WSU
WSU at Wazzu is a file of 226 stories. The newest of them: “Rural schools swap diesel for sun, and the whole town breathes easier”, “AI Scans the Wild in Days, Not Months, and Pullman Helped Build It”, and “WSU researchers take on the nightmares PTSD leaves behind”. A school district in rural America looked at its diesel bill, looked at the sun, and made a choice. Wildlife cameras catch everything, a lynx slipping through a creek bed, a bear scratching a tree, a herd of elk moving at dusk. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every WSU story on Wazzu, newest first.
Rural schools swap diesel for sun, and the whole town breathes easier
A school district in rural America looked at its diesel bill, looked at the sun, and made a choice. Now the whole town is breathing easier. A program is swapping diesel generators for solar panels in rural schools, cutting costs and keeping money in communities that cannot afford to lose a dime. It is not a pilot project or a grant that runs out in two years. It is a real shift in how these towns power the place where their kids learn. That matters more than most people realize. Pullman knows something about energy that does not come from a pipeline. Washington State University has been deep in nuclear research since before most of us were born, and that old know-how is writing the next chapter. If you want to see how that legacy connects to the work coming out of land-grant schools, we have a piece on WSU's reactor history that is worth your time. This is not a story about one school getting a grant. It is about a model that works. Fewer fumes. Lower bills. Stronger towns. That is the kind of win you do not need to spin. Go Cougs.
AI Scans the Wild in Days, Not Months, and Pullman Helped Build It
Wildlife cameras catch everything, a lynx slipping through a creek bed, a bear scratching a tree, a herd of elk moving at dusk. Then somebody has to sort through the thousands of photos. That used to take months. Now it takes days, and Pullman helped build the tool that made it happen. WSU researchers trained artificial intelligence to scan trail-camera images and identify species in a fraction of the time. That is not a small efficiency gain. It is the difference between a biologist getting a report before the snow melts or after the grant runs out. Faster data means faster decisions about habitat, migration, and fire recovery. The kind of work that actually keeps wild places wild. This is the same kind of applied thinking that shows up in our other coverage, like the Coug researchers betting AI can crack the snowpack riddle for Northwest farms. That story digs into how machine learning is taking on a multibillion-dollar question for agriculture. Same instinct. Different problem. Both built by people who know what happens when you wait too long for an answer. Pullman does not always get credit for the tech coming out of it. This one deserves some. A tool that speeds up conservation work by months? That is worth a text to a friend. Go Cougs.
WSU researchers take on the nightmares PTSD leaves behind
Nightmares from PTSD don't just mess with your sleep. They rewrite how you see the world when your eyes are open. WSU researchers are digging into that, trying to figure out how to treat the specific kind of terror that keeps replaying in someone's head long after the trauma is over. This isn't about bad dreams you shake off over coffee. This is the kind that leaves you afraid to close your eyes. The work matters because too many treatments treat PTSD like a single lump of symptoms. Nightmares are their own beast. They have their own triggers, their own damage, and they need their own solutions. WSU is stepping into that gap, and honestly, it's the kind of research that makes you proud to be a Coug. Not because of a scoreboard. Because somebody in Pullman is trying to give people their nights back. If this sounds like the same university that opened a clinic in a Spokane elementary school hallway, it is. That story ran here too, and it fits. WSU keeps finding ways to meet people where they actually live. That's the land-grant mission with its sleeves rolled up. So yeah, read up on the nightmare research. Then think about what it means to be a school that takes on both a proper tailgate and a proper medical problem. Go Cougs.
