By Flynn Espe

More than 120 Washington State University Tri-Cities students presented their academic projects Wednesday at the annual Showcase for Research and Creative Activities. This year’s event brought together more than 65 solo and group projects spanning multiple majors and disciplines.

Across three campus buildings, students set up scientific posters and, in some cases, hands-on demonstrations of their work as they chatted and mingled with other students, faculty, and community guests.

Read or click here to jump to the end to view the winners and honorable mentions.

Solving energy problems near and far

Presenting from the first floor in Collaboration Hall, Hasan Cruz, student intern for Ģ������Ƶ’ , presented his research involving pumped storage hydropower as a partial solution to the problem of peak power grid demand.

“It’s a huge water battery that stores long-duration potential energy and then releases it when it is needed the most during peak hours of the grid,” Cruz said. “So the grid gets stressed and we need to meet demand, because people seem to forget that electricity is something that we need absolutely every second.”

He conducted his research under the mentorship of Ģ������Ƶ alumnae Danielle Young (’19 BS Civ Eng, ’21 MS Civ Eng), a project manager at Battelle. As a civil engineering major, Cruz says he was thrilled to discover the strong connection between his field of study and the energy industry.

“When I started my civil engineering major, I thought it was only construction,” Cruz said. “It turns out there’s so much more, and energy is one of those fields that I never thought would be possible.”

A few spots over, fellow INEF intern and biology major Zoe Pfeifer summarized her research into fusion technology. She noted that Washington state is a major hub for companies at the forefront of fusion machine design and development, and breakthrough discoveries may be closer than we think.

“We already have a lot of policy in place to help entice companies to come here,” Pfeifer said. “Even globally, there are 160 fusion facilities being worked on right now worldwide.”

In a separate showcase room, a group of students had a plastic model showing their proposed designs for a much different kind of energy problem: how to deal with heat waste from a small modular reactor on the surface of the moon. Those students — Kaamel Ahmed Sidiqi, Minh Vu, Sam Arthur, Jon-Luc Ritchie, Peyton Viera, and Stephanie Volatile — presented their mechanical engineering senior capstone project, in which they worked under the guidance of an industry sponsor at Framatome.

“As we’re getting closer to interplanetary travel, we’re looking into building habitats elsewhere in the solar system, specifically the moon or Mars, currently. They’re planning on using small modular reactors — around 100 kilowatts thermal, or so — to power these habitats,” Viera said. “The issue with that is you can only utilize so much energy from these reactors before it just becomes a byproduct.”

With a specific target in mind — safely dispersing 74 kilowatts of wasted heat into the moon’s vacuum-like environment — the group did a deep dive into whatever research they could find that would help get them started.

“Our sponsor had us look into NASA research papers, private industry papers, and university papers,” Volatile said. “I personally used a lot of the library sources that WSU gave us to point us into the private industries and try to get as much as we could.”

Eventually, the team settled on a folding-aluminum-panel radiator design that fit within the specifications for being deployed and assembled on the lunar surface.

“Same type of thing for a car — it has a radiator,” Ritchie said. “This is just a radiator for a nuclear reactor.”

Protecting online systems and spaces

Meanwhile, multiple students and teams were showcasing their research into methods and ideas for improving or addressing threats to online and computer systems.

Computer science majors Jaydon Larios and Tyler Jase Schab walked visitors through their development of a web platform that evaluates the vulnerability of a user’s password by simulating multiple cracking methods.

“The system processes each password through different hashing algorithms,” Larios said. “It estimates the actual time it would take to crack these passwords.”

It turns out, short and common passwords really do take mere seconds for would-be attackers to crack.

Nearby, Yozelyn Chavez and Luckie Devers talked about their approach to preventing leakage of personally identifiable information in large language models, or LLMs for short. They represented half of their capstone project team, which also included Gabriela Nicacio and Alan Valencia who were studying abroad in Sweden.

“Basically, if you’ve ever entered in your information, even just your first and last name, to an LLM, it can remember that,” Devers said, adding that anyone who has sent their resume to an AI chat bot will have likely used their email and phone number as well. “We want to remove that in the end, so nobody else can attack the LLM and get your information.”

Their solution was to train an LLC on a five-step prompt sanitization procedure meant to spot each instance of identifiable information included in a prompt and replace it with a fake substitute, while still preserving the quality of the LLM’s response. The LLM would then go through a background process of gradually unlearning the personally identifiable information completely, to protect against any future attacks.

“LLMs are getting super advanced, and AI is getting super advanced,” Devers said. “We need to eventually come up with these ideas that defend against it and help protect the consumers.”

Advancing the humanities, social sciences, and environment

Over in the Learning Commons area of the Consolidated Information Center, even more students presented on their research posters, including several projects in the humanities and social sciences. One recurring theme involved psychological studies on evolving attitudes toward artificial intelligence. Other groups presented on historical examinations of ethnic migration, the Hanford Site cleanup and its legacy, environmental science experiments, and much more.

