Coug Life

Rare ‘thundersnow’ makes surprise, rumbling visit across the Palouse

Lightning and thunderclaps accompanied tumbling snowflakes last Thursday night over the Palouse in what meteorologists call a thundersnow. The Nov. 16 event moved through areas including Moscow and Pullman within a 10-minute time period. Though brief, it presented an enthralling, seldom-seen show.

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Lightning, thunder and tumbling snowflakes all at the same time are so rare meteorologists call it thundersnow. (Photo from Wikipedia)

Provost will match food drive donations

Canned goods and non-perishable items can be dropped off at the Provost’s Office at French Administration, room 436, through Friday, Dec. 8.

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The serendipitous side of science and Siberia

One day Stephanie Hampton, the data-crunching limnologist at WSU widely recognized for her work on Lake Washington, was perusing books on eBay when she came across the seminal work on Lake Baikal by Mikhail Kozhov, the patriarch of a family of Russian scientists she’d met while collaborating on research in Siberia. When it arrived, she discovered it was inscribed to famous American limnologist John Brooks and Kozhov’s family members later verified the signature and handwriting as authentic.

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The Siberian research vessel on Lake Baikal used by the Kozhov family, whose members have gathered lake samples for more than six decades.

The calculus of grace

For Valerie Cheathon, it all adds up. She plans to earn a master’s degree in applied math so she can make movies. Sitting in the Compton Union Building on the Pullman campus of Washington State University one morning, she clearly sees the world as a weave of numbers—and stories.

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Valerie Cheathon

Is our early snow an indicator of another rough winter?

It’s too soon to know if we’ll have a repeat season, but the recent blitzing of winter-like storms is consistent with the presence of a La Nina that’s developing in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

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The season’s first snow was early enough to surprise petunias on Nov. 5. (Photo by Linda Weiford)

Students fashion reusable bags for community food pantry

Working with the WSU Center for Civic Engagement, students in the Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles created the bags this fall as a dual class project. Teams of students, mostly freshmen and sophomores, learned to track down quality used textiles and assemble a real product, at the same time gaining lessons in community service.

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Reusable shopping bags created by WSU students

Veteran’s Day ceremony planned

The event will start at 11:50 a.m. at the top of the Terrell Mall, outside of the CUB.  A flag procession and bagpipers will lead participants down the mall to the Veterans Memorial where a short program will be conducted.

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