WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin
Issue 2005-7 (March 30, 2005)


IN THIS ISSUE

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Olympia Updates

WSU Spokane announces new administrative titles

Washington State University Spokane Chancellor Brian Pitcher has announced the re-titling of two top campus administrators.

Dennis Dyck, WSU Spokane Vice Chancellor for Research and WSU Associate Vice Provost for Research
Jo Ann Thompson will serve as vice-chancellor. Previously the senior associate dean, Thompson works closely with the chancellor to provide overall campus leadership, and heads up academic affairs for the campus.

Dennis Dyck, previously the associate dean for research, is now vice-chancellor for research. He will also hold the appointment of associate vice provost for research in the WSU Office of Research. In this capacity he will work closely with vice-provost for research James Petersen to advance the university’s research agenda for Spokane and Pullman.


Spokane pharmacy teacher reaches student in New York
By Lorraine Nelson, College of Pharmacy

Steve Setter meets with students Tammy Cauley, Moni Huon and Anne ChapmanA high school student in New York is grateful for the help he received from a WSU Spokane faculty member on a research project that just won national recognition.

The student, Craig Ascher, is a junior at Nanuet Senior High School in Nanuet, N.Y., and he found Stephen M. Setter, assistant professor of pharmacotherapy at WSU Spokane, through an Internet directory of people who work with Alzheimer’s disease.

Ascher sent Setter an e-mail asking for help, and Setter agreed.

“I was impressed by this high school student and his interest in neurology, specifically Alzheimer’s disease,” Setter explained. “Mentoring has greatly influenced my life and I value the opportunity to mentor as well. Also, the chance to potentially impress upon a high school student the need for experienced researchers in the area of Alzheimer’s was too great to pass up.”

Ascher and Setter worked on the project together via e-mail. Ascher said Setter helped him narrow his research topic, edit and finalize his research plan, and gave him some useful articles on the subject and some Powerpoint slides that he used to expand the topic.

Ascher ended up with a project titled “The long term and short term effects of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors on the condition, behavior and deterioration of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients.”

He recently received a Neuroscience Creativity Prize for his work from the American Academy of Neurology, one of four students to win.

“Dr. Setter has been extremely helpful to me,” Ascher said via e-mail. “He has helped me a lot with my research, and without his help, I am sure I would not have my research plan finalized yet.”

Ascher will graduate from high school in June 2006 and hasn’t yet decided what college to attend, but he is considering majoring in science education, he said.

WSU's Hirzel wins national architecture award

Paul Hirzel, faculty member with the Washington State University School of Architecture and Construction Management, is this year's recipient of the prestigious American Institute of Architects' Housing Committee Award for a custom single-family home, designating Hirzel's project one of the top designs for a single-family home in the country.

Hirzel received the award for the design of 'The Canyon House,' a home designed on a 40-acre property overlooking the Clearwater River upstream from Lewiston, Idaho.

The AIA's Housing Awards Program, in its fifth year, is meant to recognize the best in housing design and to promote the importance of good housing. The jury recognized eight projects nationwide in four award categories that include community design, single-family housing, multifamily housing and innovation in housing design.

Click here for more information on this honor. Trent Blvd sign comes down, Spokane Falls Blvd sign goes up!

It’s Spokane Falls Boulevard

Crews put up the signs on St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s official: Trent Avenue is now Spokane Falls Boulevard from Division to Hamilton, through the heart of campus.

The post office will continue to deliver mail to the old street address for some time.

Research First Friday

You are invited to the Research First Friday presentation on April 1, 2005, 3:10-4:30 PM at the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing, Room 166. Tenure track faculty will give a preview of their Western Institute of Nursing podium presentations:

  • “Activism: A Nursing Strategy to Influence Policy and Reduce Disparities” Sheela Choppala, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor
  • “Nurse Practitioner Transition to Prescribing Schedule II-IV Drugs” Louise Kaplan, PhD, MN, ARNP, Assistant Professor
  • “Native American High School Students' Perception of Nursing” Janet R. Katz, PhD, MSN, RN, Assistant Professor
  • “The Lumbar Spine Surgical Experience: A Psychoneuroimmunology Perspective” Angela Starkweather, PhD(c), MSN, ACNP, CCRN, CNRN, Assistant   Professor
  • “Mutuality and Reciprocity: Keys to Decreasing Nursing Faculty Shortage” Linda L. Eddy, PhD, MSN, RN, Assistant Professor

There will also be recognition of faculty and staff awards. For information, contact Kathy Bridwell at 324-7258 or bridwell@wsu.edu. 

