Digital Commons Network^™

Esports Course Design: Balancing Multiplayer Gameplay Within Structured Curriculum, Daelynn Hunter

Student Research Symposium

There is a noticeably large interest growing across the globe for Esports expansion. Esports has grown to become an affinity space for competitive ambition/growth and a discipline of enormously varied learning techniques. Techniques to build esports into education often follow a 3 credit format, where esports can be studied in various areas (e.g., business, psychology, media/production). However, there’s been an absence in courses that are focused solely in gameplay. Traditionally, gaming has been observed to be a distraction over opportunity for growth. The course is currently centered to target said assumptions by utilizing student discipline techniques. Assignments are centered around …

Public Education V. Deaf Children: The Benefits And Downsides Of Public Education For Deaf Children, Esther Christensen

Student Research Symposium

My research was focused on the benefits and downsides of public education on deaf children. This research aims to find the best solution for the education of deaf children in American society, and inform others of the results. I used a library database to find primary and secondary sources from the Deaf community and other communities that are influenced by this topic. Through my research I found that it is possible for deaf children to succeed in public schools, they are far better off in schools for the deaf. The results that I found indicate that there are some benefits …

I'M Telling You, It Just Won't Work, Bonni Jones

Student Research Symposium

Science teachers feel pressure to align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), embrace innovative methods and technology tools with their supporting pedagogies, yet daily classroom practices rarely incorporate them. Investigations of this phenomenon include professional development (PD) effectiveness, teacher learning, beliefs, views, and resistance to change. Investigation findings have not uncovered how to reverse the trend. A search to understand the tensions and barriers that outweigh the pressures mentioned above is one aim of this study. Tensions surface when teachers and students are expected to replace lectures, worksheets, teacher-led labs, and tests with the following: asking questions, defining problems, …

Creating Sustainable, High-Performance Silkworm Fibers Inspired By Neurodegenerative Disease (Amyloids), Gavin Christensen

Student Research Symposium

Amyloids present in neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s, have a devastating effect on neurons at a microscopic level. The aggregation of amyloid plaque in neuronal synapses prevents communication between brain cells, resulting in decreased cognitive function. The ability of amyloids to form these plaques on a microscopic scale can potentially increase the strength of silkworm silk fibers when utilized on a macroscopic scale. Amyloids, by nature, have a high beta sheet concentration that forms beta nanocrystals when incorporated into the silkworm genome via CRISPR-Cas9. Silkworm silk, with select amyloid and spider silk gene sequences, poses a strong candidate for a biosynthetic …

Quantifying The Value Of Design, Sam Peart

Student Research Symposium

What is good graphic design really worth?It can seem so subjective, hence why most qualitatively-minded creatives struggle to communicate their value to more quantitatively-minded clients. This project seeks to determine what place quantitative numbers have within the subjective world of design and educate designers on how to leverage those numbers to their advantage.

Measuring The Intensity Of Mymotivators™ / Whole Brain® Communication In Print Advertising, Tanner Schulz

Student Research Symposium

Advertising’s purpose is to create a state of mind conducive to purchase. This study seeks to identify, measure, and understand the intrinsic motivators communicated within print advertisements and quantify their intensities. The theory is that ads with more intense motivator content - distributed somewhat evenly across all four quadrants of the Whole Brain^®Model - will be more effective in influencing that state of mind.This research is the first step in identifying, quantifying, and visualizing motivators communicated within print advertisements. The study analyzed 15 print ads found in contemporary magazines.

The Well-Being Of Women Of Color During Covid-19, Shari Linares, Hannah Baxter

Student Research Symposium

Well-being for WOC is a media project that examined the differences in well-being for women of color throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. This project was based on the Household Pulse Survey that collected data each week throughout the pandemic. Well-being was defined through the variables mental health, physical health, and financial security, and we also polled our community through the Instagram page to understand the experiences of women of color in our community. We found that race is in fact a very large factor in well-being throughout the pandemic.

Human Trafficking Among Utah Girls And Women, Lindsay B. Gezinski, Mckayla Caress, Marin Christensen, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Human trafficking is a global problem that involves the exploitation of people for profit through the means of force, fraud, or coercion.¹ It takes a variety of forms, including forced labor, debt bondage, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation.² Systemic inequalities, such as mass displacement, extreme poverty, and lack of access to education and job opportunities are examples of contributing factors that can fuel trafficking of vulnerable populations.³ While the scale of trafficking in persons is difficult to determine, estimates suggest that there were over 40 million victims worldwide in 2016.⁴ In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, …

Love Across The Ages: An Intergenerational Reminiscence Theatre Piece, Rhiannon Tarver, Mckenna Finley

