By Flynn Espe

More than 120 Washington State University Tri-Cities students presented their academic projects Wednesday at the annual Showcase for Research and Creative Activities. This year鈥檚 event brought together more than 65 solo and group projects spanning multiple majors and disciplines.

Across three campus buildings, students set up scientific posters and, in some cases, hands-on demonstrations of their work as they chatted and mingled with other students, faculty, and community guests.

Read or click here to jump to the end to view the winners and honorable mentions.

Solving energy problems near and far

Presenting from the first floor in Collaboration Hall, Hasan Cruz, student intern for 午夜剧场鈥� , presented his research involving pumped storage hydropower as a partial solution to the problem of peak power grid demand.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge water battery that stores long-duration potential energy and then releases it when it is needed the most during peak hours of the grid,鈥� Cruz said. 鈥淪o the grid gets stressed and we need to meet demand, because people seem to forget that electricity is something that we need absolutely every second.鈥�

He conducted his research under the mentorship of 午夜剧场 alumnae Danielle Young (鈥�19 BS Civ Eng, 鈥�21 MS Civ Eng), a project manager at Battelle. As a civil engineering major, Cruz says he was thrilled to discover the strong connection between his field of study and the energy industry.

鈥淲hen I started my civil engineering major, I thought it was only construction,鈥� Cruz said. 鈥淚t turns out there鈥檚 so much more, and energy is one of those fields that I never thought would be possible.鈥�

A few spots over, fellow INEF intern and biology major Zoe Pfeifer summarized her research into fusion technology. She noted that Washington state is a major hub for companies at the forefront of fusion machine design and development, and breakthrough discoveries may be closer than we think.

鈥淲e already have a lot of policy in place to help entice companies to come here,鈥� Pfeifer said. 鈥淓ven globally, there are 160 fusion facilities being worked on right now worldwide.鈥�

In a separate showcase room, a group of students had a plastic model showing their proposed designs for a much different kind of energy problem: how to deal with heat waste from a small modular reactor on the surface of the moon. Those students 鈥� Kaamel Ahmed Sidiqi, Minh Vu, Sam Arthur, Jon-Luc Ritchie, Peyton Viera, and Stephanie Volatile 鈥� presented their mechanical engineering senior capstone project, in which they worked under the guidance of an industry sponsor at Framatome.

鈥淎s we’re getting closer to interplanetary travel, we鈥檙e looking into building habitats elsewhere in the solar system, specifically the moon or Mars, currently. They鈥檙e planning on using small modular reactors 鈥� around 100 kilowatts thermal, or so 鈥� to power these habitats,鈥� Viera said. 鈥淭he issue with that is you can only utilize so much energy from these reactors before it just becomes a byproduct.鈥�

With a specific target in mind 鈥� safely dispersing 74 kilowatts of wasted heat into the moon鈥檚 vacuum-like environment 鈥� the group did a deep dive into whatever research they could find that would help get them started.

鈥淥ur sponsor had us look into NASA research papers, private industry papers, and university papers,鈥� Volatile said. 鈥淚 personally used a lot of the library sources that WSU gave us to point us into the private industries and try to get as much as we could.鈥�

Eventually, the team settled on a folding-aluminum-panel radiator design that fit within the specifications for being deployed and assembled on the lunar surface.

鈥淪ame type of thing for a car 鈥� it has a radiator,鈥� Ritchie said. 鈥淭his is just a radiator for a nuclear reactor.鈥�

Protecting online systems and spaces

Meanwhile, multiple students and teams were showcasing their research into methods and ideas for improving or addressing threats to online and computer systems.

Computer science majors Jaydon Larios and Tyler Jase Schab walked visitors through their development of a web platform that evaluates the vulnerability of a user鈥檚 password by simulating multiple cracking methods.

鈥淭he system processes each password through different hashing algorithms,鈥� Larios said. 鈥淚t estimates the actual time it would take to crack these passwords.鈥�

It turns out, short and common passwords really do take mere seconds for would-be attackers to crack.

Nearby, Yozelyn Chavez and Luckie Devers talked about their approach to preventing leakage of personally identifiable information in large language models, or LLMs for short. They represented half of their capstone project team, which also included Gabriela Nicacio and Alan Valencia who were studying abroad in Sweden.

鈥淏asically, if you鈥檝e ever entered in your information, even just your first and last name, to an LLM, it can remember that,鈥� Devers said, adding that anyone who has sent their resume to an AI chat bot will have likely used their email and phone number as well. 鈥淲e want to remove that in the end, so nobody else can attack the LLM and get your information.鈥�

Their solution was to train an LLC on a five-step prompt sanitization procedure meant to spot each instance of identifiable information included in a prompt and replace it with a fake substitute, while still preserving the quality of the LLM鈥檚 response. The LLM would then go through a background process of gradually unlearning the personally identifiable information completely, to protect against any future attacks.