Students Clarissa Garcia Arroyo, Grady Grasseth, Carola Garcia Mendez, Zachary Shortt, Jairo Villasenor, and Lori Wollerman Nelson reported on the results of their study on what birds are eating in local vineyards — and whether these winged neighbors are friends or foes to wine growers?

“It’s a little of both,” Villasenor, an environmental and ecosystem sciences major, concluded.

For his team’s five-week experiment, the group created fake grapes and worms from plasticine clay, which they distributed throughout the Ģ������Ƶ research vineyard. At the end of each week, from October to November, the group collected the scattered items and assessed each item for damage to determine if a bird had tried to eat it before repeating the process.

“We had clusters of grapes alone. We had clusters of grapes and worms together. And we also had worms just by themselves,” Villasenor said. “Birds ultimately preferred grapes by themselves, and they also preferred worms by themselves. They did not prefer when they were together.”

While the birds showed a stronger preference for grapes than worms in general, Villasenor said it might be because the quantity of plasticine grapes was also significantly higher.

Hydrogen Hogwash takes over East Building stairwell

Tucked away in a different corner of campus, an artist collective comprising 12 digital technology and culture (DTC) majors transformed a ground-level East Building stairwell area into a warm and vibing 24-hour pop-up exhibition dubbed “Ctrl + Alt + Create.” Each of the 12 artists, who went by the name Hydrogen Hogwash, contributed to the space with an interactive multimedia experience.

Sophia Valdez enticed visitors to sit and relax with a turntable, headphones, and selection of vinyl records. Claire Giles projected an animated vignette she’d pieced together from marked-up video taken during a spring break road trip.

Jo Pickard mounted his artwork to three panels of a makeshift wall set up at the base of the stairwell. His pieces included a framed collage of famous pop-culture heroes and a full-length mirror partially adorned with two emblematic superhero symbols — giving viewers a chance to see and reflect on their own inner hero. He also incorporated a scannable Spotify playlist of heroic tunes to set the mood.

“It’s really easy to be heroic when you’re a superhero,” Pickard said. “But being heroic is whatever you think. It’s like waving at somebody when they’re having a bad day, being nice to someone, helping where you don’t have to.”

The exhibit served as the DTC majors’ capstone project, which also involved the creation of a Hydrogen Hogwash zine featuring humorous and imaginative depictions of animals being transformed by radiation exposure. Copies of the zine were available to view at the exhibit as well.

“I have always been an artist to some degree my entire life, and just getting the chance to work with a team and put this together has been really gratifying,” Pickard said. “I feel like I’ve really come into my own since being here these last couple years.”

Awards and honors

The showcase concluded with a brief presentation of awards, voted on by a handful of faculty and industry guest judges.

Associate professor of mathematics and event organizer Ryan Learn stressed the importance of honoring the impressive scope and caliber of students’ scientific and artistic achievements.

“This is an opportunity to recognize all of the really great work that students are doing beyond the curriculum,” Learn said. “Some of these people are answering questions that have never been answered before, solving problems that have never been solved before.”

Prior to the main showcase poster presentations, event organizers welcomed a group of juniors from Delta High School who participated in some interactive activities. Many of the same student groups from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences also presented their senior caps during a separate SEAS Design EXPO event on Friday.

The showcase received funding from Battelle Foundation and Washington Research Foundation.

Here are the award winners by category.

Best Capstone in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science

Digital Control Educational Projects (DCEP)

Landon Johnson, Isaac Rheinschmidt, Jose Cisneros, David Hysjulien

Honorable Mentions:

Sustainable Aviation Fuel Analyzer, Daniel Chavez Edwin Quinonez Hunter Ufford Armando Becerra

A Holistic Approach to Protecting Personally Identifiable Information from Leakage in LLMs, Gabriela Nicacio, Luckie Devers, Alan Valencia, Yozelyn Chavez

Best Capstone in Mechanical or Civil Engineering

Design Improvements to Nuclear Pellet Sheet

Serena Posada, Kolby Tucker, Dean Macduff, Marvin Mendoza, Elysia Howlett, Melissa Vaca Ixta

Honorable Mention:

Preliminary Evaluation of Artificial Ground Freezing: Excavation & Shoring Multi-Criteria Alternative Analysis for Bechtel’s Waste Treatment Plant Site, Aliyana Avalos, Angel Cerna, Cynthia Carmona, Daniela Gonzalez-Sepulveda, Corben Kane, Kayla Konahap, Roy Leal, Abi Macduff, Juan Mendoza, Razan Osman, Luiz Saldana, Joseph Salim, Brianne Zehnder, Marina Zolotnyuk

Best Graduate Student Research Project

Drought Evolution in the Nile Basin: Characterizing Development and Recovery Phases and their Meteorological Drivers

Meklit Berihun Melesse

Best Undergraduate Research Project

Swelling behvior of NBR O-rings in neat hydrocarbons relevant to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Kaamel Ahmed Sidiqi

