Awards and honors presented to Individuals
Associated with the Department of VCAPP

Faculty/Staff/Student Successes (newest at top)

Heidi Keen, graduate student in the lab of Ruth Newberry, has been selected to receive $1,200 from the NRCEF Foundation.  Funding will begin during the Summer of 2010. (6/10)

Brian Lee has been awarded an F31 Fellowship ($41,380 per year), which will run from July 2010 through June 2013. (6/10)

Steven Ford was given a Regional American Heart Fellowship in the amount of $45,544 to support his on-going research.  The award will be paid over two years (7/2010 to 6/2013) (6/10)

Congratulations to undergraduate Neuroscience majors Derick En'Wezoh, Audrey Jensen and Alan Emanuel for winning the Campus Involvement, Community Service, and Visual/Performing Arts Big Ten Senior Awards for 2010. (5/10)

Path Program benefits listed (video)  (6/10)

Dr. Jay Wright, Professor of Psychology and long-time colleague of VCAPP faculty members has been awarded the Regents Professor designation (4/2010).

Sorg Research featured nationally  (4/10)

Rebecca Morton has been promoted (4/10)

Jansen bear research featured on WSU Today Online. (3/10)

David Rector has been promoted to Full Professor, and Dr. WenJi Dong received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. (2/10)

Spokane Sleep Center featured in Spokane News. (2/10)

Dr. James Krueger was given the highest possible Faculty Honor by being selected to receive the Eminent Faculty Award. (2/10)

Dr. Barb Sorg was selected for outstanding mentorship.  This is an award that goes to faculty members nominated by their students.  (see middle of linked page for details.)  Interviews with BBC on her research can be seen here.

Alan Emanuel, a senior in the Neuroscience Program, has won a prestigious NSF Graduate Fellowship and will be attending Harvard in the fall of 2010 to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience.

Steven Ford, Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Murali Chandra's lab, has once again been selected to receive the NASA Space Grant Fellowship in Science and Engineering. The $2,500 award is in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements and is intended to facilitate his continued success in research at WSU. (2/11/2010)

Fan Liao, graduate student in VCAPP and the Neuroscience Program, presented her final defense seminar "Cortical Invovlement of GHRH-GHRHR in Sleep Regulation," January 21.  Her committee chair/mentor is Dr. James Krueger. (Photo left: the new Dr. Liao and mentor, James Krueger.) (1/10)

Adam Lesiak graduate student in VCAPP and the Neuroscience Program, (faculty mentor, Dr. Gary Wayman) passed his preliminary PhD defense January 12, 2010. The topic was "Regulation of the Neuronal Actin Cytoskeleton in the Formation of Dendritic Spines: Possible Defects Underlying Depression. (1/10)

Awards prior to 2010:
Congrats to Gianne Souza who received a (November) 2009 Auvil Scholar Award.  She is completing her Honors Thesis on influenza H1N1 virus and the influence that immunization has on viral localization in the brain.

Congratulations to Neuroscience students Alan Emanuel and Eddie Rooney.  These students were awarded the 2009 Auvil Scholar Awards.  The Office of Undergraduate Research selected 22 students to receive the $1,000 scholarship award, which is to help fund their research. (November 9, 2009)

Brian Lee, graduate student in VCAPP and the Neuroscience Program, successfully passed his preliminary defense titled "Neurocircuitry Plasticity after Cocaine Exposure".  His defense was Monday, November 3, 2009, and his committee co-chairs are Drs. Barb Sorg and Yan Dong, both of VCAPP.

Ranganath Mamidi, graduate student in VCAPP and the Veterinary Science Program, successfully passed his preliminary defense titled "Role of the N-terminal Domain of Troponin T in Cardiac Muscle Contractile Activation" on October 16, 2009.  His committee chair is Dr. Murali Chandra of VCAPP.

Steven Ford, graduate student in VCAPP and the Neuroscience Program, successfully passed his preliminary defense titled "Role of Interacitons Between Helical Regions of Troponin T and Troponin I in Regulating Cardiac Myofilament Activation on October 13, 2009.  His committee chair is Dr. Murali Chandra.

Jeanne Jensen and Stewart Bohnet both achieved their silver anniversary at WSU this year (2009).  Each was made a Quarter Century club member and were honored with gifts to commemorate the event.

Bea O'Neill was awarded her 20-year service award, and Becky Morton and Thu Dinh each earned a 25-year award. (2008)

Fellows of the American Association for Advancement of Science
Dr. Bryan K Slinker (former VCAPP Chair and acting Dean of the CVM) is among 486 individuals nationwide to be named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this year "because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications (December 2008).

Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award
Dr. Sue Ritter, professor in the Department of VCAPP, has been named the winner of the annual Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Research, Scholarship and Arts.  She was honored at the University Showcase banquet on March 27, 2009.

Governor Selects Neuroscience Student as Regent:
Washington State's Governor Gregoire has appointed Derick En'Wezoh of Pullman to the 2008-2009 Student Regent post for Washington State University. His appointment as student regent was effective July 8, 2008 and will end June 30, 2009. En’Wezoh is a student in the College of Veterinary Medicine, majoring in neuroscience with a pre-med emphasis. He will be a junior during the 2008–09 academic year. He was a member of DECA and the National Honor Society while in high school. At WSU, he served as Associated Students of Washington State University senator in his sophomore year and volunteers with several organizations, including Relay for Life, the American Red Cross and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. He is also a volunteer with senior citizen organizations in Pullman. The board of regents serves as the governing body for Washington State University. Student regents serve a one-year term.

Mentor Award
Becky Morton was the winner of the AP Mentor of the Year award given in 2008 as part of the Women in Leadership Forum (see related information). Also nominated (from VCAPP) were Sandi Brabb (AP), Pam Colbert (AP), and Barbara Sorg (Faculty).  Congratulations to all of these selfless mentors.