Viewscapes Washington State Magazine

The WSU Fight Song, the roaring crowd, the electric atmosphere.


Washington State University’s Cougar Marching Band is often the heart and soul that connects WSU alumni and fans at these games.

In this episode, new Cougar Marching Band director Jon Sweet takes magazine associate editor Adriana Janovich behind the scenes. He talks about the music, the marching, the fans, and the incredible Coug spirit in the band.

This episode’s music is from the Cougar Marching Band at a November 2023 football game.

The Cougar Marching Band is raising money for new uniforms. Learn more or donate for the uniforms.


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Young people have lots of questions about diet, exercise, and sexual health. TikTok is one of their most trusted venues for finding out information.

“They’ll go to TikTok and ask questions,” says Nicole O’Donnell, assistant professor at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. “They’re learning about health mostly through other people’s stories rather than some of the traditional health information you might get online.”

But are they getting good health advice? In a recent study, O’Donnell analyzed health content on TikTok. Influencers with motivational stories were prevalent, while content from credentialed health providers was lacking.

In this episode, she talks with Washington State Magazine science writer Becky Kramer about the potential pitfalls of teens relying on influencers for health information—particularly if the influencers are selling products.

O’Donnell also has advice for public health officials working on teen outreach. Short TikTok videos are effective at reaching young people. And personal stories count, she says.  
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2023 was a year of weather extremes, with damaging floods, fires, and storms unfolding across the globe.
The United States logged a historic number of billion-dollar weather disasters, while smoke from Canada’s wildfires choked parts of the country.

“It’s kind of odd to be talking about our neighbor just to the north, but they really did have such a big impact in North America and also globally,” says Nathan Santo Domingo, a field meteorologist with Washington State University’s AgWeatherNet.

Besides the highest ever reported number of acres burned, the Canadian wildfire season was unusual for its longevity. “Wildfire season got going in late spring and didn’t relent until early fall.”

The Pacific Northwest, in contrast, had its second highest number of recorded fire starts, but a smaller than average number of acres burned.

Santo Domingo discusses the conditions behind 2023’s extreme weather and how some of those events are affecting food prices with Washington State Magazine science writer Becky Kramer. He also talks about the Northwest’s forecast for 2024.
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A simple decision about what to order for lunch can have profound effects on others.



“Food is interesting because it touches so many other communities,” says Samantha Noll, an associate professor of bioethics in the School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs at Washington State University. “When we decide that we're going to eat that falafel sandwich, or that burger, or that salad, we're impacting others with that seemingly simple choice.”

In this episode, Noll talks with Washington State Magazine writer Becky Kramer about how her childhood on a farm shaped her views of food and some of the environmental and socio-political implications behind our food choices.

Noll recounts how wealthy New Yorkers forced immigrants to give up keeping livestock, triggering the Piggery War. She discusses the complicated history of avocados in the United States and the “food miles” traveled to bring people their daily cup of coffee or piece of chocolate.

Noll encourages people to eat mindfully, considering how their decisions around food can align with their values.

Some of Samantha Noll’s favorite food podcasts:


The Sporkful


Gastropod - Food with a side of science and history


A Taste of the Past - Where food, culture, and history meeting in a podcast





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Palouse prairie of eastern Washington and northwestern Idaho is an endangered landscape. It’s dominated by forbs—flowering plants—that cover the fields with a riot of color that attracts native pollinators.
The Phoenix Conservancy is among the groups restoring Palouse prairie. Led by Chris Duke, a doctoral graduate in biology from Washington State University, the organization works to bring native plants back to endangered landscapes from Madagascar to the Great Plains of North America to the Palouse hills.

In this episode, Washington State Magazine editor Larry Clark takes a field trip with Duke to the apartment complexes on the edge of Pullman, Washington, where a half-acre hillside shows how Palouse prairie can thrive even on a small, urban piece of land. They call it a pocket prairie.

As sounds from construction of new buildings surround the area, Duke shows off the blue asters, purple lupine, and myriad other native plants as butterflies and pollinating beetles move from flower to flower. It is a sign of hope and the resilience of native species in the region.

Read more in “Rooting for the prairie” in the Fall 2023 issue of Washington State Magazine.
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Eric McElroy is an American pianist and composer who released his debut album, Tongues of Fire, in March 2023 on Somm Recordings. He wrote the songs to accompany poems from modern poets W.S. Merwin, Gregory Leadbetter, Grevel Lindop, Alice Oswald, and Robert Graves. The poems are sung by acclaimed English tenor James Gilchrist and McElroy performs on piano.
McElroy graduated from Washington State University and then continued his postgraduate education in Vienna and Oxford University. 
In this episode, Washington State Magazine editor Larry Clark talks with McElroy about the new album, his creative process, poetry, walking, and his influences at WSU and beyond. 
The music samples from Tongues of Fire featured in the episode:
The Nomad Flute - W.S. Merwin After the Voices - W.S. MerwinStatuary I - Gregory LeadbetterMirror and Candle - Grevel LindopFalling - Alice OswaldA Dead Boche - Robert GravesRead more about McElroy in the Fall 2023 issue of Washington State Magazine.
Tongues of Fire on Somm Recordings
Eric McElroy’s website
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