WSU researchers receive $1.5 million to study sleep
A team of researchers from Washington State University has been awarded $1.5 million from the W.M. Keck Foundation to study the source of sleep.
The award will allow a team of sleep and neuroscience researchers on campuses in Pullman and Spokane to test a theory that sleep is not imposed on the brain, but instead develops from within it according to need.
The Los Angeles-based Keck Foundation supports innovative research in science, engineering and medicine. The grant will support study led by principal investigator Gregory Belenky, director of the WSU Sleep and Performance Research Center.
Belenky and his team will test a theory first proposed by WSU neuroscientist James Krueger and his colleague, the late Ferenc Obal. They’ll use a range of tools to investigate and evaluate the regulation of sleep.
WSU officials noted that the grant is significant, not only because of its amount, but also because it’s from the Keck Medical Research line, which typically funds institutions with major medical schools.
Sacred Heart Medical Center plans annual Women’s Show
More than 150 exhibitors and dozens of presentations are planned during Sacred Heart Medical Center’s annual Women’s Show, set for March 17 and 18 in Spokane.
This year’s event will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 17 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 18.
Highlights include a New York-style fashion show, scheduled twice each day, created by the Yevo-Rome Communication Group; a battle of the chefs cook-off; a Dance Across America performance featuring Benji Schwimmer, winner of the FOX-TV show, “So You Think You Can Dance”; and a bachelor auction with date packages ranging from a Broadway show to a horseback ride in the Northrup Canyon. Author Judith Briles also will offer two presentations daily.
Proceeds from the event will help pay for new digital mammography equipment for the Women’s Health Center Coach that travels throughout the Inland Northwest to provide screenings for women who might not otherwise receive them.
Admission is $5; children under age 12 are admitted free. For more information, visit the Web site www.spokanewomensshow.com
KMC Festival of Trees nets record donations
Kootenai Medical Center’s 2006 Festival of Trees fundraiser earned a net profit of about $400,000, up $44,000 over the previous year, organizers said.
The funds will help pay for a satellite breast cancer clinic at KMC’s Post Falls Health Park, said spokeswoman Karen Pearl.
Organizers are already planning the 19th annual Festival of Trees event, scheduled for Nov. 23 to 26 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. The theme will be “A Christmas to Remember.”