Student Life

I went to a musical: a little about Heathers

04/13/2018 by afuller Leave a Comment

One of the coolest things about writing a blog is that I’m able to do things that I normally wouldn’t do and call it work. I’m actually pretty sure that I have the best job on campus (don’t tell anyone). One of the cool events I went to that I normally wouldn’t have seen was the musical Heathers, put on by the Theatre Department.

Speaking of parents and kids, I noticed a lot of students brought in their family and friends. I should have done the same! I sat next to people I didn’t know, which was fine, but I’ll definitely invite friends next time.

One thing I learned: reservations are extremely important for EWU plays. I showed up an hour and a half early to the play and there was already a line waiting. Next time I’ll be sure to reserve a few days beforehand.

Jeff Sanders, one of EWU’s theatre teachers, directed the play. I took a Theatre in the Humanities course that he taught ages ago so I was happy to see that he still taught at EWU. Before the play began, he talked a little bit about auditions for the plays this year (The Tempest and Clybourne Park) and who can apply. Any student can apply as part of cast or crew, not just Theatre students.

I haven’t been to a musical in years and I really wasn’t expecting what would happen. For those of you who don’t know, Heathers is a dark comedy and I walked into the musical thinking it would be disgusting. And ya know what? I was glad to know it wasn’t. If I were a parent I might even bring in a high school aged kid to see it.

A little about Heathers

The acting and singing was fantastic.

I could tell that the actors were putting a lot of effort into their characters and singing. I’m surprised at how well the acting and singing turned out and I’m actually a little jealous at how talented the actors were.

One of my favorite moments of the play was when the characters were all having a confession song. Everyone pointed flashlights at the guy just to my right and one of the characters screamed at him. I may have broken down laughing at this point, especially since the guy next to me was so genuinely confused about what was happening to him.

I was astounded at the speed of the transitions and the work that the crew put into the piece. Setup between each scene was faster than any play I’d ever seen. Lighting and sound effects were on point throughout.

Overall I’m very glad I got to see the play, though a little sad that I didn’t bring along friends. Next time around I’ll put some effort into getting friends to come to the play with me.

VCD and Mechanical Engineering Expo

04/10/2018 by afuller Leave a Comment

Twice a year STEM holds an expo for engineering students to show off what they've built over the year. This year, the engineering students invited the Visual Communication and Design students to show off their work as well.

By the way, the expo was packed with people and there was free food. Is there a better place to be? Probably not.

A little about the VCD groups.

VCD capstones don’t just teach students how to build logos and a brand, students go out and build projects for actual companies. Imagine getting through college with some work experience and professional projects in your portfolio!

One thing that I noticed with the VCD projects is that they’ve only gotten better every year. I spoke with Colin, the capstone professor, and he said that one recent development at EWU is a growing emphasis on human-centered design. These student’s aren’t just designing logos and branding, they’re designing for people. When I see these posters I can definitely see the effort these students are putting into designing for humans.

This project was for a non-profit called Free Rein Therapeutic Riding. Free Rein uses horses to help treat physical and emotional injury or disability, so it’s already a pretty cool company. VCD students took that idea and helped build a professional looking brand off of it. I went ahead and grouped some of my favorite images by project so you all could get a good look at the work the students put in.

What about mechanical engineers?

Engineering students had a huge variety of projects that they could work on. Students had crazy projects ranging from geothermal heat pumps to mechanical chess!

First up was the team of Helping Hand, a forklift addon that allows people to operate a lifter independent from the forklift and remove some of the human heavy lifting that has to be done. It reminded me of a claw grabber, but this one won’t drop the stuffed bear as the design is rated to lift up to 700 pounds.

The second mechanical engineering project shown was the Chess, Anyone? Chess board. This chess board can automatically move pieces and even play a physical game of chess! Computers have been able to play a strong game of chess for years but engineering students have made it so that a game with chess can now be physical instead of on the computer.

Students also tested the heat transfer of a geothermal heat pump. It’s a bit like how people pump water out of the ground, but this time it’s pumping out heat. Geothermal energy can save a alot of money on heating and cooling.