Kirby Moore Breaks Down the Offense After Arizona
Kirby Moore sat down after the Arizona game and didn't sugarcoat anything. He broke down the offense the way you'd expect from a guy who spent his Saturday watching his unit grind through a Pac-12 road game. No excuses. Just film, mechanics, and what needs to click. That's the kind of talk Pullman actually respects. Moore walked through the adjustments, the reads, and the moments where the Cougs either hit or missed. It wasn't a victory lap. It was a coach who knows the margin between a good drive and a stalled one is smaller than a play call sheet. If you watched that game and wondered why certain routes looked open but the ball didn't go there, Moore answers that. He doesn't hide behind jargon. This is the stuff that doesn't make the highlight reel but makes the difference in November. If you want the full picture from Tucson, we already had a piece on the things that won't show up in a box score. Moore's breakdown fits right next to it. Read them together. That's where the real story lives. The offense is still finding its rhythm. Moore knows it. The players know it. But hearing him talk through it, you get the sense he trusts what he sees. That matters more than a clean stat line. Go Cougs.
Cougs clean up the pitch in a Seattle U tune-up
Four goals. A clean sheet. And a crisp tune-up against Seattle U that felt more like a statement than a scrimmage. The Cougs handled business on the pitch, and they did it without a lot of drama. That's the kind of afternoon you want when the schedule starts stacking up. You come in, you do the work, you leave with a zero in the opponent's column. Nothing flashy. Just solid. And honestly? That's the kind of Cougar soccer that travels well. It's not always about the highlight reel. Sometimes it's about making the other team run out of answers before halftime. If you want to dig into how the coaching staff is seeing things beyond the scoreboard, we've got you covered. Our piece on **Kirby Moore breaking down the Cougar win and what it took to get there** gets into the kind of detail you don't catch from the bleachers. But for now, take the win. Take the shutout. And take a breath before the next one. Go Cougs.
Fresno State couldn't slow the Cougs in a clean road win
Fresno State came to Pullman and found out the hard way: this Cougar team is not messing around. The road win was clean, controlled, and exactly what you want to see when the lights are on and the other side is supposed to be a test. It wasn't flashy in a way that makes a highlight reel, but it was steady. That matters. The defense did its job. The offense did enough. And the whole operation looked like a group that has been through the grinder before and knows how to close. For a program that spent years trying to find its footing in the late hours of close games, this kind of win feels different. It feels like the Cougs are learning how to win, not just hoping to. If you want the deeper look at how the offensive mind is working right now, go read "Kirby Moore Breaks Down the Offense After Arizona." It fits right alongside this one. Moore has been quietly putting together a unit that doesn't panic, and that showed again on Saturday. This is the kind of Saturday that makes you glad you stayed up. Or got up early. Or checked your phone in the middle of something you should have been paying attention to. The Cougs took care of business on the road. That is all you can ask. Go Cougs.
Your diploma is still a Coug, even if you haven't set foot on campus since 2003
Your diploma is still a Coug, even if you haven't set foot on campus since 2003. The WSU Global Campus just got ranked among the top online programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, in multiple categories. That's not a surprise to anyone who's ever tried to finish a degree while working a full shift or raising kids. WSU built this thing for people who don't have the luxury of quitting life to go back to school. It's easy to forget that Pullman isn't the only place Cougs are made. Thousands of us earned the same degree from a kitchen table or a library computer. This ranking says the university hasn't forgotten you either. The same rigor, the same faculty, the same land-grant mission, just delivered to wherever you are. WSU has always been good at showing up where it matters. The same practical drive that put the Cosmic Crisp® in your grocery store and helped build Washington's wine industry is what makes the Global Campus work. It's not flashy. It's just effective. If you've been thinking about finishing what you started, or you know someone who should, this is your sign. The university earned the recognition. You earned the degree. Go Cougs.