鈥淟LMs are getting super advanced, and AI is getting super advanced,鈥� Devers said. 鈥淲e need to eventually come up with these ideas that defend against it and help protect the consumers.鈥�

Advancing the humanities, social sciences, and environment

Over in the Learning Commons area of the Consolidated Information Center, even more students presented on their research posters, including several projects in the humanities and social sciences. One recurring theme involved psychological studies on evolving attitudes toward artificial intelligence. Other groups presented on historical examinations of ethnic migration, the Hanford Site cleanup and its legacy, environmental science experiments, and much more.

Students Clarissa Garcia Arroyo, Grady Grasseth, Carola Garcia Mendez, Zachary Shortt, Jairo Villasenor, and Lori Wollerman Nelson reported on the results of their study on what birds are eating in local vineyards 鈥� and whether these winged neighbors are friends or foes to wine growers?

鈥淚t鈥檚 a little of both,鈥� Villasenor, an environmental and ecosystem sciences major, concluded.

For his team鈥檚 five-week experiment, the group created fake grapes and worms from plasticine clay, which they distributed throughout the 午夜剧场 research vineyard. At the end of each week, from October to November, the group collected the scattered items and assessed each item for damage to determine if a bird had tried to eat it before repeating the process.

鈥淲e had clusters of grapes alone. We had clusters of grapes and worms together. And we also had worms just by themselves,鈥� Villasenor said. 鈥淏irds ultimately preferred grapes by themselves, and they also preferred worms by themselves. They did not prefer when they were together.鈥�

While the birds showed a stronger preference for grapes than worms in general, Villasenor said it might be because the quantity of plasticine grapes was also significantly higher.

Hydrogen Hogwash takes over East Building stairwell

Tucked away in a different corner of campus, an artist collective comprising 12 digital technology and culture (DTC) majors transformed a ground-level East Building stairwell area into a warm and vibing 24-hour pop-up exhibition dubbed 鈥淐trl + Alt + Create.鈥� Each of the 12 artists, who went by the name Hydrogen Hogwash, contributed to the space with an interactive multimedia experience.

Sophia Valdez enticed visitors to sit and relax with a turntable, headphones, and selection of vinyl records. Claire Giles projected an animated vignette she鈥檇 pieced together from marked-up video taken during a spring break road trip.

Jo Pickard mounted his artwork to three panels of a makeshift wall set up at the base of the stairwell. His pieces included a framed collage of famous pop-culture heroes and a full-length mirror partially adorned with two emblematic superhero symbols 鈥� giving viewers a chance to see and reflect on their own inner hero. He also incorporated a scannable Spotify playlist of heroic tunes to set the mood.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really easy to be heroic when you鈥檙e a superhero,鈥� Pickard said. 鈥淏ut being heroic is whatever you think. It鈥檚 like waving at somebody when they鈥檙e having a bad day, being nice to someone, helping where you don鈥檛 have to.鈥�

The exhibit served as the DTC majors鈥� capstone project, which also involved the creation of a Hydrogen Hogwash zine featuring humorous and imaginative depictions of animals being transformed by radiation exposure. Copies of the zine were available to view at the exhibit as well.

鈥淚 have always been an artist to some degree my entire life, and just getting the chance to work with a team and put this together has been really gratifying,鈥� Pickard said. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e really come into my own since being here these last couple years.鈥�

Awards and honors

The showcase concluded with a brief presentation of awards, voted on by a handful of faculty and industry guest judges.

Associate professor of mathematics and event organizer Ryan Learn stressed the importance of honoring the impressive scope and caliber of students鈥� scientific and artistic achievements.

鈥淭his is an opportunity to recognize all of the really great work that students are doing beyond the curriculum,鈥� Learn said. “Some of these people are answering questions that have never been answered before, solving problems that have never been solved before.鈥�

Prior to the main showcase poster presentations, event organizers welcomed a group of juniors from Delta High School who participated in some interactive activities. Many of the same student groups from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences also presented their senior caps during a separate SEAS Design EXPO event on Friday.

The showcase received funding from Battelle Foundation and Washington Research Foundation.

Here are the award winners by category.