Student Research Symposium

Ethnodramatic theatre performances are based on real people’s lived experiences, often collected through interviews, while reminiscence theatre pieces specifically consider the experiences of older adults, usually reflecting on their earlier life experiences. Our project had several goals for each participant group who were or will be involved. Our overarching goal for the project is to show both older and younger generations that love stories connect us all. We aimed to share senior citizens’ experiences in order to demonstrate that their stories continue to speak to contemporary youth. Some stories may end positively, and others may not, providing young people with …

Social Students, Social Scholars: How Usu English Graduate Students Use Social Media, Taylor Franson

Student Research Symposium

This research study focused on social media usage of USU English graduate students within the Utah State University English Department. The case study and interview results showed that few English graduate students have received advice on how to use social media, despite believing social media could be used to advance their careers. Many believe networking could be crucial to being published, creating contacts within the English world, and furthering their academic career, but few know how to go about this. This study suggests that there is room within the English department to create opportunities for English graduate students to learn …

The Utah Statesman, April 4, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

School-Based Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Adolescents With Anxiety: A Pilot Trial, Julie M. Petersen, Carter H. Davis, Tyler L. Renshaw, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent diagnoses in youth, often resulting in impaired social and school functioning. Research on treatments for youth anxiety is primarily based in traditional clinical settings. However, integrating youth psychotherapies into the school environment improves access to evidence-based care. The present study is a pilot, randomized waitlist-controlled trial of a school-based, group acceptance and commitment therapy-based (ACT) intervention for adolescents with anxiety. Students at two separate schools (N = 26) with elevated anxiety were randomized to a 12-week waitlist or to immediate treatment. Participants in the immediate treatment condition reported statistically significant decreases …

Measuring The Intensity Of Mymotivators™ / Whole Brain® Communication In Print Advertising, Tanner Schulz

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Advertising’s purpose is to create a state of mind conducive to purchase (Colley, 1961).

This study seeks to identify, measure, and understand the intrinsic motivators communicated within print advertisements and quantify their intensities. The theory is that ads with more intense motivator content - distributed somewhat evenly across all four quadrants of the Whole Brain ® Model - will be more effective in influencing that state of mind.

This research is the first step in identifying, quantifying, and visualizing motivators communicated within print advertisements. The study analyzed 15 print ads found in contemporary magazines.

The framework for this work is …

Pack It Out Utah: Usu Water Quality Extension Leads Utah’S Statewide Trails And Waterways Cleanup, Lauren Houskeeper, Hope Braithwaite

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah’s public lands have experienced a surge in outdoor recreation which has led to an increase in garbage on trails, parks, neighborhoods, and eventually, in our waterways. In response, Utah State University Water Quality Extension initiated an annual statewide cleanup to raise awareness and facilitate the proper disposal of litter. During the cleanup events in 2020 and 2021, over 11,000 pounds of trash were removed from our public lands and waterways.

Rethinking Behavior - Spring 2022, Midwest Symposium For Leadership In Behavior Disorders

ReThinking Behavior Magazine

A magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs.

Spring 2022, Volume 5, Issue 3

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, April 7, 2022, Utah State University - Continuing Education

Educational Policies Committee

Agenda

1. Approval of 3 March 2022 Minutes.
2. Subcommittee Reports

   a. Curriculum Subcommittee(Matthew Sanders) Course Approvals – 0

   b. Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher) Minutes – No March meeting….nothing to report.

   c. General Education Subcommittee (Lee Rickords) Minutes – March 15, 2022

3. Other Business Continued EPC membership.

Program Proposals

• Request from the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate in the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences to offer a new specialization (Bioinform
• Request from the Department of Theatre Arts in the Caine College of the Arts to change the name of the Theatre Arts Theatre Education Certification Option BFA to …

Aging-Associated Changes In Motor Function Are Ovarian Somatic Tissue-Dependent, But Berm Cell And Estradiol Independent In Post-Reproductive Female Mice Exposed To Young Ovarian Tissue, Tracy L. Habermehl, Kaden B. Underwood, Kevin D. Welch, Steven P. Gawrys, Kate C. Parkinson, Augusto Schneider, Michal M. Masternak, Jeffrey Mason

Center for Integrated Biosystems Publications

A critical mediator of evolution is natural selection, which operates by the divergent reproductive success of individuals and results in conformity of an organism with its environment. Reproductive function has evolved to support germline transmission. In mammalian ovaries, this requires healthy, active gonad function, and follicle development. However, healthy follicles do not contribute to germline transmission in a dead animal. Therefore, support of the health and survival of the organism, in addition to fertility, must be considered as an integral part of reproductive function. Reproductive and chronological aging both impose a burden on health and increase disease rates. Tremors are …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, April 7, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

1. Approval of 3 March 2022 Minutes
2. Program Proposals
3. Semester Course Approval Reviews https://usu.curriculog.com/
4. Other Business New Curriculum Subcommittee Chair appointment. Acceptance of membership for 2022-2023 academic year.

