Category: Social Impact

An Eastern Washington University biology instructor exploring ways to protect one of nature’s most important pollinators, the honey bee, has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Assistant Professor Jenifer Walke, whose research interest is focused on studying beneficial bacteria in the guts of bees, is receiving $208,415 over four years from…

… But who says saving the environment can’t be fun? Taking advantage of the warm weather on Aug. 7, the Eastern Washington University Office of Sustainability participated in a river rafting trip that resulted in the collection of 600 pounds of trash. Teaming up with the Spokane Riverkeeper, EWU students floated the Spokane River in…

CHENEY, Washington – Eastern Washington University Associate Professor Gina Mikel Petrie, PhD, has been selected by the U.S. Department of State for a six-week English Language Specialist assignment in Amman, Jordan. The English Language Specialist Program is the premier opportunity for leaders in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) to…

The EWU Office of Sustainability has gotten a head start on their crops for the campus garden this spring. In an effort to better preserve the crops and avoid overabundance, crops were planted in the greenhouse in late February—the earliest they’ve planted in the greenhouse. “It’s challenging at Eastern because our campus almost shuts down…

Jenifer Walke, assistant professor of biology, has been researching the microbes (the bacteria and fungi) associated with honey bees and the impact they have on their health. Walke, a new faculty member to Eastern Washington University, has been working with the local beekeeping community, who provided samples for her research. Together, they have been working…

Eastern Washington University faculty, staff and students – many of them new to campus – started the 2017 academic year by giving back to the community on Tuesday, Sept. 19, during the annual Eagle UP volunteer effort. In all, more than 120 volunteers from Eastern provided a total of 366 hours cleaning, planting and organizing, equaling nearly…

Eastern Washington University education students teamed up with 150 seventh graders from Cheney Middle School to plant more than 560 trees at Marshall Creek Friday, Oct. 21, as part of a service project to increase outdoor and environmental education. Seven Eastern students each worked with a group of seventh graders to plant trees and learn…

Romel Mackelprang has a rule for all of the students on his faculty-led study abroad program to Ghana: you can bring two bags. One piece of luggage is yours and the other is for the Ghanaian community. Mackelprang, the director of disability studies at EWU and a professor for 30 years, has been doing humanitarian…

This week, the Dare to Dream Academy returns to EWU’s campus to provide migrant high school students a glimpse of college life and expose them to resources for pursuing higher education. The six-day program includes 14-hour workdays including team building activities, workshops and a variety of keynote speakers. The 146 attending students are divided into…

Satori Summer Camp hosted 142 campers in its 34th year at Eastern Washington University last week, bringing gifted junior high and high school-aged students from around the region to experience college life in a camp setting. “We have kids telling us over and over again how important this experience has been for them because they…