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Longtime WSU professor and distinguished poet and novelist Alex Kuo died June 11, 2025. He was 86. Kuo was born in Bosto...
09/16/2025

Longtime WSU professor and distinguished poet and novelist Alex Kuo died June 11, 2025. He was 86.

Kuo was born in Boston, where his parents were working on research fellowships. At nine months old, he traveled to his parents’ native China, surviving World War II in Chongqing and Shanghai. He left for Hong Kong in 1947.

At 17, he returned to the US, where he finished high school and college, and earned a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

He was vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Colorado and held positions in Illinois, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, and South Dakota before coming to WSU in 1979. He taught at WSU for 33 years, chaired the new department of comparative American cultures, now American studies, and, in 2001, served as the university’s first writer-in-residence.

In 2002, he won the American Book Award for "Lipstick and Other Stories" (2002, Soho Press).

Share your memories of Kuo with us at [email protected].

Wildland firefighters spend their summers steeped in woodsmoke.Whether they’re working a 16-hour shift or sleeping in a ...
09/15/2025

Wildland firefighters spend their summers steeped in woodsmoke.

Whether they’re working a 16-hour shift or sleeping in a tent at a fire camp, breathing smoky air is an occupational hazard linked to increased risk of lung cancer, leukemia, and other serious health problems.

To measure woodsmoke exposure, a Washington State University– led team has developed a low-cost, self-administered test for firefighters. It could be a game changer not only for the thousands of people who fight wildfires each year but others exposed to chronic smoke conditions or high doses over a short period of time.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2025/08/07/a-personal-smoke-detector/

People often ask David James what they can do to help monarch butterflies. “Plant milkweed,” is his response.Milkweed is...
09/09/2025

People often ask David James what they can do to help monarch butterflies. “Plant milkweed,” is his response.

Milkweed is a keystone plant, says James, associate professor of entomology at Washington State University who works at the Prosser Irrigated Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

“It’s not just monarchs you are helping by planting it, it’s pollinators generally,” he says. “Bees love it, but so do ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and other beneficial insects. We encourage farmers to leave patches of milkweed near their crops for biological pest control.”

https://magazine.wsu.edu/web-extra/milkweed-for-monarchs/

Butterflies outnumber people in tiny Elkton, Oregon, which hosts one of the region’s largest conservation efforts for we...
09/09/2025

Butterflies outnumber people in tiny Elkton, Oregon, which hosts one of the region’s largest conservation efforts for western monarch populations.

Each year, volunteers in Elkton⁠—population 200⁠—raise, tag, and release hundreds of monarchs. About 5,000 people visit the city southwest of Eugene annually to see the charismatic orange butterflies and learn more about their life cycle, migration, and habitat needs.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2025/08/07/launching-butterflies/

Volunteers with Washington State University Clallam County Extension’s Farm Gleaning Program harvest excess produce from...
09/09/2025

Volunteers with Washington State University Clallam County Extension’s Farm Gleaning Program harvest excess produce from fields or orchards, with crops going directly to the Port Angeles Food Bank.

But, says Clea Rome, director of Clallam County Extension, “There are only so many raw apples that can be distributed. Applesauce,” she notes, “might be easier to consume, especially for elderly clients who might have difficulty digesting raw fruit.” Plus, she says, “Clients don’t always have access to kitchen equipment for chopping and cooking, not to mention the time it takes to cook a meal.”

A new processing kitchen is boosting the food bank’s ability to handle large amounts of fruit and produce, transforming ingredients into soups, salads, and sides, or minimally processed ingredients that are easier for clients to use.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2025/08/07/whats-cookin-2/

More than 100 Whidbey Island households recently switched to heat pumps through the Kicking Gas campaign. The grassroots...
09/08/2025

More than 100 Whidbey Island households recently switched to heat pumps through the Kicking Gas campaign. The grassroots effort is using $1 million in state grant funds awarded through Washington State University Extension’s Energy Program to subsidize the cost of the heat pumps for income-qualifying households.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2025/08/07/really-pumped/

Most babies born with prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol show signs of withdrawal that can last weeks, even months. ...
09/08/2025

Most babies born with prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol show signs of withdrawal that can last weeks, even months. Crying, tremors, and trouble eating and sleeping are all common behaviors among these infants.

Tricia Hughes knew this as a nurse who worked in labor and delivery. She also knew it as a longtime foster parent who had held and comforted drug-dependent babies in her care.

Hughes brainstormed with doctors, social workers, and foster parents and the result was Maddie’s Place, one of two recovery nurseries in the state that provides withdrawal care to babies. It opened in Spokane in late 2022 and has served more than 125 babies since then.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2025/08/07/comforting-arms/

Homecoming 1953. The five candidates for homecoming queen arrive at the football game. From left to right are: Sue Thomp...
09/05/2025

Homecoming 1953. The five candidates for homecoming queen arrive at the football game. From left to right are: Sue Thompson, Donna Pring, Helen Dupree (who would be the Homecoming Queen), Carol Haas, and DeeDee Blackbourn. With special thanks to Washington State University Libraries Pullman.

Tailgating this weekend? Tell us about it! Share your with us at wsm@wsu.edu for a chance to be included in a story ...
09/05/2025

Tailgating this weekend? Tell us about it! Share your with us at [email protected] for a chance to be included in a story about Coug tailgating culture.

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