Research News

Connell High School science teacher Katy Andrewjeski spent the summer at the Washington State University Tri-Cities Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory researching how agricultural waste like corn stover and wheat straw can be converted into bioplastics and biofertilizers. Mentored by Professor Bin Yang through the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s Partners in Science program, she tested enzyme pre-treatments that break plant material into fermentable sugars used to produce PHA polymers. She plans to bring the research into her classroom and return next summer to complete the two-year collaboration.

Three Washington State University faculty members, David Makin, Radha Nandagopal and Praveen Sekhar, received the Governor’s Outstanding Leadership Award for work in public safety research, sensor engineering and medical education. Makin leads the Washington State Data Exchange for Public Safety, while Sekhar develops sensor technologies and has published more than 90 peer-reviewed papers. The faculty were among 26 recipients statewide honored at a luncheon with the governor in Olympia.

Washington State University researchers led by Mary Paine of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences received a $7.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to study kratom, chronic pain and sleep. The project pairs mouse model studies with a human sleep study in people with chronic low back pain, involving the University of Arizona and University of North Carolina Greensboro. Findings could inform future clinical trials of kratom, which is marketed as an opioid alternative but is not FDA-approved.

Washington State University researchers received a Best Paper Award at Embedded Systems Week (ESWEEK) 2026, recognizing their contributions to innovative research in embedded systems and computing.

WSU College of Veterinary Medicine researchers found a cellular pathway, triggered by the protein ISG15, that can be amplified to boost cells’ resistance to viruses like RSV. The host-directed approach could lead to new treatments for infections, cancer and neurological disorders.

WSU’s IREACH received a $2.7 million NIH grant to develop and test culturally tailored materials that support American Indian and Alaska Native participation in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia biomarker research. The work is led by Indigenous researchers in partnership with the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation.

A Washington State University study published in Urban Sustainability introduces a new method for measuring the socioeconomic fairness of where public facilities are located, using Spokane County as a case study. Built on 13 U.S. Census variables, the analysis found hospitals, parks and fire stations were largely placed both centrally and fairly, while undesirable sites such as the wastewater treatment plant and Superfund cleanup sites were closest to lower-education neighborhoods. City planners can repeat the analysis as demographics change.

WSU will lead the Feed the Future Animal Health Innovation Lab, a five-year initiative with an initial $9.6 million in federal funding and up to $40 million total. The lab will improve livestock health, genetics and feed in six African countries while expanding markets for U.S. agricultural technologies.

A Washington State University study suggests highly sensitive people do not react more strongly to physical conditions like heat, noise or air quality, but do respond more to social cues and perceived safety. Led by assistant professor of psychology Kim Meidenbauer and published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, the research analyzed more than 3,800 smartphone surveys from Chicago residents and found highly sensitive people felt more positive in safe, orderly and socially warm places.

A WSU study led by Courtney Meehan is the first to find that infants breastfed by mothers who use cannabis show evidence of exposure to volatile organic compounds, with levels rising after maternal cannabis use.

A Washington State University Vancouver study found that workers who fear artificial intelligence will make their occupation obsolete are more likely to morally disengage and engage in counterproductive workplace behavior. Led by psychology professor Tahira Probst and published in Occupational Health Science, the research surveyed workers across 18 industries and found the strongest effects in AI-exposed fields such as finance and insurance, offering guidance for employers adopting AI.

Washington State University researchers co-authored a call in Nature Food for a national Agriculture Cybersecurity Consortium of land-grant universities to protect U.S. farms and food systems from cyberattacks. Developed with input from more than 150 stakeholders, the proposal calls for five regional centers linked by a national hub to advance agricultural cybersecurity research, build testbeds and train the workforce as AI, autonomous equipment and connected farm technology spread.

A WSU geologist received NSF funding to study how carbonatite rocks form rare earth element deposits, starting at California’s Mountain Pass mine.

Three Washington State University undergraduates presented research at the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) conference in Paris showing that more and higher-quality petting of therapy dogs is linked to lower test anxiety in college students. Working in Professor Patricia Pendry’s Human Animal Interaction Lab in WSU CAHNRS, the students analyzed video of student-dog interactions alongside cortisol stress-hormone data. Pendry was also named an ISAZ fellow.

The partnership will support development of research needs aligned with specific industry and community priorities.

Washington State University plant virologists, working with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, confirmed that pepper necrotic spot virus, a thrips-transmitted pathogen first identified in Peru, has spread into Chile’s Arica region and is damaging pepper and tomato crops. Published in Plant Disease and led by WSU CAHNRS professor Hanu Pappu, the study underscores the importance of early detection and insect vector control in protecting fresh produce supplies.

Washington State University College of Nursing PhD student Kristy Ivicek Lanciotti has been named a 2026-2028 Jonas Scholar, one of 80 doctoral nursing students selected nationwide by Jonas Nursing and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Her research focuses on how public health and home-visiting nurses communicate environmental health risks, such as wildfire smoke and extreme heat, to pregnant people and their families. The two-year award provides funding, mentorship and leadership training to prepare future nursing faculty.

A Washington State University study of 27 years of data from 43 Alaska weather stations found that soils in permafrost regions are warming fastest, about 0.64°C per decade from 1997 to 2023. Published in Frontiers in Climate and led by WSU CAHNRS researcher Erin Oliver, the findings highlight risks from permafrost thaw, including carbon dioxide and methane release and damage to roads and buildings, and can help Alaska communities plan for climate change.

WSU researchers received a $40,000 grant to develop and test messages that encourage safe firearm storage among rural Washington families with adolescents.

A three-year Washington State University study in rural Tanzania found that community-led dog vaccination kept more dogs protected from rabies year-round, and at a lower cost per dog, than traditional annual campaigns. The approach cut the risk of losing herd immunity from 60% to 18% and offers a practical path to preventing human rabies deaths, which kill up to 160,000 people each year.