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Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes, December 19, 2005, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• USTAR
• Compensation Package
• Capital Buildings
• Gift Agreement
• Supplemental Money
• Student Aid
• Development Successes
• Critical Issues
• EPC Business
• Retention/Enrollment Management
• Research Council
• Council on Teacher Education
• Scholarship Advisory Committee
• Use of the Nelson Fieldhouse
• Faculty /Staff Annual Fund
• USU Tobacco Coalition
• Fall Break
• PRPC Business

General Education Subcommittee Minutes, December 6, 2005, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Course Approvals

Advanced Placement in Chemistry and Physics

Southern Virginia University

1 credit music courses for depth

Other Business

• Retiring committee members
• 5-week format of USU 1330 in London
• CIL Committee

Faculty Senate Agenda, December 5, 2005, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC Business October and November—Joyce Kinkead
• PRPC Business—Jennifer MacAdam
• Faculty Evaluation Report—Mike Lyons
• Parking Committee—Lisa Leishman
• Cultural Activities—Gary Kiger
• Honors Program—Christie Fox
• Academic Calendar—Stacie Gomm
• Employee Calendar
• One Semester Lag on Textbooks—Quinn Millet
• Convocations—Bruce Miller
• P & T Committee Participation by Alternative Methods—Gary Straquadine
• Resolution Thanking Interim Provost Noelle Cockett—Derek Mason
• Faculty Petition to Discuss Domestic Partner Benefits—Barry Franklin
• Proposed Amendments to Faculty Code in PRPC Report—Jennifer MacAdam

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, December 5, 2005, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Commencement
• One Semester Lag on Textbooks
• Convocations
• P & T Committee Participation by Alternative Methods
• Resolution Thanking Interim Provost Noelle Cockett
• Petition to Discuss Domestic Partner Benefit
• Proposed Amendments to Faculty Code in PRPC Report

Soil Carbon Distribution And Quality In A Montane Rangeland Forest Mosaic In Northern Utah, Helga Van Miegrot, Janis L. Boettinger, Michelle A. Baker, Julia Nielson, Dave Evans, Alex Stum

T.W. "Doc" Daniel Experimental Forest

Relatively little is known about soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in montane ecosystems of the semi-arid western U.S. or the stability of current SOC pools under future climate change scenarios. We measured the distribution and quality of SOC in a mosaic of rangeland-forest vegetation types that occurs under similar climatic conditions on non-calcareous soils at Utah State University’s T.W. Daniel Experimental Forest in northern Utah: the forest types were aspen [Populus tremuloides] and conifer (mixture of fir [Abies lasiocarpa] and spruce [Picea engelmannii]); the rangeland types were sagebrush steppe [Artemisia tridentata], grass-forb meadow, and a meadow-conifer ecotone. Total SOC was …

Final Environmental Assessment And Finding Of No Significant Impact For The Proposed Safety Of Dams Modifications And Bridge Reconstruction, Provo Area Office, Upper Colorado Region, Bureau Of Reclamation, U.S. Department Of Transportation, Utah Division, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department Of The Interior

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Bureau of Reclamation, Provo Area Office (Reclamation) proposes to replace the concrete spillway structure at Scofield Dam, the principal feature of the Scofield Project. This construction project would be completed under the Safety of Dams (SOD) Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-578, as amended). The proposed SOD modifications would correct safety deficiencies of the dam without affecting the purpose, or benefits of the dam. Reclamation also proposes to replace the existing gate house at its current position on the crest of the dam. This building is in poor condition and would be replaced with either a new concrete structure …

Climatology Of F Region Zonalplasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, J. R. Souza, A. S. Santos, A. E. Costa Pereira

Bela G. Fejer

[1] We use extensive incoherent scatter radar observations made at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory between 1970 and 2003 to study and model empirically the equatorial zonal plasma drifts near the F region peak using Bernstein polynomials as base functions. Our quiet-time model results confirm that the daytime drifts are westward and are nearly season and solar cycle independent. The nighttime drifts are eastward, have larger magnitudes, and increase strongly with solar flux, particularly near equinox and December solstice. Enhanced geomagnetic activity drives small eastward perturbation drifts during the day and much larger westward disturbance drifts at night. The nighttime drift …

Plant Information Compiled By The Utah Natural Heritage Program: A Progress Report, M. A. Franklin, State Of Utah Department Of Natural Resources

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Utah Natural Heritage Program (UTHP) was initiated in late summer 1988 and has functioned as an ongoing biological survey of the state with an emphasis on rare or declining species. It serves as a centralized data repository, acquiring range wide information regarding rare plant and animal species for use by land managers as well as for the evaluation of conservation needs. As well as being used by government agencies, data are used in responding to requests for information from non-government organizations and private interests. Data can be used in the assessment of species’ conservation status state-wide and, in coordination …