Best Capstone in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science

Digital Control Educational Projects (DCEP)

Landon Johnson, Isaac Rheinschmidt, Jose Cisneros, David Hysjulien

Honorable Mentions:

Sustainable Aviation Fuel Analyzer, Daniel Chavez Edwin Quinonez Hunter Ufford Armando Becerra

A Holistic Approach to Protecting Personally Identifiable Information from Leakage in LLMs, Gabriela Nicacio, Luckie Devers, Alan Valencia, Yozelyn Chavez

Best Capstone in Mechanical or Civil Engineering

Design Improvements to Nuclear Pellet Sheet

Serena Posada, Kolby Tucker, Dean Macduff, Marvin Mendoza, Elysia Howlett, Melissa Vaca Ixta

Honorable Mention:

Preliminary Evaluation of Artificial Ground Freezing: Excavation & Shoring Multi-Criteria Alternative Analysis for Bechtel’s Waste Treatment Plant Site, Aliyana Avalos, Angel Cerna, Cynthia Carmona, Daniela Gonzalez-Sepulveda, Corben Kane, Kayla Konahap, Roy Leal, Abi Macduff, Juan Mendoza, Razan Osman, Luiz Saldana, Joseph Salim, Brianne Zehnder, Marina Zolotnyuk

Best Graduate Student Research Project

Drought Evolution in the Nile Basin: Characterizing Development and Recovery Phases and their Meteorological Drivers

Meklit Berihun Melesse

Best Undergraduate Research Project

Swelling behvior of NBR O-rings in neat hydrocarbons relevant to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Kaamel Ahmed Sidiqi

Best Course-Based Project in the Sciences

Ashen soils affect growth but not germination in Bluebunch Wheatgrass

Skylar Brustad, Caleb Deines, Carlos Renteria, Mark Tabangcura, Zachary Shortt, Lori Wollerman Nelson

Honorable Mentions:

Birds in Vineyards: Friends or Foes? Jairo Villasenor, Grady Grasseth, Carola Garcia Mendez, Clarissa Garcia Arroyo, Zachary Shortt, Lori Wollerman Nelson

Spider Size and Web Size in Orb Weaver Spiders, Justine Gutierrez, Camden Seavoy, Zachary Shortt, Lori Wollerman Nelson

Targeted Keylogging Through HID-Based Bas USB Attacks, Sebastian Gonzalez

Best Course-Based Project in Liberal Arts or Psychology

Behind the Silence: Oral Histories of Migration, Labor, Injustice, and Family Sacrifice

Belinda Contreras-Barajas, Litzy Renteria, Andre Mayoral

Best Institute for Northwest Energy Futures Project

Evaluating the Future of Nuclear Energy Through Small Modular Reactors in the Pacific Northwest

Parjot Pawar

Honorable Mention:

Benton County and the Tri-Cities Power Production and Industrial Expansions, Timothy Poole

Freshwater and coastal waters may cover just a small portion of the planet, but they turn out to be powerful contributors to nitrogen fixation, a natural process essential to life on Earth. A new global study co-authored by Sarah Roley, associate professor of environmental science in the College of Arts and Sciences at Washington State University Tri-Cities, and Carmella Vizza, former 午夜剧场 post-doctoral research associate and current assistant professor at Hawai鈥檌 Pacific University, reveals that these ecosystems produce far more nitrogen than previously recognized.

The research recently published in the journal Science, demonstrates that lakes, rivers, wetlands, and coastal waters fix approximately 40 million tons of usable nitrogen each year, which is about 15% of the global total. That鈥檚 a significant contribution, especially considering these environments represent less than 10% of Earth’s surface area.

鈥淣itrogen is essential for life but unusable by most organisms in its atmospheric form,鈥� said Roley. 鈥淭hrough nitrogen fixation, specialized microbes convert nitrogen from the air into forms that plants and other organisms can use. This study shows that inland and coastal waters are doing much more of this work than we realized.鈥�

Until now, most scientific estimates of global nitrogen fixation focused on terrestrial ecosystems and the open ocean. The new study helps fill a critical gap by quantifying nitrogen fixation in the aquatic environments in between, such as lakes, rivers, wetlands and coastal waters.

The findings suggest that current environmental models may need to be recalibrated. If nitrogen contributions from these systems are undercounted, forecasts for climate change, agriculture, and pollution risks may be off target.

鈥淭his research will help improve environmental models and predictions by giving us a more complete picture of where nitrogen is coming from,鈥� Roley said. 鈥淥ften, a lack of nitrogen limits algae and plant growth, especially in coastal ecosystems. These global nitrogen fixation estimates can help us better understand algal growth in freshwater and coastal ecosystems, which are clearly producing more of their own nitrogen than we previously understood.鈥�

The research team was part of a Research Coordination Network called National Science Foundation. The team compiled 4,793 nitrogen fixation rate measurements from existing studies and synthesized the data during a workshop.

The research team compiled global nitrogen fixation data from water columns and sediments across hundreds of inland and coastal sites. Their analysis revealed that nitrogen fixation is widespread and varies widely by location, with some areas fixing orders of magnitude more nitrogen than others.

