Former Washington State University quarterback Luke Falk (’17 Soc. Sci.) was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week six times, started in 40 games, and set a WSU record with 27 wins. In 2017, his final season with Coug football, Falk won the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top former walk-on.
Falk shares the secrets to his college-ball success in his new book, The Mind Strength Playbook: Master Your Mind. Elevate Your Game. (2025, Maison Vero). It’s a self-development guide that underscores the need for athletes to train not only their bodies but their minds. But the lessons from Falk translate to anyone.
December 2025 was a wild month for weather across Washington.
An atmospheric river dumped historic amounts of rainfall on northwest Washington in early December, leading to flooding, landslides, and power outages.
A few days later, a windstorm swept across eastern Washington. Gusts of 83 miles per hour were recorded in Pullman, accompanied by an unusual winter thunderstorm.
In this episode, Josh Ward and Jon Contezac discuss significant weather events of 2025. They are field meteorologists for Washington State University’s AgWeatherNet.
The past year was the third hottest on record for the planet. It was the fourth hottest on record for the … » More …
When Gary Chastagner was a kid in the 1950s, his parents typically displayed their Christmas tree for about a week. The tree went up on December 24—often after he went to bed—and came down after New Year’s Day.
Now, consumers want fresh-cut trees that can be displayed for weeks without losing their needles. Chastagner, a professor emeritus of plant pathology at Washington State University, has spent more than 40 years helping Northwest Christmas tree growers improve their product. For his work, Chastagner earned the nickname “Dr. Christmas Tree.”
In this episode, Chastagner talks about working on solutions to Swiss needle cast disease in Douglas fir … » More …
Philip Meech and Caffè Lusso take people on a coffee journey around the world. A coffee roaster and entrepreneur for over 25 years, he wants coffee drinkers to slow down, taste the roasted beans, and enjoy the rich variety.
Courtesy Caffé Lusso
In this episode, Philip talks with Washington State Magazine editor Larry Clark about enjoying coffee, his lifelong love of coffee, the art and science of coffee roasting, and his journey from … » More …
Dawn Daniels was appointed as Washington State University’s police chief in August 2025. Daniels (’97 Soc. Stu.) shares her journey from WSU student to leading the university’s police department.
Over the years, she has served in various WSU roles including community policing officer, sergeant, and firearms instructor. With nearly three decades of service, she reflects on her career, her new role as police chief, the evolving role of campus policing, and her commitment to student success and community collaboration.
“I’ve always viewed policing as teaching—just in a different way,” Daniels says.
She talks with Washington State Magazine editor … » More …
Opioid misuse and overdoses are a serious public health crisis across Washington state and nationwide.
From 2019 to 2021, the annual number of opioid drug overdose deaths in the state nearly doubled. About 55 people in America die each day from an overdose of prescribed or illicit opioids, including fentanyl and heroin.
It’s crucial to get real information and education on opioid use to communities. Washington State University faculty and staff, including assistant professor Nicole Rodin at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, have teamed up with colleagues across Washington to get accurate and useful … » More …
For over 20 years, Dick Perez was the official artist of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, painting the game’s history and every Hall of Fame ballplayer—a project he continues into his 80s.
Marq Evans (Claydream, The Glamour & The Squalor) directed The Diamond King, a documentary that tells the fascinating story of Perez, the “Picasso of Baseball,” whose portraits transformed the commemoration of America’s most iconic pastime.
In this episode, Evans (’03 Busi.) talks with Washington … » More …
“It’s only rock n roll, but I like it,” is not really a good answer in Washington State University’s popular history of rock music class.
Hundreds of WSU students learn how to really dig into the tunes. They study how rock ‘n’ roll is tied into American society, history, and culture, by analyzing lyrics and music styles from over the decades.
A.J. Miller is the main instructor of the rock ‘n’ roll history class through the WSU School of Music. He talks with magazine associate editor Adriana Janovich about the class, why it matters, and what students get out of it.
Students, teachers, and schools learned a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of the challenges and opportunities were already there, just emphasized by the global health emergency, says Johnny Lupinacci, associate professor at the Washington State University College of Education.
Lupinacci teaches future teachers and education researchers, and he was a high school teacher himself. He points out how many ideas and issues within schools—like different learning styles and the digital divide—were already there. The pandemic brought them to the forefront.
In this episode of the Washington State Magazine podcast, Lupinacci talks with magazine editor Larry Clark about lessons learned during … » More …
Farming life and the essential work of producing food for the world has long been celebrated in art, literature, and essays.
Richard Scheuerman (’72 History) wrote three books that take a deep dive into art and books over a span of time and geography, from the Bible to modern literature.
In those three volumes—Hallowed Harvests, Harvest Hands, and Harvest Horizons—Scheuerman calls for all of us to keep farms and agrarian work top of mind. Our very existence depends on a part of our society, where our food comes from, that often gets forgotten or ignored.
He talked with Washington State Magazine editor … » More …
Courtesy Caffé Lusso
