Andrei Smertenko and Karen Sanguinet were selected as recipients of this year’s RA & $10K award! They will be recognized at the Research Excellence Awards Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m. in the Lewis Alumni Centre on the Pullman campus. Congratulations, Andrei and Karen!
I spent Tuesday in Olympia for the Board of Natural Resources meeting. After a light summer, the agendas are getting a bit longer, with more timber sales to discuss. The board spends a considerable amount of time reviewing environmental impact assessment reports and reading through public comments. The idea of cutting down forests is not without controversy, like many natural resource management topics.
Last Thursday’s film screening of Common Ground and showcase of WSU’s regenerative ag work was a lot of fun and likely left many wondering “what’s next?” and “what stops us from doing more?” That doesn’t mean we all agree on everything that was said, but the purpose was to have the conversation. It was particularly rewarding to hear the panelists who are practitioners in the state say that they view WSU as an integral partner in their operations. That sentiment means a lot, especially to the faculty and staff who spend countless hours working with our partners to help ensure their success.
A number of the CAHNRS Advisory Council members attended the Thursday events before a full-day meeting on Friday, when the conversation continued. The council received a preview of the CAHNRS Tour of Impacts website, which builds on the impact statements submitted by program personnel over the last six months. I am eager for the site to go live and continue to expand in depth and breadth, creatively telling the CAHNRS story. Sarah Schaub and the CAHNRS marketing and communications team have done a great job creating the website, which relies on impact stories from around the college.
I suspect many of the Advisory Council members found the conversation with students to be a highlight of Friday’s meeting. Ten CAHNRS graduate and undergraduate student leaders met with the council to talk about their experiences in the college. Students are eager to learn from professionals in their career paths and hear about career opportunities they may not be aware of. We will be sure to see what options are available to enhance career engagement for CAHNRS students. I look forward to the next Advisory Council meeting.
I recently mentioned to someone that throughout my career, no matter my role, October has always been one of the two busiest months. It seems this upcoming month will not be any different, with promotion recommendations due and two weeks of roadshow visits. That’s far better than being bored.