鈥淚ntegration of inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems with global nitrogen estimates has been lacking for several reasons,鈥� the authors write. 鈥淲e anticipate that this study will motivate future research to improve detection techniques, expand monitoring across underrepresented climate zones, and better understand what drives nitrogen fixation in these environments.鈥�

The study, titled , appears in the June 2025 issue of Science.

How are we going to meet the clean energy demands of the future? The Washington State University Tri-Cities Institute for Northwest Energy Futures (INEF) invites the community to learn the answer to this vital question at an open house and ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 4:30 鈥� 6 p.m.

The transition to clean energy is a complex, multi-stakeholder problem that INEF is positioned to tackle by coordinating and connecting WSU energy efforts and partners to innovate systems-level clean energy and carbon-neutral solutions. “The complexity of the energy ecosystem requires us to work beyond traditional boundaries and technical silos,鈥� says Noel Schulz, INEF’s inaugural director. 鈥淚NEF is excited to collaborate across the WSU system and with the state of Washington.鈥�

Schulz is joined by Assistant Director for Engineering and Environment, Yonas Demissie; Assistant Director for Agriculture, Extension and Outreach, Chad Kruger; and the new WSU Energy Program Director, Georgine Yorgey. 鈥淭hese talented leaders embody the multifaceted and comprehensive approach INEF is taking toward a clean energy future,鈥� said Schulz.

INEF has identified nearly 30 groups in the WSU system involved in energy-related efforts. Its goal is to connect these groups, along with policymakers, other researchers and stakeholders, with the ideas, expertise and analytics to create actionable solutions. In addition to growing these connections, INEF plans to leverage 午夜剧场鈥� ongoing educational activities and capabilities along with the Tri-Cities regional energy hub to develop the needed workforce.

The open house serves as an opportunity to further educate stakeholders and the community at large about how it will work as a connector, bringing various entities together to form the bigger solution.

Sandra Haynes, chancellor at 午夜剧场, spearheaded the institute in 2021 along with a $500,000 gift from the late Bob Ferguson, a visionary leader at the Hanford site and 午夜剧场 advocate. INEF was solidified in July 2023 after Gov. Inslee and the Washington Legislature approved funding to hire administrators, staff and faculty. 鈥淲e are so excited to have INEF up and running and in a space of its own. This has been a vision for so many of us and I am pleased to welcome the community to come see how we are responding to the big questions involved with moving from clean up to clean energy.鈥�

INEF is located at 2892 Pauling Ave., in Richland. The open house will feature brief remarks from WSU leadership and stakeholders, tours, interactive displays and networking opportunities. For those interested in attending, registration is requested by completing a

By Leslie Streeter

As announced last week, the from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to begin initial planning, permitting and analysis activities. Washington State University Tri-Cities will play a key role in this venture. Part of the award will be used to benefit local communities in Washington, Oregon, and Montana and address environmental justice issues.

Kate McAteer, vice chancellor of academic and student affairs at 午夜剧场 is leading Phase 1 planning of the Community Benefits Plan (CBP) portion of the project with support from the Consortium for Hydrogen and Renewably Generated E-Fuels (CHARGE) based out of WSU Everett, and the Office of Tribal Relations at WSU Pullman.

鈥溛缫咕绯� is located in the heart of clean energy efforts in the state. As a campus that serves a significant population of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, we are ready and I, personally, am thrilled to lead the PNWH2 Hub鈥檚 effort to advance job equity and energy justice not only locally, but throughout the Pacific Northwest,鈥� said McAteer.

The CBP will be informed and developed in consultation with local communities and tribes, with the goal of reducing potential impacts of the Hub鈥檚 efforts and maximizing local community benefits. The CBP aligns with the Federal听Justice 40 goals, an initiative to deliver at least 40% of the overall benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities.

The PNWH2 Hub has eight 鈥渘odes鈥�, or project sites, across three states, including one in Richland, Washington led by Atlas Agro听and several proposed projects in eastern Oregon.

The PNWH2 Hub project aims to establish the Pacific Northwest as a national benchmark for successful low-carbon intensity and economically viable green hydrogen production. As part of this project, the CBP will engage with communities to define and quantify benefits, avoid disproportionate burdens and closely track and ensure that benefits flow to disadvantaged communities. These benefits could include, but are not limited to, the creation of more than 10,000 quality jobs, reduced emissions and the development of STEM-based education and training programs from K-12 through college to ensure a pipeline of trained and qualified workers to build, then operate and maintain the Hub鈥檚 hydrogen projects.

, a multi-state nonprofit organization focused on creating a robust network of clean hydrogen suppliers and end-users in the Pacific Northwest听is sponsoring the project.

