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Campus Bulletin

Issue 2009-09 (September 16, 2009)

IN THIS ISSUE

 

Joining Forces to Understand a Rare Disorder

By Judith Van Dongen

A few years ago, assistant professor of speech and hearing sciences Nancy Potter spent her summers traveling across the country to study children with galactosemia, a rare and potentially lethal genetic disorder that makes milk toxic to the body and causes damage to the brain and other organs (see October 2007 bulletin article). Potter’s interest was in the speech and language disorders that occur in the majority of these children.

Although her research and that of colleagues from around the globe have shed some light on the extent of the problems faced by galactosemia patients, much is still unknown about the progression of this rare disease.

“One of our big questions is whether it is a neurogenerative disease,” said Potter. “Do people get worse over time?”

That’s why last month she joined an international team of researchers in Boston to be part of the first-ever multidisciplinary study of adults with galactosemia.

The initiative for the study came from Parents of Galactosemic Children, the patient advocacy group that provided the primary funding for the project. The group took their request to a physician at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, Dr. Gerard T. Berry, who put together a team that included researchers from Harvard Medical School, the University of Miami, and Maastricht University in the Netherlands, in addition to Potter, WSU colleagues Leslie Power and Amy Meredith, and EWU colleague Roberta Jackson.

Over the course of two days, each patient was given a battery of different tests that included physical exams, nutritional analysis, IQ tests, fertility testing, and speech-language testing. A total of 34 patients—ranging in age from 18 to 59 years—took part in the study, making this the largest clinical study of adults with galactosemia conducted to date.

“Prior to the 1970s, very few people with galactosemia lived to adulthood because we didn’t do the newborn screening—the heel poke—so we’ve never before had a big group of adults that have the disease,” Potter said. A few of them had never met anyone else afflicted with galactosemia prior to participating in the study, she said.

Patients flew in from as far away as California and Texas, paying their own travel expenses just to be able to participate. The researchers secured additional funding from each of their institutions to pay for their travel expenses—Potter received support from WSU Spokane in the form of a faculty seed grant.  

In the next few months, Potter and her fellow researchers will be busy analyzing data and sharing information on the study, which they see as a pilot to a longitudinal study they hope to conduct in the future. Thanks to their efforts, parents of newborns diagnosed with galactosemia may some day have a much better idea of what the future holds for their children.

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Regents Approve Spokane Building Project

Courtesy of WSU News Service

This conceptual rendering from the campus master plan, updated
summer 2009, shows the first phase of the Biomedical/Health
Sciences Complex on the Riverpoint Campus.

The Washington State University Board of Regents advanced a future construction project for WSU Spokane at its regularly scheduled meeting held Friday on the Pullman campus.

The board authorized the administration to select a consultant for the construction of Phase 1 of the Biomedical and Health Sciences Building on the Riverpoint campus in Spokane. The site selected for the building is immediately east of the Nursing Building, which was dedicated last spring.

The first phase, budgeted at a total project cost of $44.9 million, would include clinical laboratory space, research and classroom space and administrative offices to expand the existing health sciences collaboration between WSU, the University of Washington and Eastern Washington University. The university plans to seek funding for the construction during the 2011 legislative session.

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WSU Spokane Fall Enrollment Reflects Campus Focus

By Barb Chamberlain

While at first glance a decline in campus enrollment might raise questions, changes in enrollment at both WSU Spokane and WSU Pullman this fall in fact reflect the work of the past two years in academic planning and prioritizing throughout the university system.

WSU Spokane chancellor Brian Pitcher said that while most Spokane programs have stable or slightly increased enrollment, program closures in leadership/professional studies and school psychology, consolidation of undergraduate landscape architecture to Pullman, reassignment of engineering management enrollments to the College of Engineering and Architecture in Pullman, and reductions in College of Education programs account for a decline in official headcount in Spokane. Enrollment in Pullman is up due in part to some of these changes, and the university as a whole is up 830 students, or 3.3 percent from the previous record set in fall 2008.

