Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Preschoolers Who Are Deaf/Hard Of Hearing Using Listening And Spoken Language To Determine Special Education Eligibility, Kameron C. Carden, R. A. Mcwilliam

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The aim of this study was to increase understanding of evaluation practices used when determining special education eligibility for preschoolers who are deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) using listening and spoken language (LSL), particularly during the early intervention to preschool transition. Specifically, we explored alignment of school-based practices with recommended practices from the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE, 2018). An online survey was distributed to school-based special educators, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), special education teachers, and teachers of the deaf within the United States that included a) evaluation practices, b) eligibility requirements, and c) practice demographics. Participant …

Developing A Research Agenda In Partnership With Parents Of Deaf/Hard-Of-Hearing Children, Carrie A. Davenport, Ursula M. Findlen, Ann Schenk Mcalearney, Lisa Vaughn

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Background: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an excellent fit for understanding and addressing the unique and diverse needs of deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and their families.

Objectives: We describe lessons learned from a capacity building project initiating an academic-community partnership between a multidisciplinary research team and a small group of parents of DHH children. Trainings and focus group style discussions created a research agenda reflective of families’ priorities.

Methods: Processes are described related to the development and composition of a Family Advisory Council, training topics and methods, the process for generating and prioritizing topics, and evaluation procedures.

Lessons learned: …

The Follow-Up Gap: Racial Disproportionality And Social Determinants Of Health In New Jersey’S Hearing Detection And Intervention Program, Maryrose Mcinerney, Wendy Zeitlin

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objectives. To assess how race/ethnicity and social determinants of health are related to loss to follow-up (LTF) from NJ’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program.

Methods. All infants born in NJ between June 2015 and June 2017 referring for additional hearing healthcare after hospital discharge were considered for inclusion in this study. The sample consisted of 4,141 babies, 10.7% of which received no follow-up care. Step-wise multi-level logistic regression was used to determine how race/ethnicity, family-level, and community-level social determinants of health (SDOH) were predictive of LTF.

Results. In each model, the odds of being LTF were significantly higher …

Vermicomposting, Hayley Waldbillig, Roslynn Brain, Scott Kent, Roslynn Brain Mccann

All Current Publications

Vermicomposting, or worm composting as it is more commonly known, is the process of using worms to break down discarded food and other organic wastes and convert them into compost and liquid fertilizers.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda November 17, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes October 20, 2025
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Information
• EPC Report - November 6, 2025
• 3:40 Report
• Honors Program Annual Report
• USUSA Annual Report
• Faculty Evaluation Committee
• 4:05 Old Business
• 4:10 New Business
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes November 17, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - October 17, 2025
• University Business
• Faculty Senate Business
• Information
• EPC Report - November 6, 2025
• Report
• Honors Program Annual Report
• USUSA Annual Report
• Faculty Evaluation Committee
• Old Business
• New Business
• Adjourn: 4:46 pm

Target Consumers For Bottled Tart Cherry Juice, Kynda R. Curtis, Makaylie Langford, Karin E. Allen, Ruby Ward

All Current Publications

A study was conducted by Utah State University (USU) in the fall of 2024 to determine western U.S. consumer preferences and willingness to pay for regionally sourced processed food products. Researchers examined consumer preferences, purchasing habits, and pricing for three processed food products, one of which was bottled tart cherry juice (32-ounce bottle). This fact sheet describes the target market (consumer group) for bottled tart cherry juice. Target consumers were identified as those who consume tart cherry juice at least several times weekly.

U.S. West Consumer Preferences For Specialty Labeled Processed Foods, Kynda R. Curtis, Makaylie Langford, Karin E. Allen, Ruby Ward

All Current Publications

In the United States, consumer demand for specialty processed foods is increasingly centered on natural, organic, and local offerings that represent health and ethical values. This fact sheet provides an overview of a Utah State University study showing respondent preferences for specialty labeled processed foods. Specifically, consumer knowledge and familiarity with various specialty production and labeling programs, including organic, local, grass-fed, and non-GMO, were examined, along with specialty food consumption habits and attitudes. Finally, consumer pricing preferences for each of the three processed products examined are discussed. The information included in this fact sheet can be used by producers, food …

