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General Education Subcommittee Minutes, September 15, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• Update on the Northwest Accreditation Response
• Update from USHE Gen Ed Task Force

The Utah Statesman, September 14, 2020, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

How Do Usu Students Use University Support Services?, Amanda M. Hagman, Meghan Lewis, Kristi Swainston, Mitchell Colver

Publications

The central mission of USU is to be one of the nation’s premier student-centered universities. This is accomplished by fostering academics and offering opportunities to expand students’ vision of the world around them through co- and extra-curricular activities. These auxiliary activities are designed to support academic achievement and to engage students in meaningful opportunities to practice and enhance their personal and professional well-being. This analysis describes how students are using co- and extra-curricular services. It investigates the most salient student-facing programming in supporting student retention.

Simulated Fire Behavior And Fine-Scale Forest Structure Following Conifer Removal In Aspen-Conifer Forests In The Lake Tahoe Basin, Usa, Justin P. Ziegler, Chad M. Hoffman, Brandon M. Collins, Jonathan W. Long, Christa M. Dagley, William Mell

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen is found in western forests of the United States and is currently at risk of loss due to conifer competition at within-stand scales. Wildfires in these forests are impactful owing to conifer infilling during prolonged fire suppression post-Euro-American settlement. Here, restoration cuttings seek to impact wildfire behavior and aspen growing conditions. In this study, we explored how actual and hypothetical cuttings with a range of conifer removal intensity altered surface fuel and overstory structure at stand and fine scales. We then simulated wildfires, examining fire behavior and effects on post-fire forest structures around aspen trees. We found that …

A Survey Of Public Datasets For Computer Vision Tasks In Precision Agriculture, Yuzhen Lu, Sierra N. Young

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Computer vision technologies have attracted significant interest in precision agriculture in recent years. At the core of robotics and artificial intelligence, computer vision enables various tasks from planting to harvesting in the crop production cycle to be performed automatically and efficiently. However, the scarcity of public image datasets remains a crucial bottleneck for fast prototyping and evaluation of computer vision and machine learning algorithms for the targeted tasks. Since 2015, a number of image datasets have been established and made publicly available to alleviate this bottleneck. Despite this progress, a dedicated survey on these datasets is still lacking. To fill …

Drought- Conditioning Of Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides Michx.) Seedlings During Nursery Production Modifies Seedling Anatomy And Physiology, Joshua L. Sloan, Owen T. Burney, Jeremiah R. Pinto

Aspen Bibliography

In the western US, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) regenerates primarily by root suckers after disturbances such as low to moderate severity fires. Planting aspen seedlings grown from seed may provide a mechanism to improve restoration success and genetic diversity on severely disturbed sites. However, few studies have examined the use of container-grown aspen seedlings for restoration purposes from both the outplanting and nursery production perspective. Thus, the purpose of this novel study was to examine how alterations in irrigation levels during nursery production across three seed sources would impact seedling performance attributes on harsh, dry outplanting sites. Irrigation …

Mapping The Immediate And Prolonged Impacts Of, And Adaptations To, Fire In The Kenai River Fishery, Jordan Smith

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, September 3, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 2 April 2020 Minutes

Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Other Business

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, September 3, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 2 April 2020 Minutes

Program Proposals

Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

• Add new specialization within the existing Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction
• Add new specialization within the existing Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

• Restructure the department

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Other Business

• Learning objectives for new course approvals

An Experimentally Evaluated Thermodynamic Approach To Estimate Growth Of Photoheterotrophic Purple Non-Sulfur Bacteria, Anna Doloman, Lance C. Seefeldt

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Distribution of energy during the growth and formation of useful chemicals by microorganisms can define the overall performance of a biotechnological system. However, to date, this distribution has not been used to reliably predict growth characteristics of phototrophic microorganisms. The presented research addresses this application by estimating the photon-associated Gibbs energy delivered for the photoheterotrophic growth of purple non-sulfur bacteria and production of dihydrogen. The approach is successfully evaluated with the data from a fed-batch growth of Rhodopseudomonas palustris nifA∗ fixing N2 gas in phototrophic conditions and a reliable prediction of growth characteristics is demonstrated. Additionally, literature-available experimental data is …

Leveraging Local Resources And Contexts For Inclusive Computer Science Classrooms: Reflections From Experienced High School Teachers Implementing Electronic Textiles, Mia S. Shaw, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and context

Promoting open-ended projects presents new opportunities and challenges for inclusive teaching in CS classrooms. While efforts have been made to develop inclusive curricula, little research has focused on ways teachers apply curricula in their classrooms to promote inclusion.

