Washington State Magazine

08/06/2026

Artificial intelligence is shifting how robots learn and ushering in an era when robots will adapt quickly to new situations. https://magazine.wsu.edu/2026/08/04/ai-and-robotics-a-matter-of-trust/

08/05/2026

Letter from the Editor: The massive disruption of artificial intelligence and large language models causes a swath of understandable responses: skepticism, optimism, ambivalence, even some fear. For Washington State University, with its mission to serve the state, increasingly sophisticated AI might also provide more practical ways to help people and communities.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2026/08/04/ai-in-the-real-world/

08/05/2026

The Fall 2026 issue is out!

Here's how to access digital versions: https://magazine.wsu.edu/2026/08/04/digital-magazine-for-fall-2026/

08/05/2026

Cover reveal: Here's the cover image for our Fall 2026 issue.

08/03/2026

What does it take to be a tech CEO and what path leads a person there?

Sharon Lynch is CEO of Modus Create, a global consulting company that helps organizations modernize legacy systems, build digital products, and deploy AI‑driven solutions.

Sharon graduated from Washington State University’s management information systems program in the Carson College of Business, one of the first alums with an MIS degree. Sharon was also in the WSU Honors College and a university-wide sorority leader.

Washington State Magazine editor Larry Clark talks with Sharon about how her experiences at WSU led her to the tech industry.

She also discusses what it means to be a woman in a tech leadership role, giving back to WSU and students, and the importance of critical thinking in this time of rapid change with AI.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/833632/episodes/19527108-sharon-lynch-s-journey-to-tech-leadership

What does it take to be a tech CEO and what path leads a person there?Sharon Lynch is CEO of Modus Create, a global consulting company that helps organizations modernize legacy systems, build digital products, and deploy AI‑driven solutions.Sharon...

07/23/2026

American turned 250 this year. Here, Washington State Magazine recalls the country's 1976 bicentennial.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2026/04/24/wsu-spirit-of-76-at-the-bicentennial/

07/23/2026

Once A Coug, Always A Coug.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2026/04/24/in-memoriam-for-summer-2026/

07/23/2026

Margaret Viebrock’s Extension coursework has changed since she started working for Washington State University in 1970, but the mission of strengthening her community never has.

Believed to be WSU’s longest-serving employee, Viebrock, director of Chelan-Douglas County Extension, has helped educate fellow Washingtonians for over 55 years. She received university, national, and state awards for her length of service and impactful outreach last fall.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2026/04/24/margaret-viebrock/

07/23/2026

Kurt Beecher Dammeier (’82 Econ.) is the owner and head chef of Sugar Mountain, comprising luxury food brands and restaurants. The company produces award-winning Beecher’s Handmade Cheese and manages The Butcher’s Table, a Seattle steakhouse featuring his premium American wagyu beef brand, Mishima Reserve.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2026/04/24/kurt-beecher-dammeier/

07/23/2026

Catch up with your classmates with .

Jim Snyder (’87 Comm.) retired after 38 years in broadcast journalism. He had been a morning show anchor in Las Vegas since 1991. Eric Patrick (’89 Comm.) is president of Northwest Cherries and the Washington State Fruit Commission.

Sam (’97 Accounting) and Andy Largent (x’06), owners of the Seattle-based, golf-centric Flatstick Pub, are opening another location in Woodinville. The brothers opened their first location in Kirkland in 2014 and expanded across the Puget Sound region and to Bellingham and Spokane.

Alberto Preciado (’23 MBA) is finance director for the city of Davis, California.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2026/04/24/class-notes-for-summer-2026/