A dean's honor roll student wearing their honor chord and their parent look down at the student's certificate fondly.
CAHNRS Connections
January 2026

CAHNRS Connections January 2026

Newsletter brought to you by CAHNRS Student Success and Academic Programs.

CAHNRS Honors – Dean’s Honor Roll Recognition Celebration

A student, Deleah Garcia, poses with her family member while holding her Dean's Honor Roll certificate.

This year for the first time we celebrated the CAHNRS Dean’s Honor Roll recipients with a dessert-filled event. This event featured honor roll students accepting their honor cords and certificates from the dean and associate deans. A chance for the students to celebrate their hard work, dedication, and accomplishments with senior leadership and their families marked it a very special occasion. We are beyond proud of the brilliant minds and resilience we seek to nurture so that it may blossom.

Nancy Deringer poses with a Dean's Honor Roll student.
Nancy Deringer poses with a Dean's Honor Roll student.
A Dean's Honor Roll student, Kat Moen, poses with her family while wearing her honor cord and holding her certificate.
Nancy Deringer hands a Dean's Honor Roll student a certificate.
Scot Hulbert speaks at the Dean's Honor Roll celebration ceremony.

CAHNRS Spirit

Dressed in Coug gear and sunglasses, the SSAP and CAHNRS Dean's office employees dance around with balloons, pom-poms, big smiles, and a sign that says "Welcome back CAHNRS Cougs"
A big group of Ambassador students in CAHNRS poses, many wearing sunglasses and holding pom-poms.
Two people dressed in Coug shirts work on a drone in an orchard setting.
In an orchard setting, a drone flies above a group of observers, one holding a remote control.
Two people are fixing a device in an orchard.

Highlighted Event Dates to Mark on Your Calendar

Students in honors medals

January 23, 2026

WSU Scholars Progression
CUB Senior Ballroom
3:00 – 5:00pm
rolling green hills

Feb 3 – Feb 5, 2026

Ag Expo
Spokane, WA
Visit Spokane AgShow for more info
Students huddle excitedly around their phones, sharing a moment of something exciting, the spring cherry blossoms blooming behind them on the gorgeous WSU campus in spring.

Feb 7, 2026

Experience WSU #1
7:30-11am, CUB Jr Ballroom/Beasley (Resource Fair) and Johnson Annex C107 (CAHNRS Showcase)
A group of students visit an employer booth at the 2025 fall networking night event in Lighty Student Services, discussing their business and learning more about internships and job opportunities.

Feb 9, 2026

CAHNRS Involvement and Networking Night
Lighty Student Services
5:00 – 7:00pm
Students huddle excitedly around their phones, sharing a moment of something exciting, the spring cherry blossoms blooming behind them on the gorgeous WSU campus in spring.

Feb 21, 2026

Experience WSU #2
7:30-11am, CUB Jr Ballroom/Beasley (Resource Fair) and Johnson Annex C107 (CAHNRS Showcase)
students huddle with the sun peaking through behind them, looking happy and empowered

Feb 26, 2026

EPIC – Empowering Prevention & Inclusive Communities
Lighty 405 and Zoom
Meeting ID: 972 1771 3134
Passcode: 858347
a group of attendees of a Top Scholars event sit at a table, listening to a help session.

Feb 28, 2026

Top Scholars Community Service Project
WSU Horticulture Center
11:00am – 3:00pm

Students huddle excitedly around their phones, sharing a moment of something exciting, the spring cherry blossoms blooming behind them on the gorgeous WSU campus in spring.

March 7, 2026

Experience WSU #3
7:30-11am, CUB Jr Ballroom/Beasley (Resource Fair) and Johnson Annex C107 (CAHNRS Showcase)
The 3MT logo made up of the letters 3MT, with a green clock behind the 3. The text "Three Minute Thesis" is included with the logo.

March 11, 2026

CAHNRS 3MT (3-Minute Thesis)
Ensminger Pavilion
2:00pm – 4:00pm
The student swine club poses with pigs in a pen, looking excited!

March 14, 2026

Animal Sciences Field Day
Asotin
the SURCA showcase, where students and attendees mingle around presentation boards with research text, graphs, and images showing their research.