Objective

To understand the challenges faced in facilitating an open-ended unit and the pedagogical strategies enacted to address those challenges, we analyze the self-reported teaching practices that experienced teachers developed in their implementation of a constructionist electronic textiles unit in Exploring Computer Science.

Method

We inductively analyzed and coded 17 experienced teachers’ weekly surveys and post-interviews.

Findings

Teachers …

The Status Of Women Leaders In Government–Utah Counties, April Townsend, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Recent events underscore the need for government—and democratic governance processes in general—to embrace diversity at all levels. Organizations with diverse leadership teams, including both women and men, have proven to be more innovative and resilient, make better strategic decisions, and have an increased capacity for problem solving. The benefits of gender equity can be found in any organization, including government structures such as state legislatures, city councils, and state and local bureaucracies.

Utah State University - University Libraries Metadata Application Profile For Contentdm Digital Collections, Version 2.0, Andrea Payant, Melanie Shaw, Anna-Maria Arnljots, Liz Woolcott

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

The Utah State University Libraries Digital Collections Application Profile outlines the metadata fields, mappings, definitions, and resources used to assign metadata for digital collections in the USU CONTENTdm repository. Utah State University is a collection partner of the Mountain West Digital Library (MWDL). Therefore, this profile pulls substantially from the MWDL application profile 3.0, which is available at this URL: https://github.com/mountainwestdl/mwdl-map/wiki/MWDL-Metadata-Application-Profile

Nutrient Management Strategies For Organic Vegetable Production, Emma Jones, Daniela Barrera, Jennifer R. Reeve, Dan Drost

All Current Publications

Organic vegetable production can be profitable for growers in Utah looking to supply local markets. Much of Utah has short growing seasons (<150 days frost-free) with hot, dry summers and cold winters. Organic growers must work within these constraints to generate sufficient soil fertility using cover crops, composts, and targeted use of commercial organic fertilizers. This fact sheet explores nutrient management techniques used at the Utah State University (USU) Student Organic Farm (Student Farm) located in Cache County. In operation since 2008, the Student Farm was certified organic in 2011.

The Utah Statesman, August 31, 2020, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Subseasonal Prediction For Bloom Dates Of Tart Cherries In Utah And Michigan, Usa: Merging Phenological Models With Cfsv2 Forecast, Parichart Promchote, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, Brent Black, Paul Johnson

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Temperate fruit trees require chilling for rest completion, followed by sufficient heat accumulation for onset of growth and bloom. The application of phenological models to predict bloom dates has been widely used in orchard management. Examples of such application include selecting adapted cultivars less prone to early bloom, predicting needs for frost protection, and preventing damage from late spring freezes. This study merged the Utah (chill) and ASYMCUR (forcing) phenological models by combining chill units and heat units (measured in growing degree hours) to predict bloom dates of tart cherries (Prunus cerasus L.) in Utah and Michigan, the top …

Small Differences In Root Distributions Allow Resource Niche Partitioning, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard, Martin C. Holdrege, Edmund C. February

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Deep roots have long been thought to allow trees to coexist with shallow-rooted grasses. However, data demonstrating how root distributions affect water uptake and niche partitioning are uncommon.

2. We describe tree and grass root distributions using a depth-specific tracer experiment six times over two years in a subtropical savanna, Kruger National Park, South Africa. These point-in-time measurements were then used in a soil water flow model to simulate continuous water uptake by depth and plant growth form (trees and grasses) across two growing seasons. This allowed estimates of the total amount of water a root distribution could absorb as well …

Essential Work, Education, And Human Values, Rachel Robinson-Greene

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

On August 21st, the White House released guidance that designated teachers as “essential workers.” One of the things that this means is that teachers can return to work even if they know they’ve been exposed to the virus, provided that they remain asymptomatic. This is not the first time that the Trump administration has declared certain workers or, more accurately, certain work to be essential. Early in the pandemic, as the country experienced decline in the availability of meat, President Trump issued an executive order proclaiming that slaughterhouses were essential businesses. The result was that they did not have to …

