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The Utah Statesman, January 27, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, January 20, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Refurbishing Used Gps Transmitters Improves Performance For Subsequent Deployments On Greater Sage-Grouse, Melissa S. Chelak, Michel T. Kohl, Justin R. Small, Kurt T. Smith, Aaron C. Pratt, Jeffrey L. Beck, Codi R. Backen, M. Brandon Flack, Hailey P. Wayment, Jason A. Wood, Ryan Howell, Trevon D. Strange, Lucian R. Mcdonald, Kezia R. Manlove, Shandra N. Frey, Randy T. Larsen, Brian A. Maxfield, David K. Dahlgren, Terry A. Messmer, David C. Stoner

Wildland Resources Student Research

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) radio transmitters are increasingly used across taxa to monitor animal populations. However, GPS transmitters can be susceptible to malfunctions that may result in location errors or data loss causing potential inferential bias that can have important implications for monitored species. Research using GPS transmitters on greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) has increased, but few sage-grouse studies have evaluated GPS performance. Because sage-grouse management has been subject to intense legal and political scrutiny with consequential economic implications, reliable data acquisition is central to informed decision-making for the species. We evaluated differences in the performance of …

The Utah Statesman, January 13, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Role Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi In Maintaining Sustainable Agroecosystems, Anju Chaudhary, Shital Poudyal, Amita Kaundal

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a crucial role in maintaining sustainable agroecosystems by forming mutualistic relationships with plant roots, improving soil health, facilitating nutrient uptake, and enhancing resilience to abiotic stresses. The mutualistic relationship between AM fungi and plants promotes a balanced microbial community and improves soil structure by forming stable soil aggregates. Additionally, AM fungi can lower the adverse effects of high soil phosphorus (P) while also enhancing plant tolerance to drought, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity through osmotic regulation and antioxidant production. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi also support beneficial microorganisms, such as potassium (K)-solubilizing microbes and nitrogen (N)-transforming bacteria, …

"It's Definitely New And Different...It's Really Engaging": Understanding The Power Of Storytelling Towards Secure Password Creation, Rizu Paudel, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

There is a dearth in existing literature to attain systematic understanding of leveraging digital storytelling in security designs. As we begin to address this gap, we focused on user authentication where the existing password composition policies and password meters often fail to help users around creating a strong and memorable password. To this end, we conducted a lab study with 19 participants, where we updated our initial designs in an iterative manner based on their feedback. We then conducted a between-subject online study with 104 participants over Amazon Mechanical Turk to evaluate our designs. We found that all of our …

Intrusion Detection For Wireless Sensor Network Using Particle Swarm Optimization Based Explainable Ensemble Machine Learning Approach, Shaikh Afnan Birahim, Avijit Paul, Fahmida Rahman, Yamina Islam, Tonmoy Roy, Mohammad Asif Hasan, Fariha Haque, Muhammad E. H. Chowdhury

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) play a pivotal role in various domains, including monitoring, security, and data transmission. However, their susceptibility to intrusions poses a significant challenge. This paper proposes a novel Intrusion Detection System (IDS) leveraging Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and an ensemble machine learning approach combining Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) models to enhance the accuracy and reliability of intrusion detection in WSNs. The system addresses key challenges such as the imbalanced nature of datasets and the evolving complexity of network attacks. By incorporating Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique Tomek (SMOTE-Tomek) techniques to balance the …

Utah Producers And Soil Health: Statewide Survey Results, Peggy Petrzelka, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Matt Yost, Jenae Dean, Earl Creech, Linda Schott, Tony Richards, Kristy Davis

All Current Publications

To gain soil health perspectives and actions from a representative sample of Utah farmers and ranchers, a mail and online survey of Utah producers was conducted in 2024, focused on those who indicated they produced crops in 2023. In this report, we provide an overview of the survey results, with a specific focus on producers’ views on soil health, indicators used for soil health, factors that influence soil health adoption, and information sources used for soil health.

Evaluating Elk Distribution And Conflict Under Proposed Management Alternatives At The National Elk Refuge In Jackson, Wyoming, Gavin G. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Eric K. Cole, Jonathan D. Cook, Margaret C. Mceachran, Tabitha A. Graves

Aspen Bibliography

We evaluated measurable attributes describing the current and future distribution of Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) across a region surrounding Jackson, Wyoming, for five feedground management alternatives proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a revision to 2007 "Bison and Elk Management Plan" of the National Elk Refuge. A resource selection function evaluated measurable attributes of interest to managers, including elk use of private property and sensitive habitat types at monthly timesteps and varying winter conditions. The study area boundaries were created through an expert elicitation process and consist of the Jackson Elk Herd Unit, Grand Teton National Park, …

Increased Positive Tree Species Mixture Effects On The Abundance And Richness Of Collembola With Stand Development In Canadian Boreal Forests, Yakun Zhang, Sai Peng, Zilong Ma, Chen Chen, Bilei Gao, Xinli Chen, Han Y.H. Chen

