It wasn’t but a few weeks ago that I was wondering when summer temperatures would arrive. Now I am ready for a reprieve from them.
The central part of the state in particular could use a break. We are grateful to congressman Dan Newhouse and his staff for braving the heat to spend quality time with us at the Roza farm near the Prosser Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) on Tuesday. The congressman took time out of his busy schedule to learn more about a community project request around AI and automation in agriculture. The hour went quickly. Though we spoke about all aspects of the funding request, the tour was restricted to a walk-through of the Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems building at IAREC, where Lav Khot spoke about WSU’s work to improve data systems for reducing chemical use in agriculture. Afterward, we headed to the Roza farm, where Manoj Karkee and team talked about their robotics research in orchards and vineyards.
This week is a busy one for interviews as we meet with Energy Program director and Community and Economic Development director candidates. Both positions had candidates interviewing last week as well. It is always nice to see a strong pool of candidates! Both roles are of great importance to CAHNRS and Extension. This week also includes a meeting with the CAHNRS support unit directors, a meeting with the research and Extension center directors, and a meeting with the Pullman-based deans and Provost Riley-Tillman.
I head to the west side of the state at the end of the week. Friday morning, I will be in Seattle for a meeting before heading north. I can only imagine what traffic will be like, assuming many will seek out cooler temperatures and water.
So far, our fall incoming class doesn’t seem to be suffering from the summer melt. Thanks to the Student Success and Academic Programs team and all of our departments for their continued engagement with our new Cougs! I hope you each find a nice place this week to get out of the heat for a bit!