Originally published through the Research Radar e-newsletter
on March 26, 2025.
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Letter from the VPR
Colleagues,
Before starting my role as VPR, I knew I wanted to visit research labs and centers across our system to better my understanding of the breadth of our research. I also wanted to make direct connections with WSU researchers. While the first few months of my tenure has been focused on the federal transition, I made a conscious decision to reconnect with my planned activities—meeting with and learning from the researchers who drive WSU’s research enterprise.
I spent two days in the northwestern part of our state, visiting the Everett campus, the WSU Breadlab, and the Mount Vernon Northwestern Research & Extension Center (NWREC), where I met with faculty, staff, and students. At WSU Everett, I met groups of faculty and students whose proximity to each other on campus and to the community has helped forge relationships with industry and community partners around shared goals.
When I walked into the Breadlab on a Friday morning, greeted by the smells of scones baking, I knew the emphasis was going to be on forming relationships. Food brings people together. I was greeted by Janine Sanguine, the Outreach and Engagement Manager, and Steve Lyon, one of the plant breeders. As they took me on a tour of the lab, I saw shared baking spaces, the seed “closet” where hundreds of varieties are stored, and labs where a community of growers, local artisans, bakers and researchers all work side by side to produce grain varieties that are more nutritious and better for the soil. Indeed! The whole grain scones Janine sent home with me were incredible (and I ate all four!).
My final stop was at the NWREC. True to its extension mission, the center’s researchers are dedicated to working directly with farmers and growers to solve problems, improve productivity, and promote sustainable practices. Their collaborative approach has been developed over decades, forming deep connections with the local community. We toured the grounds, moving through greenhouses, labs, and fields.
At one stop, we encountered a vintage tractor. Its familiar look took me back to my childhood on my grandparents’ farm in Wisconsin, but with some notable differences. The 1958 International Farmall Cub had been retrofitted with an onboard Weed-It selective spray system, using color recognition software to distinguish between crops and weeds. Dan Gorton and Doug Jensen from the facilities team built the system and outfitted the tractor in collaboration with Chris Benedict, Whatcom County Extension Ag and natural resources professor, whose research focuses on blueberry and raspberry cropping systems. Chris had developed the system in response to the high costs of hand weeding faced by berry growers. This solution provides a more sustainable method for weed management, significantly reducing herbicide use and production costs. Chris’s research has shown notable reductions in herbicide usage for blueberries and raspberries—two key specialty crops in Washington state, which produces nearly 50% of the nation’s blueberries and 60% of red raspberries.
As I drove back to SeaTac airport, I couldn’t stop thinking about that tractor—old, yet new. Our researchers and the facilities staff in conjunction with the growers had taken something from the past and adapted it to the needs of the present, a vehicle for innovation. What struck me even more was the many collaborations along the way that transformed both the tractor and the production systems. For me, this is a keen example of how innovation happens, through those vital connections between researchers and communities that exemplify our land-grant mission. I needed the reminder that we can build the future we want not from whole cloth, but from the parts of the past that we value and that bring value to our communities.
Kim Christen
Vice President for Research
Federal Updates
Office of Research Creates Resource Listing Canceled or Paused Grants
To help faculty navigate the shifting status federal funding opportunities, the Office of Research has developed a list of grants currently known to be cancelled or paused for revisions available at: Updates to Federal Opportunities. The list will be updated frequently as information becomes available. If you know of any funding opportunities that have been canceled or paused that are not currently listed, please email the information to the Office of Research Advancement and Partnerships at or.orap.servicedesk@wsu.edu.
WSU Federal Funding Website
In recent weeks, there have been significant and rapid changes to the legal and procedural landscape affecting researchers and the federal agencies that fund much of WSU’s research. To keep our WSU community informed, we have created a dedicated web page with agency-specific updates and information.
Research Happens Every Day
Faculty in Focus Spotlight
We’re highlighting our faculty and their research in our monthly Q&A series. This month, we are excited to highlight the research of Kuen-Ren (Roland) Chen, associate professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at WSU Pullman. His current research focuses on innovating manufacturing technology to help improve healthcare safety, efficiency, and outcomes.