Aspen Bibliography

It is well established that species mixtures could enhance ecosystem functioning in diverse ecosystem types, with these benefits increasing over time. However, the impact of tree mixtures on Collembola communities following stand development in natural forests remains unclear, despite the critical roles Collembola plays in litter decomposition and nutrient cycling. We investigated the effects of tree species mixtures on Collembola abundance, diversity, and community structure by sampling pure and mixed jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) of 15-year-old and 41-year-old stands in natural boreal forest. In total, 6,620 individuals of Collembola were identified …

Faculty Senate Agenda January 6, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 New Business
• Policy 1001 | Executive Summary | Procedures for Policy
• 3:50 Faculty Senate Business
• State Statute 53B
• 4:00 Information
• EPC Report
• Policy 301 - Employee Position Types
• Policy 368 - Phased Retirement Program
• 4:15 Reports
• Council on Teacher Education Annual Report
• Scholarship Annual Report
• 4:25 Old Business
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

The Utah Statesman, January 6, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Selectivity Of Invasive Species Suppression Efforts Influences Control Efficacy, Rae Fadlovich, Kevin Landom, Timothy E. Walsworth

Watershed Sciences Student Research

1. Highly fecund invaders and size-selective suppression efforts often limit the effectiveness of invasive species control programs, as compensatory processes can allow suppressed populations to recover. While population models have long explored how demographic characteristics impact management feasibility, there is a growing need to evaluate how the selectivity of suppression efforts might impact the long-term feasibility of control.
2. We use a simulation framework that integrates age-based selectivity to evaluate the effect of increasing the range of ages selected for during harvest-based invasive species control. We applied this approach to common carp in Utah Lake, the location of one of the world's …

Spatiotemporal Synchrony Of Climate And Fire Occurrence Across North American Forests (1750–1880), Ellis Margolis, Andreas Wion, John Abatzoglou, Lori Daniels, Donald Falk, Chris Guiterman, James Johnston, Kurt Kipfmueller, Charles Lafon, Rachel Loehman, Maggie Lonergan, Cameron Naficy, Marc-André Parisien, Sean Parks, Jeanne Portier, Michael Stambaugh, Ellen Whitman, A. Park Williams, Larissa Yocom

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Aim: Increasing aridity has driven widespread synchronous fire occurrence in recent decades across North America. The lack of historical (pre-1880) fire records limits our ability to understand long-term continental fire-climate dynamics. The goal of this study is to use tree-ring reconstructions to determine the relationships between spatiotemporal patterns in historical climate and widespread fire occurrence in North American forests, and whether they are stable through time. This information will address a major knowledge gap required to inform projections of future fire.

Location: North American Forests.

Time Period: 1750–1880 CE.

Major Taxa Studied: Trees.

Methods: We applied regionalisation methods to tree-ring …

Education Policy Committee Agenda January 2, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Subcommittee Reports
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00pm

General Education Subcommittee Minutes January 02, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Additional Items
• Adjourn: 9:30am

Education Policy Committee Minutes January 02, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Subcommittee Reports
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:20pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda January 02, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn

General Education Subcommittee Agenda January 02, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Additional Items
• Adjourn: 9:30am

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes January 2, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn

Effect Of Ph And Iron Chelate On The Growth Of Basil And Soybean In Soilless Media, Christian Baker, Bruce Bugbee

Nutrients

Iron (Fe) deficiencies are common in alkaline root zones and can cause chlorosis and reduce growth. The most common approach to prevent deficiency is using synthetic chelates that keep iron in solution at high pH. Here we report the effects of pH and chelate type on the development of chlorosis and biomass in soybeans and basil. We grew the plants at a pH ranging from 6.0-7.8. Fe was chelated with either a less expensive EDTA chelate or a more expensive EDDHA chelate. There was no significant difference between chelates at pH 6.0 in either soybeans or basil. In soybeans, there …

Umschreiben: A Lesson Plan For Introducing Circumlocution Skills In A German Classroom, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Introduce ways to handle communication breakdown
• Create authentic representations of our personalities: this is something we often do in our first language when we forget a word
• Increase social competence and increase willingness to communicate (will and skill, p. 82)

Give Your Data A Glow-Up: Data Visualization With Tableau For Non-Programmers, Rachel Blume, Cameron Nielsen

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

A well-designed data visualization can be a huge boost in effectively communicating your research findings. Tableau is the most popular, most powerful software for creating custom visualizations from complex datasets without requiring coding skills. This hands-on workshop will walk you through the basics of getting your data loaded into Tableau, choosing the right chart or graph type to best show off your findings, and customizing the results to look professional and aesthetically pleasing.