A new cross-campus course between Washington State University Pullman and 午夜剧场 is enabling history and architecture graduate students to bring rarely told stories about east Pasco鈥檚 racial history to life.

The spring 2024 course, Issues in Architecture (Architecture 542), examines infrastructural racism by studying how the built environment shapes communities in relationship with discrimination. After weeks of preparation in the classroom, 24 graduate students from WSU Pullman spent a day in the Tri-Cities learning the history of marginalized populations, meeting with community members, and learning about ongoing issues that have been ignored over time in east Pasco.

The course began as an idea proposed in 2022 by 午夜剧场 College of Arts and Sciences Professor Robert Franklin in partnership with WSU Pullman School of Design and Construction Professor Phil Gruen.

鈥淸This class] represents the strengths that we don鈥檛 always utilize as a land grant institution: the communities that our campuses are in and the 鈥榯own-gown鈥� relationships we have,鈥� said Franklin.

Franklin chose Pasco as the focus of the course partly due to his involvement听with the , a National Park Service-funded program that documents the history of the mid-Columbia region. East of US Highway 395, the city remains unofficially segregated between east and west, so students could easily examine the role that Pasco鈥檚 infrastructure has played in discrimination.

The historically marginalized area of east Pasco, initially reserved for non-white railroad workers and those who couldn鈥檛 find housing on the Hanford Site during WWII, faced neglect and discrimination, becoming a focal point of civil rights activism in the Tri-Cities. East Pasco remains the most disadvantaged area in the Tri-Cities, highlighted by the Justice 40 Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, with significant socioeconomic challenges, including high rates of unemployment and low educational attainment. This area continues to face underfunding and underdevelopment, perpetuating its reputation as a marginalized community.

The concepts learned in the classroom and on the trip were applied to semester-long projects. Each project is intended to bring east Pasco鈥檚 lesser-known histories to light and additional resources into a community that has suffered from disinvestment, neglect, and discrimination. Students worked collaboratively on one of four different projects:

• A digital walking tour of east Pasco, with drawings and maps that identify sites of historical and community significance.

• Historical essays for the Hanford History Project, highlighting marginalized people, places, and stories of east Pasco that were previously unresearched and untold.

• Design proposals, including digital renderings, plans, sections, and elevations, for new buildings and landscapes that address community needs in east Pasco.
• A story map, using geographic information systems (GIS) software, which places stories of significance in east Pasco within the broader history of the Tri-Cities region.

Alison Fellman, hailing from Kennewick, said that her perception of Pasco changed after participating in the tour. 鈥淲hen I’m asked where I’m from, I tend to just say 鈥榯he Tri-Cities.鈥� They have always felt inseparable to me鈥� On the tour, however, seeing Pasco through the eyes of my classmates and listening to Pasco natives made my memories as a Tri-Citian finally merge with how I understood this place as a history student.鈥� Fellman noted that objectively knowing that history exists in a place and seeing it are two different things.听 鈥淚 have a new appreciation for Pasco and the importance of telling its history; it is no longer just a proximal place,鈥� she said.

Before the study tour, Rae Hendricks, an architecture student originally from Richland, said she hadn鈥檛 connected the dots between the racial history of the Tri-Cities and modern architecture.

鈥淎s a future architecture professional, I hope to be the type of person who can eloquently speak about important topics that other people may be inclined to ignore due to their sensitive nature,鈥� she said.

The students conducted a virtual presentation on April 12 to allow the community to provide input on the progress of each project. Franklin explained that this maintained the course鈥檚 priority of a 鈥渂ottom-up鈥� approach of listening to and learning from the community, rather than a 鈥渢op-down鈥� approach where faculty dictate every measure of course content.

Course preparations and travel were funded primarily by the WSU Transformational Change Initiative-Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access (TCI-IDEA) grant Franklin and Gruen received last spring. Additional funding and support were provided by the WSU Center for Civic Engagement, the WSU School of Design and Construction, and ALSC Architects in Spokane.

At the completion of the course, the digital walking tour, essays, and story map will be unveiled on the National Park Service app and website for public use.

Students presented a range of research and course projects as part of the Washington State University Tri-Cities Showcase for Research and Creative Activities, on Wednesday.

The showcase gives students the opportunity to display and discuss the research and projects they have been working on and helps them practice skills they will use in their professional careers.

More than 45 projects were on display representing graduate and undergraduate students as well as the 午夜剧场 Clean Energy Ambassadors Network (CEAN) teams. 听CEAN incorporates student teams working with WSU faculty, industry mentors and their peers to research clean energy and climate related topics, potential impacts on disadvantaged populations and ways to share their findings with their community.

