Business Commons^™

Acreage Of Foreign Owned Farmland In The Mountain West, 2020, Geneva Martin, Saha Salahi, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This fact sheet examines foreign-owned farmland in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, as originally reported by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency.

Renewable Energy Legislation In Nevada: 2017 - 2021, Peter Grema, Zachary Walusek, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

The purpose of this fact sheet is to summarize legislative actions from the biennial 79th, 80th, and 81st Nevada Legislative Sessions (2017, 2019, and 2021) regarding solar energy production and state efforts to reach 50 percent energy production from renewable sources by 2030. By 2050, Nevada has a statutorily mandated obligation to be a net-zero carbon producer in fulfilling energy production needs from large scale utility services.

The Equifax Hack Revisited And Repurposed, Hal Berghel

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Reports on the recent indictments against Chinese hackers regarding Equifax.

Sustainability Standards And Stakeholder Engagement: Lessons From Carbon Markets, Hans Rawhouser, Michael E. Cummings, Alfred Marcus

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Publications

Stakeholders play an increasingly active role in private governance, including development of standards for measuring sustainability. Building on prior studies focused on standards and stakeholder engagement, we use an innovation management theoretical lens to compare stakeholder engagement and standards developed in two carbon markets: the Climate Action Reserve and the U.N.’s Clean Development Mechanism. We develop and test hypotheses regarding how different processes of stakeholder engagement in standard development affect the number, identity, and age of stakeholders involved, as well as the variation and quality of the resulting standards. In doing so, we contribute to the growing literature on stakeholder …

Mcnair Research Journal - Summer 2015, Kelly Abuali, Starr Bailey, Krystal Courtney D. Belmonte, Brittaney Benson-Townsend, Jennifer Bolick, Mihaela A. Ciulei, Ashley Crisp, Daniel N. Erosa, Richard V. Foster, Gisele Braga Goertz, Michael A. Langhardt, Kara Osborne, Julienne Jochel Paraiso, Shawn M. Rosen, Bella V. Smith, Jeevake Attapattu, Ernesto H. Bedoy, Michael G. Curtis, Wanda Inthavong, Marielle Leo, Primrose Martin, Tamieka Meadows, Rosa Perez, Jessica Recarey, Shea Silver, Linda Tompkins

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the McNair Scholars Program

Table of Contents

Biography of Dr. Ronald E. McNair

Statements:

Dr. Neal J. Smatresk, UNLV President

Dr. Juanita P. Fain, Vice President of Student Affairs

Dr. William W. Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Retention and Outreach

Mr. Keith Rogers, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach

McNair Scholars Institute Staff

Cracking The Code On Stem: A People Strategy For Nevada's Economy, Jessica A. Lee, Mark Muro, Jonathan Rothwell, Scott Andes, Siddharth Kulkarni

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Nevada has in place a plausible economic diversification strategy—and it’s beginning to work. Now, the state and its regions need to craft a people strategy. Specifically, the state needs to boost the number of Nevadans who possess at least some postsecondary training in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math—the so-called “STEM” disciplines (to which some leaders add arts and design to make it “STEAM”).

The moment is urgent—and only heightened by the projected worker needs of Tesla Motors’ planned “gigafactory” for lithium-ion batteries in Storey County.

Even before the recent Tesla commitment, a number of the more high-tech …

Cracking The Code On Stem: A People Strategy For Nevada's Economy Executive Summary, Jessica A. Lee, Mark Muro, Jonathan Rothwell, Scott Andes, Siddharth Kulkarni

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Nevada has in place a plausible economic diversification strategy—and it’s beginning to work. Now, the state and its regions need to craft a people strategy. Specifically, the state needs to boost the number of Nevadans who possess at least some postsecondary training in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math—the so-called “STEM” disciplines (to which some leaders add arts and design to make it “STEAM”).

The moment is urgent—and only heightened by the projected worker needs of Tesla Motors’ planned “gigafactory” for lithium-ion batteries in Storey County.

Even before the recent Tesla commitment, a number of the more high-tech …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2013, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Senior Design Experience

Part of every UNLV engineering student's academic experience, the Senior Design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. Working in teams, the senior design project encourages students to use everything learned in the engineering and computer design programs to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

Beyond the classroom ...

Because of the requirement to work in teams, students also build good communication skills, presentation skills and even business writing skills. They also have to …

New Business Competition For A Different Generation Launches In Nevada, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

On Nevada Day (October 26), a new competition was announced that is designed to stimulate business formation in the Silver State by offering the state’s largest-ever cash grand prize as an incentive.

The related tagline gets right to the point: “$100,000 cash. Your business idea. A room of investors. 5 minutes. One chance to prove you have what it takes.”