Pitcher said that most of the changes were planned to consolidate resources and focus on priority programs for the Spokane campus, which serves as headquarters for WSU’s programs in the health sciences. As a result of those program realignments, the WSU Spokane head-count enrollment is 1,349 as compared with 1,576 reported fall 2008. Students of color represent 15.3 percent of Spokane enrollment, compared with 14.5 percent last fall.

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President Will Give State of the University Address

Courtesy of WSU Today

President Elson S. Floyd will deliver his third State of the University Address to students, faculty, staff and friends at 3:10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, in Bryan Hall Theatre on the Pullman campus.

Floyd, who became the university’s 10th president in May 2007, will discuss the university’s future goals and touch on recent accomplishments.

For those at other WSU campuses and centers, his speech will be videostreamed live on the Web at experience.wsu.edu. Locations to view the speech at WSU Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities and WSU Vancouver will be announced in the near future.

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New Datacenter Keeps Riverpoint on Track for Growth

By Judith Van Dongen

Once occupied by library books, the basement of Riverpoint’s Phase One Classroom Building now houses a new, state-of-the-art datacenter that serves as the information technology hub for the Riverpoint Campus.

The project came together through a collaboration between WSU and Greater Spokane Incorporated, who joined forces to create a resource that supports the growth of educational and research programs on campus.

“We’ve been pushing the limits of our capacity, cooling, and power for a number of years,” said Larry Hoffman, WSU Spokane’s director of information technology for operations and enterprise services.

Completed last month, the datacenter provides a secure, appropriately powered, and managed environment for the campus’s IT infrastructure. It consists of three contiguous spaces:

  • The ”pod” houses many racks that hold the various servers, and will also contain the WSU Applied Sciences Laboratory (ASL) high performance computing cluster.
  • The power room contains the main power and battery backup for all the equipment.  Plans to supplement the backup power with a failover generator are in place.
  • The core closet houses the core infrastructure that manages the campus network and provides connectivity into and out of the campus, including the Metro Ethernet connection to the Pacific Northwest Gigapop and the network connection with WSU Pullman.

The three spaces are secured with electronic key locks and video surveillance, and are directly adjacent to an office suite that houses some of the campus’s IT staff.
A section of the "pod" with racks of servers and other equipment
used for secure data storage for the campus.
(Photo by Judith Van Dongen)

WSU Spokane, EWU Spokane, and Sirti use the datacenter, and research users include the Applied Sciences Lab, the Institute for Systems Medicine, WWAMI Spokane, the WSU College of Nursing, and the WSU College of Pharmacy, among others.

Funding for the project came from an Innovation Partnership Zone (IPZ) grant, with additional funds contributed by WSU Spokane. Secured in 2007 and submitted by a partnership of organizations led by Greater Spokane Inc., the IPZ grant was meant to bring together businesses and research institutions to develop cutting-edge technologies and boost regional economic growth (see October 2007 bulletin article).

“It’s phenomenal to have this new data center, and I think there’s a lot of benefit to the campus,” said Hoffman. “I’d like to thank Chancellor Brian Pitcher, Bruce Thompson from capital planning and development, and Robin Toth from Greater Spokane Incorporated, all of whom have been instrumental in making this a reality.”

Although the new datacenter meets the needs for several years to come, Hoffman said the project only represents the first two phases of the initial design.

 “We’re hoping in phases three and four, if additional funding is procured, to complete the power and cooling in the space and add a generator, so that we can add more equipment to the racks in the pod, with adequate backup power available,” he said. “We’re only half-way there.”

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Distinguished Doctors

By Becki Meehan

The above title would likely bring to mind thoughts of physicians. However, there are other unique doctors you may not have considered—Doctors of Design. While these aren’t your everyday doctors, when it comes to design, they are just as concerned about your welfare.

Graduates of the Doctor of Design program earn an advanced degree at the same level of academic standards as a Ph.D. The Interdisciplinary Design Institute offers this unique degree program, which began in 2005 to address a void in design education by specifically bridging education, research, and practice within a philosophical and pedagogical framework. Today it is thriving with 14 students who are taking their areas of expertise to new levels within and beyond the design world.