Placing The Academy: An Essay In Three Voices, Jeffrey M. Buchanan, Rona Kaufman, Jennifer Sinor

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Natural Flow And Salt Computation Methods, Calendar Years 1971-1995, James Prairie, Russell Callejo

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This paper documents the steps taken to compute natural flow and salt in the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basins from 1971-1995. Natural flow and salt data are hydrologic input data required in the CRSS planning model. The methods used to compute natural flow and salt described in this paper have changed from previous methods as a result of recent research. This research found data and methodological inconsistency in past methods to compute natural flow and salt was compared to data and methods used in the CRSS planning model (Prairie and Fulp, 1999). To assure the computation of natural flow …

Emerging Research Techniques & New Instrumentation For Plant Biology, Bruce Bugbee

Techniques and Instruments

We have not achieved an efficient food production system in US Agriculture by manipulating only the environment.

Genetic engineering techniques now allow us to quickly develop new crop cultivars.

Insights, Fall, 2005, Utah State University

Discovery Magazine

Bi-annual alumni newsletter for the College of Science of Utah State University in Logan.

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, December 1, 2005, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Syllabus Approval

Infection Of An Invasive Frog Eleutherodactylus Coqui By The Chytrid Fungus Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In Hawaii, Karen H. Beard, Eric M. O'Neill

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has contributed to declines and extinctions of amphibians worldwide. B. dendrobatidis is known to infect the frog Eleutherodactylus coqui in its native Puerto Rico. E. coqui was accidentally introduced into Hawaii in the late 1980s, where there are now hundreds of populations. B. dendrobatidis was being considered as a biological control agent for E. coqui because there are no native amphibians in Hawaii. Using a DNA-based assay, we tested 382 E. coqui from Hawaii for B. dendrobatidis and found that 2.4% are already infected. We found infected frogs in four of 10 study sites and …

Degree Of Sedentarization Affects Risks And Conflicts For The Waso Boran In Northern Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, Abdullahi D. Jillo, Mark N. Mutinda, Abdilla A. Aboud

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The Waso Borana have lived for over a century in northern Kenya. In the last few decades, however, their ability to maintain their traditions has been severely challenged. Here we report survey results from 540 households in Isiolo District, stratified among three groups differing in terms of lifestyle: sedentary, semi-sedentary, and mobile. In some cases these groups vary with respect to important perceived risks, causes of natural-resource related conflict, and possible solutions to conflict. For example, sedentary respondents often noted concerns over land tenure problems, human diseases, and political incitement. Mobile respondents, in contrast, often noted primary concerns over drought, …

Agro-Pastoralists’ Wrath For The Prosopis Tree: The Case Of The Il Chamus Of Baringo District, Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, Abdillahi A. Aboud, Phillip K. Kisoyan

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Indigenous to Peru, Chile, and Argentina, the woody plant called Prosopis juliflora (also known by the American common name of “Honey Mesquite”) has spread world-wide in recent decades, including rangelands throughout Latin America, North America, south and central Asia, Australia, and sub-Saharan Africa. A species known for rapid establishment, high adaptability, and fast rates of growth, its dispersal has primarily been a consequence of intentional introduction by well- meaning “technical experts” who wanted to provide a new source of fodder, fuel wood, or a means to combat desertification in arid and semi-arid lands. One problem, however, is that unless Prosopis …

Linking Pastoralists And Exporters In A Livestock Marketing Chain: Recent Experiences From Ethiopia, D. Layne Coppock, Solomon Desta, Getachew Gebru, Seyoum Tezera

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The Boran of southern Ethiopia have been traditionally viewed as unwilling or unable to engage in large scale, commercialized livestock trade. Here we report on the creation of a new livestock marketing chain from the Borana Plateau to export outlets largely serving the Gulf States. Since 2003 various meetings and exchange tours were organized by collaborating agencies and PARIMA to directly link pastoral producers with livestock exporters and policy makers. This occurred against a backdrop of growing export demand for small ruminants, rapid development of private export industry, formation of well-trained pastoral marketing groups (often dominated by women), and provision …

The Election Cycle, And The U.S. Withdrawal From Vietnam, Steven Thomas Stoddard

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Few events in American history have proved to be as divisive and controversial as U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Although U.S. policy in Indochina has its roots in the Truman Administration, the two presidents most closely associated with the conflict are Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon. These two are particularly important because they both occupied the White House during the highest levels of direct U.S. involvement in the war. In terms of troop deployments to Southeast Asia, the level and intensity of U.S. involvement peaked under the Johnson Administration and it was at this time that the …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, December 1, 2005, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

College of Business

• Prerequisite Change
• Delete Course

School of Accountancy

• New Course
• Course Number Change
• Prerequisite Change
• Prerequisite Change, Reactivate Course
• Delete Course