Another group developed five mechanical Prusik brakes for climbers. I can see where they made some huge improvements! Most Prusik brakes will damage the rope if the climber falls. The brake that these students developed can keep the rope safe for up to 100 falls.

Larger cars are definitely more difficult to change tires. Unlike a typical compact car, large wheels can be a real pain to lift and move around. Engineering students built a bumper tire carrier that can help carry and re-install large spare tires easily.

Coffee, Dogs, and Bikes: EWU’s Police Force for Students

03/23/2018 by afuller Leave a Comment

The first thing you should know about EWU's campus police: they're real police, but they're not like the police you see on TV.

I worked in the residence halls for a couple of years as an office worker and I can't count the times the EWU police helped me out. Sitting at the office for five hours at night could be tough at times, but having the police stop by for a few minutes helped me get through some of the heavy homework nights.

So how would you get to meet them? Students in the residence halls will get a few opportunities to speak with the police when they visit the halls for rounds and when they put on events, but there are actually a few things the police do that you wouldn’t know about right away.

Like free coffee.

Police at EWU run Coffee with a Cop. The idea is simple: you sit with a police officer, have a coffee, and chat about whatever you want to talk about. It’s a way for you to speak with a police officer and get to know them. Coffee with a Cop is usually held once a month from 8 a.m.-11 a.m., perfect for students heading to class or who have an hour free in the mornings.

What else do they do?

Instead of riding around in cars, a few of our police officers ride around on bikes. Bikes help our officers in numerous ways:

First of all, police on bikes can get around the campus pathways and buildings quickly. That means they can cover more ground on campus overall, and they’ll get across campus in half the time it would take an officer in a car to cross campus.

Bikes reduce the carbon footprint and wear on police cars. Let’s face it, police cars are far more expensive than bikes and aren’t as environmentally friendly. Even if a hundred bikes have to be replaced for every one car that gets replaced (I did the math), it ends up less expensive.

That last one is probably what you’ll notice when you leave the library late at night after studying. Knowing the police are nearby looking out for you makes walking to the residence halls after dark much more comfortable.

Especially if you’re still kind of afraid of the dark like me.

What everyone’s really here for

The last thing I’ll talk about with EWU police today is Hilani the facility dog. Hilani is a Golden Retriever and Labrador mix that helps out the police station. I’ve never seen Hilani but I hear she’s very friendly and relaxed. Remember to ask before you pet her!

That’s not all, there are many more programs out there with the EWU police. I’ve spoken to them on numerous occasions going to and from class, and when I worked in the halls. Say hi next time you meet one of our fantastic officers!

EWU Bazaar

03/12/2018 by afuller Leave a Comment

As a design major, I would meet new people every quarter in both design and art classes. When I heard that there was a bazaar for design and art students, I had to go check it out.

The bazaar had about thirteen installations with 9 current students and 4 EWU alumni. It feature all kinds of artworks, from the types of things you'd fine in a downtown gallery to the types of things you might fight at one of Spokane's summer street fairs. The alumni assisted the new students with picking out art for the show, pricing pieces, and even managing their own inventory. Students got firsthand experience and training with selling their art.

Show me the art already!

In no particular order, I’ll present some of the fantastic artwork done by students and alum. I really enjoyed the pottery, but I’ll be sure to show off some of the paintings and prints too!

These are all made by one student, Amanda Caldwell. Check out the variety of pottery she has, from small cups to canopic jars (let’s be real, I saw the canopic jars first).

Rebekah Curtis did all of this work.

Yes, all of it.

I keep getting drawn back to the two large paintings in the middle. I’m sure everyone who sees a painting like these sees something different but I keep thinking of them as the eye and minotaur paintings.

Mike Haynes is an alumnus of the EWU art program. One thing I love about his work is the unity between pieces I see here. The pottery is styled with either the black and grey snakes or the multicolored line pottery in the front. I feel like I could get all of my bowls from Mike and they’d all match up with each other!

The bazaar had much, much more but I’ll just go over the pins, prints and zines. It’s exciting to see how much students at EWU made and were able to show off!

How to find and join a club

03/07/2018 by afuller Leave a Comment

I’ve been working a little on doing more things this year than in the past. I'm busy pretty much all the time, but I did find a couple hours a week I could spend on learning something fun.