Your smartphone pics just helped WSU track grass genetics
You took a picture of a pretty field on a hike, and somewhere in a lab on the Palouse, a scientist just used it to map grass genes. That is not a joke. WSU researchers took genetic data from switchgrass fields and cross-referenced it with photos posted by nature lovers, your smartphone pics, essentially, to track how flowering times change with the seasons. It is the kind of work that sounds too simple to be real science, but it is real, and it is clever. Switchgrass matters for bioenergy, but tracking its bloom across the country takes boots on the ground or, in this case, cameras in pockets. The researchers figured out that the public already had the data they needed. They just had to ask. This is the kind of story that makes you proud to be a Coug. It is not flashy. It is not a football highlight. It is a bunch of people looking at the world differently and sharing what they find. WSU does that a lot. If you want to see more of that same stubborn, practical problem-solving, check out our piece on how rural schools are swapping diesel for sun, the whole town breathes easier when the bus fleet goes solar. Same spirit, different field. Go Cougs.
Riley's Third Year Brings 11 Road Games and a Jan. 3 Tip in Fresno
David Riley's third season is here, and the schedule is a doozy. Eleven nonconference games away from Pullman. That's the most since 1973-74, and it tells you exactly what athletic directors and coaches are dealing with in this new Pac-12. Money matters. You don't stack that many road games unless you have to. The conference slate starts Jan. 3 in Fresno. That feels weird, but it's real. And for the first time since 1917, there is no regular-season game against Washington. None. They'll play an exhibition in Seattle on Oct. 25, which is better than nothing, but it's not the same. There are bright spots. Gonzaga comes to Beasley on Jan. 6, a Wednesday during winter break. That's a weird time for a game, but it's still Gonzaga in Pullman. And the Cougs host Kirkland on Nov. 14, their first non-D-I opponent at home since 2015. That's a rarity worth noting. The middle of the schedule is a grind. Three of four on the road, including trips to Boise State, Colorado State, and Utah State. Then a brutal February stretch with Gonzaga and San Diego State on the road in the same week. That's a gut check. If you want a different kind of Cougar story, check out "For the Leaupepetele brothers, Sunday dinner looks a lot different now." It's a good reminder that the people around this program are as interesting as the scores. Go Cougs.
For the Leaupepetele brothers, Sunday dinner looks a lot different now
Jirah Leaupepetele called his brother Jonah this week, not to talk trash for once, but to fish for intel. Jonah, Fresno State's starting right guard, wasn't giving anything up. Fair enough. The problem? Jonah's listed as questionable and isn't expected to play Saturday when the Cougs host the Bulldogs. So the first-ever on-field matchup between these two brothers will have to wait. That doesn't mean this weekend is meaningless. Far from it. Their parents, Tony and Rhonda, are driving up from Apple Valley with the other five kids and a whole mess of grandparents, nieces, and nephews. Jirah made it clear what colors they better be wearing. The Leaupepetele family has earned this moment. Jirah transferred in from Eastern Washington and has become a force on the interior of WSU's defensive line, notching his first sack as a Coug last week against Arizona. Jonah earned the starting job at Fresno State as a redshirt freshman before the injury. Even if they don't line up across from each other, they'll share the same field. That's enough for a family that watched these boys grow up sharing a bedroom, one yelling at video games, the other trying to sleep. This is the kind of story that reminds you why Cougar football matters beyond the score. For more on how this weekend is shaping up, check out our piece on how the Cougs stared down the Dawgs and didn't flinch. Go Cougs.
WSU study: hedgehog virus jumps to cats but spares humans
A hedgehog sneezes in a Pullman lab, and a cat somewhere else catches something. That is not a joke. That is a new WSU study tracking how a virus common in hedgehogs made the jump into domestic cats. The good news for us two-legged types: it does not appear to pose much of a threat to humans. The research team figured out the mechanism of the crossover, which is the kind of science that sounds dry until you realize it means we understand a little better how diseases move between species. Hedgehogs are not exactly rare around here, and cats are everywhere. So knowing this one is not coming for us is a relief. But it is also a reminder that the animal world is always talking to itself, and sometimes we are just eavesdropping. If you want to see where else WSU researchers are poking at real-world problems, check out the piece on the Pullman lab aiming a nanoparticle at endometriosis. That one is closer to human trials. Different disease, same stubborn refusal to let a hard problem sit. Go Cougs.
