The weather may feel like we are heading backward toward winter, but it is still time for the bees to go out in southern Idaho. Leslie Edgar was there helping her dad take care of his bees this past weekend despite a snowfall just the night before. I think the attire suits her. She tells me it was too cold for a “bee beard,” but we may get a photo of that yet!
Congratulations to the CAHNRS faculty and staff who were recognized by the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals. The team swept a number of award categories:
- The 2023 Online Forest Stewardship Coached Planning program received the Gold Award in the webinar category (Kevin Zobrist, Patrick Shults, and Grace Garrison)
- The WSU Extension publication “Emerald Ash Borer and Its Implications for Washington State” won the Bronze Award in the long publication category (Kevin Zobrist, Rachel Bomberger, Molly Darr, Jenny Glass, Joey Hulbert, and Em Roberts [DNR])
- Molly Darr was a co-recipient of the Innovative Program Award
- The publication “Preventing Phytophthoras in Woodland Restoration Plantings” won the Silver Award in the short publication category (Marianne Elliott)
- “Improving Stormwater Management with Web Based Resources” won the Silver Award in the websites/apps/educational technology category (Bob Simmons, Anand Jayakaran, Darcy McNamara, Carly Thompson, Erica Guttman, Brandon Boyd, Andrew Mack, Darrell Kilgore, and Matthew Ziegler)
Before heading to Vietnam on Friday, I attended the CAHNRS student awards banquet. It was great to see Ensminger Pavilion full of nominees, their families, and our scholarship donors. The student emcees for the event, Kyle Booey and José Perez-Olmos, did a great job. I was so pleased to see many of those who made the scholarships possible in attendance. All spoke highly of this year’s scholarship recipients.
This week, CAHNRS honors faculty and staff. The associate deans will make the presentations this year. I hope Ensminger Pavilion is once again full. Congratulations in advance to the nominees and recipients who make the work of CAHNRS possible!
A group of us visited with leadership and students at the Vietnam National University of Economics and Business on Monday. There was strong interest in partnering with WSU in research, student exchanges, study abroad programs, and perhaps a 2+2 program for Vietnamese students. I hope to hear from our faculty about their interest in collaborations.
I am reminded that we need to be careful what we wish for. As the plane landed in Hanoi, one could feel the humidity and see it quickly settle on the aircraft windows. On Wednesday, we head to Ho Chi Minh City, where the mercury is predicted to hit 100 F. Snow might sound good by the time we go to the Hi-Tech Agricultural Park on Friday. Regardless, in a country that is rapidly scaling and expanding its agricultural presence, I am eager to see what innovations await us.