Many of us don’t think twice about the medications we take to fight what ails us or of our constant use of antibacterial lotions and potions, but a growing number of bacterial strains are becoming resistant to these weapons and our health may hang in the balance. 

 Bacteria can live in a myriad of environments, including within humans and domestic animals.  Unfortunately, as bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, resistant strains can proliferate and resistance genes can be transferred to other strains. This process leads to the emergence of new strains that are simultaneously resistant to over a dozen antibiotics. 

The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University honored Don Kopczynski, with the inaugural Hower Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service at the annual EECS Graduation and Awards Banquet held April 17th in Pullman, WA.

PULLMAN, Wash. – Scientists at Washington State University and the University of Washington are spearheading a public, international effort to map and unlock the secrets of the apple genome to develop better tree fruit faster.

“The Washington apple is an icon of quality around the globe,” said Dan Bernardo, dean of the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. “This is a natural home for the advanced science necessary to map the tree fruit genome and actively study how it functions.”

WSU’s Agricultural Research Center is providing seed money for the project as part of its larger investment in basic and applied plant science programs. “Investing in this program is a matter of building on our strengths in horticulture to leverage bottom-line results for industry,” said Ralph Cavalieri, associate dean and ARC director.

The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has started a new student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

ACM is a worldwide professional society for workers in the computing field. Students who participate in a student chapter have the opportunity to participate in industry networking through such avenues as professional lectures and conferences. The professional society also offers an international collegiate programming contest. The group also provides resources that allow students to develop speaker series, recruiting opportunities, and dissemination of technical information in the computing field.

Yan Wan is the recipient of 2007 College of Engineering and Architecture Graduate Student Excellence Award.

While her strong interest in multidisciplinary research, mentorship of new students and excellent writing ability were factors that caught the eye of her mentors, it was the level of Yan Wan’s accomplishments for which she was selected for the $5,000 award.

“She’s really extraordinary in terms of her work effort and the results of those efforts,” Professor Sandip Roy, her advisor, said. “She has published in important journals and presented at significant conferences. Her work compares favorably to that of students in top-tier programs.”

10/26/07

PULLMAN, Wash − A Washington State University semiconductor research center has been awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Air Force’s Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV) to help develop nanoscale electronics for a new era of advanced satellite technology.

Faculty and students in the Center for Design of Analog-Digital Integrated Circuits (CDADIC), headquartered at Washington State University, will spend the next year on research to develop nanoscale circuits for defense and intelligent systems. It is also anticipated that the funding will lead to advancing the next generation of consumer electronics.

Pullman, Wash. — The Linux Users Group at Washington State University have been interviewed by radio and television stations around the Pacific Northwest, and have appeared live on CNN’s morning program on Monday, October 1, 2007. The story has appeared in both Canada and Australia.

The media frenzy centers around a “Nerd Auction”  originally planned by the group, in an effort to challenge the stereotypical image of computer science majors as “computer nerds.” 

The idea grew exponentially, and proceeds will be used to create an endowed scholarship for women in computer science at WSU.  They never expected this much publicity, and they never expected to raise enough money to create an endowment.

Pullman, WA  – Washington State University, a top-ranked research and teaching university, has added another endowed professorship to its nationally ranked School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  This gift further accelerates its momentum in academic leadership.

Students participating in a new National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates this summer will be eating, drinking and sleeping their research. Literally.

The students in engineering and computer science will be working to build a "smart'' apartment that some of them will actually live in as part of their research projects relating to the development of "smart'' environments. The two-bedroom apartment will be in the Steptoe Buildings in Pullman, Wash.

A group of researchers in the Washington State University School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, including professors Behrooz Shirazi and Diane Cook, recently received the three-year grant for the development of the program to promote the participation of undergraduates in research projects.