Best Course-Based Project in the Sciences

Ashen soils affect growth but not germination in Bluebunch Wheatgrass

Skylar Brustad, Caleb Deines, Carlos Renteria, Mark Tabangcura, Zachary Shortt, Lori Wollerman Nelson

Honorable Mentions:

Birds in Vineyards: Friends or Foes? Jairo Villasenor, Grady Grasseth, Carola Garcia Mendez, Clarissa Garcia Arroyo, Zachary Shortt, Lori Wollerman Nelson

Spider Size and Web Size in Orb Weaver Spiders, Justine Gutierrez, Camden Seavoy, Zachary Shortt, Lori Wollerman Nelson

Targeted Keylogging Through HID-Based Bas USB Attacks, Sebastian Gonzalez

Best Course-Based Project in Liberal Arts or Psychology

Behind the Silence: Oral Histories of Migration, Labor, Injustice, and Family Sacrifice

Belinda Contreras-Barajas, Litzy Renteria, Andre Mayoral

Best Institute for Northwest Energy Futures Project

Evaluating the Future of Nuclear Energy Through Small Modular Reactors in the Pacific Northwest

Parjot Pawar

Honorable Mention:

Benton County and the Tri-Cities Power Production and Industrial Expansions, Timothy Poole

By Flynn Espe

What do electronic quilts, fake sculpted dishes, and dried citrus fruits representing fractional math problems have in common? They’re all among the classroom-created works featured in a new Washington State University Tri-Cities art exhibit, one that explores an innovative teaching approach blending creative expression with traditional science and math curriculum — often referred to as STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) education.

The exhibit, “Art(Math + Science) = Creative Intersections,” opened April 15 at the Art Center gallery in the Consolidated Information Center. It showcases works by Ģ������Ƶ education majors and local middle school students.

Yichien Cooper, assistant professor of teaching and learning for the Ģ������Ƶ College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences and the exhibit’s lead curator, has incorporated STEAM practices into her teaching and research for more than a decade. She also .

With the exhibit, supported by the WSU Fall 2025 Arts & Humanities Process Grant, Cooper hopes to demonstrate how creativity and critical inquiry can help students connect more deeply with science-based subjects — and sometimes reconsider topics they may have written off.

“We all bump into students who are hesitant to embrace art because they don’t think they are good at art, or students who are hesitant about math because math just doesn’t speak to them,” Cooper said.

Many of the pieces originated from Cooper’s “Integrating Fine Arts into K-8 Curriculum” course, where students complete a series of reflective art projects grounded in research and data. In one displayed assignment on food and consumption, students researched a dish, recreated it in sculptured form using homemade dough, and designed a nutrition label based on their findings, with a breakdown of ingredients and a short description.

The description for a piece titled “Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Lettuce Turn Over a New Leaf,” by students Allie Ledezma and Taylor West, touts the benefits of using locally grown ingredients, which reduces carbon emissions resulting from long-distance transport. Another piece, titled “Killer Dog: The Dawg That Bites Back” by students Scotty Hunt and Ryan Jundt, recasts the traditional hot dog in vivid and unsettling form. Their description highlights several unsavory nutrition details, including a well-known study linking hot dog consumption to shortened lifespan.

“Each dish tells some sort of environmental awareness story that the student maybe never thought about before,” Cooper said. “And that’s what art is about. Art is making you think.”

Cooper is joined in the exhibit by colleagues Tyler Hansen, assistant professor of teaching and learning, and Ethan Smith, assistant professor of mathematics — both of whom incorporate elements of STEAM education into their teaching.

For his portion of the exhibit, Hansen included an electronic textile quilt created in his “Science Teaching Methods” course. For that project, each student contributed a square representing a significant moment or life experience. In addition to felt designs, students incorporated colored blinking lights, hand coded to a microcontroller device.

“In order to make any of this work, you have to know how circuits work and how to make a complete circuit,” Hansen said. “We used conductive thread, so it actually carries a current to all of these lights.”

Smith, meanwhile, showcased a classroom project in which he prompted students to rethink basic math concepts using pattern block cutouts, giving them creative license to create new shapes and visual imagery from a “budget” of 12 triangle pieces.

“If a triangle is worth one and you have 12 dollars, or units, to spend, can you make a shape that’s worth $12 overall?” Smith said. “You see lots of different ideas and explanations of their strategies. Some students like to start with just the big hexagon and get six out of the way. Others want to have lots of little shapes.”

Like his faculty colleagues, Smith said he hopes to inspire future teachers to find similar ways of injecting creativity into their K-12 classrooms.

“I think there are a lot of great teachers out there who are doing this,” Smith said.

Destiny Kuespert, a former student of both Cooper and Smith who graduated from Ģ������Ƶ with her elementary education degree last December, is one teacher who’s taking those lessons and ideas to heart. She contributed to the exhibit with a display of pieces made by sixth grade students at Richland’s Carmichael Middle School, where she taught during her practicum experience last fall. Those pieces were previously featured in two separate STEAM exhibitions at the and Richland Public Library.