Sunvelope: A Nevada Company Revolutionizes Solar Hot Water Collectors, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Solar hot water is just not sexy to the general public—and that’s created a challenge for Pete Mokler, director of marketing at Sunvelope Solar. “Our technology can deliver more energy units per dollar invested—whether counted in therms, BTUs, or kilowatt hours—than photovoltaic, wind, geothermal and biomass,” says Mokler, “but you say ‘solar hot water’ and people yawn.”

Nevada's Top Energy Industry Representatives Call For More Collaboration And Education, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

More than 75 representatives from every sector of Nevada’s energy industry gathered at Reno’s Desert Research Institute last week to discuss energy challenges facing the Silver State, opportunities available and actions needed to lead the West and the nation in renewable energy generation, transmission and delivery.

Startup Weekend; Hooking Up For Economic Growth, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

The Startup Weekend, a national grassroots business-launching event, is coming to Northern Nevada, September 28-30, 2012. Startup Weekend Elko will connect local entrepreneurs, developers, designers and startup enthusiasts with mentors and resources for a weekend of sharing ideas, forming teams and launching startups. The weekend-long event will take place at the Great Basin College campus in Elko.

Special Edition: National Clean Energy Summit, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Young Professionals in Energy–Nevada recently gathered for an up-to-the-day report on renewable energy at UNLV’s LEED-certified Science and Engineering Building given by Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research Tom Piechota—just hours after President Obama appeared on campus in support of higher education.

Piechota, who also heads UNLV’s Urban Sustainability Initiative (and is this author’s boss in that capacity), covered all the overlapping curriculum and research going on. Of about 400 total research projects university-wide, 142 involve clean energy, water or environmental science – some at the nexus of all three. Department of Energy remains the biggest source of funding, along …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending July 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• BLM informed UNLV that after investigating a concession contract as the appropriate BLM document for the future operating partner, they have concluded that an operating agreement is the preferred document and they are proceeding to complete such an agreement as soon as possible.
• Following a visit to the ranch with BLM, UNLV has completed temporary repairs to ranch house windows, which should mitigate deterioration of the ranch house from water
• UNLV participated in a one-half day meeting with BLM to review Condit’s Extended Content Package #1. As a result of the lack of progress by Condit, UNLV was requested to …

Let Us Buy You Coffee!, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

NIREC is a nonprofit organization that helps Nevada's entrepreneurs to build their businesses. We'd like to better understand the biggest challenges that currently face entrepreneurs, so that we can work on fixing them more effectively.

Pv Costs Overestimated - High-Impact Innovation, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Current accounting methods often over-estimate the lifetime costs of generating electricity from solar panels, according to “Reconsidering the Economics of Photovoltaic Power.” This new working paper, written by 10 authors with insight into the economics of solar power, appeared on the website Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

Nevada Grown, Cutting Edge Clean Energy Innovation Please, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

The Nevada chapter of Young Professionals in Energy (YPE Nevada) seeks to facilitate the advancement of mid-career energy professionals in the state of Nevada through social, educational, vocational and community service events. YPE Nevada aims to build a cohesive network of energy professionals from students to retired executives, and to create an environment where members can learn from each other’s experiences, share industry knowledge and discuss career matters. By expanding networking between the state’s energy professionals, it aims to enhance entrepreneurial activity.

Join Nevada's Newly Formed Networking Group For All Energy Professionals, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

“YPE Nevada is designed to engage Nevada’s mid-career energy professionals through a variety of career-related, community service, professional education and social events to be scheduled across the entire state. ” said YPE Nevada Board Member Walt Borland, the President and CEO of NIREC that is sponsoring the launch of the new chapter. “And, we expect that this enhanced interaction will help to drive more energy-related entrepreneurial activity in Nevada.”

An Energy Professionals' Networking Group That's Creating A Buzz, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Bleary-eyed but wide awake at 2:00 am, I reached for my phone for a little social media solace. Clicking into a popular networking site, I typed "energy" in the search field. To my surprise, the search returned a list of over 10,000 options.

As professionals, entrepreneurs and affiliates to the energy industry, let me spare you an early morning quest. There is an industry-related group that has quietly built a network of members 20,000-strong with tentacles reaching throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending April 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• BLM informed UNLV that the type of operating plan that was identified in June, 2011 as the appropriate instrument for future operations, and which was to have been completed by May 2012, prior to beginning construction, would not work for BLM. BLM informed UNLV that they are now considering a concession contract as the appropriate BLM document for the future operating partner.
• BLM and UNLV visited the ranch for a day to examine the continuing deterioration of the ranch house from water, and to discuss how to address this on-going problem. The group reviewed damage owing to water coming into …

Cleantech Open's $250,000 Business Competition - Learn More April 5, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Join us for an introduction to the Cleantech Open, the world's largest cleantech accelerator. You will learn about our annual Business Competition, an opportunity to accelerate your cleantech startup with expert training, national visibility and up to $250,000 of cash and services. Beyond great networking, the event will include a brief presentation about how you can get involved as a volunteer, mentor, judge or more.