March 23, 2026

SURCA 2026
CUB Senior Ballroom
3:30 – 4:45pm
Awards Ceremony follows at 5:00
Students huddle excitedly around their phones, sharing a moment of something exciting, the spring cherry blossoms blooming behind them on the gorgeous WSU campus in spring.

March 28, 2026

Experience WSU #4
7:30-11am, CUB Jr Ballroom/Beasley (Resource Fair) and Johnson Annex C107 (CAHNRS Showcase)

Deadlines

Cougarhead statue looks to the sun

January 31, 2026

Undergraduate Research Fellowship Awards
Application Deadline

A Celebration of Nancy Deringer – Associate Dean for Student Success and Academic Programs

Nancy Deringer wears a crimson blazer with a WSU logo pin.

Always Showing Up for CAHNRS

It’s nearly a daily occurrence to see Associate Dean Deringer balancing a drink, a few notebooks and pens, and a laptop on her way to her millionth meeting of the day with a huge smile on her face and a phrase of genuine optimism coming from her lips. Her ability to balance so many objects without a sliver of fear seems a good metaphor for her skill at balancing many responsibilities with grace. Whether it’s taking one for the team by high-fiving Butch so hard it hurt her wrist, or agreeing to do another TikTok video featuring her genuine smile that could light up a whole college, Nancy Deringer always shows up for CAHNRS and for WSU. Enthusiasm unmatched, Associate Dean Deringer is always going above and beyond to make everyone feel heard and seen. There isn’t anyone better equipped with great ideas, a healthy dose of “it’ll-be-easy” optimism, and a world of wisdom accumulated from ample experience to lead the Student Success and Academic Programs office.
Nancy Deringer leans towards Emily Libey as Emily wins the Student Worker of the Year award, exemplifying their genuine bond and incredible mentorship.

Associate Dean for Student Success and Academic Programs

Having mentored many of the student workers and employees in the CAHNRS office, she is a shining example of how the right kind of support can make a college feel like a home away from home.

As of January 1, 2026, Nancy Deringer is now officially Associate Dean of Student Success and Academic Programs, a role which she has excelled at for several years as an interim. We are boundlessly lucky to have her, and looking forward to incredible projects to come.

Learn more about Nancy Deringer and her role through our more formal CAHNRS News article linked in the button below.

Boosting, retaining students key for newly named CAHNRS associate dean
Nancy Deringer poses with a student
Nancy Deringer high-fives Butch at the WSU Graduation ceremony.

Silks, Snacks, & Sips

WSU Regalia, wine, muffins, a scarf, and an I Love Bugs sticker adorn the text "Silks, Snack, and Sips. Ticket Price: Suggested $20 Donation"

February 20th

5:30 – 7:30pm

Ensminger Pavilion, Pullman WA

Help the Entomology For All Committee raise funds to buy entomology MS and PhD commencement regalia available for loan! Come dye silk scarves using the batik method! Create a design in silk with melted beeswax, then dye it with natural red carmine pigment, made from 100% cochineal scale bugs! Snacks and beverages available by donation.

Ticket Price: Suggested $20 Donation

Donate or Register Here

Are you at a Research and Extension center and can’t attend? Donate and we will send a scarf to you!

EPIC – Empowering Prevention & Inclusive Communities

students huddle together with the sun peaking out behind them, looking happy and empowered

February 26th 3:00pm – 5:00pm

Lighty Student Services 405 and via Zoom

Meeting ID: 972 1771 3134
Passcode: 858347

In partnership with the CAHNRS For All Committee, the EPIC (Empowering Prevention and Inclusive Communities) program at WSU invites all CAHNRS faculty, staff, and academic student employees to this peer-led training program.

Lead by Tendaishe Mugaviri, a Graduate Student and EPIC Training Specialist

What is EPIC?

A peer-led training program created through collaboration between Washington State University and UAW Local 4951, EPIC builds safer, more inclusive academic workplaces by helping ASEs and departments recognize, prevent, and respond to sexual harassment  and discrimination.

Who is EPIC for?