For her classroom project, Kuespert’s students applied beads, dried fruits, and other crafting items to canvas as visual representations of fractional division. Kuespert said the students were free to decide the complexity of the math problem they wanted to solve, as long as they used one of two mathematical models to do it. Students who picked the number line method used sticks, strings, and beads, whereas students who chose the area or shape model used dried fruits to represent whole and fractional numbers. They also had to show their work in written form and reflect on their three-day project experience.

“You can read from some of their reflections how they felt. Some of them were saying, ‘This made me happy. I love doing art and math. Writing it out helped me understand it more,’” Kuespert said. “There were some that expressed, ‘I don’t like doing art,’ which is fine too. I was excited just to read all of their opinions.”

While traditional math and science curriculum exists for a reason, Cooper and her colleagues see art as an equally valid teaching method that can help preserve a student’s sense of wonder and curiosity.

“When I think back to early elementary school and math, I remember that being fun, joyful — creative activities. When I think towards middle and high school, math becomes more abstract. It becomes more pencil and paper,” Smith said. “I appreciated a lot of aspects of that, which makes sense where I ended up. But there’s no reason why that joy can’t sustain itself all the way through school.”

Kuespert echoed similar thoughts in describing the motivations behind her art-infused teaching projects.

“I wanted them to feel interested, because you see the worksheet so many times, it’s not interesting at all. You’re just thinking, ‘How fast can I get through it?’” Kuespert said. “I wanted them to see everything and feel intrigued. I think that’s the base of learning is you first have to be curious.”

Visitors to the exhibit can contribute to the gallery space as well through a series of self-guided creative math activities, also designed by the four collaborators and set up at multiple stations. The exhibit will be on display through the rest of 2026.

A new art exhibit at Washington State University Tri-Cities revisits a surprising moment in Washington state history, when Seattle artists rallied in support of a nuclear reactor once located at Hanford. The exhibit, Load the Reactor: A Study for the New Nuclear, opens Sept. 4 at the Art Center in the Consolidated Information Center on the Ģ������Ƶ campus and runs through Feb. 27, 2026.

The exhibit is inspired by a 1992 collaboration between artists and nuclear energy proponents, sparked by sculptor James Acord, who moved from Seattle to the Tri-Cities and immersed himself in Hanford’s nuclear community. Acord’s influence led a group of Seattle artists—calling themselves “YIMBYs” (Yes In My Backyard)—to advocate for the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), a prototype breeder reactor located at Hanford. Their campaign culminated in a series of performances called Load the Reactor at Seattle’s Fremont Fine Arts Foundry, which brought together artists, scientists and the public to discuss the future of nuclear energy.

“The idea of pro-nuclear Seattle artists might seem counterintuitive,” said Brian Freer, co-curator of the exhibit and research fellow at the Hanford History Project. “But the collaboration that unfolded was visionary—an early example of how artists can help shape conversations around energy, technology and policy.”

The exhibit features works by artists James L. Acord, Arthur S. Aubry, Warren Dykeman, Joe Feddersen, Etsuko Ichikawa, Paul Korsmo and Jay Needham. Through a range of multimedia installations, visitors are invited to explore themes including past, present and future reactor technologies, public engagement with nuclear energy, the role of artificial intelligence and data centers, and the evolving relationship between art and science.

A free public opening will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4 at Ģ������Ƶ in the Art Center and will feature talks by curator Rachel Allen of the Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC); Bruce Hevly, professor of history at the University of Washington; and Jay Needham, artist and professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

“On behalf of the Hanford History Project, we are thrilled to bring this exhibit to the Tri-Cities community,” Freer said. “My co-curator, Rock Hushka, and I are excited to showcase the intersection of nuclear history and artistic interpretation.”

Freer said additional programming will accompany the exhibit, including a roundtable discussion and community events focused on today’s energy challenges.

“Our goal is to create a forum for exploration, reflection and dialogue,” he said. “With renewed interest in nuclear energy driven by the need to decarbonize and power a growing digital economy, this exhibit invites the public to consider what a ‘new nuclear’ future might look like—and how art can help us get there.”

The exhibit is sponsored by the Ģ������Ƶ Hanford History Project.