Evaluating And Implementing Web Scale Discovery Services: Part Two, Jason Vaughan, Tamera Hanken

Library Faculty Presentations

Part Four: Quick Tour of the Current Marketplace:

• "The Big 5"
• Similarities and differences

Part Five: It's Not All Sliced Bread:

• Shortcomings of web scale discovery

Part Six: Implementation (pre launch steps):

• Selecting and preparing implementation staff
• Preparing and communicating process/decisions with all staff
• Working with the vendor (roles, expectations, timeline)
• Workflow changes and implications (technical services)

Part Seven: Specific implementation tasks, issues, and considerations:

• Record loading and mapping (catalog content)
• Harvesting and mapping digital/local content
• Working with central index data (internal & external content)
• Web integration and customization
• Assessment and continuous improvement

Evaluating And Implementing Web Scale Discovery Services: Part One, Jason Vaughan, Tamera Hanken

Library Faculty Presentations

Preface: Before Web Scale Discovery

• A very brief overview

Part 1: What is Web Scale Discovery

• Content
• Technology

Part 2: Why is Web Scale Discovery important?

• What’s the need?
• How is it different from earlier attempts at broad discovery?

Part 3: A Framework for Evaluating Web Scale Discovery Services

• What we did at UNLV
• Other options

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending July 10, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV participated in several meetings with BLM regarding updating the current Task Order, obtaining a two-year no-cost extension for the two Assistance Agreements, and to develop the future WBR operating agreement between BLM and UNLV
• UNLV met with Sara Moffatt, one of Senator Reid’s staff, to provide an update on project progress. UNLV also requested the Senator’s support in obtaining additional funding for the project for construction, and also for UNLV to bridge the transition from construction through the first two years of operation.
• UNLV held several internal meetings to advance planning for a July VA meeting with BLM to …

The Silver Spark For Nevada, Walt Borland, James A. Croce, Richard Seline

Publications (E)

The SILVER Spark for Nevada: Sustainable Innovation Leading a Vital Economic Renaissance

Nevada. A State of stark contrasts, with historic booms and devastating busts experienced throughout its modern history. A State frequently forced to reinvent itself as ever-evolving circumstances have demanded. A State that has been driven to the edge time after time and, yet again and again, has managed to discover another way to prosper. A State that now finds itself in a precarious position as the “Great Recession” hit it harder than any other and has left it struggling to recover.

As you will conclude by reading The …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV participated in three project workshops and one additional meeting to assist in planning and design of the future WBR museum and field/research station.
• Weather station progress included design of programming software that will provide past weather information to website user, two abstracts have been submitted to an energy sustainability meeting, and a paper reviewing energy efficient building envelope components has been prepared and submitted for publication.
• Work has begun on a new education project titled “Multimedia Field Guides for Public Engagement at Walking Box Ranch, Mojave Desert.” The project will develop and disseminate a modern geological and environmental field …

Understanding The Influence Of Blog On The Development Of Social Capital, Reza Vaezi, Gholamreza Torkzadeh, Jerry Cha-Jan Chang

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Publications

The rapid use and application of blogs in diverse areas such as education, marketing, journalism, and human resource management in recent years underlines the need for a better understanding of the impact of this new technology on social capital. Social capital reflects the norm of reciprocity and the level of trust among individuals who connect, interact, and benefit from one another. Blog is expected to influence the extent and the scope of this interaction by providing new means of networking among people. This paper examines the relationship between blog use and social capital and reports on the results of an …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending October 10, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV Public Safety is assisting in identifying security methods needed to guarantee safety and security at the ranch after project completion. This effort will involve the assistance of Metro CPTED program officers as design proceeds.
• UNLV IT is determining the extent to which they can assist with networking and technology issues as project design moves forward. They may assist in identifying consultants to hire to assist with technology.
• We have solicited research/education proposals from UNLV faculty for projects to be initiated in the coming year. The goal is to provide seed funding for projects that will expand as the facilities …

Unlv Magazine, Tony Allen, Shane Bevell, Donna Mcaleer, Ched Whitney, Cate Weeks

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Green Power Marketing In The United States: A Status Report (2009 Data), Lori Bird, Jenny Sumner

Publications (E)

This report documents green power marketing activities and trends in the United States. Aggregate green power sales data for all voluntary purchase markets across the United States are presented for 2009. The data presented in this report are based primarily on figures provided to NREL by utilities and independent renewable energy marketers. Because data cannot be obtained from all market participants, the estimates presented here likely represent an underestimate of the market size. Key trends identified in this year’s report include:
• In 2009, total retail sales of renewable energy in voluntary markets exceeded 30 million MWh, an increase of …