The following projects received awards:

• Best Capstone in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science
  Automated Toolbox Inventory Control System, Reem Osman, Steven Pixler, Caitlyn Powers, Navin Sabandith, Caleb Thomas

 

• Best Capstone in Mechanical or Civil Engineering
  Solar Powered Refrigeration System for Milk Transport, Josh Romero, Erick Martinez, Marcos Salas, Pascal Elsinghorst

 

• Best Creative Project
  The Cloud, Emily Sierra

 

• Best Undergraduate Project in Life, Biological, or Food Sciences
  Artificial light at night (ALAN) and bird-window collisions on the WSUTC campus, Nelly Pacheco

 

• Best Undergraduate Project in Physical, Computer, or Engineering Sciences
  Low-Power Cooling System Redesign, Jacob Getchell

 

• Best Graduate Project: (Tie)
  1. Effect of harvest time, alcohol concentration and maceration time on wine and grape phenolic composition and astringency perception – Juliana Pazos
  2. Comparison of Freeze-Killed versus Freeze-Dried Leaves for the Production of Frost Tainted Cabernet Sauvignon Wines – Mitchell Davey

 

CEAN Projects:

First Place – Flowing Forward: Innovations in Efficiency for Archimedes Screw Generators
Raul Aguilera-Vazquez, Edgar Bustamante-Angel, Leo Gomez & Noel Saldana
Industry Mentors: Gary Spanner, Adrianna Miller (1st Washington), Noel Schulz (WSU/PNNL)

Second Place – Clearing the Air: Exploring Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage in Eastern Washington
Student Ambassador Team: Sara Christensen, Elise Colson, Bailee Fehringer & Kalimae Mountain Industry Mentors: Todd Schaef (PNNL), David Heldebrant (PNNL), Jillian Cadwell (午夜剧场)

听Co-Third Place:

1. Powering the University, Empowering the Community: A Campus Microgrid for Renewable Energy Generation and Education
   Student Ambassador Team: Asmita Acharya, Laurren Nirider, Nur Syeda & Manuella Tossa, Dae Ya Wah
   Industry Mentors: Noel Schulz (WSU/PNNL)
2. Harnessing Energy Potential: Molten Salt
   Student Ambassador Team: Jordy Bautista, Jackie Figueroa, Rebecca Negrete-Ramos, Jose Vargas
   Industry Mentors: Tim Nies (Energy Northwest), Suh-Jane Lee (午夜剧场)

Judges for the Research and Creative projects included 午夜剧场 faculty and The CEAN posters were judged by the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the 午夜剧场 Entrepreneur in Residence/Innovation Lab.

Many project ideas come from local business partners such as Bechtel, and Washington River Protection Solutions who have problems they are attempting to solve or are looking for alternative or more cost-effective solutions. In some cases, the student鈥檚 work is adopted and implemented by the sponsoring company, giving students hands-on experience developing real-world solutions that make a difference.

By Seth Truscott

Collaborating with European scientists to develop ideas, fuels, and products that solve global environmental and energy challenges, Washington State University Professor Bin Yang is headed to Toulouse, France, as the newly announced recipient of the Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award.

The award will fuel Yang鈥檚 work alongside colleagues at the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, INSA Toulouse, expanding international partnerships for development of global decarbonization and biofuels and bioproducts production.

鈥淚 am grateful to the Fulbright Program for allowing me to expand on ideas and broaden ties between Washington state, the U.S., and France,鈥� said Yang, a professor at WSU鈥檚听. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great honor to work with European leaders in technology and sustainability at Toulouse and other partner institutions.鈥�

The six-month exchange begins in spring 2025 and builds on existing collaboration between Yang and scientists at Toulouse, part of the France鈥檚听听(滨狈厂础).

Working with European colleagues in the bioeconomy鈥攅conomic areas embracing technologies like biomass to produce fuels and chemicals鈥擸ang seeks to make advances in energy and sustainability while promoting WSU research to the international scientific community.

鈥淚nnovating together is the key to a better future for the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y ultimate goal is to develop a roadmap for the decarbonization of the bioeconomy between the United States and France, as well as the manufacture of products that serve the visions and goals of both countries.鈥�

Yang鈥檚 laboratory at听午夜剧场听focuses on development of renewable energy technologies, with an emphasis on production of biofuels and chemicals from cellulosic biomass: plant materials grown as crops or harvested as agricultural waste. He recently pioneered new pretreatment and manufacturing technologies to process biomass into jet fuel, bioplastics, carbon fiber, hydrogen carriers, and other bioproducts.

This is Yang鈥檚 second Fulbright Distinguished Chair award. In 2019, he traveled to Helsinki, Finland, as the first professor at WSU to be selected for the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Energy and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources Award.