Get up and wiggle around!

So how are you doing on those New Year’s Resolutions anyway?

You can expend calories either by going to the gym, or through everyday activities (or both!). Getting up and moving around can burn up to 350 calories a day, reported researchers in a study published in Science magazine.

Read more in the online article, then get up and walk a few times around the hallway, say hi to your co-workers, fill your water bottle at the fountain, rest your eyes on the scenery outdoors—recharge those batteries while you burn some calories.

Don’t forget to sign up for upcoming walks that contribute to important causes and support WSU research:

Brought to you by the Riverpoint Campus Wellness Collaborative, working to foster a thriving culture of wellness. For more information on the Collaborative, contact Kelly LaGrutta, lagrutta@wsu.edu.

Marmotophiles unite

“Well, it’s Groundhog Day… again…” WSU Spokane employees find common ground with this remark uttered by Phil Connors in the movie Groundhog Day. He laments as he begins his seemingly endless relationship with that pesky yet charming (to some) little creature, Marmota marmota.

Call it the groundhog, ground squirrel, rock chuck, woodchuck—all are recognized species of marmots. And they are all rodents, closely related to prairie dogs. Scientists call these species sciurid (sci-your-ed) rodents.

Marmots can be very endearing (to some)--however, they can also be a host for the tick that carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a serious and potentially life-threatening infectious disease.

The struggle with these animals on campus comes as they build their dwellings along building foundations and under landscaping, particularly the large basalt rocks. Facilities Operations director Jon Schad confirms that they cause an estimated $400-$500 in damage for the campus each year in the form of maintenance crew time to fill holes and clean up after them.

According to Dan Blumstein, a professor at UCLA who maintains a Web site devoted to marmots, some marmots’ homes can be up to 25 acres in size. The largest of the ground squirrel family, adult marmots can reach 11 pounds and around 26 inches in length.

Marmots burrow deep into the soil beneath boulders to den. Up to half of their summer weight is lost during hibernation, and animals with insufficient fat or a burrow too shallow to prevent freezing do not arouse in the spring. Successful hibernators emerge to mate as soon as green forage is available, and we’re beginning to see a few out now.

Strange but true

  • People who like woodchucks and other marmots are called "marmotophiles."

  • People who study woodchucks and other marmots are called "marmoteers" or "marmotologists."

  • In Switzerland, monuments are created to marmots.

  • Many countries honor marmots on postage stamps.

  • Marmots have starred in comic book stories.

  • Every 3-4 years there is an international meeting of marmot biologists.

  • Woodchucks don’t chuck wood.

  • Punxsatawney Phil isn’t the only weathercaster in the rodent world. Down South, Beauregard Lee gets the honors. On the Bruce Peninsula of Lake Huron, the albino Wiarton Willie tries his luck.

Community connections

Support independent non-commercial community radio in Spokane! Donate your reusable household items (no clothing, please) to our annual yard sale fundraiser. Drop items off anytime at 719 W. Montgomery (just leave them on the front porch).

The yard sale will be held April 8-9 at 3505 S. Bernard beginning at 8 a.m. Call 251-2731 for more information. Listen to KYRS on 95.3 and 92.3 FM.

The Gonzaga University First Nations Student Association will host its 4th Annual Powwow on Saturday, April 2 in the Martin Centre. The grand entry will occur at noon and again at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

There will be a dancing competition in men’s and women’s categories with styles including fancy, traditional, jingle and prairie chicken. This is an opportunity to learn about Native culture and traditions. There will be several intertribal dances in which anyone can participate and learn.

Powwow time is the Native American people’s way of coming together to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. It is the celebration of the Native American soul. This is a celebration to cleanse one’s spirit.

For more information, please call the group’s adviser Anna Gonzales at (509) 323-4069

David Walsh, President, National Institute on Media and the Family.