Physical currency has been reimagined by students in two art classes at Washington State University Tri-Cities, who joined forces for a unique exhibit showcasing new designs for money. The designs are on display in the CIC building on the Ģ������Ƶ campus. ��

The two classes, Art 103: 3D art and design, and Art 332: digital art and design, were tasked with rethinking what the future of currency could look like by using skills they learned throughout the semester. Students from each class were divided into pairs and given the opportunity to design a bank note and coin pairing, as well as the monetary symbols used on each of them. The designs were first hand-drawn, then designed electronically. The bank notes were then printed on paper, while the coins were 3-D printed, then cast in aluminum through sand casting.����

Professors Marguerite Finch, who teaches 3D art and design, and Peter Christenson, who teaches digital art and design, developed the assignment to consider the history behind currency as one of the first versions of mass-produced art by the Greeks and Romans. With the advent of credit cards, physical currency is used less frequently, so the assignment required students to think creatively and collaboratively about the interpreted values of their end products.����

“I have always enjoyed collaborating with other instructors on assignments and appreciate this opportunity to work with Professor Christenson and his class,” said Finch. “Prompts like this give students an opportunity to creatively work through a problem and see visually how you can develop a concept in different ways, but that can still be unified as an end result.”��

Connor Mitchell, a student in the digital art and design class, appreciated working with one of his favorite professors while having creative freedom to consider the possible uses for his designed currency. “We decided to utilize aquatic elements in our designs as a way to create something that could be used in international trade. I enjoyed creating something that may not be the most practical, but is rather a fun and creative exercise.”��

The currencies will be displayed in CIC until the end of January.

By Lacey Desserault

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage month, Washington State University (WSU) Tri-Cities hosted a multi-dimensional series of events that highlighted the lives of Yakima Valley farmworkers from the 1960s and 70s and their fight for improved working and living conditions. Using photography, guest speakers, film, and writing the Ģ������Ƶ campus community and the greater Tri-Cities region had the opportunity to experience, appreciate and celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The events inspired connection, compassion, and understanding through shared memories and storytelling.

The centerpiece of the Hispanic Heritage month events was the exhibit, “Rooted: Irwin Nash Photographs of Yakima Valley Farmworkers”. Nash originally started taking the photos as part of a freelance magazine piece on Yakima Valley agriculture, but it turned into a deeper documentation of Chicano livelihood. Nash captured over 9,400 photographs between 1967 and 1976, which had been previously largely unknown, displayed scenes from the daily lives of the Yakima Valley farmworker community. The experiences, stories, and perspectives seen in the photos, inspired visitors to share their stories and help document previously undocumented histories.

“The scenes captured through these photos reminded us of the enduring determination that defines the farmworkers’ resilience. Capturing the essence of these resilient farmworkers from 1967 to 1976 created a bridge from the past to the present, where we now reflect on the sacrifices made and the dreams we pursue. Not only did they work in the soil of the fields, but they planted seeds of a better future,” said Haydee Guzman, program coordinator for the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership and the driving force behind the exhibit and events.

The Nash exhibit and series of events was powerful for the Ģ������Ƶ campus, which is the most diverse campus within the WSU system. Approximately 50% of students identify as people of color, with of the majority of those identifying as Hispanic.

“Bringing the Irwin Nash photograph collection to the Ģ������Ƶ campus created an opportunity for us to understand the community we are a part of, the history of our region and, for many of us who are Latino/a/x, to understand our roots. As an extension of the exhibit, we were able to host knowledgeable speakers to educate us, share personal stories, and inspire us to act in compassion and in justice for the predominantly Latino/a/x families who continue to do the toughest jobs that contribute greatly to our region and society,” said Laura Sanchez, director of student services.

In addition to the Nash exhibit, Ģ������Ƶ hosted speakers, films, and writing events that encouraged learning, conversation, and reflection about migrant farmworkers and their contributions to the region.

Speaker Series

Several community leaders who had connections to the photos in the Nash exhibit were invited to speak about migrant farmworker movements, culture, and experiences. These campus events allowed students, staff, faculty, and the community to share their personal experiences in relation to the photos, ask thought-provoking questions, and learn more about migrant farmworkers in the Yakima Valley.

At a community reception, WSU Regent Enrique Cerna shared his personal experiences growing up in a farming family. The reception also brought together several families whose relatives were photographed and displayed in the gallery, establishing personal connections with the art.

Human rights commissioner and lifelong labor activist Lupe Gamboa presented his efforts in labor movements across the Yakima Valley, and how those movements impacted the future of farm labor. He shared a glimpse into the hard work and dedication that the movements required for implementing positive change.

Superior court judge and farmworker labor lawyer Michael Fox spoke with students and staff about his experiences in protests and trials that fought for farmworker labor rights. His dedication to the cause was evident as he spoke about the struggles and successes he faced from a legal perspective.

Film

Two films were shown as an opportunity to provide context to the gallery of photos and help individuals feel comfortable asking questions and participating in conversations about migrant farmworkers and the labor movements.

The first film was a recording of a keynote address celebrating National Farmworkers Awareness Week hosted by the College Assistance Migrant Program at WSU Pullman, titled “Amplifying the Voices of Farmworkers”, which shared the story of Dolores Huerta, a leader in the United for Farmworkers Rights movement. The lunch and learn event encouraged students to view the address and discuss the significance of the individuals that lead the movement and how they related to the people in the photos.

The second film titled “Cesar Chavez” centered around Chavez’s leadership and activism in advocating for farmworkers, and inspiring others to fight for positive change.

