Statewide impact
Washington’s land-grant university delivers the benefits of its research to people throughout the state
WSU Pullman
WSU Pullman, located among the rolling hills and rich fields of eastern Washington’s Palouse region, is the University’s flagship campus.
Established as the state’s land-grant college in 1890, the Pullman campus is the foundation of the University’s Tier I research status. WSU has also given Pullman its identity as one of the nation’s quintessential college towns. Researchers in Pullman participate in the full range of the University’s statewide, nationwide, and global research activities.
WSU Spokane
WSU Spokane is the University’s Health Sciences Campus. In partnership with hospitals, industry, government, and other universities, researchers at WSU Spokane tackle some of the thorniest health challenges of our time.
WSU Spokane’s innovative medical education model focuses on increasing access to primary care physicians in underserved populations. Spokane’s medical and nursing students benefit from the University’s research in behavioral health and performance, novel therapeutic strategies, and disease onset and progression.
The new Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences Building, which houses the College of Pharmacy and newly established College of Medicine, provides facilities for advanced imaging, mass spectrometry, and genomics. It also provides space for future expansion of the University’s medical programs. A new WSU medical school is currently seeking accreditation.
WSU Tri-Cities
Research at WSU Tri-Cities focuses on three key areas: K-12 STEM education, wine science, and sustainable energy.
The GEAR UP program at WSU Tri-Cities reaches over 50 isolated rural schools, giving middle-school and high-school students and their families essential guidance on preparing for college. The University’s longstanding partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has helped WSU Tri-Cities researchers become national leaders in alternative fuels and cleaner energy sources.
A new wine science center was completed in 2015 on land donated by the Port of Benton. This world-class facility will be solely devoted to the challenges and opportunities faced by Pacific Northwest grape growers and winemakers.
WSU Vancouver
WSU Vancouver is the only four-year research university in southwest Washington. This urban research campus provides students of all ages with access to a strong education and opportunities to participate in innovative research mentored by WSU faculty.
With emphasis on applied and translational science and technology, leadership, and sustainability, WSU Vancouver researchers are making discoveries with impacts far outside the state. The topics being explored at WSU Vancouver are as varied as the hydrodynamics of mangrove swamps in the Mekong Delta, the management of conflict and revenge in the workplace, and the study of the hair cells of zebrafish for hearing loss prevention.
Research and extension centers
Four WSU research and extension centers spread the benefits of the University’s research across the state of Washington.
Agricultural research at these centers is supported largely by state and federal research grants and contracts—a public investment with enormous returns in land productivity, disease-resistant crops, and the conservation and safer use of chemical and water resources.
Mount Vernon Research and Extension Center
The Center takes advantage of the location’s unique mild, marine climate and rich alluvial soils for small-crop and weed research, looking for specific benefits for the local small and mid-sized farms in this area of rural–urban interface.
Puyallup Research and Extension Center
On 320 acres, the Center houses the University’s avian health and food safety laboratories and a plant and insect diagnostic lab.
Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC)
Located in Prosser, the Centeris a focal point for the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). Research here focuses on innovative developments in irrigated agriculture, which accounts for an estimated two-thirds of the agricultural production in the state.
Interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration are natural things at IAREC, where faculty and staff from seven WSU departments work on-site with USDA-ARS, WSDA, and EPA scientists.
Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center
Based in Wenatchee, the Center houses the F. L. Overley Laboratory (horticulture, plant physiology, soil sciences, entomology, and plant pathology) and the USDA Tree Fruit Research Laboratory, among other laboratories and facilities, on its 200 acres.
Located in most of the state’s counties, the offices’ areas of focus reflect local resources and community needs. The 8 main areas of focus include: