Dean candidates are touring the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) during their visits to WSU. While at IAREC, the candidates are meeting with faculty, partners, and students.
I hope the candidates also have a chance to meet some of our recent IAREC award winners. Mr. Martin Churuvija, a PhD student with Dr. Manoj Karkee at the Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems, received a $1,000 Dr. Karen P. DePauw Leadership Award for the 2025/26 academic year from the WSU Graduate School and the Association for Faculty Women. In addition, Ms. Sheersa Manna, a PhD student with Dr. Frank Zhao in the Department of Plant Pathology, received the WSU Chancellor’s Award for Leadership and the Worthy, DePauw & Wang Service Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to the Prosser and WSU communities. Congratulations to these amazing students!
While the CAHNRS Advisory Council was in town last week, we spent a lot of time talking about ways to make the student experience even better. Our advisors joined the conversation, sharing feedback they have received from students. The benefits of and barriers to internships were central to the discussion. The council members can help expand internship opportunities. Undergraduate curriculum came up briefly, but time was short, so we will hold that topic until next time. A few of the council members joined Nancy Deringer and me at the Ignite Undergraduate Research Program banquet. A number of chairs, faculty, and students were in attendance to cheer on the Ignite scholars who were recognized for completing a research experience during their first year at WSU. The council members were impressed, as was I. I hope we have a few future scientists in the group!
I’m spending this week in Pullman, catching up on a few things and wrapping up a few others. I’ve got some follow-up to do after the Advisory Council meeting. The longer days make it far easier to tackle lengthy to-do lists, in addition to getting outside more. I hope everyone has a chance to enjoy the spring weather this week.
I also want to encourage everyone to participate in CougsGive and show your support for CAHNRS programs and students. Thanks to Scot Hulbert for partnering with me to provide a match challenge that funds the CAHNRS Community Scholarship! This fund is so important to students who face unexpected financial challenges during their studies. Regardless of where your passion lies, please consider making a gift to CAHNRS. A gift of any size is welcome. Imagine the statement it would make if we had 100% participation from our current faculty and staff!