According to the program assessment plan, the doctor of design furthers both the art and the science of design through interdisciplinary inquiry, critical synthesis, and problem solving. Its focus is on applied research, and it emphasizes the advancement of knowledge in the design disciplines. Students are allowed to follow their own path of inquiry within one of three areas: design and sustainability, design and health, and design and community.  

As one might imagine, all aspects of life interact with design on a variety of levels from lighting and aesthetics in a room or building and the use of space in a neighborhood or community to incorporating the interaction of design with culture, history, and government. The very nature of this degree encourages students to push the boundaries across many disciplines. Students earning this degree integrate knowledge, resources, and experience toward an applied outcome that contributes to socio-cultural wellbeing.

“The emerging strength of this program is the diverse disciplinary, cultural, and professional backgrounds that our students bring to the table,” said Nancy Blossom, director of the Interdisciplinary Design Institute. “Integrating these diversities within the framework of design thinking challenges us as faculty and stimulates us to think at new levels ourselves.”

Doctor of Design students endure a challenging and enriching experience at WSU Spokane. While they might not be able to diagnose an illness, they can certainly examine your environment and help you design a better way of living.

Look for future spotlight articles as this new cohort of students excels through the program. We will show you how their contributions through teaching, design and community service prepares them for their future.

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Floyd among Few Presidents with Interactive Blog

Courtesy of WSU Today

To better communicate and respond to the WSU community, the president has started a blog (to see click here).

 

“I often talk about transparency and how much I value engaging with everyone on campus,” said President Elson S. Floyd in his first posting on Aug. 27. “You said the best way to connect and understand what you were thinking was to start a blog. So here we go.”

In addition to the open forums, meetings and CUB office hours the president hosts, the blog “gives us a great opportunity to interact in a different manner,” he wrote.

“He has always been a president who has understood the power of technology,” said Viji Murali, vice president for Information Services and chief information officer.

“There are only a handful of university presidents that have a blog, and even fewer that allow an open dialogue in it,” she said. “This is a unique opportunity for students, staff and faculty to interact with a university president.”

Current students, staff and faculty can register to participate at the blog Web page.

“I am sure the use of the blog will evolve over time,” the president wrote, “but right now I expect it to serve in multiple capacities.” Those include giving his opinions and observations, as well as asking for input and advice on challenges facing WSU and on ideas he is considering.

“I think this a great place to engage in a meaningful way,” the blog continues. “I just sincerely ask that we keep things civil and on-topic.”

The president said he plans to update and respond via his blog as time allows: “So if I do end up going dark for short periods, know I will be back when I get an opportunity.”

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Third Annual ALS Forum Held October 19

By Judith Van Dongen

The university community and the general public are invited to attend the third annual ALS forum, on Monday, October 19, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in room 105 of the Nursing Building.

Sponsored by the WSU Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, the event will consist of a panel discussion featuring patients and caregivers affected by ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that leads to the death of motor neurons causing muscles to stop functioning. As part of the discussion, patients will talk about what they need from health care providers, in terms of transparency with regard to the challenges and prognosis. A question-and-answer session will follow the discussion.

Health sciences students and professionals are especially encouraged to attend. Seating is limited, so please come early. Large groups planning to attend should RSVP by e-mail to Nancy Potter, assistant professor of speech and hearing sciences, at nlpotter@wsu.edu.    

The event will also be video streamed to Pullman, Vancouver Tri-Cities and Yakima. Room information for this venue is not yet known. Please check the Riverpoint Campus Events Notice for updates.

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Show Your Cougar Pride: Participate in Imagine U @ WSU

Vice president for enrollment management John Fraire invites faculty, staff, alumni, and students to submit proposals to participate in Imagine U @ WSU.

This event includes presentations by WSU faculty, staff, and students in the form of hands-on instruction, discussions on fields of research of the presenters, and presentations on what it takes to go to college.

Imagine U @ WSU will be at Spokane’s North Central High School on Tuesday, November 24, and 10 presenters are needed for that event. This is your chance to reach out to students in underrepresented communities, increase awareness of what WSU has to offer, strengthen our reputation as a top choice for college, and create lasting relationships with participating schools.

Proposals from all academic disciplines are encouraged and should be submitted by September 30.

