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Common Reading Program Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement

Black Key Clue for Phase 5

daniel.rieck

“Your journey is almost complete.
But now you face the most difficult challenge of the Black Key.
Are you ready? Then let’s begin:
Go to the Pullman campus building
named after the university president whose tenure in office was the greatest number of years.
Once there, find the portrait
of this president somewhere in the building.
Found it? Good. Now notice how
many blue stripes are on the left sleeve of his clothing.
Go to the floor of this building
that is the same number as the stripes.
Got there?
Now, find the beings with green
locks which are close to the geographic center of this floor.
There is an quote near the beings.
Visit Black Key Form 5.1 on the common reading OrgSync page to enter that quote.”
 
(Note: enter only the last, bottommost line of the entire quote.)

Jan. 29: Transformational power of undergraduate research is topic of talk by Shelley Pressley

daniel.rieck

PULLMAN, Wash.—Shelley Pressley, director of the Washington State University Office of Undergraduate Research, will present “Leveling up with undergraduate research” at 4:10 p.m. Mon., Jan. 29, in CUE, 203, the Common Reading Program has announced. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Pressley’s office advocates helping students undertake research with a mentor—often a faculty member—from the freshman year forward. The experience can transform students’ time and academic experience at WSU, she said. Currently, evidence indicates that 26 percent of WSU seniors have engaged in research. » More …

Technology and humanity topic of Jan. 23 Common Reading lecture by Deborah Compeau

makhani

PULLMAN, Wash.—The Washington State University Common Reading Program hosts “Do we manage technology, or does technology manage us?,” a lecture by management information systems professor Deborah Compeau, at 4:30 p.m. Tues., Jan. 23, in CUE 203. This free event is open to the public.

There are many ways in which we both manage and are managed by technologies, said Compeau. From social technologies that draw us in, to artificial intelligence technologies that replace human decision-making, we are confronted by a world where technologies increasingly challenge our agency. » More …

Black Key Clue for Phase 4

daniel.rieck

“In the long cold of a Pullman
winter it is important to conserve resources.
One important resource to be conserved is money.
This January and February, in
Phase 4, lets talk about money, jobs, and other such resources.
You can take it with a grain
of SALT, or you can accept the Handshake, but we’re doing things
a little different this time.
We are going to reward your knowledge
with some important resources.
Make your way through the history
and culture of WSU to unlock help for your financial future.”
 
Once you know the official name of Jim Dine’s cor, visit this website on CougSync to tell us, and we will shake your hand.

Video Games, Campus Culture, and Identity topic of Nov. 28 Common Reading Lecture

emma.epperly

“The Privilege to Play: Video Games, Campus Culture, and Identity,” a Washington State University Common Reading Program lecture by professor David Leonard at 5:00 p.m. on Tues., Nov. 28 in Todd 116. The event is free and open to the public.

This talk will examine how both video games and universities sell “experiences” that not only privilege and empower certain identities and experience, but also sell a world that erases, obscures, and finds pleasure in an imagined “Other.” Both games and college create worlds of tourism, selling not simply an experience of fun and excitement but one in which joy and pleasure are derived through particular understandings of race, gender, sexuality.

Highlighting the ways that video games and America’s historically white colleges and universities create experiences that center the needs and pleasure of white male gamers/students, this talk focuses on how these experiences feed off dominant racial and gendered stereotypes.

» More …

Cybersecurity and Privacy topic of Nov. 7 Common Reading Lecture

emma.epperly

“Cybersecurity and Privacy in 2017 and Beyond,” a Washington State University Common Reading Program lecture by Professor Adam Hahn at 4:30 p.m. on Tues., Nov. 7 in CUE 203. The event is free and open to the public.

Hahn is an assistant professor of computer science in WSU’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He will cover the current state of cybersecurity and privacy and explore our use and dependency on technologies. The challenges that this technology creates and cybersecurity concerns of the future will also be topics of discussion.

Hahn’s research focus includes cybersecurity risk modelling and metrics. He received his doctorate of philosophy in computer engineering from Iowa State University in 2013.

» More …

Phase 3 Black Key Clue

daniel.rieck

“On November 22, 2008, campus officially welcomed a new member.
You have probably seen him glistening in the sunlight,
or steadfast in the wind and rain, where Butch’s Den once stood.
WSU students need a strong foundation, a solid base.
On his solid base, under his name, you will find 11 lines, each with many letters.
Use the groups of numbers below –
the first number of the pair is the particular line,
it is linked to the second number, which is the letter within that line –
to decipher where to go and what to do:
1-23 1-30 ____ 2-8 5-27 ____ 3-13 4-10 1-3 ____ 4-16 6-10 1-20 /
3-5 5-23 ____ 5-23 5-24 5-25 ____ 5-31 6-10 1-11 2-6 2-8. /
2-14 5-24 5-34 ____ ‘1-14 1-17 1-25 2-3 2 24 ____ 2-31 3-5 4-16 4-16 2-1 2-9 3-4 4-3’ ____ 4-4 5-5: /
‘5-17 6-10 1-8 1-26 1-28 1-30 2-6 ____ 2-22 3-13 3-15 4-1 4-2 4-6 5-1 5-2’ ”

Artificial intelligence topic of Oct. 30 Common Reading Lecture

emma.epperly

The Washington State University Common Reading Program hosts a lecture on artificial intelligence by Matt Taylor, assistant professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at 5 p.m. Mon., Oct. 30 in CUE 203. The event is free and open to the public.

Taylor holds the Allred Distinguished Professorship in Artificial Intelligence in the school.  At the lecture, he will discuss the potential benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) over the next 10 years. He will also focus on the ways AI will change our lives in both the physical world and the new space of virtual reality.

» More …

“Am I Addicted to My Phone?” a Common Reading lecture by psychologist Loren Brown on Oct. 23

emma.epperly

The Washington State University Common Reading Program hosts “Am I Addicted to My Phone? Healthy Ways to Use Technology Without Getting Hooked,” a lecture by psychologist Loren Brown from WSU Counseling and Psychological Services at 5:00 p.m. on Mon., Oct. 23 in CUE 203. The event is free and open to the public.

Interactive technology is a useful and integrated part of modern life, yet a growing number of people say it’s causing them problems, said Brown.  As a society we are spending more and more time looking at screen, whether it’s social media or video games, or even measuring steps, heart rate, and sleep using a fitness tracker, said Brown.

» More …

AR and VR as immersive learning tools topic of Oct. 17 WSU Common Reading lecture

emma.epperly

The Washington State University Common Reading Program hosts “Augmented and Virtual Reality as Immersive Learning Tools,” a lecture by Don McMahon at 4:30 p.m. on Tues., Oct. 17 in Todd 130. The event is free and open to the public.

AR and VR technologies are commonly associate with gaming, said McMahon, a WSU professor who researches practical uses for these emerging technologies. He will present ways that AR and VR are also used as immersive learning tools in education and how these technologies will shape the next 10 years of education.

» More …