<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Thrill of learning comes home, with heart<\/h1>\n
<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n Bouncing up a one-lane dirt track<\/span> in the mountains of China\u2019s remote Yunnan province for nearly 14 hours in a government vehicle, Orlin Reinbold was a long way from home.<\/p>\n For three generations, his family\u2019s business, Landmark Turf & Native Seed, has helped farmers save their land from erosion and protect the environment.<\/p>\n Orlin\u2019s grass seed adorns the Mile High Stadium, where the Denver Broncos play. It covers major league ballfields, and the fairways and greens of the U.S. Open and the LPGA.<\/p>\n Success, though, \u201cthat doesn\u2019t make me who I am,\u201d says Orlin. \u201cMost of life is about associations, meeting people, understanding a culture\u2014those are the real experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n So when he was directed to inspect grass seed farms in far-flung corners of China, the Spokane resident jumped at the chance. That meant long rides, late flights, and encounters with strangers, few of whom spoke English.<\/p>\n Taking stock at the end of a particularly exhausting drive, he paused for reflection. \u201cWhat am I really doing here?\u201d Orlin thought. Adventures like these, he decided, lead to deeper understanding.<\/p>\n “If you’re not learning, it’s no fun.”<\/p>\n And Orlin believes that deeper understanding leads to world-changing advances. For his global pursuit of knowledge, commitment to continuing his family legacy, and desire to help young people expand their horizons, Orlin embodies the heart of a Coug.<\/p>\n Family traditions at WSU run deep. From his grandparents straight on down to his daughter, Orlin\u2019s family is full of Cougs. There\u2019s every chance that a fifth generation, Orlin\u2019s grandchildren, will also be Cougars.<\/p>\n But the WSU legacy isn\u2019t the only one this family keeps\u2014they\u2019re also innovators.<\/p>\n It was Orlin\u2019s paternal grandfather, August, who was one of the first to plant winter wheat near Davenport. And it was August\u2019s ideas about conservation that spurred a visit to the family cemetery\u2014one of the few places where native grass still grew\u2014to compare the topsoil there to the topsoil in his own fields.<\/p>\n \u201cHe surmised that the fourth generation would never farm his fields because there wouldn\u2019t be any topsoil left,\u201d Orlin said.<\/p>\n That discovery fueled August to help set up regional conservation districts, which led directly to the family\u2019s grass seed business. August\u2019s seeds let farmers plant native grasses that stabilized stream banks and slowed erosion, still a major concern for Washington farmers.<\/p>\n Today, Orlin continues his grandfather\u2019s legacy by supporting efforts to breed new landscaping grasses and explore resources in the 80-year-old seed vaults on campus.<\/p>\n At the new WSU Plant Growth Facility, Orlin got a hands-on look at experiments run by students of Michael Neff, head of WSU turfgrass research.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be doing any of this without Orlin,\u201d says Neff. \u201cThanks to him, my students are getting real work experience. Along with financial support, Orlin gives me a lot of intellectual support and insight. He\u2019s shown me the challenges that his industry faces. It\u2019s a total collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n With Orlin\u2019s help, WSU could become the leading center for drought-tolerant grasses that need little fertilizer or chemicals. Living lawns could protect our water resources.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s be the university that does that!\u201d he said. \u2665<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n Meet families whose Cougar heart draws loved ones together, honors past pioneers, and inspires a new class of Cougs.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Digging into the secrets of plant genetics, Holly Lane, a senior in agricultural biotechnology, sees herself as a problem solver.<\/p>\n \u201cTaking a step back fills in the bigger picture,\u201d said Lane, who is gaining real, fundamental research experience thanks to funding from Orlin Reinbold. \u201cIf you know how something works, you can make it better.\u201d<\/p>\n Lane is part of Dr. Michael Neff\u2019s \u2018Big Seed\u2019 project, which looks at how plants make longer seedlings that can be planted deeper, helping them thrive.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a student, it\u2019s great to see that somebody in the industry thinks that what you\u2019re doing is important,\u201d she said. \u201cYou see that your dreams are valid.\u201d \u2665<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n <\/p>\n \t \t \n \t \t<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Orlin](\"https:\/\/s3.wp.wsu.edu\/uploads\/sites\/2008\/2018\/01\/reconnect2018-orlin.jpg\")
Legacy of learning, leading<\/h3>\n
Heart of
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s3.wp.wsu.edu\/uploads\/sites\/2008\/2018\/01\/reconnect2018-coug-heart-red.gif\")
a Coug<\/h2>\n
\nFor many Cougs, the bond with CAHNRS is part of a family tradition that spans generations.<\/p>\n![\"Holly](\"https:\/\/s3.wp.wsu.edu\/uploads\/sites\/2008\/2018\/01\/reconnect2018-holly-lane.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHolly Lane<\/h2>\n
Fundamental problem solver<\/h3>\n
Connecting with CAHNRS<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"Find](\"https:\/\/s3.wp.wsu.edu\/uploads\/sites\/2008\/2018\/02\/facebook.png\")
Keep up<\/strong> with what\u2019s happening in CAHNRS.<\/a><\/div>\n
![\"Find](\"https:\/\/s3.wp.wsu.edu\/uploads\/sites\/2008\/2018\/02\/instagram.png\")
Connect<\/strong> with former classmates and professors.<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Visit](\"https:\/\/s3.wp.wsu.edu\/uploads\/sites\/2008\/2018\/02\/www.png\")
Discover<\/strong> internships or jobs openings in your field.<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Share](\"https:\/\/s3.wp.wsu.edu\/uploads\/sites\/2008\/2018\/02\/twitter.png\")
Share<\/strong> your #CougHearted stories with us.<\/a><\/div>\n