Go to www.imagineu.wsu.edu to get more information on the program, view the proposal guidelines and sample proposals, and submit your proposal.

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Celebrate University District Month

By Becki Meehan

October is sure to come to life as the University District commemorates the accomplishments of all who are within its borders.

Kicking off the month-long celebration is an outdoor reception slated for Wednesday, September 30 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on the Riverpoint Campus at the Sirti Building patio at 665 N Riverpoint Blvd. The Spokane community is invited to join all residents, students, workforce members, businesses, and other organizations to socialize and celebrate the progress and learn about the future direction of the district.

The entire month is filled with a variety of events and activities to give you a taste of the opportunities available when you visit the University District. Check out some of the featured events, which include collegiate sports, art exhibits, lectures, and health and wellness activities, by visiting the University District online. And don’t forget to see what activities are going on right here at the Riverpoint Campus.

The University District is a live/learn/work/play confluence of innovation, discovery, entrepreneurship, scholarship, and neighborhood development that provides ongoing economic growth and business opportunity for the region. Experience the University District by joining us at the kick-off reception and the many events throughout the month.

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Cleaning up in the University District: Spokane River Clean-up Set for September 26

By Barb Chamberlain

The Seventh Annual Spokane River Clean-up will take place during Sustainable September Spokane on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In addition to the longstanding tradition of a clean-up in the Spokane River Gorge starting at High Bridge Park, event organizers have added a second location in the University District. Students, staff and faculty will join with citizen volunteers to clean up “our” stretch of the Spokane River, meeting at Avista headquarters and working both upstream and downstream.

The event comes together each year through the coordination efforts of Friends of the Falls, which works to engage people directly with the Spokane River so they will love it and work to keep it clean, safe and accessible for generations to come. Dozens of partner organizations also provide assistance.

Online registration is open now. Advance registration helps the organizers plan for sufficient supplies; walk-in registrants are welcome the day of the event.

Building on a trial run of the University District location in 2008, organizers have expanded plans for that site for 2009. “We have always had hundreds of high school and college students participating, and the addition of the University District site is a natural,” said Friends of the Falls executive director Steve Faust.

The Spokane River Clean-up has become a civic tradition, enabling hundreds of people each year to affirm a sense of stewardship and community pride for the Spokane River and the natural areas along its banks.

Results last year: 800+ people, over eight tons of trash, over two tons of it recycled. Organizers project turnout of close to 1,000 this year.

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Milestones

  • WSU and the Riverpoint Campus were among the 2009 recipients of the Mayor's Urban Design Awards. The campus received Mayor's Choice Awards, the highest honor for overall urban design excellence, for its Nursing Building, designed by Integrus Architects, and for the Riverpoint Campus Master Plan, which was created in partnership with NAC|Architects. Award applications were judged against “the 15 qualities of good urban design in Spokane” that are consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan objectives and smart growth principles. Spokane's Design Review Committee did an initial screening of applications and made recommendations to the mayor, who made the final selections for the awards.

If you or one of your colleagues or students has received a special honor or award, or reached another professional milestone, please e-mail the information to Judith Van Dongen at jcvd@wsu.edu.