Date: Thursday, March 31, 2005
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Global Credit Union auditorium, 1520 W. Third Ave.

Free and open to the public. Parking is available. This program will look at the different ways that youth are exposed to media violence -- video games, TV, etc. -- why parents and adults should be concerned, and how you can help minimize the negative impact on your children.

In cooperation with Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Spokane County Extension presents the Family Life Series – 2005, designed to provide information and help for parents and adults interested in families.

Date: April 14, 2005
Time: 7– 8:30 p.m.
Location: Global Credit Union auditorium, 1520 W. Third Avenue, Spokane
Topic: Nicole Werner, WSU Assistant Professor: "You Can't Sit With Us! and Other Social Zings: How Parents Can Help Children Navigate the Social Battlefield"

Free of charge and open to the public, and registration is not required.

For more information, visit the Family Education website at http://spokane-county.wsu.edu and click on "family education".

Personnel & staffing changes

Searches:

Assistant/Associate Professor, Construction Management, open until filled
Assistant/Associate Professor, Interior Design, open until filled
Assistant/Associate Professor, Pharmacotherapy, open until filled
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pharmacotherapy, 7 positions full- and part-time, open until filled
Research Associate/Research Scientist, Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research & Training, open until filled
Director of Finance & Budget, WSU Spokane, open until filledReturn to the Top of the Page

Way to go!

Thanks to the crew from the Campus Wellness Collaborative who put on the first-ever “Walking & Wellness Fair” March 10: Kelly LaGrutta, Lisa Martin, Kaarin Appel, Barb Chamberlain, Susan Lopez (EWU), Donna Shaffer (EWU), and Teresa Kruger, and staff from EWU Health & Wellness Services. A great event with great information.

The City of Spokane thanks Jon Schad for his assistance with their parking needs during the recent “Just Clusters” workshop on campus and to Barb King for voiding parking tickets given to people who mistakenly parked in the wrong lot. The City also thanks Patti Petersen and Jane Rudd for rearranging classes to allow the workshop to use the quads and Vivian Knapp for her assistance in room arrangement and equipment storage. (From Tom Reese, Economic Development Advisor for the City of Spokane)

"Way to go" is the place for you to recognize a co-worker's extra effort, outstanding contribution, or all-around good nature that makes your work day go a little more smoothly.

Send your “Way to Go!” comments to Laura Scholtens, scholtens@wsu.edu, and watch for your thanks to be published in an upcoming issue of the Campus Bulletin!Return to the Top of the Page

Find it on the Web

  • WSU Today online: Links to past print editions, plus breaking news briefs
  • News Releases: Recent news releases and links to news releases organized by subject for WSU Spokane.
  • WSU News Service: Breaking news from WSU, links to all news releases, and other information sources.
  • World Class Faculty: Check out the online profiles featured as links from our home page. The images rotate randomly on the home page, but the profiles are always available from this central profile page. You can also navigate to this page by choosing "About WSU Spokane" from the home page, "People" in the lefthand navigation, and "Profiles" in the lefthand navigation there.
  • Bulletin archives: Links to past issues of the Campus Bulletin from Oct. 2003 forward.
  • In the News: Media coverage of campus programs and people
  • Events Calendar: What's going on around here, anyway?Return to the Top of the Page

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The Bulletin is usually published on Wednesday biweekly during the academic year, every three weeks during breaks and summer session. Publication date may shift due to holidays. Deadline is Friday, the week before publication.
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The Bulletin covers news of interest to the faculty, staff, and friends of Washington State University Spokane, and associates on other WSU campuses and on the Riverpoint campus.

Regular columns cover personnel changes, upcoming events, professional accomplishments, opportunities for involvement in the campus community and the Spokane community, notices of new developments on campus, and other news.

The Bulletin also serves as a source of information for external communications directed to alumni, future and current students, and friends of Washington State University Spokane. You'll read it here first!

Subscribers welcome! Also available: WSU Spokane News & Events Update, an irregular email newsletter with brief excerpts from news releases and articles, and links to more information online (some duplication of Bulletin content). Send an email to Barb Chamberlain, chamberlain@wsu.edu, to request the WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin and/or the News & Events Update.

Editorial staff

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