Washington State Magazine

David Simon, creator of gritty urban HBO drama The Wire, received the William Julius Wilson Award for the Advancement of Social Justice in September 2011. The award is named after eminent Harvard sociologist and Washington State University alumnus William Julius Wilson ’66 PhD.When accepting the award at WSU, Simon spoke about building a just and equitable society, and the difficulties in achieving that goal.You can read more about Simon’s visit to campus in “The...
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An insect’s small size gives it the gift of relatively greater strength. The newly discovered South African cockroach Saltoblattella montistabularis takes advantage of this fact plus several other features, as Washington State University entomologist Carol Anelli describes here:This is very cool for several reasons.It is a wingless cockroach, described for the first time only two years ago, and the first existing roach known to jump. It achieves this feat with modified hind legs that possess ...
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Between the book Moneyball and the movie “Moneyball,” there was the 2010 Simpsons episode “MoneyBART,” which introduced 6 million or so people to the artist Banksy, who wrote the opening sequence. Less celebrated is the fact that the show introduced many people to the concept ...
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“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 around him,” says WSU baseball coach Bobo Brayton. “He led the world in everything.” On the rare occasion when Ole faltered a little on the mound, Bobo would visit the big lefthander with words of advice: “Remember you are John Olerud. There’s no one better.” He was named national College Player of the Year in 1988. —from More

If attention were a coin, it would be slipping through our fingers countless times a day. Here are a few simple tips to help you keep a grip. Do one thing at a time. Such advice is easy to ignore when you just want to check your phone while someone is talking to you. But it’s nearly impossible to pay attention to two things at once. “Even with pretty easy tasks” says Lisa Fournier, an associate professor of psychology at Washington State University whose research focuses on selec...
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Research lab works to ease life for elderly, others On-going research at Washington State University is exploring how homes can be built or retrofitted to make living a little bit easier. With the work of AI Lab Manager James Kusznir, doctoral student Aaron Crandall and other faculty and students, WSU's Smart Apartment is exploring the practical applications of how to help elderly people stay in their homes, and to create more efficient living spaces. From WSU News. Video by Matt Haugen...
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Pacific Northwest architect Jim Olson designs homes built for art. In this video he talks about early inspiration, the relationships between art and architecture, and the Northwest aesthetic. Read more about Olson, and the retrospective of his career at the Washington State University Museum of Art in "Homes for Art."...
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Coming soon: the Flourgirls story.Read more about the Unifine flour milling process in "The lost and found flourmill."...
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More than four decades ago, The Tassajara Bread Book opened up with the following epigram: “We need more cooks, not more cookbooks.” Now we have a lot more of both, plus video. Here are few of the latest gems of the genre....
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How quickly can you determine which expression most accurately describes the animated interaction below? (click the play button to start; rewind button to restart) ...
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