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Community Connections

  • Sept. 19 - Cancer Awareness Health Fair
    Cancer Care Northwest is sponsoring its first annual Cancer Awareness Health Fair on Saturday, September 19, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its South Office on 601 S Sherman St. in Spokane. Admission is free. The event features seminars, free and low-cost health screenings, tradeshow booths featuring local organizations, free chair massages, nutritional supplement taste testing, and on-site document shredding. For more information, visit www.cancercarenorthwest.com/cancer-awareness-health-fair.
  • Oct. 2 - The Real Dr. Patch Adams
    Children's Miracle Network of the Inland Northwest presents The Real Dr. Patch Adams – Living a Life of Joy on Friday, October 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Northern Quest Pend Oreille Pavillion in Airway Heights. Dr. Hunter Patch Adams became famous as a doctor in clown's clothing, a social activist who uses humor and his medical training to advocate for a more human, affordable and playful health system. This event is part of a fundraising luncheon benefiting Children's Miracle Network. A minimum donation of $50 will be collected at the event. Student tickets are $20 and are available from the ASWSU Spokane office in room 111 of the Academic Center, Riverpoint Campus.
  • Oct. 3 - KPBX Kids' Concert: Cowboy Music & Poetry Featuring Western Reunion
    Round up your family and friends and mosey on down to the first FREE KPBX Kids' Concert of the fall, on Saturday, October 3, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the River Park Square Atrium in Spokane. Western Reunion will have everything from well-known sing-alongs to traditional cowboy poetry...maybe even a little yodeling! Mobius Kids will be there, too, with a fun Western craft to share. For more information, go to http://www.spokanepublicradio.org/events/nextkids.htm.
  • Oct. 7 - Spokane Public Radio State of the Region Forum
    Come to the Spokane City Hall Council Chambers on Wednesday, October 7, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for a free community forum examining current economic, educational, resource, workforce, and health issues affecting the residents of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Eight panelists will share their knowledge, as well as answer audience questions. For more information, go to http://www.spokanepublicradio.org/events/stateoftheregion.htm.
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Personnel and Staffing Changes  

Comings:

  • Janet Ebaugh, MESA Manager, MESA, effective 9/1/09.
  • Melinda Jackson, Research Associate/Postdoctoral Fellow, Sleep and Performance Research Center, effective 9/3/09.
  • Matthew Esposito, Research Assistant, WWAMI, effective 9/10/09.
  • Jacob Pellinen, Research Assistant, WWAMI, effective 9/10/09.

Goings:

  • Amber Salisbury, Program Assistant, SBDC, effective 9/11/09.

Transitions:

  • Chris Schofield, from Custodian 4 to Maintenance Mechanic 1, FacOps, effective 8/1/09.
  • Libby Blossom, Assistant Clinical Professor and Interim Director of the Integrated Daylight Lab, IDI, effective 8/16/09.
  • Debbie Haberman, from the Cancer Prevention and Research Center to the Program in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology.
  • Kathryn Meier, Professor and Director, Program in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, has moved her lab from WSU Pullman to WSU Spokane.
  • Julia Zhang, Research Associate Professor, Program in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, has moved with Kathryn Meier’s Lab from WSU Pullman to WSU Spokane.

 

Recruitments & Searches:

  • Research Study Assistant, WIMHRT, offer pending.
  • Communication/Public Relation Senior Coordinator, College of Nursing, currently interviewing.
  • Learning Design Consultant, WIMHRT, offer pending.
  • Operations Manager, College of Nursing, reviewing applications as of 8/24/09.
  • Director of Student Affairs, Student Affairs, apply at www.wsujobs.com, closes 10/1/09.

 

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Way to Go!

Here's where you make someone's day a little brighter by extending your thanks for a job well done. Send your “Way to Go!” comments to Judith Van Dongen and watch for your thanks to be published in an upcoming issue of the Campus Bulletin!

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A Warm Welcome to...

...Chenhui Huang, a new assistant scientist at WWAMI Spokane. Huang will be working with Weihang Chai to conduct original research on the molecular mechanism for telomere maintenance in cells. He has a PhD from Peking University in Beijing, China, and was previously a postdoctoral researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden.

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Find It on the Web

 

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The Bulletin is a monthly publication that is usually published on the second Wednesday of each month. The exact publication date may shift due to holidays. If you have an item that you'd like us to include, send it to us by Friday in the week before publication.
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The Bulletin covers news of interest to the faculty, staff, and friends of Washington State University Spokane, and associates on other WSU campuses and on the Riverpoint Campus.

Regular columns cover professional accomplishments, opportunities for involvement in the campus community and the Spokane community, notices of new developments on campus, upcoming events, personnel changes, and other news.

The Bulletin also serves as a source of information for external communications directed to alumni, future and current students, and friends of Washington State University Spokane. You'll read it here first!

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Editorial staff

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Contact Us: communications@wsu.edu, 509-358-7500 | Communications
Mailing: PO Box 1495, Spokane WA 99210-1495. Shipping: 412 E. Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane WA 99202