How Wazzu Alumni Turn a Pullman Return Into a Proper Tailgate
You roll into Pullman for a game, and within an hour you've seen three people you haven't talked to since graduation. That's the whole point. For Wazzu alumni, coming back isn't just about the scoreboard. It's about parking the car in the same dusty lot, cracking a can, and picking up a conversation that started five or ten years ago. The tailgate is the real reunion. There's a ritual to it. Someone brings the grill they bought at Dissmore's in 2014. Someone else shows up with a cooler full of something local. You stand in a circle, talk about the game, then talk about everything else. The town hasn't changed much, and neither has the feeling. That's what makes it work. We wrote about how Dean Khosla recently made the case that the land-grant mission still means something. That mission is part of Pullman's soul. When you come back for a tailgate, you're not just visiting a campus. You're standing on ground that was built for people to return to. The town stays small, the research stays big, and the people keep showing up. A proper Pullman return tailgate is simple. You bring food. You bring stories. You remember why you left, and why you keep coming back. Go Cougs.
Cantwell on AI: WSU's job is making it useful, not just flashy
Betsy Cantwell walked into the AI conversation and did what a Coug president should do: she asked what it's actually for. While the rest of the world chases the flashiest demo or the biggest headline, Cantwell says WSU's job is making artificial intelligence useful. Not impressive. Useful. That distinction matters, and it sounds like Pullman. She's talking about AI that serves the people who grow our food, treat our patients, and teach our kids. Not another chatbot that writes poetry. This is the kind of thinking that keeps a land-grant university honest. You don't need a billion-dollar lab to ask the right question: does this thing work for the people who need it most? Cantwell seems to think the answer starts with application, not hype. It fits neatly alongside the kind of work we see around here. Take the new WSU study on cannabis ads and how they shape what young adults think about sex. That's not flashy either. It's a researcher looking at a real thing in the real world and telling us what it means. That's the same muscle Cantwell is flexing. We don't need to pretend WSU is Stanford. We never have. What we need is a president who knows the difference between a demo and a difference. Go Cougs.
Kirby Moore breaks down Fresno State tape on this week's Cougar Football Hour
Kirby Moore went to the tape. On this week's Cougar Football Hour, the offensive coordinator sat down and walked through Fresno State's defense. Not the general stuff. The specific stuff. The kind of breakdown that makes you think he's been up late with the lights on and a remote in his hand. That's the guy you want calling plays in a big spot. Fresno State is next. They're good. They're always good. But Moore has seen what they do, and he has a plan. The segment is worth your time if you want to know what WSU is actually trying to do on offense, not just what the box score says. He gets into alignments, tendencies, the little tells that separate a smart read from a forced throw. It's the kind of detail that makes you feel like you're in the room. If you missed last week's loss to Oregon State, we've got you covered there too. Check out "Citowicki and Hawkins break down the Beavers loss in Pullman" for the full postmortem. But for now, the focus is forward. Moore's tape session is the closest most of us will get to sitting in on a real game plan meeting. Go Cougs.
Citowicki and Hawkins break down the Beavers loss in Pullman
The Beavers came to Pullman, and the Cougs sent them home with a loss. That's the headline from Citowicki and Hawkins' breakdown of the game, and it's worth a read if you want the real story behind the score. We know how these Pac-12 afternoons go in Martin Stadium, close, loud, and decided by the guys who want it more. Sounds like this one fit the bill. The defense did its job. The offense found enough. And Pullman showed up, because of course it did. That's the part that never changes, no matter who is on the sideline or what the record says. If you were there, you already know. If you weren't, Citowicki and Hawkins will get you caught up without the fluff. And while you're digging into Cougar sports, we also put out a piece on how Coug researchers are using AI to crack the snowpack riddle for Northwest farms. That one matters, too. Different field, same grit. Same willingness to solve hard problems in a place that doesn't get enough credit for it. Go read the breakdown. Go read the research. Then text your buddy and tell them what they missed. Go Cougs.
