Eagle Excellence: March 2026

Eastern Washington University faculty, staff and students make a daily impact, both here on campus and in communities that stretch across the state, county and globe. Eagle Excellence seeks to recognize some of the many inspirational accomplishments that shine a positive light on Eastern and support its transformational mission.

Esteban Rodriguez-Marek, department chair for Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, has been elevated to the grade of senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Senior member is the highest professional grade of IEEE, a global community for technologists that helps to shape systems and standards for the industry. The role requires extensive experience and reflects professional accomplishment and maturity. Only 10% of the nearly half a million members have achieved this level. IEEE is a global network of over 500,000 engineering and STEM professionals. Their core purpose is to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.

Gina Petrie, professor and the coordinator of the English as a Second Language Program, shared that Emma Brown Fries, an undergraduate student majoring in English as a Second Language, recently designed and presented professional development workshops for employees at Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane applying an ‘English for specific purposes’ approach. Brown Fries conducted her workshops in January through December of 2025.

Sonja Durr, senior lecturer in design, reported that Community-Driven Design students worked with the Kalispel Tribe of Indians’ Natural Resources Department to expand their visual identity. Students spent the quarter designing brand enhancements that the tribe plans to use, including logos, color palettes, type, maps, swag and more. Participating students included Keenan Davis, Jaeden Ives-Crow, Kenia Uribe, Peyton Whiteley, Mac Potestio, Tristan Holdren, Laina Jones and Bea Smith.

Jasmin Davis, associate director for the Office of Community Engagement, will serve on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Community Center, which is committed to advancing access to essential resources, fostering meaningful partnerships, and other initiatives in northeast Spokane.

A group of students in public history classes, taught by Professor Larry Cebula, created an educational exhibit at Spokane Public Library’s Central branch. The exhibit, which reflects Spokane’s 1909 Free Speech fight, was done as part of the applied learning for Jess Walter Week. The EWU historians researched Jess Walter’s history-based novel, The Cold Millions, using the same archival sources that the author used, and then came up with themes for a museum exhibit. They curated images and objects, including some borrowed from the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture and created captions for each piece. EWU design student Jaeden Ives-Crow developed the exhibit design, and students Holly Claypool and Ben Gallon led a discussion with Walter, a best-selling author who graduated from EWU, about his novel to kick off the opening of the museum exhibit. Titled as The Cold Millions: Historical Fact and Fiction and the Spokane Free Speech Fight,” the exhibit runs through the end of the week at Central Library, located at 906 W. Main Avenue.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit items for the Eagle Excellence monthly column! You can help us celebrate our collective wins by submitting your own news and accomplishments or sharing kudos for a colleague, team or department at this link.