  • Academic Student Employees (ASEs)
  • Graduate Assistants
  • Teaching and Research Assistants
  • Departments seeking additional training
  • Supervisors and faculty to oversee or work with ASEs

OUR MISSION

To foster respect, inclusion, and accountability across WSU by empowering community members to take everyday action toward prevention.

Key Training Topics

  • Identifying sexual harassment
  • Responding to sexual harassment
  • Preventing sexual harassment
  • Bystander Intervention
  • Connecting with WSU’s support and reporting Resources

Did you Know? 

70% of students who intervene report feeling more confident after receiving prevention training

33% of graduate students nationally report experience harassment or discrimination from someone in a position of power

Learn more about EPIC
Learn more CAHNRS For All
Find more about this and other CAHNRS Events

Michael Phelps Lab

Small fish swim in a school

Using biotechnology to understand growth, stress tolerance, and infertility in salmonids to help boost wild fish and aquaculture resilience.

The Phelps Lab is using biotechnology to uncover the genes that control three high-impact traits in salmonids (salmon, trout, and char): growth, environmental resilience (tolerance to low oxygen and high temperature), and infertility.  By pinpointing how specific genes shape these traits, we’re generating new knowledge that can help conserve wild salmon while also supporting more sustainable salmonid aquaculture.  This work is driven by a large team of undergraduates and technicians, which is led by graduate student Chaya Gaberria and postdoctoral scientist Shubhankar Sircar.

A large bulge is growing out of a green glowing fish.
Outside an airplane window, a plane wing is seen stretching across the sky, framing the Yukon River in Alaska where Chinook salmon's habitat lies.

Track endangered or invasive species in remote locations by their DNA footprint

The Phelps laboratory is developing CRISPR-based DNA diagnostics to perform rapid DNA testing in remote field locations, to bring genetic tools directly to the streamside for salmonid conservation efforts.  Current applications include detecting the presence of endangered or invasive salmonids from environmental DNA (eDNA), testing fish for signatures of hybridization between endangered and invasive species, sensing the presence of viral pathogens, and non-invasive sexing of juvenile fish.  This research is currently led by Evan Barnes, who has active projects in the Yukon River in Alaska to examine Chinook salmon overwintering habitat, and in remote river systems in eastern Oregon investigating bull trout–brook trout hybridization.

A student holds up a fish after catching it in a net at a river location with trees and blue sky.
two people handle a small shark in a water cooler, testing it.

Shark reproductive genomics and the evolution of live birth

PhD candidate Sabrina Haney is leading a comparative genomics project to understand how sharks evolved such diverse reproductive strategies, ranging from egg-laying to live birth with placental nutrition, along with many intermediate forms.  Sabrina is collaborating with regional fisheries managers, the Vertebrate Genomes Project, and academic researchers from the Eastern US and around the world for her research.  She has sequenced the Pacific Spiny Dogfish genome and is investigating how uterine cell biology and gene networks differ among shark species.  Her field work includes multiple research trips to Florida to study reef sharks that aren’t found in Washington waters and display a diverse range of reproductive modes.

A person on a boat holds up a small shark up, the blue water behind her.
A person is knee-deep in the water, holding a salmon with his hands.

The biology of salmon maturation, migration, and post-spawn death

Research being conducted by PhD candidate Max Butensky investigates how the bodies of Pacific salmon transform as they mature, migrate to spawn, and eventually die.  Using pink salmon as a powerful model, he is analyzing gene activity (transcriptomics) to map changes in gene expression in key tissues during the salmon spawning migration. Using complex molecular techniques, he has also identified genetic differences that may help explain why Pacific salmon die after spawning (semelparous), while other salmonid species, like rainbow trout, can spawn multiple times (iteroparous).

Two students investigate their findings on a river bank, surrounded by gear.
Learn about more projects and research at the WSU Aquatic Molecular Physiology Lab Pages

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Coffee Beans with Deans

The text 'Coffee Beans with Deans' surrounds flowers peeking out of a coffee pot.

Want a chance to visit with Dean Raj Khosla, or one of the other associate deans? A great opportunity is the Coffee Beans with Deans event, happening every month available to employees in CAHNRS.