General Education Subcommittee Minutes November 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - October 2, 2025
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Depth Discussion
• Additional Items
• Adjourn: 9:25 am

New Collaborative Water Accounting Proposals To Protect Lake Powell And Lake Mead During Extreme Low Reservoir Storage And River Flow (Protect And Flexible During Crisis), David Rosenberg, Anabelle Myers, Brittany Fager, Erik Porse

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Low Colorado River flows threaten to draw down Lake Powell and Lake Mead below their minimum power pool elevations. Additionally, the U.S. Federal Government through its Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has set a new deadline for November 11, 2025 for new proposals to operate Lake Powell and Lake Mead after existing operations expire at the end of 2026. In a prior April 2025 post, we shared 13 reasons why we have hope for consensus on new operations (Rosenberg et al., 2026). One reason was that during crisis, rapid changes in policies and operations are possible. More recently, we asked the …

Faculty Senate Minutes November 3, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - October 6, 2025
• University Business
• Faculty Senate Business
• Information
• EPC Report - October 2, 2025
• Report
• Athletics Council Annual Report
• Library Advisory Council Annual Report
• Academic Freedom and Tenure Annual Report
• Old Business
• New Business
• Adjourn - 4:06pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda November 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - October 2, 2025
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

What Are Equine-Assisted Services? A Practical Guide For Families And Communities, Makenna L. Pahlke

All Current Publications

Horses are very present animals, meaning they provide immediate, nonjudgmental feedback. Their nature and size can often encourage confidence, responsibility, and self-regulation. Families and communities considering equine-assisted services (EAS) for themselves or a loved one need to understand terms, as they will help guide them to the type of program best suited to meet their expected needs, as well as help them find quality programs.

Tremblings, November 2025, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

An Aspen Community: Roots, on Roots, on Roots

Paul C. Rogers, Director, Western Aspen Alliance; Dept. of Environment & Society; Ecology Center; Utah State University

In a flicker of foliage, a glimmer of light, time passes and a career senesces. Dappled highlights alongside stochastic frustrations, bureaucratic pathologies, and unforeseen opportunities tremble across the forest floor of one’s vocation. We call that an occupation, but it could be seen as a succession of disturbances, recoveries, and, well, growth. I have been fortunate to spend the bulk of my career focused on the aspen sciences and spending time with many of …

Ai Recipe Blog Is Evaluated Similarly To A Recipe Blog Created By Nutrition And Dietetic Students, Katie N. Kraus, Stacy L. Bevan, Sarah Moore Smith, Maeci H. Armstrong, Brooke Campbell Jeppesen, Catherine Fish, Heidi J. Wengreen

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

With the growing use of AI, it is important to know target audiences’ perceptions of its use. A convenience sample of students were invited to take an online survey in which they were randomly assigned to Group 1 (evaluated a student-generated blog; n = 456) or Group 2 (evaluated an AI-generated blog; n = 492). The results of independent t-tests and chi-squared tests indicated no group differences in ratings of ease of recipe preparation, time to prepare the recipe, utilization of common ingredients, and frequency of intended use of the blog. The student-generated blog was rated higher on budget …

Strategies For Increasing Methane Removal In Methanotroph Stirred-Tank Reactors For The Production Of Ectoine, Jaden Storrer, Tansley M. Mazurkiewicz, Bodee Hancock, Ronald C. Sims

Biological Engineering Student Research

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that requires its emissions to be mitigated. A significant source for methane emissions is in the form of the biogas that is produced from anaerobic digestion in wastewater reclamation and landfill facilities. Biogas has a high valorization potential in the form of its bioconversion into ectoines, an active ingredient in skin care products, by halotolerant alkaliphilic methanotrophs. Cultures of Methylotuvimicrobium alcaliphilum 20Z were grown in bench scale stirred-tank reactors to determine factors to improve methane uptake and removal. Tangential flow filtration was also implemented for a bio-milking method to recover ectoine from culture media. …

General Education Subcommittee Agenda November 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - October 2, 2025
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Depth Discussion
• Additional Items
• Adjourn: 9:30 am

