We are pleased that two new faculty joined us this
year. Asaph Cousins, who specializes in plant metabolism
and biotechnology, joined us in January of 2008. Jeremiah
Busch, a plant evolutionary geneticist, joined us in
summer of 2008.
We are very proud of the quality of
advising which we are providing for our
undergraduates. Paul Verrell is
heading the advising office for pre-health sciences
students which provides specialized advice for students
pursuing these highly-competitive programs. Charlotte
Omoto coordinates advising within our unit as associate
director for undergraduate programs.
We strive to provide advising tailored to the specific
interests of the students. For
example, Drs. Omoto and Carter serve as Pre-Veterinary
advisors for our majors interested in careers in
veterinary medicine.
We are also excited about the increased numbers of our
undergraduates who are participating in research
projects. More funds are available from a variety of
sources, including endowments, for these
projects. In addition, major events
such as poster competitions are being held to recognize
students' contributions.
We were also gratified about the recognition of the
quality of our programs in a recent (2007) survey of
faculty scholarly productivity. WSU's plant science
programs ranked second nationally in productivity and our
zoology program, which is housed within our unit, ranked
seventh nationally. More information on this survey is
available at
chronicle.com/stats/productivity
<http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/>
.
I would enjoy seeing you and visiting when
you are in Pullman. Please stop by the school.
Best wishes,
Gary Thorgaard
thorglab@wsu.edu
Director, School of Biological Sciences
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