Patterns For Populus Spp. Stand Biomass In Gradients Of Winter Temperature And Precipitation Of Eurasia, Vladimir Andreevich Usoltev, Baozhang Chen, Seyed Omid Reza Shobairi, Ivan Stepanovich Tsepordey, Viktor Petrovich Chasovskikh, Shoaib Ahmad Anees

Aspen Bibliography

Based on a generated database of 413 sample plots, with definitions of stand biomass of the genus Populus spp. in Eurasia, from France to Japan and southern China, statistically significant changes in the structure of forest stand biomass were found, with shifts in winter temperatures and average annual precipitation. When analyzing the reaction of the structure of the biomass of the genus Populus to temperature and precipitation in their transcontinental gradients, a clearly expressed positive relationship of all components of the biomass with the temperature in January is visible. Their relationship with precipitation is less clear; in warm climate zones, …

Effect Of Carbon Hybridization In C—F Bond As An Electron Donor In Triel Bonds, Qingqing Yang, Zongqing Chi, Qingzhong Li, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The ability of the F atom of HC≡CF, H₂C=CHF and H₃CCH₂F to serve as an electron donor to the triel (Tr) atom of TrR₃ in the context of a triel bond is assessed by ab initio calculations. The triel bond formed by C_sp3—F is strongest, as high as 30 kcal/mol, followed by C_sp2—F, and then by C_sp—F whose triel bonds can be as small as 1 kcal/mol. The noncovalent bond strength diminishes in the order Tr = Al > Ga > B, consistent with the intensity of the π-hole …

The Role Of Gender On The Associations Among Children’S Attitudes, Mathematics Knowledge, Digital Game Use, Perceptions Of Affordances, And Achievement, Kristy Litster, Christina W. Lommatsch, Josh R. Novak, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Jill Ashby, Allison L. Roxburgh, Emma P. Bullock

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study explored associations among children’s prior attitudes, prior mathematics knowledge, and frequency of digital game use, with children’s perceptions of game affordances, and transfer to out-of-game performance when interacting with digital math games, with respect to gender. Participants were 187 children (ages 8–12). An SEM mediation path analysis using MPLUS software showed significant direct effects for all pathways for all children, and significant indirect effects on all pathways for male children and five of six pathways for female children. More favorable attitudes, prior math knowledge, and perception of the helping affordances were associated with increased posttest performance, while increased …

Spectral Light-Reflection Data Dimensionality Reduction For Timely Detection Of Yellow Rust, Ran Aharoni, Valentyna Klymiuk, Benny Sarusi, Sierra N. Young, Tzion Fahima, Barak Fishbain, Shai Kendler

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Yellow rust (YR) wheat disease is one of the major threats to worldwide wheat production, and it often spreads rapidly to new and unexpected geographic locations. To cope with this threat, integrated pathogen management strategies combine disease-resistant plants, sensors monitoring technologies, and fungicides either preventively or curatively, which come with their associated monetary and environmental costs. This work presents a methodology for timely detection of YR that cuts down on hardware and computational requirements. It enables frequent detailed monitoring of the spread of YR, hence providing the opportunity to better target mitigation efforts which is critical for successful integrated disease …

Association Between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In Sirt1 And Sirt2 Loci And Growth In Tibetan Sheep, Lin-Sheng Gui, Sayed Haidar Abbas Raza, Li Zhou, Matthew Garcia, Ayman Hassan Abd El-Aziz, Dawei Wei, Shengzhen Hou, Jianlei Jia, Zhiyou Wang

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Silent information regulator 1 and 2 (SIRT1, 2) were NAD+-dependent histone or non-histone deacetylase, which emerged as key metabolic sensors in several tissues of mammals. In the present study, the search for polymorphisms within the ovine SIRT1 and SIRT2 loci as well as association analyses between SNPs and growth-related traits were performed in Tibetan sheep. To determine the expression pattern of SIRT1 and SIRT2 genes in Tibetan sheep, the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis revealed that those two genes were widely expressed in diverse tissues. Expression of SIRT1 was less in abomasum of lamb, whereas it …

