WSM Summer 2002

Summer 2002

Forcing students to think critically

“Dr. McNamara wants you to take everything you know and figure out the solution on your own.” —Barbara Zawlocki

Rather than being “the expert” in the classroom, animal scientist John McNamara wants to shift that role to his students. Those in his non-ruminant nutrition course at Washington State University are expected to develop an “expert system” with computer program application. They must gather information in his and other classes, from the library, and on-line. Then they must put the material together in a logical system and teach it to someone else.

The students learn by creating their own data base of information and by sharing … » More …

Summer 2002

An English import invades Puget Sound

A classic case of good intention gone bad, English cordgrass (Spartina anglica) was introduced to Washington around 1962 to stabilize dikes and provide forage for cattle. The U.S. Department of Agriculture imported seeds from England, and a WSU extension agent planted the seeds near Stanwood in the Stillaguamish Estuary.

English cordgrass has since infested large areas around Stanwood, particularly Port Susan Bay, Skagit Bay, Admiralty Inlet, and Saratoga Passage. It has also spread, with disastrous environmental effect, to other parts of Puget Sound, including Camano Island, Whidbey Island, and the San Juan Islands.

Due to its tenacity, its rapid growth rate, and its ability to … » More …

Summer 2002

Washington sets a record for home sales

Thanks to affordable mortgage rates that offset economic uncertainty and job cutbacks, Washington’s resale housing market set a sales record in 2001, according to statistics released by the Washington Center for Real Estate Research (WCRER) at Washington State University.

“About 125,000 homes were sold last year, 5,000 more than in 1999, the previous record,” says Glenn Crellin, WCRER director. The median price for an existing home in Washington was $178,200 during the quarter, 0.5 percent higher than in 2000. King County had the highest median price ($260,000), Pacific County the lowest ($77,000).

The recession notwithstanding, slower increases in prices, low mortgage rates, and continued increases … » More …

Summer 2002

What does Pim-1 really do?

Although science has made much progress in understanding why cancer occurs—smoking, diet, environmental pollutants, viruses—the mechanisms of cancer are still elusive. Nancy Magnuson, of the School of Molecular Biosciences, has been studying an enigmatic gene called Pim-1 since 1988.

The questions I would most like to know the answers to are, “What is the normal function of the proto-oncogene called Pim-1, and how does Pim-1’s function contribute to the production of cancer?”

Although Pim-1 has long been known to be involved in cancer production, it has never been demonstrated how this occurs. Importantly, Pim-1 is only found in certain types of cells, and these are … » More …

Summer 2002

“Adapt, improvise, overcome”

“They know the war on terrorism won’t go away, even when we finish in Afghanistan.” —Lt. Col. James M. Zuba

A four-by-two-foot map of Asia is tacked to a wall of Army Lt. Col. James M. Zuba’s office. Forty-five blue dots designate locations in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia where his infantry unit spent 36 months from 1992 to 1995 searching for U.S. MIAs and POWs.

Earlier, he commanded rifle companies for seven months in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Now he is now completing his 18th year in the Army, and his first as professor and chair of military science at Washington State University. He … » More …

Summer 2002

Six join hall of fame

When opportunity knocked, they answered. Their athletic prowess overshadowed that of their peers. And their accomplishments have stood the test of time.

As a result, five men and one woman were inducted into the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame in March. Drew Bledsoe, John Chaplin, Jason Hanson, John Olerud, Bob Robertson, and Sarah Silvernail join 99 athletes, coaches, and administrators enshrined since the hall was created in 1978.

Here’s what Cougar colleagues have to say about the new honorees:

“When I made up the lineup, I always put Ole [John Olerud] in the third spot—where you want your best all-around player—and filled in … » More …

Summer 2002

Sex, food, and death

Remember that notorious scene from Alien? You know the one. But instead of just one alien organism bursting out of its host, picture hundreds, even thousands. That’s what happens when Copidosoma floridanum wasps mature, says Laura Corley, assistant professor of entomology. Admittedly, the bursting out is a bit less dramatic than in the movie, for the wasps’ caterpillar host is nothing but a dried out husk when they exit.

Corley studies C. floridanum because of its “fascinating biology.” Female C. floridanum lay up to 40 individual eggs, and each of those eggs develops into between 900 and 3,000 offspring. The offspring of any one egg … » More …

Summer 2002

Future teachers of color

The gap between minority teachers—about 6 percent—and minority school children—about 24 percent—is widening in Washington. As part of a move to remedy this situation, 176 high school and community college students attended the College of Education’s Future Teachers of Color conference at Washington State University in mid-February.

The conference has become very popular statewide, says Johnny Jones, the college’s director of recruitment and retention and coordinator of the program. The program has a waiting list of 120 students.

Since the FTOC program was created at WSU in 1994, undergraduate enrollment in the college has increased from five to more than 100. Fifteen FTOC graduates are … » More …

Summer 2002

“You can’t just keep sweeping this stuff under the rug”

Washington State University’s 15th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration brought hundreds out to Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum in mid-January, despite a blizzard. Those who braved the storm were rewarded with an inspirational program of music, film, special recognitions, and a speech by Alabama civil rights lawyer Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Dees has won dozens of important legal victories against hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, White Aryan Resistance, and most recently, the Aryan Nations in Idaho.

In September 2000, a jury of 12 Idahoans found The Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler, along with several other members, liable … » More …

Summer 2002

Sure pigs play. But what does it mean?

“They spin around, twirl, and take a big leap in the air … ,” says Ruth Newberry. “They zigzag a bit … jump up and down, and then flop.”

A dramatic new figure skating routine? No. Newberry is an animal scientist at Washington State University commenting on the behavior that she and colleagues observed in a study designed to learn the effects that early play experience has on the behavior of piglets after they are weaned from their mothers. In broader context, the study is part of a worldwide effort to figure out the function of play in mammals.

One hypothesis, says Newberry, is that … » More …