I joined Archery Club because I figured I'd be able to meet people who actually knew what they were doing.

But why even join a club?

Once you pick out a major and stop taking general classes, you end up spending most of your time with people in your major. That's great because you'll meet people with the same interests and hobbies that you have. Sometimes, though, it's cool to meet different people and start building friendships outside the people you come into contact with daily.

Clubs can help you meet new people, make friends, and enjoy a hobby you might not have known about before!

How to get Started

Did you know that clubs usually have their own Facebook pages? It’s super easy to send them a message through Facebook to ask any questions you have. I’ve been interested in archery for a while but I never shot a bow because I’m left eye dominant (yes, that’s a thing) and would have to shoot left handed. I asked a few questions and found that they have left handed bows!

If you want to skip a step and just sign up, most clubs at EWU are listed in EagleSync, our club database. I was able to sign up, write a bit about why I wanted to join, and get into the club without having to call around or open an ancient puzzle box only available from the library on a full moon.

One thing that I noticed: not all clubs are listed. There are a few “secret” clubs out there, mostly clubs belonging to specific departments. Professors usually know about these clubs, so it’s usually a safe bet to ask them if there are any clubs related to your major or interests.

So what’s next?

Most clubs on EagleSync will send out notifications for club meetings and events. You can apply through the database and once you’re in the club, you’ll be free to RSVP for meetings and let the club president know what meetings you’ll be attending. We all have busy schedules, especially near the end of the quarter, so don’t feel forced to go to every meeting if you have too much homework.

I wouldn’t have expected to enjoy a club as much as I enjoy Archery Club. Clubs might not be your thing but like me, you won’t really know until you try it yourself.

What's with worms? EWU science students learn about gene knockout.

11/28/2017 by afuller Leave a Comment

I walked into the seminar, and it was packed. Students took up every seat and stood against every wall. There were more students here than I'd seen outside most larger events, all here for “Worms, Zebrafish, and Stem Cells oh my!"

I am not a scientist. I don't even much like worms. But that's what's great about college: here was an entire room of future scientists who did.

The researchers studied C. Elegans (referred to nonscientifically as "worms" from now on), a roundworm about 1 mm in length. This worm isn't your average worm: it's tiny, see through, and very simple with only about a thousand cells. Researchers love that the worms won’t bite or poop on them like mice will.

So why this worm? C. Elegans was the first multicellular organism to have its entire genetic code sequenced. What that means is we’re not sure what all the genes do yet, but we know where they are and we’ve named ‘em.

(At EWU, you can study worms as part of the Worm Wrangling Crew. For real.)

What the heck’s with the worms?

The big topic–and the reasons so many people were here–was the information about FER kinase, a gene present in most animals. So what is FER kinase?

If you’re a worm, it helps your skin stick together. It’s called FRK-1 in worms, and if you’re a worm without FRK-1, your cells end up all one type of skin and uneven. You end up looking like a really ugly raspberry.

This is important because we can use FRK-1 to study how stem cells work in certain situations. For example, if we mistakenly add FRK-1 back to some of the worm’s skin cells and not to others, we don’t help the worm recover. Instead, it can actually cause the worm to explode!

You can see why scientists would want to study stem cells in other animals before they tried this type of work on humans. And at EWU, you learn about this.

But fish are different (somehow)

Zebrafish have FER kinase, too, so the same thing should be true in their bodies, yeah?

Nope.

Without the FER-kinase gene, zebrafish end up with big pools of blood just sitting in their bodies. The skin is perfectly fine and the heart still beats, but the blood doesn’t move. The lack of FER kinase also changes the way blood vessels work.

Why? It turns out that without FER-kinase, the blood vessels didn’t develop correctly, and the blood gets trapped in the aorta like water in a clogged sink.

It all matters for the future

So what does this all mean if the same gene ends up doing two things for different species?

The end goal to this kind of scientific research is to help prevent human diseases, and to do that, future scientists need to know how genes work in complex systems . Studying worms is a key step in an unending chain of discovery, and it’s the reasons so many EWU students attended a fascinating and very wormy lecture.