School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering to be named for Gene and Lina Voiland after record-breaking $17.5 million gift
robert.franklinIn 2014 the College of Engineering and Architecture is renamed the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.
Washington State University the leading institution for the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) and the five-year, $40 million grant to help develop wood-based alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and chemicals
robert.franklinProfessor Kelvin Lynn pioneers the design of positron beams
robert.franklinJames Petersen transforms engineering PhD education
robert.franklinJames Petersen receives a 5-year National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) grant, the largest NSF grant received at WSU at that time. The grant enabled the education of about 45 PhD students and transformed the PhD educational programs.
Dr. Rick Watts leads international research in the development of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) one of the more rapid methods for treating soil and groundwater pollution.
robert.franklinAlumnus Clint Cole helps to develop the HeartStart portable automated external defibrillator, or AED, which is credited with saving tens of thousands of lives
robert.franklinCole later returned to teach advanced courses in Electrical Engineering at WSU in 1997, and began designing adaptable circuit boards for his students to use. After sharing them with colleagues in different universities nationwide they became so popular that he formed his own company, Digilent, to manufacture and market the circuit boards. Cole received his B.S. in computer science in 1987 and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2000, both from WSU. He continues to teach junior and senior-level electrical engineering courses.
John Hirth joins WSU
robert.franklinHis research had a significant influence in the semiconductor industry where dislocations in a thin layer have a detrimental effect on conductivity. Hirth was later named a member of both the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.
Research by John Talbott results in development of what are now known as I-joists.
robert.franklinWSU’s Composite Materials and Engineering Center develops formulations for cost-effective particleboard furniture and building materials that are used in millions of American homes and businesses
robert.franklinThomas M. Maloney led the Composite Materials and Engineering Team that developed the particleboard process and authored many scholarly reports, articles, and book chapters on wood composite materials, as well as the book “Modern Particleboard and Dry-Process Fiberboard Manufacturing.” In 1967 Maloney instigated the first international symposium on Particleboard & Composite Materials.
Don Adams leads pioneering air pollution research
robert.franklinDon Adams, founder of the Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, developed and patented an analyzer that measures atmospheric gases. Adams led pioneering research in the measurements of air pollution and its effects from lumber mills and smelters after being asked to put aside his research in extracting alumina from clay to investigate complaints about lumber mill odor. In the 1960’s, he was able to demonstrate for the first time that sulfur emissions were causing downwind die-offs of pine trees.
Adams was born in Spokane and grew up in the Pacific Northwest, attending then-WSC and earning a bachelors in analytical chemistry in 1941 and a masters in chemistry in 1942. Don Adams passed away in August, 2006.
R. L. Albrook establishes the hydraulic research center, which provided assistance in the development of hydroelectric power plants in the Northwest and throughout the world
robert.franklinClarence Zener, inventor of Zener diode, establishes the first degree program in physical metallurgy, the forerunner to materials science and engineering
robert.franklinThe first degree program in physical metallurgy, forerunner for today’s materials science and engineering program, is established by Clarence Zener, inventor of the Zener diode.
Mabel Adams is the first woman to graduate in Civil Engineering
robert.franklinMabel Lambert Taylor is the first female engineering graduate in mechanical engineering.
robert.franklinThe Appel Legacy Continues
robert.franklinFour generations of the Appel family, starting with Don in the 1930s, have migrated from farming on the Palouse to cultivating their knowledge at WSU. While Don had to withdraw due to failing eyesight one semester short of his degree, he made sure that all nine of his children (Dick Appel ’59, David ’61, Tony ’63, Fred ’65, Donna ’67, Colleen ’68, Steven ’74, Laurette ’78, and Renata ’82) received their college degrees at WSU. Most of their spouses are WSU degree-holders, plus a host of cousins. They were followed by a third and fourth generation of graduates. Dick and his wife Helen, also a WSU graduate, farm on 1,700 acres near Dusty, Washington and many of the Appel children have degrees in agricultural or engineering related fields.
George Mount becomes the Director of the Center for Environmental Research, Education, and Outreach
robert.franklinGeorge Mount, WSU civil and environmental engineering faculty member since 1997, became director of a new university system-wide interdisciplinary Center for Environmental Research, Education, and Outreach (CEREO). In 2004 NASA launched a satellite into space that includes a pollutant-measuring device that professor George Mount helped develop.
WSU engineering and architecture students display solar home at Solar Decathlon
robert.franklinA solar home constructed on campus in Pullman by WSU engineering and architecture students was part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition in Washington, D.C. The home was later moved to a permanent exhibit at Shoreline Community College.
Engineering, Teaching, and Research Laboratory (ETRL) opens
robert.franklinThe new $27 million, 100,000-square-foot Engineering, Teaching, and Research Laboratory opened. Adjacent to Dana Hall, the four-story structure was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The College of Engineering builds a radiocarbon dating laboratory
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WSU’s Anjan Bose and Jim Asay join the National Academy of Engineering
robert.franklinWSU’s Anjan Bose, an international expert in the power grid control industry, and Jim Asay, an expert in shock-wave research and high-pressure science, join The National Academy of Engineering. Bose is internationally known for his development of training simulators and computational tools for reliable power-system operation, and for contributions to education and research on power systems.
Col. John Fabian becomes the first Cougar astronaut aboard the Challenger II space shuttle
robert.franklinCol. John Fabian (’62) becomes the first Cougar astronaut aboard the Challenger II space shuttle. Fabian made two trips to space and logged over 316 hours, and was the first person to deploy and retrieve a free-flying satellite. Fabian graduated from Pullman High School and then enrolled at WSU, receiving a bachelors of science in mechanical engineering. He later received the 19th Regent Distinguished Alumnus Award.
WSC reorganizes into 5 colleges and 4 schools
Brian ClarkIn June 1917, President Holland announces that the institution will reorganize into 5 colleges (Agriculture, Mechanical Arts and Engineering, Science and Arts, Veterinary Science, and Home Economics) and 4 schools (Mines, Education, Pharmacy, and Music and Applied Design), with deans as administrative heads. The College of Home Economics is to be one of the first of its kind in the nation. However, World War I interrupts these plans, delaying implementation of the new structure to the 1919-1920 school year.
Ellen and Olaf Abelson enroll
Brian ClarkThe Abelsons enroll after building a house where Fulmer Hall now stands. Olaf graduates with a degree in civil engineering in 1909. The Abelsons’ son Phillip later attends WSU and becomes an internationally recognized chemical engineer. Among his accomplishments: he devises a method for large-scale enrichment of uranium for use as power source in submarines, leading to construction of the world’s first atomic submarine.
Washington Agricultural College and School of Science opens its doors
Brian ClarkThe institution welcomes 13 collegiate and 46 preparatory students who study agriculture, mechanic arts and engineering, and sciences and arts. President Lilley teaches mathematics and elementary physics. The Morrill Act specifies that one of the major subjects to be taught is, “veterinary art” and Charles E. Munn, a veterinarian, is among the first six faculty members. Tuition is not charged the first year.