science of Grapevines: Anatomy and Physiology,” has a Feb. 12 publication date. But based on pre-orders, it is already an Amazon.com bestseller in the plants/physiology category.

• WSU's VanReken Earns DOE Early Career Research Grant

  PULLMAN, Wash. -- Timothy VanReken, Washington State University professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, has been selected to receive funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) as part of the Department of Energy Office of Science new Early Career Research Program.

• Test breaks new ground in field of ecological immunology

  PULLMAN - Charles Darwin saw a product of evolution in the beaks of finches. WSU researchers are looking at the same birds’ immune systems to see evolution in action. Jeb Owen, an assistant professor of entomology, and Marisa King, a zoology doctoral candidate, developed a test to see if the finches Darwin studied more than 150 years ago are developing immunities to two exotic parasites, a virus and a nest fly. The test is the first to detect the antibodies a wild bird marshals against specific parasites and has implications for the study of immunology, evolution and conservation.

• Exclusion of cell-phone users in surveys studied

  PULLMAN - It is estimated that U.S. cell-phone-only households have increased from about 4 percent in 2004 to more than 14 percent in 2007, with 33 percent of cell-phone respondents having no landline telephone, according to research featured in the spring 2009 WSU Academic Showcase.

• Phosphorus, kidney function tied to heart disease

  Higher levels of phosphorus in the blood - a common problem in those suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) - are linked to increased calcification of the coronary arteries, a key marker of heart disease risk.

• $9 million for the state: WSU Extension Energy to help state industries

  OLYMPIA - Manufacturing facilities located in Washington may be eligible for industrial-incentive funding through the WSU Extension Energy Program. The funds are intended for facilities in need of additional support for approved energy improvement projects.

• Nearly $750,000 boost: Program to aid beginning farmers receives award

  PULLMAN -- In order to address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers and enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture, several western states will receive a $748,651 award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

• $3.4 million NIH grant: Vet researcher gets competitive MERIT grant

  PULLMAN - Guy H. Palmer, WSU Regent’s professor of pathology and director of WSU’s School for Global Animal Health, has been awarded $3.4 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• Pullman to become smart grid community

  PULLMAN - A group of WSU researchers will be working with Avista on a demonstration project that hopes to make the city of Pullman the region’s first smart grid community. The Pullman project is part of a Department of Energy regional smart grid demonstration project throughout the Northwest that is designed to expand upon existing electric infrastructure and test new smart grid technology.

Research News and Features, PO Box 641040, Washington State University 99164-0932, 509-335-3581, Contact Us