Washington State University botanist Michael Neff studies the way plants sense light and plants around them, and change their growth patterns accordingly. Plants use photoreceptors sensitive to far-red light to determine their proximity to other plants. These photoreceptors are different from infrared receptors used for photosynthesis.
“What I’ve been interested in forever is how plants use light as a source of information,” says Neff. “Plants have photoreceptors that are completely independent of photosynthesis and chloroplasts, that read their environment and say, ‘I am in full sunlight, I’m in the shade of … » More …
Native American artist Ric Gendron discusses his portrait of Sherman Alexie. The portrait appears in the Spring 2010 issue of Washington State Magazine, as part of the feature article “Desperately Seeking Sherman.”
Washington State University women’s rugby team members explain the basics of the game. In the 2008-09 season, the Cougs took third in the nation for Division II women’s rugby after going undefeated in league play and regionals.
Can trumpet players improve by changing the position of their feet and body? At Washington State University, honors student Leah Jordan and music professor David Turnbull measured trumpet students’ breathing and playing to analyze the difference a change of posture can make.
“Anyone who has taken music lessons has probably absorbed enough instructions about posture to feel like a raw recruit at basic training: Stand straight! Head up! Toes forward!
Leah Jordan, who is starting her senior year at Washington State University, says not to worry about forcing yourself into the “proper” position for playing an instrument. In fact, she says you’ll probably play better … » More …
Eugene Thrasher, a trained Washington State University Beach Watcher with more than a thousand volunteer hours under his belt, has been digging and eating clams in Washington for half a century. Thrasher is the guy to ask if you want to learn how to find and dig a clam.
Follow him through a clam dig at Penn Cove on Whidbey Island, and then learn about types of clams found in Washington. Finish up with a dose of Northwest icon Ivar Haglund singing “Acres of Clams.”
A video of a model Power Augmented Ram Vehicle (PARV), a fast boat designed and built by Konstantin Matveev, an assistant professor in Washington State University’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and mechanical engineering students Zach Malhiot ’07, Ryan Soderlund ’08, and Alex Ockfen ’07 B.S., ’08 M.S.
The fast boat is intended for transporting cargo and people on land, water, and especially snow.
View an exclusive slide show of Michael’s paintings and to listen to him talk about the way he uses mathematical concepts in his work. Photos of Michael are by Matt Hagen. Photos of the paintings are by Frank Huster.
View an exclusive slide show about printed ephemera and to hear Trevor Bond of WSU’s Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections talk about his experience working with English chapbooks. Photos are by Trevor Bond.
President V. Lane Rawlins has announced his intention to retire from Washington State University. WSU’s ninth president says he will serve through the next academic year. He plans to spend his remaining time as president focusing on legislative issues, continuing to improve the quality of education at WSU, and moving forward on the WSU Foundation’s fundraising efforts.
Video produced by Hannelore Sudermann for Washington State Magazine