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda November 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - October 2, 2025
• Program Proposals
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Faculty Senate Agenda November 3, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes October 6, 2025
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:30 Information
• EPC Report - October 2, 2025
• 3:45 Report
• Athletics Council Annual Report
• Library Advisory Council Annual Report
• Academic Freedom and Tenure Annual Report
• 4:10 Old Business
• 4:15 New Business
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Systems Intelligence Manager: Warfighter Dominance 2025 Technical Review Key Program, Daniel Hornberger

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Objective & Background

• Objective
• Provide a governing network framework that reduces network congestion and improves connectivity, stability, and resilience
• Provide a single point for systems to connect to on varied networks, which also federates data to required entities
• Manage complex military CONOPs, controlling one or many heterogeneous unmanned platforms while coordinating collection efforts of varying sensor suites on each platform

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes October 20, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - September 22, 2025
• University Business
• Faculty Senate Business
• Information
• EPC Report - October 2, 2025
• Report
• Athletics Council Annual Report
• Library Advisory Council Annual Report
• Academic Freedom and Tenure Annual Report
• Old Business
• New Business
• Adjourn: 3:55 pm

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda October 20, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes September 22, 2025
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Information
• EPC Report - October 2, 2025
• 3:40 Report
• Athletics Council Annual Report
• Library Advisory Council Annual Report
• Academic Freedom and Tenure Annual Report
• 4:05 Old Business
• 4:10 New Business
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Eutrophication, Hope Northagen, Sarah Erwin, Ethan Gilliam

All Current Publications

Eutrophication refers to the ecological state of a water body after excessive nutrient pollution. The external introduction of nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus) accelerates the growth and reproduction of plants, algae, and microbes. This fact sheet explains where eutrophication comes from, its impacts, how it is treated, and what you can do to help restore and protect our lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Versus Progressive Relaxation Training For Misophonia: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Michael P. Twohig, Karen Muñoz, Julie M. Petersen, Mercedes G. Woolley, Emily M. Bowers, Marissa L. Donahue, Doris Velasquez, Diana Ortiz, Leila K. Capel, Guadalupe G. San Miguel

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: To date, no in-person-delivered psychotherapies for adults with misophonia have been tested against active control conditions. The purpose of this study was to test the preliminary efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), supplemented with audiologically informed behavioral strategies (e.g., functional adaptations to manage exposure to misophonic sounds), versus education and progressive relaxation training (PRT) for adults with misophonia.

Method: In a well-controlled randomized trial, 60 adults were randomized to ACT or PRT and each received 12, one-hour sessions of individualized psychotherapy for misophonia. Audiological and psychological assessments were conducted at baseline to assess for eligibility and severity of …

An Innovative Association Of Fusegate And Pk-Weir, F. Lempérière, A. Chapuis, F. Del Rey, C. Bessière

4th International Workshop on Labyrinth and Piano Key Weirs

The combination on the same dam of Piano Key weir (PK-Weir) and fusible structures offers a highly effective passive solution for managing flood discharges. This concept first introduced by Hydrocoop in 2015 as « Innovative Associated Spillways » can leverage the strength of each system. More than 30 years after its first application, the returns of experience of the Hydroplus Fusegate® system applications on more than 80 dams in 25 different countries have confirmed their reliability in terms of sequentially overturning on the downstream side for the correct design flood. With their high discharge capacity at low head, PK-Weirs optimize …

Faculty Senate Agenda October 6, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - September 8, 2025
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Information
• EPC Report - September 4, 2025
• 3:45 Report
• EPC Annual Report
• 4:10 Old Business
• 4:15 New Business
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Faculty Senate Minutes October 6, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - September 8, 2025
• University Business
• Faculty Senate Business
• Information
• EPC Report - September 4, 2025
• Report
• EPC Annual Report
• Old Business
• New Business
• Adjourn - 4:30 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda October 2, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - September 4, 2025
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes October 2, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - September 4, 2025
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

General Education Subcommittee Minutes September 4, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - April 3, 2025
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Update on Center for Civic Excellence
• Additional Items
• Review of USU's University Studies Requirements
• Adjourn: 9:30 am