Writing

To promote personal reflections on the topics discussed and learned, students and staff were invited to participate in several writing sessions. The participants were encouraged to develop their own understanding of the lives of migrant farmworkers from the displayed photographs and reflect on how they relate to the people around them.

Ģ������Ƶ Counseling and Wellness hosted a poem writing session, which allowed participants to utilize a creative outlet for their emotions and thoughts surrounding the topic of migrant farmworkers.

Two reflective writing sessions were also hosted, one for students and one for staff and faculty, which encouraged attendees to express their questions and thoughts in a longer format and think creatively and freely about their personal connections to those in the photographs.

The gallery of Nash’s photography was a meaningful and impactful addition to campus, providing understanding, connection, and conversation surrounding Yakima Valley farmworkers. Though the photos showed a glimpse of the harsh reality for many families, it also displayed the joy and pride of each family and the legacy they passed on to future generations. Many visitors were able to connect emotionally with individuals and scenes in the photos, and some even recognized family members and relatives within them.

“Credit and commendations are in order for WSU and Mr. Irwin Nash,” said Miguel Puente, who spoke at the Irwin Nash community gallery reception about his family’s connection to the photos. “The ‘Rooted: Irwin Nash Photographs of Yakima Valley Farmworkers’ provided a valuable glimpse into the lives of farmworkers. The natural and unscripted scenes captured in black and white are timeless and powerful illustrations of the important contributions and inspiration that farmworkers have always contributed but rarely are recognized for. The collection triggered fond memories and untold stories amongst relatives, friends, and total strangers on the rich history of farmworkers in our region and beyond.”

Joel Aleman, a student at Ģ������Ƶ, described the impactful connection he felt with the photos. “It’s inspiring to be reminded that, despite the hardships that we and our parents and even their parents have gone though, they toiled to get us to where we are now. I’m excited and determined to make sure that I leave a better path for those that come after me.”

Though the gallery was temporary for the Ģ������Ƶ campus, the WSU Libraries Digital Collections will continue to make viewing the photos accessible through their website.

RICHLAND, Wash.— A multimedia art exhibition called “Hanford Reach: In the Atomic Field” featuring photography, sound and video opens Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Washington State University Tri-Cities Art Center in the Consolidated Information Center (CIC) building on campus.

Ģ������Ƶ will hold an opening reception for the exhibition from 5 – 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb.2, at the Ģ������Ƶ Art Center in the Consolidated Information Center (CIC). The reception is free and open to the public. The showcase will run through April 14.

The exhibition by artist , explores the environmental and cultural legacies of the Hanford Site. Mural-scale photographs and a floor-projected video frame a sound collage. Excerpts from an archive of original first-person narratives are played in surround, juxtaposed to reflect the complexity of individual and collective memory. Source interviews include Hanford scientists and engineers, Native American elders, displaced farmers, farm-worker advocates, Downwinders, and a conversation recorded with an hibakusha: an atomic bomb survivor.

“I wanted to create a different kind of work that would put these different narratives, extremely different experiences, in one space and see what would happen while holding them all in respect,” said Allee.

The exhibition includes work by invited collaborators Michael Paulus, videography, and Jon Leidecker, sound design,��and an animation with Gregory Cosmo Haun. The show also features a print of the poem “Plume” by Richland native and former Washington state Poet Laureate Kathleen Flenniken.

MEDIA CONTACT(S)

Leslie Streeter, Office of Marketing and Communication, (509) 372-7333,��leslie.streeter@wsu.edu

Students in Fine Arts 332 along with their professor Peter Christenson collaborated on a 34-page artist book called Codex Absurdum. The book features artistic works, haiku, and exquisite corpse style collaborative art projects that explore a Tri-Cities absurdist parallel universe. Students with work featured in the book are Devin Simpson, Lemmy Jean Suter, Nathan Finke, Newt Ernst, Sarah Torres.��

“As I see it, Codex Absurdum is a celebration of the inherent strangeness of the unique culture of the Tri-Cities,” said Suter, a junior studying psychology. “Our economy is propped up by cleaning up nuclear waste and making wine, and the city itself is constructed in the middle of one of the least-hospitable parts of the Inland Northwest. By all means, the existence of the Tri-Cities and its culture makes no sense. Yet here we are – and for those reasons, an artbook centered around absurdity and the culture of the Tri-Cities seems like an excellent celebration of the culture.”��

Nathan Finke, a senior majoring in digital technology and culture with a minor in art stated, “Codex Absurdum represents an organized chaos between all of the artists involved. We all have our own unique voices represented in the codex, but we also worked toward a common goal with the theme. I think it represents both collaboration and self-expression within our small part of the art community.”��

Most of the art featured in the book was created through collaboration. In some cases, one person chose the photography while another person embellished the photo with other design elements using Photoshop. In one collaborative piece, class member Devin Simpson, a senior majoring in creative writing, created a photo of a deer with the head of a cougar standing on a hillside. Then another student added their own unique touches including a sign that says, “Caution Radiation”, and a barrel with a radiation symbol on it. Simpson said his favorite part of the project was making all the artwork, coming up with the concepts and adding the mythology. “It was fun to share ideas and a fun experiment in collaboration,” he said.