Modeling And Simulation Of A Supercritical Co2-Liquid Sodium Compact Heat Exchanger For Sodium Fast Reactors, Hailei Wang, Sean M. Kissick

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The study focuses on modeling and simulations of sodium-sCO2 intermediary compact heat exchangers for sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFR). A simplified 1-D analytical model was developed in companion with a 3-D CFD model. Using classic heat transfer correlations for Nusselt number, some simulation results using the 1-D model have achieved reasonable match with the CFD simulation results for longer channels (i.e., 40 cm and 80 cm). However, for short channel (10 cm) when axial conduction within the sodium fluid is significant, the 1-D model significantly over-predicted the heat transfer effectiveness. By incorporating the temperature-jump model, the 1-D model can extend its …

Rapidly Accelerating Deforestation In Cambodia's Mekong River Basin: A Comparative Analysis Of Spatial Patterns And Drivers, Sapana Lohani, Thomas E. Dilts, Peter J. Weisberg, Sarah E. Null, Zeb S. Hogan

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The Mekong River is a globally important river system, known for its unique flood pulse hydrology, ecological productivity, and biodiversity. Flooded forests provide critical terrestrial nutrient inputs and habitat to support aquatic species. However, the Mekong River is under threat from anthropogenic stressors, including deforestation from land cultivation and urbanization, and dam construction that inundates forests and encourages road development. This study investigated spatio-temporal patterns of deforestation in Cambodia and portions of neighboring Laos and Vietnam that form the Srepok-Sesan-Sekong watershed. A random forest model predicted tree cover change over a 25-year period (1993-2017) using the Landsat satellite archive. Then, …

The Status Of Women Leadership In Government–State Of Utah, April Townsend, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Organizations increasingly thrive when both men and women hold leadership roles and work together. Gender inclusivity in leadership benefits not only Utah’s businesses, but also its government organizations, such as state legislatures, city councils, and state and local bureaucracies. Recent events underscore the need for government—and democratic governance processes in general—to demand diversity at all levels.

The Status Of Women Leaders In Government – State Of Utah, April Townsend, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Organizations increasingly thrive when both men and women hold leadership roles and work together. Gender inclusivity in leadership benefits not only Utah’s businesses, but also its government organizations, such as state legislatures, city councils, and state and local bureaucracies. Recent events underscore the need for government—and democratic governance processes in general—to demand diversity at all levels

Using Video Modeling To Teach Staff How To Implement Preference Assessments, Megan Weaver

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Identification of reinforcers through preference assessments for individuals with disabilities is an important task because it increases the probability of skill development, including academic tasks, self-help skills, social skills, and behavior modification. Teachers of students with disabilities often experience problems with training paraprofessionals to implement preference assessments using written instructions alone. In this study, researchers will investigate whether video modeling will be more effective than written instruction to staff to implement preference assessments. Participants will include three to five paraprofessionals in a classroom setting with no previous behavior analysis training on preference assessments and three to five students in a …

The Relative Industry Specific Effects Of Covid-19 On Market Volatility And Liquidity, Callin Christensen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Understanding how historical events affect market volatility and liquidity can provide crucial information to financial analysts, investment professionals, and managers in the event that similar circumstances resurface. In this study, I look at how a global pandemic (COVID-19) can introduce frictions into the market and cause disrupt the generation or flow of available information, this could cause prices to deviate significantly from their equilibrium values. I also hypothesize that these inefficiencies may have a greater effect on some industries than others. My analysis seems to confirm this hypothesis. I observe that the global COVID-19 pandemic leads to statistically significant increases …

Every Step A Novel: Historical Circumstances And Somali American Identity, Haden Griggs

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project is designed to help high school students learn about the experiences, history and identity of Somali men who came to Utah as refugees. It is organized around the oral histories of eight Somali men who live in the Salt Lake City area. They were collected by Haden Griggs in the latter half of 2019. Transcripts and audio recordings for all the interviews are available here.

A paper, analyzing the historical circumstances and variations on Somali identity, is included here for scholarly or instructor use. This project also includes a digital exhibit tracing recent Somali history and contextualizing the …