Washington State University Vancouver Press Releases

Local Artist, Suzy Kitman, Exhibits Series of Oil Paintings at WSU Vancouver

2009-11-06T14:39:00-08:00

CONTACTS:
• Erin Dengerink Madarang, WSU Vancouver, 360-546-9551, madarang@vancouver.wsu.edu
• Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Accomplished local artist Suzy Kitman is showing, "People in Landscape/Paintings," in the Engineering and Life Sciences building main-floor gallery at Washington State University Vancouver. This exhibit will run through Jan. 7. Kitman will be on hand to talk about her artwork and answer questions Nov. 14 from 2 - 4 p.m. in the gallery.

The series of oil paintings focus on portraits of people in natural settings. Using oils and traditional techniques, Kitman depicts modern people in un-modernized nature. Her work feels both contemporary and classical. Kitman gives equal weight to the people and the scenery around them in her paintings. The people she paints do not always look out at the viewer, so they are not a typical portrait.

Kitman says her work is meant to "challenge and explore …

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WSU Vancouver Honors Chief Warrant Officer, Niall Lyons

2009-11-04T17:08:00-08:00

CONTACT:

• Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Washington State University Vancouver held a flag-lowering and memorial ceremony to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Chief Warrant Officer Niall Lyons, 40, of Spokane, Wash. The ceremony was held today at 11 a.m. at the flag poles outside the Student Services Center.

Lyons died Oct. 26 supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He died of wounds suffered when the MH-47 helicopter he was aboard crashed in Darreh-ye Bum, Afghanistan.

Niall Lyons is brother to Sean Lyons, who works in the science department at WSU Vancouver. Staff, faculty and students attended the ceremony in support of Sean and his family. Sean characterized his brother as grounded in his love for God, family and friends.

"Coupled with the life Niall lived, was his equally strong commitment to his family and to this country which he defended. The characteristics that resonated with me were …

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Learn How Containing Ebola Can Impact Bio-Security and H1N1 Here in the U.S.

2009-11-02T17:41:01-08:00

CONTACTS:
• Barb Holder, Office of the Chancellor, 360-546-9580, barbrah@vancouver.wsu.edu
• Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Washington State University Vancouver will showcase one of its own at the Chancellor's Seminar Series on Friday, November 13 at 11:45 a.m. in the Firstenburg Student Commons. Barry Hewlett, professor of anthropology, will address "Containing Ebola Outbreaks: Lessons for Bio-Security and H1N1."

Hewlett has conducted research in central Africa since 1973, and was the first medical anthropologist to be invited by the World Health Organization to help control Ebola outbreaks. At the Chancellor's Seminar Series, Hewlett will discuss how Africans and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network at the World Health Organization respond to Ebola outbreaks. Hewlett says what we learn from containing Ebola may help us respond to a bioterrorist attack or outbreaks of new diseases such as H1N1 here in the U.S.

The Chancellor's Seminar Series …

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Spoken Word Artist, Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, Performs for Free at WSU Vancouver

2009-10-27T17:01:01-08:00

CONTACTS:
• Bola Majekobaje, Student Diversity, 360-546-9568, majekoba@vancouver.wsu.edu

• Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Washington State University Vancouver welcomes Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai to the stage Wednesday, November 4 at 6 p.m. in the Administration building, room 110. Tsai is a spoken-word artist who fights for cultural pride and survival through her work. This event is free and open to the public. Parking is available at parking meters or in the Blue Daily Pay lot for $3.

Tsai is a Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based, Chinese-Taiwanese-American, spoken-word artist. As a teenager, she developed a passion for spoken word at the birthplace of the international poetry slam movement-the Uptown Poetry Slam in Chicago. Over the last 10 years she has become one of the country's leading innovators of spoken-word poetry.

Tsai is a highly sought-after performer on the college circuit for her inciting, intimate and entertaining poetry. She has been …

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WSU Vancouver Recruits Businesses to Sales Competition and Career Fair

2009-10-26T19:37:00-08:00

CONTACTS:
• Charles Pickett, College of Business, 360-546-9169, charles_pickett@vancovuer.wsu.edu
• Alberto Sa Vinhas, College of Business, 360-546-9146, asavinhas@vancouver.wsu.edu
• Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Washington State University Vancouver's College of Business is accepting registrations from businesses interested in judging a professional sales competition or participating in a professional sales career fair. Both events will be held at WSU Vancouver on December 4 in the Firstenburg Student Commons. The sales competition will be held from 11:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. The career fair will be held from 2 - 5:30 p.m. Registration deadline for both events is Monday, Nov. 9.