The book is also sprinkled with haikus, such as this one:��

Our minds, we forget.����

The process of destruction.��

Allows creation.��

The students interviewed for this story all plan to continue in the field of design and all but one have plans to stay in the Tri-Cities after graduation. Simpson is planning to attend graduate school. Suter hopes to stay in the Tri-Cities after she graduates to work in the anthropomorphic art scene and continue her work in 2D art and costume fabrication. Finke plans to stay in the Tri-Cities to continue doing digital technology work and art.����

The book was printed in limited quantities and is not available for purchase. One of the students set up a website for the project that can be found and perused .����

MEDIA CONTACT(S)

Leslie Streeter, Office of Marketing and Communication, (509) 372-7333,��leslie.streeter@wsu.edu

RICHLAND, WA – A group of fine arts students from Washington State University Tri-Cities brought the local landscape and inspiring words for students to life in a mural they designed for Marcus Whitman Elementary School.

Dustin Regul, fine arts professor at Ģ������Ƶ said, “The purpose for this project was to bring art to the community and add to the aesthetic culture of the Tri-Cities. Plus, it was a great opportunity for students to get experience developing a public installation from concept to completion.”

The mural is located on the grounds of Marcus Whitman Elementary School in Richland. The Ģ������Ƶ students came up with the design which features elements of the local landscape and a book filled with inspirational quotes collected from teachers who work at the school. The project took place during the spring semester and included approximately five meetings and two, eight-hour workdays to complete. In addition to the collaboration with the school, Griggs Ace Hardware made significant contributions to this project as well.

Regul initiated the project but said it was the hard work and dedication of the students that made it happen. “This is our first mural, and we hope to make this a yearly thing. In the fall we’ll look at planning one at another school.” Regul said.

Learn more about creative arts programs offered at Ģ������Ƶ on the��College of Arts and Sciences website.

Student finds passion for multimedia arts as result of experiences at BMCC and Ģ������Ƶ

By Maegan Murray, Ģ������Ƶ

RICHLAND, Wash. – When thinking about what college choice would be best for him, Hermiston native and future first-generation college student Kyle Kopta knew he wanted to stay close to home. It was a decision that would allow him to save money, but also gradually expand his network.

As a student, he completed the first year of his associate’s degree through as part of the program, which helped him save a year on costs of tuition and provided him with gradual entry into the college setting.

“It was a perfect fit for me, as it allowed me to meet my lower division general education requirements and quickly transfer as a junior to any institution of my choosing,” he said.

While at BMCC, Kopta said he enjoyed being near family while still maintaining that hometown environment. The community aspect, he said, was one of his favorite parts.

“It had a hometown feel where everyone knew each other,” he said. “It felt like an extension of the surrounding community, rather than being separate from it.”

When deciding what four-year university he wanted to pursue, affordability and proximity to family remained primary factors, in addition to his career interest in the multimedia arts. He discovered that Washington State University Tri-Cities, located just 40 minutes from Hermiston in Richland, Washington, had a digital technology and culture program. The program would allow him to apply his passion for photography, video, graphic design and fine arts as part of a well-rounded degree that had eventual outlets for a variety of career paths.

Seamless transfer to Ģ������Ƶ

The transfer process between the two institutions, Kopta said, was seamless. He said with his AAOT degree, everything transferred to Ģ������Ƶ without any problems.

“My experiences at BMCC laid the groundwork for helping me navigate higher education, in general,” he said. “As I moved to Washington and began my Ģ������Ƶ journey, I felt well-equipped to tackle anything that came my way.”

Preparing for future career in multimedia arts

Through digital technology and culture courses at Ģ������Ƶ, Kopta learned the fundamentals of a wide variety of multimedia skills, ranging from graphic design, to video production, to sound editing, to photography, to typography and more. He said he enjoyed that the program didn’t put his passions into a single box.

“The digital technology and culture program here at Ģ������Ƶ ended up being the next logical step for me in my career,” he said. “I was attracted to the multidisciplinary nature of the program because I knew it would allow me to explore all the things that interested me, simultaneously. Other programs were rigid in their approach, but the digital technology and culture program would allow me to explore all my options as an artist, designer and working professional in the field.”

At Ģ������Ƶ, Kopta became involved with a wide variety of hands-on experiences and student organizations. He helped curate student exhibits and display his own work through a variety of art shows and symposiums on-campus. He served as part of the Associated Students of Ģ������Ƶ as its graphic designer. He lent his skills in the multimedia arts as a teacher’s assistant and tutor for the campus’ digital technology and culture program, in addition to serving on the Washington State Arts Commission. He also currently serves as an intern through the Ģ������Ƶ marketing and communication office.