Cougs close out the Barb Chandler Classic with a weekend in the books
The Cougs closed out the Barb Chandler Classic with a weekend of softball that gives us plenty to talk about. It was a clean finish, the kind that keeps momentum rolling into the meat of the schedule. You do not need to overthink it. They took care of business at home, and that is exactly what you are supposed to do. If you want to dig into where the offense is at, the film room breakdown from the Duquesne game is worth your six seconds. That piece gets into the specifics of what worked and what did not, and it is a quick watch that pays off. Beyond the diamond, the other stuff matters too. Kirby Moore was on the mic this week, talking about prepping for Arizona under the lights. That is a different kind of intensity, and the Cougs will need their focus sharp. Korey Schroeder also weighed in on Fresno State, OSU, and the next step for this team. There is a lot of noise around the program right now, but the people inside it seem locked on what is ahead. That is the thing about being a Coug. You take the wins when they come, you learn from the film, and you keep your eyes on the next bus ride. This weekend was a good one. Now you get ready for the next one. Go Cougs.
Korey Schroeder on the mic, Long Beach week, and what's next for Cougar volleyball
Korey Schroeder is back on the mic for Cougar volleyball, and that alone is worth a listen. The man knows the game, knows these players, and brings the kind of energy that makes you feel like you're in Bohler Gym even when you're watching from a couch in Seattle. This week, the Cougs head to Long Beach for a tournament that should tell us a lot about where this team is headed. Non-conference play is about finding your rhythm and testing depth, and Long Beach is a good test. Not a trap, not a statement, just solid volleyball against a program that knows how to compete. What's next after that? Conference play looms, and the Pac-12 is never forgiving. But if the early returns are any indication, this squad has pieces. The setters are connecting. The hitters are finding seams. And Schroeder will be there to call every kill and every rally-saving dig. If you missed it, we also ran a piece on Citowicki and Dvorak breaking down the win over Seattle U. That one's worth a read if you want the deeper X's and O's. For now, get ready for Long Beach. Turn up the volume. Go Cougs.
Your garden can help Pullman's butterflies, new report says
A new report says some of Pullman's butterflies are in trouble. Not all of them, but enough that it caught the attention of researchers who track these things. The good news is that your garden can help. Not a huge overhaul, just planting the right flowers, keeping a little wild space, maybe skipping the heavy pesticides. That's it. That's the kind of fix that actually works. This isn't some distant problem. These are the butterflies you see on a summer walk near campus or out past the golf course. The report doesn't name names for the declining species, but the point is clear: small changes in your own yard add up. Pullman is small enough that a few neighbors doing the right thing can make a real difference. It's also the kind of grounded, useful research Washington State does well. Speaking of that, if you want a reminder of how WSU shows up in real life, not just in a lab, check out "At the Fair, WSU Serves Up a Century of Washington Farm History." It's a good companion piece. Different topic, same pride in work that matters. For now, maybe let a little clover grow. Plant something native. The butterflies will thank you, and so will the next Coug who walks through your yard. Go Cougs.
Pullman researchers test your weed placebo theory: turns out, maybe
So you bought the expensive weed, convinced the fancy terpene profile was melting your stress away. Pullman researchers just called your bluff. In a human trial, participants reported the same levels of stress reduction whether they vaped real cannabis or a placebo. Same relief. Same chill. The only difference was in their heads. Let that sink in before you text your buddy who swears by the $60 eighth. This is the kind of work that makes you proud to be a Coug, even when it busts your bubble. WSU researchers aren't afraid to ask the uncomfortable questions, and they do it with real science. No hype. No marketing spin. Just a clean result that tells us more about how our brains work than we might want to admit. It also fits right alongside other WSU studies that prove good research doesn't need a flashy headline. If you liked our piece on how the right tone makes AI fact-checks actually stick, you'll appreciate this one too. Same honest approach. Same willingness to follow the data where it leads. So next time you roll one up for stress, know this: the ritual might matter more than the plant. That is not a bad thing. It just means you are paying for the experience, not the chemistry. And honestly, that is still a pretty good deal. Go Cougs.
