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WSU Astrobiologist Updates Book on the Search for Life Beyond Earth
PULLMAN, Wash.-The search for life on other worlds goes on, and Dirk Schulze-Makuch has a lot to say about how we should go about it.
The Washington State University astrobiologist has just come out with a second edition of the 2004 book he wrote with Louis Irwin of the University of Texas at El Paso. “Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints” was so well received that the publisher, Springer, asked him and Irwin to write a second edition just four years later. Read more
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Sleep Creeps Up: No Top-Down Control for Sleep and Wakefulness, WSU Scientists Find
PULLMAN, Wash. – Feeling sleepy?
That’s because parts of your brain are actually asleep, according to a new theoretical paper by sleep scientists at Washington State University.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the researchers say, there’s no control center in your brain that dictates when it’s time for you to drift off to dreamland. Instead, sleep creeps up on you as independent groups of brain cells become fatigued and switch into a sleep state even while you are still (mostly) awake. Eventually, a threshold number of groups switch and you doze off. Read more
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WSU, CSU Researchers Find Price Tag’s Leftmost Digit Makes a Big Difference
PULLMAN, Wash. – Consumers may consider themselves savvy bargain hunters, but they often make surprising choices based on the first – or leftmost – digit of a price, according to a new study by Colorado State University and Washington State University. Read more
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UW, WSU, OHSU to Collaborate in Landmark National Children’s Health Study
SEATTLE, Wash. -- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced a grant of approximately $40 million over five years to the Pacific Northwest Center for the National Children's Study at the University of Washington to partner with Washington State University, Oregon Health & Science University, and local communities in Washington’s Grant County and Oregon’s Marion County. Read more
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Washington State University Scientists Land $8.5 Million Defense Contract
SPOKANE, Wash. -- A team of scientists at Washington State University’s Applied Sciences Laboratory (ASL) has been awarded an $8.5 million research contract to develop and demonstrate reactive materials to be used in a new generation of national security applications. Read more
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to Fund WSU Nursing/Pharmacy Study to Improve Medication Safety
SPOKANE , Wash.– Two Washington State University researchers will receive $300,000 over three years to test a novel system for empowering nurses to quickly and accurately identify and resolve medication-related problems for patients transferring from hospital to home care. Read more
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Alternatives to Evacuation Can Save Homes, Lives
PULLMAN, Wash.—When uncontrolled fires are close to inhabited areas, people are asked to evacuate their homes. Lack of knowledge concerning what to do during a fire leaves some people with no alternative.
The United States does not have a lot of experience regarding alternatives to evacuation, but a Washington State University researcher and his doctoral student are studying several Western U.S. communities that have begun to explore opportunities for alternatives to evacuation during wildland fires. Read more
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WSU Researchers Find Celebrity Endorsements Motivate Younger Voters
PULLMAN, Wash. - Celebrity endorsements have emerged as an effective political strategy for engaging younger voters and getting them to the polls, according to a newly published study by researchers at Washington State University.
Featured in the most recent issue of the journal “Mass Communications and Society,” the study by researchers from the university’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication attempted to gauge the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement campaigns in lowering complacency among young voters and prompting their participation in the political process. Read more
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Concern Over Economy Grows Among Washington State Residents
PULLMAN, Wash.— The current economic crisis is important to Washington state residents. A survey conducted by the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC) at Washington State University shows that citizens increasingly see the economy as an important issue faced by the state, as well as economic development and jobs as the highest priority for tax dollars.
Asked which of several issues was the most important one facing the state, almost 50 percent of respondents said it is the economy, followed by health care and education (16 percent each), jobs and wages (11 percent), reducing taxes (5 percent), and the environment (4 percent). Read more
