On Monday, October 5, Thomas Culver, legislative assistant to Senator Patty Murray, visited WSU Pullman as part of a statewide tour. Based in Washington, D.C., he covers energy, science, and environmental issues for the Senator. During his visit, he met with university leadership and researchers from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Water Research Center, and Nuclear Science Center.
As Mr. Culver noted, WSU researchers are developing solutions for problems that are increasingly part of regular conversations on Capitol Hill.
Dr. Anamika Dubey and Dr. Mani Venkatasubramanian from the Electrical Systems Innovation Center (ESIC) discussed their work with community and industry partners to improve grid planning, monitoring, and strategic interventions. Their work addresses growing pressures on electrical systems facing increased demand both in the United States and globally.
At the Water Research Center, Dr. Jon Yoder and Dr. Julie Padowski from the Water Research Center discussed several pressing water-related challenges. Topics included challenges associated with studying the impact of wildfires in watershed locations that contribute to community water supplies, utilizing AI to study consumptive water use for tree fruit and other essential crops, and water management in dams and the effect it has on multiple systems from energy to environment and fish.
The visit concluded with a visit to the Nuclear Science Center (NSC) where WSU Vice President for Research Kim Christen and NSC Director Corey Hines discussed WSU’s growth in nuclear science and engineering. The conversation highlighted WSU’s history, partnerships, and the growth made possible through significant federal investments championed by Senator Murray, including in the hot cell facility.
Dr. Christen highlighted that the TRIGA (Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics) reactor aligns closely with the university’s land-grant mission by supporting both cutting edge research and workforce development. WSU is one of the only universities that offer reactor operations training certificate programs to non-STEM students, helping produce job-ready graduates for a high-demand industry. WSU is developing a hot cell reactor training program that will enhance this capability, and offer hands-on training that almost no other university provides, and that is limited even in the state’s private sector.
No visit to Pullman would be complete without a stop at Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe. Mr. Culver noted that it was a rite of passage amongst congressional staffers to come home with a can of Cougar Gold.