This spring, Kopta also had the opportunity to create and curate a that allowed users to virtually walk through a digital gallery space to view student art, just as one would during non-COVID-19 times. It is those sorts of experiences, he said, that proved to be true highlights of his college career.

“Being able to see and experience all of the work our Coug community is doing is always my favorite,” he said. “The people I am surrounded by are constantly engaging in such important and innovative work. I never know what to expect from my peers, and that’s the best part.”

Saving on costs

Throughout his college journey, Kopta received several scholarships, including the Ģ������Ƶ Douglas P. Gast Scholarship in memory of his late digital technology and culture professor. Kopta said he was honored to receive such a significant award that honored his late professor.

This past year as part of his senior year, Ģ������Ƶ also launched the I-82 Advantage program, which now allows students from Umatilla County to attend Ģ������Ƶ for in-state tuition rates. Kopta was able to save even more on tuition.

Looking toward the future

After graduating this past spring, Kyle is staying on as a student intern through the summer in the Ģ������Ƶ marketing and communication office.

His experience both at BMCC and Ģ������Ƶ, he said, helped him not only navigate the college setting successfully, but also find his future career. As a result of his experience, he hopes to pursue a career in marketing, specifically working in higher education, where he can help other students find their future interests and careers.

“Marketing allows me to work in design, photography and video, simultaneously,” he said. “I would also love to continue working in a higher education setting. Collaborating with different groups of people on all different sorts of projects is important to me. Working at a college allows me to do just that.”

Applications open at BMCC and Ģ������Ƶ

Applications are open for summer and fall 2021 at both BMCC and Ģ������Ƶ.

To apply to BMCC, visit . To apply and/or transfer to Ģ������Ƶ, visit .

Ģ������Ƶ digital technology and culture student Kyle Kopta.

For more than 80 years, Washington State University has recognized ten of the top seniors in each graduating class. The WSU Alumni Association selects these women and men who represent the highest standards in specific aspects of the college experience, including academics, athletics, campus involvement, community service, and visual and performing arts.

Kyle Kopta, a senior studying digital technology and culture at Ģ������Ƶ, was selected as a WSU Top Ten Senior for the category of visual/performing arts.

He is a talented graphic designer, photographer, videographer, writer and overall creative. He serves as an intern with the Office of Marketing and Communication, served as a graphic designer for the Associated Students of Ģ������Ƶ, serves as a DTC lab tutor, as well as on the Washington State Arts Commission. He transferred to Ģ������Ƶ from Blue Mountain Community College.

VISUAL/PERFORMING ARTS

• College of Arts and Sciences
• Digital technology and culture
• Ģ������Ƶ
• Hermiston, Oregon

INVOLVEMENT

Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society; President’s Honors List, summa cum laude; ASWUTC Perseverance Award; Douglas P. Gast Fine Arts Scholarship; member, committee of the Washington State Arts Commission overseeing the Washington State Art Collection; graphic designer for ASWSUTC; marketing intern for Ģ������Ƶ; teacher’s assistant and tutor in the��; host of biweekly community radio show; and Ģ������Ƶ Student Employee of the Year for the 2020-2021 academic year

FAVORITE WSU EXPERIENCE

The Ģ������Ƶ Undergraduate Research Symposium and Art Exhibition is held at the end of each semester. What stands out most to me is really those shows. Our students are making just incredible work. I helped put it on when we were in-person. Being able to showcase their work and my work is always the most fun event. I’m currently 3D modeling a space for us so we can hold it virtually this semester. I’m doing it in my free time; I’m not doing it paid or part of any job. It’s something I know how to do and can donate. It’s just so important for students to have this kind of culmination for all their hard work. They create all this amazing work, and they have to be able to somehow show it.

Ģ������Ƶ also has a lot of mentors who helped me navigate the higher education world and the art world. I grew up in a rural area. There were zero galleries. Neither of my parents graduated from college, but they have been so supportive of my journey in higher education. I couldn’t have done it without them and my professors, who helped me succeed inside and outside the classroom. I think art in general has been a vehicle for self-growth in my professional, personal, and academic life. Through video, photography, and painting, I can learn about myself and my community and how I fit into it and I can help other people. Sometimes the things you don’t expect can end up having the most impact and being the most rewarding. Limitation can breed innovation.

FUTURE PLANS

I’ve really found a love for marketing. It’s not something I expected to love as much as I do. I came to Ģ������Ƶ putting myself in a box, saying, “I’m going to become a videographer or graphic designer,” but I’ve been awarded so many opportunities to collaborate with so many different WSU departments that I’ve found I have a real love for creating things for the community with other people. My plan now is to get a marketing job. I contemplated whether I should move to a bigger city or stay local, and I think I’ve kind of settled on staying local because it’s really important to me to foster this small but tight-knit arts community. I really want to contribute to the Tri-Cities community what I wish I had growing up in Hermiston.