Originally published through the Research Radar e-newsletter
on April 9, 2025.
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Letter from the VPR
Colleagues,
Last Friday, I visited the Spokane campus to meet with senior leadership, tour core facilities, and engage with faculty, research center directors, and the staff who maintain our facilities. I began my day at the Applied Science Laboratory (ASL), where researchers are working on an incredible range of projects, with applications spanning from national security to biomedical fields. Next, I visited the Sleep and Performance Research Center, where Lois James, the director, and Stephen James, one of the core researchers, gave me a tour of their facilities. This included a full sleep simulation lab used for sleep studies and separate labs featuring impressive simulation technology that evaluates the training and performance of military and law enforcement personnel under high-stress or fatigued conditions. Later, I met with Michael McDonell, director of the Promoting Research Initiatives in Substance Use and Mental Health (PRISM) Collaborative. The researchers at PRISM focus on developing, testing, and implementing interventions that improve the lives of individuals dealing with substance use disorders and mental health challenges, as well as supporting their communities. While I can’t list every meeting from the day, what stayed with me was a deep appreciation for how these researchers translate their work into real-world applications at various scales. Their commitment to public health is a core value of WSU’s research.
This visit came at a time of considerable uncertainty, sandwiched between two weeks of significant upheaval at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including large-scale employee layoffs, the closure of numerous programs and departments, and the ongoing termination of grant funding across the country. Several lawsuits have been filed against the federal government by universities, nonprofits, scientists, and others challenging the legality of these actions. Washington state has been involved in three lawsuits specifically related to federal research funding, including one filed on April 1 that addresses nearly $12 billion in cuts to public health initiatives. These cuts will significantly impact programs related to infectious diseases, substance abuse, and mental illness—all areas of strength and national reputation for WSU.
We are already feeling the effects. In the last ten days, WSU saw two grants suspended that were funded by the Washington Health Care Authority through HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). These suspensions essentially act as stop-work orders, meaning researchers are unable to continue any work related to their projects at this time. SAMHSA is one of the departments set to be consolidated as part of the ongoing HHS restructuring. Two NIH grants were fully terminated, and two CDC grants were partially terminated, all of which were related to COVID-19 research.
Just days after the initial Executive Orders rolled out in late January, the Office of Research launched a webpage with crucial information for the WSU community. Given the ongoing trajectory of these changes, last week we expanded and updated this resource from a single page to five pages, including a “by the numbers” page that will be updated regularly.
It’s difficult to reconcile what we’re witnessing with the fundamental values we uphold and enact in research and public service through our land-grant mission. I have struggled to make sense of this moment, but I’ve landed on a cautious optimism, buoyed by the researchers I meet who are continuing their work, organizing with their colleagues, and taking the necessary steps to support their students. There is discomfort in the ambiguity of it all, and a tension between the important work we know makes a difference and the uncertainty of how we will continue it. I don’t have all the answers, and I can’t predict exactly what will come next. But I do know this: the research we do at WSU is significant, it changes lives for the better, and it matters.
Kim Christen
Vice President for Research
Federal Updates
The Office of Research launches Revamped Federal Updates Website
In January, the Office of Research launched a new website designed to keep the WSU community informed of the significant and rapid changes to the legal and procedural landscape affecting researchers and the federal agencies that fund much of WSU’s research. In an effort to streamline information, the Office of Research has launched a revamped version of the Federal Updates website.
Research Happens Every Day
CougsGive 2025: A Day to Impact the Future!
On April 16, your donation can make a direct impact on groundbreaking research at WSU. With your support, we can advance innovations in fields like health, sustainability, and technology—research that has the power to change lives. Right now, the need for funding has never been greater, as we face new challenges that demand creative solutions and scientific progress.
Every gift fuels the work of brilliant minds and helps provide the resources they need to keep pushing boundaries. By giving to CougsGive, you’re supporting the researchers who are shaping tomorrow’s world. Let’s come together and make a difference! #CougsGive #SupportResearch #GoCougs
Upcoming Events
Water Research Center Webinar: Groundwater Detectability with Remote Sensing
Bring your lunch at noon, on Tuesday, April 15, and learn about water research in Washington state at the Water Research Center’s virtual lunchtime seminar series. Sasha Richey McLarty, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will share her research on seasonal groundwater dynamics in the Mid-Columbia Basin. The study helps quantify drawdown and rebound in the aquifer and may have implications for how remote sensing is used to evaluate regional groundwater trends. Results may be useful for decision makers focused on water use in the basin. This webinar is free but registration required. Learn more and register here.
Commercialization Gap Fund (CGF) Informational Workshop
Hosted by the Office of Commercialization (OC) with support from the Washington Research Foundation (WRF), the yearly competition aims to provide a funding avenue for researchers looking to bridge the “gap” between their research and commercialization. Through the Commercialization Gap Fund (CGF), you can receive up to $50,000 in awards to help turn your innovative ideas and inventions into viable market products. Join us for a CGF informational Zoom webinar at 2 p.m., on Friday, April 18. Register online. For more information, contact the Office of Commercialization by email or by phone at (509) 335-5526.
Calls for Proposals
Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Topical Funding Announcement
PCORI’s mission is to help people make informed healthcare decisions by supporting high integrity, evidence-based, patient-centered, research. This upcoming notice of funding announcement hopes to solicit proposals for high-quality, patient-centered clinical effectiveness research (CER), focused on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and that are within one of three Special Areas of Emphasis: Oral Health, Gastrointestinal Health, and Improving Care Delivery. Award funds up to $12,000,000. Deadline for Letter of Intent is5 p.m., ET, on Tuesday, May 13. For more information, please visit the program page.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants for Arts Projects (Limited)
NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) provides funding for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector. Funding levels vary and are between &10,000 and $100,000. Deadline for July cycle proposal submission (GAP 2) is at 11:59 p.m., ET, on Thursday, July 10. For more information, please visit the program page.
For Your Information
WSU Animal Care Program Awarded Continued Full AAALAC Accreditation
The WSU Animal Care and Use Program has achieved full AAALAC Accreditation for another three years. AAALAC International is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through a voluntary accreditation and assessment program. AAALAC accreditation demonstrates that our program is meeting the standards required by law and that we are taking extra steps to achieve excellence in our animal care and use program. WSU receives an AAALAC site visit every three years. This is the fourth consecutive cycle that WSU has received full AAALAC Accreditation!
AAALAC gave kudos to WSU in several areas, including a collegial and engaged IACUC, excellent lab member training and rodent surgery records, and strong institutional commitment towards program and facility improvements. WSU’s openness and hospitality were also greatly appreciated by the AAALAC site visitors.
Animal-based research and teaching is incredibly important for scientific advancement and learning. However, it requires a great deal of responsibility to ensure it is performed ethically with the highest level of humane care possible. We are incredibly proud of and thankful to our researchers, animal care technicians, veterinary staff, and IACUC members for their hard work and continued dedication to WSU’s Animal Care and Use Program. AAALAC accreditation would not have been possible without them.
Additional information about AAALAC and their accreditation program can be found online.