WSU Vancouver students have participated in the National Collegiate Sales Competition for the past four years. The Cougar team from Vancouver brought home the NCSC championship in 2007. Corporate representatives will be judges in selecting the student team that will represent WSU Vancouver in the …

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WSU Alumni Give New Life to an Old House for a Cause

2009-10-26T17:21:00-08:00

CONTACT:

• Lea Pfau, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, 360-546-9600, events@vancouver.wsu.edu
• Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Even Butch rolled up his sleeves and grabbed a paint roller at Washington State University's first "Cougs in the Community" service project. More than 60 alumni and Merrill Contractors came together Saturday, Oct. 17 to paint the inside of the Swift House.

Swift House is one of 11 transitional houses in the Vancouver area owned by Second Step Housing, a local non-profit organization that provides safe, affordable housing for women and children who would otherwise be homeless. The house, home to four women and at least two children at all times, had not been painted in 25 years. Cougars of every age and from throughout the WSU system worked together to brighten the lives of the Swift House residents.

"Thanks to the generous sponsorships of Merrill …

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WSU Vancouver-Hosted Conference puts Columbia River History into Global Context

2009-10-26T16:24:00-08:00

CONTACTS:

• Donna Sinclair, Center for Columbia River History, info@ccrh.org or 360-258-3289.
• Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, news@vancouver.wsu.edu

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Explore the historical and cultural context of world dams at, "Reversing the Flow: Big Dams, Power and People in Global Perspective." This all-day conference will be held Saturday, Nov. 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the Washington State University Vancouver campus in the Administration building, room 110.

The conference will examine the history of 20th century dams in locations such as Ghana, India, China, Canada, Afghanistan and the Columbia River Basin. The conference and related events are free and open to the public. For a schedule of events and additional information please visit http://www.ccrh.org.

Dr. William Lang of Portland State University, and former Director of the Center for Columbia River History, will give the annual James B. Castles Endowment Lecture as a …

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Discover the Unspooky Side of Bats on Halloween at WSU Vancouver

2009-10-21T20:40:00-08:00

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Christine Portfors, associate professor of biology at Washington State University Vancouver, and Peter Ritson, instructor of chemistry at Clark College will give their seventh annual presentation on bats Oct. 31, from 2 - 4 p.m. in Administration building, room 110. The event is free and open to the public. It's an ideal activity for families with children 4 to 12 years old.

At a time of year when bats are often portrayed as blood-sucking, vicious animals, local families have an opportunity to see live bats up close, and learn why bats are largely misunderstood. In addition to teaching the visitors about bats, Portfors and Ritson will read a short story and lead the group in making bat crafts.

In the presentation, Portfors dispels popular folklore and teaches about the beneficial role bats play in nature managing insect pests, pollinating plants and dispersing seeds. She shows pictures of different bats, …

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Southwest Washington MESA Hosts Math and Science Day 2009 at WSU Vancouver

2009-10-21T13:37:00-08:00

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Southwest Washington MESA (Math, Engineering and Science Achievement) will hold its third annual Math and Science Day at Washington State University Vancouver on Friday, Oct. 30 from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. The event is designed to promote math and science literacy among middle-school students.

Math and Science Day partners with local businesses, academic institutions and community organizations to provide STEM- (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related exhibits, demonstrations and lab activities that are innovative, interactive and engaging for middle school students. The objective of the event is to help middle-school students connect math, engineering and science to their everyday lives, and help them envision themselves as future engineers and scientists.

More than 100 students from Jason Lee, Cascade and Hockinson middle schools are expected to participate in Math & Science Day 2009. Volunteers from the School of Engineering and Computer Science at WSU Vancouver, the Clark College math …

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Sync Social Media with Your Website for Better Business

2009-10-19T15:11:01-08:00

VANCOUVER, Wash. - The Digital Technology and Culture Program at Washington State University Vancouver and The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring two events on the topic of social media. Both will take place on the WSU Vancouver campus.

Dene Grigar, Ph.D., will talk about "Strategizing Social Media and Websites," on Friday, Oct. 23 from 8:30 -10 a.m. in the Firstenburg Student Commons. The cost is $15.

Grigar intends to help businesses understand the best way to strategize the company's message using a website, blog, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. As social media sites come into public consciousness, businesses that want to develop a presence need to learn how to coordinate communications between their websites and social media sites effectively.

Back by popular demand, The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and the DTC Program are offering a social media workshop. In this two-hour hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to use the …

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