Program Proposals

• Request from the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate in the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences to offer a new specialization (Bioinformatics and Computational Biology) to the MS and PhD degrees of Plant Science.
• Request from the Department of Theatre Arts in the Caine College of the Arts to change the name of the Theatre Arts Theatre Education Certification Option BFA to Theatre Arts Education BFA.
• Request from the Department …

The Utah Statesman, March 28, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Faculty Senate Agenda, March 28, 2022, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

Agenda

• Call to Order- Boyd Edwards, Approval of Minutes February 28, 2022
• University Business- Noelle Cockett, President | Frank Galey, Provost
• Information- Paul Barr, Educational Policies Committee, March 3, 2022
• Reports-

Honorary Degrees and Awards Annual Report- Noelle Cockett

Professional Responsibilities and Procedures Annual Report- Scott Hunsaker

• Old Business
• New Business- Faculty Senate Calendar 2022-2023- Boyd Edwards

On Your Marc, Get Set, Code!, Anna-Maria Arnljots, Paul Daybell, Kurt Alan Meyer, Andrea Payant, Becky Skeen, Liz Woolcott

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

How are MARC records performing in our search environment? This presentation will look at the process and results of a research project that analyzed how users’ search terms matched up with MARC fields, as well as how and where MARC records were displayed in search results lists. Presenters will discuss the process, the results of the project, and outline how attendees can implement similar research projects at their institutions, including tools and techniques they can use to analyze how their own records are surfacing in a search environment.

The Utah Statesman, March 21, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Moderators And Predictors In A Parent Hearing Aid Management Ehealth Program, Guadalupe G. San Miguel, Karen F. Muñoz, Tyson Barrett, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Objective: Consistent hearing-aid use is essential for spoken language development of children who are hard of hearing. A recent randomized controlled trial of an eHealth hearing aid management education program found the intervention increased knowledge, perceptions, confidence, and device monitoring among parents of young children. Yet, it is not known which variables can be a point of emphasis to improve treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential moderators and predictors in the eHealth program.

Design: Randomized controlled trial

Study Sample: Parents (N=78) of children (42 months or younger) were randomized to the intervention or treatment-as-usual (TAU) …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, March 14, 2022, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

Agenda

• Call to Order- Boyd Edwards, Approval of Minutes February 14, 2022
• University Business- Noelle Cockett, President | Frank Galey, Provost
• Information- Paul Barr, Education Policies Committee March 3, 2022
• Reports

Honorary Degrees and Awards Annual Report- Noelle Cockett

Professional Responsibilities and Procedures Annual Report- Scott Hunsaker

• Old Business
• New Business-

Faculty Senate Calendar 2022-2023- Boyd Edwards

DivestUSU- Doug Ramsey | Cristina Chirvasa

The Utah Statesman, March 14, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Mechanics Of Initiation And Development Of Thrust Faults And Thrust Ramps, Sarah S. Wigginton, Elizabeth S. Petrie, James P. Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications

This study integrates the results of numerical modeling analyses based on outcrop studies and structural kinematic restorations to evaluate the mechanics of thrust fault initiation and development in mechanically layered sedimentary rocks. A field-based reconstruction of a mesoscopic thrust fault at Ketobe Knob in central Utah provides evidence of thrust ramp nucleation in competent units, and fault propagation upward and downward into weaker units at both fault tips. We investigate the effects of mechanical stratigraphy on stress heterogeneity, rupture direction, fold formation, and fault geometry motivated by the geometry of the Ketobe Knob thrust fault in central Utah; the finite …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, March 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of 3 February 2022 Minutes
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Matthew Sanders)
• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)
• General Education Subcommittee (Lee Records)
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:28 pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes March 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of 3 February 2022 Minutes
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 2:49 pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Meeting Agenda, March 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Agenda

• Approval of 3 February 2022 Minutes
  
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews https://usu.curriculog.com/
• College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences AVTE = 27
• Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services COMD = 11 ELED = 1 HDFS = 1 KHS = 1 ITLS = 12 SPED = 2 TEAL = 1
• College of Humanities and Social Sciences SOCA = 1 IELI = 2
• S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources WILD = 2
• Other Business

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, March 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Agenda

• Approval of 3 February 2022 Minutes.
  
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Matthew Sanders) Course Approvals – 61
• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher) Minutes – No meeting
• General Education Subcommittee (Lee Rickords) Minutes – January 18, 2022 and February 15, 2022
• Other Business
• Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning CIP Code Change