Department of Business Administration

• New Course

Department of Economics

• New Course
• Course Number Change
• Prerequisite Change
• Credit Hour Change

Department of Management and Human Resources

• New Course
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Engineering and Technology Education

• New Course
• Title Change

Department of Art

• New Course
• Course Number Change, Prefix Change

Department of English

• University Studies Request
• Course Description Change
• Title Change, Course Description Change
• Add Repeatable for Credit

Department of Music

• Delete Course

Department of Sociology, Social Work …

Mathematical Functions: An Interactive Emodule, Sarah Jean Moody

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM, http://nlvm.usu.edu/) is a widely used and highly praised teaching/learning resource for school mathematics. The NLVM is the result of a four-year USU project, funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, Award #9819107, to create a web-based, freely accessible, library of interactive virtual manipulatives to help students learn basic mathematics concepts. During a typical school day, the NLVM server receives more than 3 million hits.

Faculty Forum Minutes November 21, 2005, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Stabilizing Enrollment and Revenue
• Budget
• Concurrent Enrollment
• Enrollment Management
• Academic Rights and Responsibilities
• Library Funding

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes, November 14, 2005, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Drs. Ray Coward and Noelle Cockett
• Fall 2005 Commencement
• Promotion and Tenure
• Legislative Efforts
• Cultural Activities Council
• EPC Business
• Parking Committee
• Honors Program
• Convocations
• P & T Committee Participation by Alternative Methods
• PRPC Business
• Resolution thanking Interim Provost Noelle Cockett
• Faculty Forum

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, November 14, 2005, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC Business—Richard Cutler
• Parking Committee—Lisa Leishman
• Cultural Activities—Gary Kiger
• Honors Program—Christie Fox
• Convocations—Bruce Miller
• P & T Committee Participation by Alternative Methods—Gary Straquadine
• PRPC Report—Jennifer MacAdam
• Resolution thanking Noelle Cockett—Derek Mason

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, November 3, 2005, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

General Education

• Change to PF grade

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education

• Prerequisite Change

Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences

• Change Multiple List

Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences

• New Course
• Change Multiple List

School of Accountancy

• Delete Course

Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education

• Credit Hour Change

Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development

• New Course
• Delete Course

Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

• Delete Course

Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation

• Credit Hour Change
• Title Change, Course Description Change
• Delete Course

Department of Psychology

• Delete Course

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• University Studies …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, November 3, 2005, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Syllabus Approval

Utah Pandemic Influenza Response Plan, David Sundwall, Robert T. Rolfs

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

An influenza pandemic has the potential to cause widespread illness and death. Planning and preparedness before the next pandemic strikes are critical for an effective response. Utah’s Pandemic Influenza Response Plan describes a coordinated strategy to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic. Influenza causes seasonal worldwide epidemics of disease that result in an average of 36,000 deaths each year in the United States. A pandemic – or global epidemic – occurs when there is a major change in the influenza virus so that most or all people in the world’s population have no immunity against the virus. Three …

Porous Media Matric Potential And Water Content Measurements During Parabolic Flight, Joey H. Norikane, Scott B. Jones, Susan L. Steinberg, Howard G. Levine, Dani Or

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Control of water and air in the root zone of plants remains a challenge in the microgravity environment of space. Due to limited flight opportunities, research aimed at resolving microgravity porous media fluid dynamics must often be conducted on Earth. The NASA KC-135 reduced gravity flight program offers an opportunity for Earth-based researchers to study physical processes in a variable gravity environment. The objectives of this study were to obtain measurements of water content and matric potential during the parabolic profile flown by the KC-135 aircraft. The flight profile provided 20–25 s of microgravity at the top of the parabola, …

Fluridone Ecological Risk Assessment, Final Report, Ensr International

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), United States Department of the Interior (USDI), is proposing a program to treat vegetation on up to six million acres of public lands annually in 17 western states in the continental United States (U.S.) and Alaska. As part of this program, the BLM is proposing the use of ten herbicide active ingredients (a.i.) to control invasive plants and noxious weeds on approximately one million of the 6 million acres proposed for treatment. The BLM and its contracto, ENSR, are preparing a Vegetation Treatments Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate this and other proposed …

Vegetation Treatments On Bureau Of Land Management Lands In 17 Western States, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

No abstract provided.

Vernal Fire Management Plan Environmental Assessment, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Environmental Assessment (EA) documents results of an analysis of proposed changes to the current management of wildland fire and hazardous fuels for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Vernal Field Office. Proposed revisions of the Vernal Fire Management Plan (FMP) serve as the Proposed Action for this EA. The revised FMP incorporates current planning requirements associated with fire management on public lands, including wildland fire suppression and fuel treatments. The EA analysis is designed to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It allows determinations to be made as to whether any significant impacts, as defined by …