WSM Winter 2001

Winter 2001

Shanthi the elephant is due in December

AS YOU MIGHT WELL IMAGINE, artificially inseminating an elephant is a touchy business. But, says Janine Brown, artificial insemination (AI) is an important tool, because natural reproduction can be difficult for captive elephants. Bulls are dangerous to keep, there aren’t many of them around, and transporting the females to where the bulls are is both stressful and expensive.

Brown, who completed two degrees in animal science (’80 M.S., ’84 Ph.D.) at Washington State University, is the senior endocrinologist at the Smithsonian Institution National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. There, in late February 2000, she coordinated the successful artificial insemination (AI) of Shanthi, a 24-year-old … » More …

Winter 2001

Curing what ails you

IF GARY MEADOWS is right, popping Prozac will do more for you than relieve depression. Meadows’s preliminary data suggest that fluoxetine, the generic form of Prozac, inhibits the growth of melanoma tumors in mice.

The Prozac project began about two years ago in collaboration with neurophysiologist Tanja Obradovic, then at Washington State University. Obradovic and Meadows, who is Dorothy O. Kennedy distinguished professor and director of WSU’s Cancer Prevention and Research Center in Spokane, knew that melanoma cells not only make the neurotransmitter serotonin, but also have receptors for it. A receptor is a site on a cell that binds with substances such as … » More …

Winter 2001

Hot shot

“Nothing beats a hot shot crew. You are like the green berets, the special forces of fire. It’s a camaraderie like no other.”

WHEN CHRIS BOLZ came looking for summer work nine years ago, the fire boss took one look at the athletic 19-year-old and said, “Son, this is your lucky day.”

Bored out of his wits in Tonasket, Washington, Bolz had walked into the nearest Forest Service office at his father’s insistence. They said they could use him right away on a blaze in Wenatchee, so Bolz agreed to go. Then the fire boss reached into his pocket for a book of matches, and … » More …

Winter 2001

$3 million WSU scholarship program targets Washington high school seniors

HIGH-ACHIEVING Washington high school seniors who choose to enroll at Washington State University could share more than $3 million in scholarship awards under the University’s new Regents Scholars Program.

“The program aims to recognize outstanding seniors by acknowledging their accomplishments and offering them opportunities for significant support toward their education at WSU,” President V. Lane Rawlins said.

High school principals in the state received nomination forms for the Class of 2002 that had to be returned to WSU by September 15. Beginning in February, the principals will be asked to nominate members of the junior class—the Class of 2003—for the scholarship. Each principal can … » More …

Winter 2001

You want impact? Well, we’ve go impact

Since September, serendipitous Seattleites have been treated to a billboard campaign about the high quality of Washington State University’s programs and faculty. The billboards are part of a statewide advertising campaign that debuted last spring in newspapers from Seattle to Spokane. Showcasing the University’s faculty, staff, and students, the campaign is designed to appeal to high-achieving students and their parents. It demonstrates high-quality, intense learning opportunities between WSU faculty and students. In addition to newspaper ads, the campaign includes airport displays, radio and television spots—and, of course, billboards.

Through November, look for WSU’s “World Class. Face to Face” billboards at Denny Way and Wall Street, … » More …

Winter 2001

Two million volumes and counting

IN APRIL 2001 the WSU Libraries celebrated the acquisition of their two millionth volume. At a reception in the Owen Science and Engineering Library, botany and biology faculty, library faculty, and longtime friends gathered to thank Edith, Julia, and the late Adolph Hecht for this volume and many others.

Out of their love of plants and gardens, their appreciation of the importance of sharing information and knowledge, and their allegiance to WSU, Edith and Julia Hecht established the Hecht Family Fund for the Support of the Botanical Sciences prior to Adoph Hecht’s death in December 2000. Professor Hecht was with the WSU Department of Botany … » More …

Winter 2001

From the President: Quality and Reputation

I COMPLIMENT THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED in creating this new publication—Washington State Magazine. To me, it is an extension of the “World Class, Face to Face” spirit that pervades Washington State University today. I hope that our readers will learn more about things that are vital and interesting to them and that they will also come to better understand the depth and breadth of the University.

Washington State University has nearly 2,000 faculty with a vast range of interests and expertise. Together, they occupy and utilize millions of square feet of modern facilities equipped with the latest technologies and equipment. Our tenure standards are high, … » More …

Winter 2001

SR 26 Revealed

“The task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees.” —Arthur Schopenhauer

THERE ARE LANDSCAPES that move us and landscapes through which we simply move.

State Route 26 has always been considered one of the latter: a notoriously dull 133 miles between Vantage and Colfax that has for decades been the main transportation link between the West Side and Washington State University.

It’s the asphalt welcome mat for more than 10,000 WSU students who travel this highway between their homes in Western Washington and WSU, along with thousands … » More …

Winter 2001

Mariner Mania

“You kinda have to pinch yourself every day.” —Alex Wood

EVERYONE LOVES A WINNER. Home attendance at Seattle’s 47,116-seat Safeco Field exceeded three million in 2001. Baseball fans arrived early. They came to watch batting practice, seek player autographs, and purchase souvenirs.

Mariner victories came at a pace seldom seen in the history of America’s pastime. Fifteen wins in a row at one stretch. Into September, the Mariners hadn’t lost more than two games in succession. A new hero surfaced every game. Ichiro, Bell, Boone, Martinez, McLemore, Olerud, Cameron, Garcia, Sele, and Sasaki.

Baseball All-Americans Aaron Sele and John Olerud were Washington State University … » More …

Winter 2001

Investment Madness: How Psychology Affects Your Investing and What to Do About It

In Investment Madness: How Psychology Affects Your Investing…and What to Do About It, John R. Nofsinger (’88 Elect. Engr., ’96 Ph.D. Fin.) debunks the accepted wisdom that people make rational investment decisions. They don’t. The book lays out the psychological biases and emotions that often trip up investors, impair their decisions, and consequently jeopardize their wealth.

Unlike other books on finances, this one “focuses on the reader—the investor, rather than on the stock market and investment strategy,” says the Washington State University assistant professor of finance.

While investors blame financial analysts and overhyped stocks for the depressed state of many nest eggs following the recent … » More …