Assessment As Change Management: Facilitating Consensus, Decision-Making, And Culture Change Through A Scaffolded Approach To Ils Review And Selection, Joe Lasure, Lindsay Ozburn, Alex Sundt, Liz Woolcott

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Like many academic libraries, Utah State University Libraries have had a long and complex relationship with our integrated library systems (ILS). After migrating to SirsiDynix’s Symphony ILS from their older Horizon system in 2009, the Libraries moved to Innovative Interfaces Inc.’s Sierra platform in 2012. These back-to-back migrations not only created frustration and fatigue amongst library staff, the decision-making processes that led to the migrations were also flawed and lacked genuine staff involvement. This resulted in problems during the implementation stage, such as workloads being inadvertently shifted from one unit to another. Understandably, this bred some long-standing resentment towards the …

Documenting Teaching Excellence, Karin Dejonge-Kannan, Travis N. Thurston, Amanda Deliman, Amanda Morris, Anna Kuthy, Anne Cook, Beth Buyserie, Bethany B. Stone, Caroline Wienhold, Casandra E. Harper, Chris Kilgore, Cynthia Korpan, Elisabeth Schussler, Ferlin Mcgaskey, Gabrielle Stecher Woodward, Hannah Mae Lewis, James Agutter, Janette R. Hill, Jeff Spears, Jim Lamuth, Jordan Shipley, Kate Tregloan, Kim Hales, Letizia Guglielmo, Melissa E. Ko, Micael Morrone, Miranda Yaggi Rodak, Peggy Brickman, Raoul A. Mulder, Shannon M. Sipes, Sharon Lyman, Shihua Brazill, Stephen A. Klien, T. Adam Halstrom, Terri A. Dunbar, Victoria Mondelli, Vijay R. Kannan, Virginia Stormer

Documenting Teaching Excellence

Before we embark on a brief overview of how the book is structured and what it contains, we wish to draw readers’ attention to the sculpture on the cover of this book, and to the word “vital” in the subtitle of this book.

Open Educational Resources For And As Assessment, Eliana Elkhoury, Jako Olivier, Travis N. Thurston, Morgan Barker, Steven Clontz, Will Cross, Michael Tadeusz Dabrowski, Teresa Focarile, Hillary Fox, Angela George, Sharona Krinsky, Drew Lewis, Erin Mckenney, Lauren Mcmillan, Nalanda Roy, Zoë Soon, James Thibeault, David Tully, Lydia Watson, Sam Winemiller

Open Educational Resources For and As Assessment

The need to rethink assessment in higher education has become increasingly urgent due to the shift to remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent introduction of various generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools. Globally, instructors are called to redesign their assessment practices to make them more innovative, authentic, and empowering.

Evaluation Of A Semiconductor Optical Amplifier For Free Space Optical Communication Applications, Charlotte K. Duda, Chadwick Lindstrom, Francisco Fonta, Ben Stuhl, Aaron Cross, Julie Smith

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

High-power semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) are a promising alternative to erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), which are traditionally used for free-space optical communication (FSO). Here, we characterize the performance of a watt-class 1550 nm Aura^TM SOA for FSO applications. We demonstrate an open eye diagram for 26.8 dBm SOA output power using the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) tranche 1 protocol. We then show that despite some waveform distortions, frame error rates of 3.9 x 10^-4 are achieved for -28 dBm of received optical power with no forward error correction (FEC). Parameters of importance to optical communications such as signal …

Calibration And Systems Engineering Collaboration, John Wilson

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Systems engineering and calibration engineering are critical to the efficient development, production, and operation of complex systems. Systems engineering provides the framework for the system lifecycle, ensuring stakeholder needs are met through integrated solutions. Calibration engineering ensures the accuracy, reliability, traceability of measurement, and compliance with standards. Coordination between system engineering and calibration ensures that instrumentation, control systems, and system performance are enabled. As the lifecycle coordinator, systems engineering relies on calibration engineers to reduce risks, optimize development, and ensure operational success.

However, the relationship between these disciplines is often poorly coordinated, as noted in tabletop discussions at CalCon 2024. …

Guidelines For Radiometric Calibration Of Electro-Optical Instruments For Remote Sensing, Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

SDL Presentation on Radiometric Calibration of Electro-Optical Instruments for Remote Sensing

13. Mentorship Matters: Documenting The Unseen Impact Of Instructor-Student Relationships, Jeff Spears, Amanda Deliman, Hannah Mae Lewis, Jim Lamuth, Kim Hales

Documenting Teaching Excellence

This chapter explores the critical yet often unrecognized role of documenting instructor mentorship as a core component of teaching excellence in higher education. Mentorship encompasses a range of instructor-to-student interactions, including academic guidance, psychosocial support, research support (graduate and undergraduate), and career exploration for students (DeAngelo, Mason, & Winters, 2016; Thiry & Laursen, 2011). Despite its importance, mentorship is rarely documented comprehensively in teaching documentation portfolios (Ocobock et al., 2022). By systematically capturing the multifaceted impacts of mentorship, instructors enhance their teaching portfolio and contribute to the broader discourse on teaching excellence. This chapter aims to empower instructors to demonstrate …