You are welcome to RSVP and attend to either socialize with the dean and associate deans, or even to schedule 10 minutes of discussion with one of them.

Please be sure to watch your email for the RSVP links (the February RSVP is included below) so we can make sure to plan a venue for attendees.

Raj Khosla, dean of CAHNRS, presents at the All-CAHNRS Meeting in a suit and WSU Official Tartan tie at a podium, emoting with hands. The text "Go CAHNRS Cougs" is written on the board behind him.
RSVP Here for the Coffee Beans with Deans – Feb 18th

Climate-Friendly Ranch – Innovative Solutions Following Devastation

Cows with little orange identification tags surround a water tank in a field of green grass.

Newly appointed as the Office of Research’s Associate Vice President for Research Advancement and Strategy, Chad Kruger has been an incredible addition to CAHNRS and to WSU. His background in sustainable agriculture, experience in climate resilience, energy systems, along with many other types of experiences have been instrumental in his role as Director of CSANR. His contributions have included being part of AI in agriculture, the Washington Food Policy Forum, the Washington Soil Health Initiative, the AgSymbiosis Project, and much more. In addition to his contributions to CAHNRS, he also exemplifies incredible resilience in the face of hardships like droughts and fires on his farm, which he has innovatively built into a sustainable and climate-friendly system. An absolute joy to know, we celebrate Chad Kruger in his new role, wish him the best of luck with his farm, and thank him for everything he accomplishes to better the university.

WSU’s Office of Research Welcomes Experienced Leaders to Advance Strategy and Partnerships

Chad Kruger holds important papers, sporting his Kruger Cattle LLC shirt and matching hat. He stands in the grass, a cow and tree and bushes behind him.

Chad Kruger

Throughout my 20+ year career at WSU I’ve worked on climate assessment and adaptation strategies for agricultural systems. Following a devastating range fire on Labor Day 2020, I have had the opportunity to incorporate some of those research strategies into the management of my multi-generational family ranch in Eastern Washington.

A miffed cow stands amongst a lot of hay.

Smarter Solutions

Strategies we’ve implemented include improving livestock genetics to address range conditions and heat tolerance, shifting breeding seasons to sync up calving with forage production, stream restoration to improve hydrologic function through pastures and hayfields, using solar power for water pumping and electric fencing to improve pasture management, and bale grazing to improve soil health.

A barren land of brown ash and dirt stretches out, showing the devastation left by raging fire.

Improvement and Resilience

We’ve seen dramatic improvements in many facets of our operation, but we’ve also encountered a lot of surprises and learned a lot of lessons. The five-year period has been an historic drought period on our place, and that has made implementing changes even more challenging. I think, though, we are in a much more resilient position moving forward than we were in 2020. 

__________

Virtual and On-Site Proctoring – Global Campus Instructors

New proctoring policies and support are available for global campus instructors.

Learn more about global proctoring processes using following relevant links.

Global Campus On-Site Proctoring Process
Cost savings to Students for Course Materials
Global Campus Proctoring Services

CAHNRS Recruitment Travel – “Where is Junior?”

Junior Gomez smiles

Junior Gomez, CAHNRS Recruitment & Retention Coordinator, is busy traveling across the state and beyond each week. Stay tuned for the upcoming locations and dates!

The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

1/22

West Valley High School Resource Fair (Spanish Only)
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

1/29

West Valley High School Resource Fair
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

3/11

Wapato Middle & High School College Fair
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

3/20

Oregon State FFA
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

3/21

Oregon State FFA
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

3/21

CA State FFA
*Miguel Inzunza will also attend
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

3/22

CA State FFA
*Miguel Inzunza will also attend
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

3/25

White Swan HS Spring College Fair
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

3/31

A.C. Davis High School College Fair – Yakima, WA
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

4/1

Eisenhower High School
The cougar statue in front of a giant Cosmic Crisp apple

4/6

Yakima Valley CC Transfer Fair

For any questions, please reach out to ggomez@wsu.edu.

Have a story you’d like to feature in the next CAHNRS Connections Newsletter? Please reach out to cahnrs.majors@wsu.edu with your ideas and information.

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