鈥淏in Yang鈥檚 accomplishments have made him an international leader for development of the bioeconomy,鈥� said Jean Marie Fran莽ois, professor of industrial microbiology and bio-nanotechnology and Yang鈥檚 host at Federal University Toulouse. 鈥淩ecent awards recognize his pioneering contributions to the next generation biorefinery, sustainability, and green technologies that can overcome climate change. His upcoming visit is a great opportunity for students in our biochemical engineering and international master in bioeconomy programs and will significantly improve cooperation between our two institutions.鈥�

The Fulbright Program awards distinguished chairs to renowned scholars set apart by significant experience and extensive publications in their fields. Yang is the first professor at WSU to receive the Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award.

The most prestigious award offered by the Fulbright France bilateral program, this distinguished chair was created in 2005 to mark Senator J. William Fulbright鈥檚 centennial and Alexis de Tocqueville鈥檚 bicentennial. Funded by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Fulbright Program, it reinforces collaborative research between France and the United States on topics of major significance for the future of both societies.

鈥� Contact: Bin Yang, Professor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, (509) 372-7640,听bin.yang@wsu.edu

By Angela Sams

Charity Maosah鈥檚 passion for agriculture and food science stems from an inquisitive personality and a childhood spent on her family鈥檚 farm in Kenya.

鈥淢y interest in food science is influenced by my upbringing,鈥� said Maosah, who will graduate from Washington State University with a master鈥檚 degree in food science this fall.

鈥淓verything we ate came from our farm, and it made me wonder why others were buying food while we were eating what we grew,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 developed an interest in science and agriculture when I was very young.鈥�

As a child, Maosah pondered why certain foods are prepared in specific ways.

鈥淚 used to ask my parents a lot of questions,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wondered why we eat certain foods, and why we process some foods before eating them. My interest developed more as time went by.鈥�

That curiosity persisted through high school, where Maosah continued learning in her science and agriculture classes. At college, she was at first uncertain about what course of study to pursue, though she knew she wanted a degree that encompassed mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, and agriculture.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 when my sister suggested food science,鈥� Maosah said. 鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 heard of the subject before, but after taking some courses, I realized it was the right field for me.鈥�

She earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in food science and technology from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology in Nyeri, Kenya, then relocated to the U.S. to attend Youngstown State University in Ohio, receiving a master鈥檚 degree in biochemistry in May 2021.

Originally looking to begin a PhD that same year, Maosah applied to several universities. Her interest was piqued by the food chemistry research happening at WSU.

鈥淚 was reading about different WSU professors and came across Dr. Tom Collins,鈥� Maosah said. 鈥淭he first thing that popped up was grape and wine chemistry. At first, I didn鈥檛 know if his lab accepted food science students. But after interviewing with him, I knew I wanted to get involved.鈥�

Maosah is now a member of Collins鈥� lab in the听听on the 午夜剧场 campus. She studies how reverse osmosis, immobilized enzymes, and absorptive activated carbon can reduce smoke-related volatile phenols and phenol glycosides in wine, making the product palatable even after grapes have been affected by wildfire smoke.

In her role as a WSU research assistant, Maosah participates in grape smoke exposure trials and grape harvesting, helping create the research wines that her team uses.

Her work is especially important amid a changing climate and increase in wildfires.

鈥淚f this project is successful, we won鈥檛 have to worry so much about climate change鈥檚 impact on foods,鈥� Maosah said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l have a technique that helps solve the smoke issue in wine, and eventually other food industries affected by wildfires may be able to use the same techniques.鈥�

鈥淐harity鈥檚 work offers some real promise,鈥� added Collins,听. 鈥淚t looks at new ways to use reverse osmosis and other tools to diminish the impact of smoke exposure on wine quality.鈥�

Maosah was initially surprised by the complexities of grapes and wine.

鈥淏efore coming to WSU, I didn鈥檛 know much about them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e expanded my grape and wine chemistry knowledge by learning more about the complexity of the phenolics involved. There鈥檚 so much more to it than what you see on the shelf.鈥�

After graduating, Maosah plans to gain industry experience related to quality assurance, food safety, food toxicology, and food chemistry. She hopes to return to WSU to continue her study of grapes and wine while pursuing a food science doctorate.

鈥淚 feel prepared to go out into the industry, and I鈥檝e had a great experience at WSU,鈥� Maosah said. 鈥淚t has exposed me to a wide range of research skills including smoke exposure trials and design and the use of analytical tools. I am also greatly indebted to Dr. Collins for the opportunity to work with his research team. He is an excellent advisor, leader, friend, and mentor who is always ready to help.鈥�

Eventually, Maosah plans to make her way back home to begin a career in academia.

