Congratulations, CAHNRS! We are 12th in this year’s Niche poll! That’s up from 15th last year in the same poll. With our great work and amazing students, I can’t imagine we won’t make the top 10 in the next year or two. I have my personal preference for institutions I would like to see CAHNRS push past. Programs of distinction abound in our college. I couldn’t possibly do them justice by trying to name each one, but I appreciate the opportunity to share when our work is recognized.
As I have said before, I am not a reader. However, I took a break from promotion packages this week to read a few other, lighter things. I enjoyed reading the “Seeds and Change” article from Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, which quoted Gabe LaHue and Lindsey du Toit of WSU’s Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center. The broader team, including Deirdre LaHue, Louis Nottingham, Gabe, and Lindsey, each have a research and Extension program in partnership with seed growers in western Washington. Together, they look at ways growers can adjust to climate change’s impacts on seed production. Even with the rain in Pullman and elsewhere across Washington this week, water, our most precious commodity, is top of mind for so many in the state.
I am always excited to see WSU Insider recognize CAHNRS faculty and staff. Congratulations to Elizabeth Weybright and Ashley Hall for earning a front-page story on their firearm safety research! We all recognize too well the importance of this work. More information is available at the project’s website.
Congratulations also go out to Per McCord, Lee Kalcsits, Michelle Moyer, and David Gang for their funding success in the USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative! WSU did very well in the competition, which funded more than $70 million for specialty crops research. Congratulations to Chakradhar Mattupalli on receiving a ~$1 million biosecurity grant for early detection of potato pathogens! Using funding from the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Chakradhar will work with colleagues in Colorado and New York to complete the project.
While I may be hanging around the state most of the fall, our faculty and students are busy traveling the world. This week I approved several international travel requests for conferences and research projects in Canada, Italy, South Korea, and more. A bit closer to home, Patricia Townsend just came back from the national ANROSP conference in Minneapolis. During the conference, she talked about her National Science Foundation-funded Spanish version of Sustainable Community Stewards and her Environmental Protection Agency-supported Washington State Naturalist program.
Fall came to Pullman quickly. If anyone has secrets for how to keep winter away as long as possible, please let me know. In the meantime, enjoy the weather and WSU Family Weekend by joining CAHNRS for the annual Beef and Brews event on Friday, Sept. 20! Bring your friends and family to this fundraiser, which is sponsored by the CAHNRS Student Senate and the AgTM Club. Let’s hope for another football win!