Upcoming Events
Leveraging the Power of Extension in Community-Engaged Research
Join us via Zoom from noon – 1 p.m., on Monday, March 31, to hear WSU Extension faculty members discuss best practices and ways to leverage your work across Washington state. WSU Extension translates research into practice to address local needs. This is done by conducting and applying research and knowledge in a way that is culturally appropriate and tailored to the unique needs of individuals and communities. If approached thoughtfully, Extension can be a valuable partner in conducting community-engaged research. Please RSVP here.
Office Hours with the Office of Research Advancement and Partnerships
On alternating Mondays and Thursdays at noon, come to the Office of Research conference room, Lighty 280, for some dedicated proposal writing time in a quiet space. Have questions for our development specialists? Come in-person or visit virtually by clicking the Zoom link on our website.
Calls for Proposals
Murdock Charitable Trust: Sciex 7500+ Seed Grant Call for Proposals
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has provided funding to sponsor a seed grant program for WSU faculty to conduct initial research using the Sciex 7500+ instrument. The goal of these seed grants is to help faculty explore how this instrument can enhance their research and support their efforts to secure additional funding for future use. Specifically, the grants are intended to assist new faculty investigators who have not yet used the Sciex 7500+ system, enabling them to launch new projects with this advanced technology. Deadline for submission is 5 p.m., on Friday, April 4. For more information, visit the program document or contact John Clarke j.clarke@wsu.edu or Ze Liu ze.liu@wsu.edu.
NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program
The National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) provides organizations with opportunities to acquire major instrumentation that supports research and research training goals. This is a limited submission, and you must complete the internal application by Thursday, May 29. Check out the full solicitation and the internal application.
For Your Information
Commercialization Spotlight: Tech 1778 – Plant-Based Compositions for the Protection of Plants from Cold Damage
With frost damage posing an ever-increasing threat to the horticulture eco-systems worldwide, a multi-disciplinary team of WSU inventors from chemical engineering, horticulture, mechanical and materials engineering, and biological systems engineering came together and developed a novel and effective solution.
To protect and commercialize this innovation, WSU filed patent applications for the U.S., Europe, China, Australia, and New Zealand. The U.S. patent has now been issued (U.S. Patent No. 11,122,751) and licensed. A notice of allowance to a patent was recently received for Australia, with the remaining applications under patent examination. WSU is also actively seeking licensing partners for the international markets.
Washington SBDC Celebrates SBDC Day on March 19, Highlighting the Impact of Small Business Support
The Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) joined a nationwide celebration of SBDC Day on March 19. The annual even recognizes the invaluable contributions of SBDC’s in helping small businesses start, grow, and thrive through expert advising and technical assistance.
Office of Commercialization Celebrates Three Women for Their Innovations During Women’s History Month
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we want to take a moment to highlight a powerful trend within WSU’s recent innovations. Three of our most financially successful projects from the Office of Commercialization have one thing in common: women playing significant roles in their development. These three technologies have produced a huge public impact – training thousands of pharmacists, producing one of the top 10 apple varietals in the U.S., and saving the lives of thousands of household pets through genetic screening. These contributions remind us of the incredible impact women continue to have in driving progress and shaping the future. Let’s recognize and celebrate the brilliance and dedication of the women who have helped propel us to success!
Cosmic Crisp: Kate Evans, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. Kate is one of two breeders to create Cosmic Crisp®, which is now in the top 10 for best-selling apple varieties in the U.S. Released from Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center (TFREC), Kate has been an amazing steward for this apple variety. Boasting a crisp, tart then sweet eating experience, this apple backs its standing as it is set to potentially climb from its number 10 position based on the volume of sales. Find it at your local grocer and give this apple of big dreams a try!
Pharmacy-based immunization administration by pharmacy technician credential: Kimberly McKiernan, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Kim developed a training course for pharmacy technicians that allows them to provide vaccine education and administer vaccines in a pharmacy setting. This proved to be extremely useful during the primary COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
MDR1 genetic testing in dogs and cats: Katrina Mealey, College of Veterinary Medicine. MDR1 is a genetic condition where cats and dogs who carry the mutation are at an increased risk of severe reactions to a number of commonly prescribed veterinary medicines. Here is a story about cats and here is one for dogs. WSU offers MDR1 testing.
SBA’s 2025 National Small Business Week Will Take Place May 4-10
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced its list of state and territory Small Business Persons of the Year ahead of this year’s National Small Business Week, which will take place May 4-10.