鈥淲hen I was first studying food science in Kenya, many people there were less informed about it as a career,鈥� Maosah said. 鈥淚 would like to return and give back by helping younger scientists.鈥�

By Lacey Desserault

A fellowship program is providing opportunities for computational engineering, math, and science students from across the Washington State University system to study and research in Sweden over a three-year span. Two students from 午夜剧场 were selected as part of this year鈥檚 cohort and will depart at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester.听听

The STARS.Se Program, or Student Training and Research Semester in Sweden, was formed out of a partnership between WSU and the US National Science Foundation鈥檚 International Research Experiences for Students initiative (IRES). The program allows students to become globally educated for international leadership in applied engineering and science computing. Selected students take classes and participate in research with advanced equipment at Link枚ping University (LiU) in Link枚ping, Sweden for one semester. The current research supports the international development of Boeing鈥檚 and Saab鈥檚 new T-7A Red Hawk training aircraft, designed as an advanced pilot training system for the US Air Force.听

听午夜剧场 students Christian Penick and Scarlett Reagan will join five students from other WSU campuses to study in Sweden this fall.听

鈥淚 decided to apply for the program because I knew it would strengthen my academic portfolio and I would enjoy exploring Sweden,鈥� said Penick. 鈥淚 always hear about students travelling abroad or coming to the US as exchange students, so I feel like being a part of this exchange program rounds out my college experience. I look forward to using the supercomputers to speed computations and learning how to model physical systems with software.鈥澨�听

The fellowship provides each student with $12,000, does not require them to pay tuition in Sweden, and allows each student to transfer credits back to WSU and graduate on time. The students from WSU will work collaboratively with students from LiU, who will also participate in an exchange semester at WSU.听

Prior participant testimonials expressed that this opportunity allowed them to travel the world and led them to making strong global engineering connections.听听

鈥淭he overarching objective of the STARS program is to contribute to educating diverse internationally minded students for leadership in globalized multicultural societies,鈥� said Joseph Iannelli, professor of mechanical engineering in the WSU School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 鈥淭he program offers $12,000 fellowships to remove financial barriers for students who long for international experiences. Based on their compelling applications, these brilliant computer science students look forward to studying and conducting research overseas and will become excellent ambassadors for 午夜剧场 in Sweden. Together with students from Vancouver and Pullman they will advance internationally the ideal of 鈥極ne WSU鈥�.鈥�听

By Leslie Streeter

Washington State University (WSU) Tri-Cities will team up with three universities to implement a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project to support minoritized women students in STEM through a co-mentoring network called WiSEN (Women in STEM Education Network).

Jillian Cadwell, research associate at 午夜剧场 will work alongside project leads from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and sub-awardees from Gonzaga University and University of Montana. The nearly $600,000 award from the NSF will be used to create a network model to connect women in STEM students.

“Research shows that mentoring is a successful and vital means to support and retain women in STEM fields,鈥� said Cadwell.

As a research associate in the WSU School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a member of the C-Y-F, an international, informal co-mentoring network for women faculty/researchers in academia, Cadwell knows the impact that mentoring can have on women in STEM.

鈥淭his could change the trajectory for institutions to improve equality in STEM and the way we are supporting women students,鈥� said Cadwell. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what is most exciting to me.鈥�

The shared vision for WiSEN is to support women in STEM majors by providing a platform for connections. The group aims to celebrate cultural wealth, shared leadership, career-connected mentoring and recovery from the impact of COVID disruptions.

To be eligible for WiSEN students must be enrolled as a part or full-time, undergraduate or graduate student; pursuing a field of study that falls under a STEM major; and self-identify as a 鈥渨oman鈥�.

A unique feature of the project is that each aspect will be designed and implemented by women with the same or similar minoritized backgrounds as the students. Cadwell and the other project leads are faculty researchers and mentors, and their backgrounds are inclusive of Afro-Caribbean, European American, and Asian immigrants, giving them particular insight into the challenges faced by minoritized women.

The WiSEN co-mentoring network strategy will be informed by research on innovative mentoring models alongside the experiences and expressed needs of culturally unique and experientially diverse undergraduate and graduate students (student fellows) across the four institutions. As the WiSEN model is piloted, research data gathered will help develop best practices for mentoring minoritized women in STEM. After the two-year pilot the team will seek additional funding to expand the program to more universities.

The WiSEN program will also collaborate with Million Women Mentors, for which Cadwell is the Washington state co-chair. The partnership will help expand access to a national network of students, faculty, and corporate partners and help increase STEM networks.

Each partner university will have a WiSEN group with eight spots available for women in STEM students. The WiSEN group on the 午夜剧场 campus currently has a waiting list.