Dean Khosla Makes the Case That Land-Grant Still Means Something
Dean Khosla says the land-grant mission still means something. Not as a dusty plaque on a wall. As a real, working promise. The Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean of WSU's College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences wrote an essay making that case, and it lands hard because he's not selling nostalgia. He's talking about what a university owes the place it sits in. That matters here. Pullman isn't a backdrop. It's the point. When a dean of a college with "Agricultural" in its name says land-grant still counts, he's not defending history. He's drawing a line from the research plots to the dinner table to the rural clinic. We see that same thread in our piece on WSU taking health care into a Spokane elementary school hallway. It's not a theory. It's a hallway. Khosla's essay is worth your time because it doesn't pretend the work is easy or that the mission is finished. It just says it's still ours. That's a take you can text a friend in Seattle, Spokane, or wherever the Palouse wind blew you. Go Cougs.
Coug women's golf packs the clubs and heads for Tacoma
The Coug women's golf team is trading the Palouse for Puget Sound air, packing up the clubs and heading to Tacoma for their next tournament. You don't haul gear across the state unless you think you've got something to prove, and this group has been quietly putting together a season that deserves attention. Pullman doesn't produce many fair-weather athletes, and these golfers are no exception, they grind through wind, mud, and early frost without complaint. Now they get a chance to show what that grit looks like on a course that isn't fighting them back. It is good to see the program getting some run. Golf doesn't always grab the headlines around here, but the work these players put in is as Coug as anything on the turf. Tacoma is a decent trip, not a bus ride to Moscow, and it gives the team a chance to reset after some tough competition. For those of you who can't get enough of the Xs and Os, we've got you covered elsewhere on the site. If you want to hear about the other side of the ball, our piece on "Kirby Moore breaks down Fresno State tape on this week's Cougar Football Hour" is worth your time. Two different sports, same Coug standard. Go Cougs.
Korey Schroeder on Fresno State, OSU, and the Cougs' Next Step
Korey Schroeder walked into the postgame presser and did not sound like a man who just swept a conference opener. He sounded like a coach who knows the next two weeks define the season. Fresno State is done. The Cougs took care of business, and if you missed how they did it, go find the film room breakdown from the Duquesne game. It is worth your six seconds. That same attention to detail showed up against the Bulldogs. Clean. Decisive. No panic when the Bulldogs made a run. That is the standard now. Next up is Oregon State. That trip is never easy. The Beavers will test everything the Cougs just proved to themselves. Schroeder knows it. The locker room knows it. The fans who packed Beasley know it. Arizona week already set the tone with Kirby Moore on the mic, no need to overthink it. The offense has answers. The defense has a backbone. Now they have to carry that load onto the road. Nobody is handing out trophies for a clean sweep of Fresno State. But the Cougs started Pac-12 play the right way. Schroeder has this group believing. The next step is showing it can travel. Go Cougs.
Citowicki and Dvorak break down a Cougar win over Seattle U
Citowicki and Dvorak broke down the Cougar win over Seattle U, and if you missed the match, their breakdown is the next best thing to being on the pitch. These two know the game, and they don't waste time telling you what you already saw on the scoreboard. They dig into how Wazzu actually got it done, the adjustments, the pressure points, and the moments that mattered. It was a tune-up, sure. But a clean one. The kind of win that lets a team build without the panic of a close call. Cougs needed that. If you want the full picture from the weekend, don't stop here. We also ran "Cougs clean up the pitch in a Seattle U tune-up," which gives you the match-level view. Pair that with Citowicki and Dvorak's film-room take, and you've got the whole story. This is the kind of coverage that matters when you're trying to figure out if this team is for real. Spoiler: the signs are good. Go Cougs.