Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Water Indices And Associated Parameters: A Case Study Approach, Thushara Gunda, Laura Benneyworth, Emily Burchfield

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In the past 20 years, over 50 water indices have been developed to characterize human-water systems within the frameworks of water scarcity, water poverty, water vulnerability, and water security. This study compares existing water indices in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to better understand which parameters (or lack thereof) contribute to the usefulness of water indices. Drawing on knowledge about human-water interactions in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, this exploration of indices at the parameter level highlights missing parameters, inadequate consideration of complex relationships between parameters, and inconsistencies in index nomenclature and units. This study reveals both the benefits and shortcomings of …

The Utah Statesman, January 22, 2015, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Natives In The Nation's Archives: The Southwest Oregon Research Project, David G. Lewis

Journal of Western Archives

The Southwest Oregon Research Project, initiated by members of the Coquille Indian tribe broke ground in Oregon for archival collections. Tribal scholars, working to restore and support their tribal nations collected documents and learned skills of archival research and organization. The last phase of the project returned collections to regional tribes in a community process of potlatch. The project theory reversed the trend of the late 19th and early 20th centuries of collecting information from tribes with little or no reciprocity. Tribes today are using the information to write histories, restore cultural identities and support tribal sovereignty.

Playing With Knives: The Socialization Of Self-Initiated Learners, David F. Lancy

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Since Margaret Mead's field studies in the South Pacific a century ago, there has been the tacit understanding that as culture varies, so too must the socialization of children to become competent culture users and bearers. More recently, the work of anthropologists has been mined to find broader patterns that may be common to childhood across a range of societies. One improbable commonality has been the tolerance, even encouragement, of toddler behavior that is patently risky, such as playing with or attempting to use a sharp-edged tool. This laissez faire approach to socialization follows from a reliance on children as …

Comparative Evolutionary Diversity And Phylogenetic Structure Across Multiple Forest Dynamics Plots: A Mega-Phylogeny Approach, D. L. Erickson, F. A. Jones, N. G. Swenson, N. Pei, N. Bourg, W. Chen, S. J. Davies, X. Ge, Z. Hao, R. W. Howe, C. L. Huang, A. Larson, S. Lum, James A. Lutz, K. Ma, M. Meegaskumbura, X. Mi, J. D. Parker

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Forest dynamics plots, which now span longitudes, latitudes, and habitat types across the globe, offer unparalleled insights into the ecological and evolutionary processes that determine how species are assembled into communities. Understanding phylogenetic relationships among species in a community has become an important component of assessing assembly processes. However, the application of evolutionary information to questions in community ecology has been limited in large part by the lack of accurate estimates of phylogenetic relationships among individual species found within communities, and is particularly limiting in comparisons between communities. Therefore, streamlining and maximizing the information content of these community phylogenies is …

Textured Digital Elevation Model Formation From Low-Cost Uav Ladar/Digital Image Data, Taylor C. Bybee, Scott Budge

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Textured digital elevation models (TDEMs) have valuable use in precision agriculture, situational awareness, and disaster response. However, scientific-quality models are expensive to obtain using conventional aircraft-based methods. The cost of creating an accurate textured terrain model can be reduced by using a low-cost (<$20k) UAV system fitted with ladar and electro-optical (EO) sensors. A texel camera fuses calibrated ladar and EO data upon simultaneous capture, creating a texel image. This eliminates the problem of fusing the data in a post-processing step and enables both 2D- and 3D-image registration techniques to be used. This paper describes formation of TDEMs using simulated data from a small UAV gathering swaths of texel images of the terrain below. Being a low-cost UAV, only a coarse knowledge of position and attitude is known, and thus both 2D- and 3D-image registration techniques must be used to register adjacent swaths of texel imagery to create a TDEM. The process of creating an aggregate texel image (a TDEM) from many smaller texel image swaths is de- scribed. The algorithm is seeded with the rough estimate of position and attitude of each capture. Details such as the required amount of texel image overlap, registration models, simulated flight patterns (level and turbulent), and texture image formation are presented. In addition, examples of such TDEMs are shown and analyzed for accuracy.

Crash Course Or Course Crash: Gaming, Vr And A Pedagogical Approach, Brent C. Chamberlain

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

The human brain is wired for spatial thinking (GERSMEHL & GERSMEHL 2007), and research has demonstrated that spatial visualization abilities can be improved through education (SORBY & BAARTMANS 2000). This paper describes the uses of cutting edge technology and games to grow spatial thinking, improve spatial design, and solidify landscape planning concepts within the classroom. Specifically, this paper discusses how SimCity 2013, ESRI CityEngine and the Oculus Rift were embedded within a graduate level landscape planning course to see if it improved students understanding of spatial concepts and interest in using related new technologies. While the paper provides a narrative …

Mapping The Gothic Urban Imaginary In Juan Martínez Villergas’S Los Misterios De Madrid, Cristina Delano

Decimonónica

The nineteenth-century mystery novel was among the first narrative genres to capture the modern urban experience. The foundational text of this genre, Eugène Sue’s Les Mystères de Paris (1841-1843), portrayed Paris’s criminal underworld to the titillation of middle class readers.¹ Sue wrote his novel at a moment of intense urban growth and change, and his novel served to “shape the popular imagination as to what the city was and might become” (Harvey 25). Sue’s novel sparked a “manía misterial” (Milá de la Roca iii) throughout Europe and the Americas.² In Spain alone there were misterios about Madrid, Barcelona, …

Eduarda Mansilla’S Mestizo Argentina: Orphanhood, Transnationalism, And Race In Lucía Miranda (1860), Sarah Moody

Decimonónica

The first known writing of the Lucía Miranda legend, a story of Argentine national origins, dates to 1612 with a work by Spanish soldier Ruy Díaz de Guzmán. Though apparently fictional, the episode appears as a chapter in an otherwise fact-based account of early European activity in the River Plate region known as La Argentina manuscrita.¹ Later writers reworked the legend in their own ways, adapting it to the circumstances of their own historical moment, but the consistent points of the storyline focus on irremediable interethnic conflict: Lucía was a young, virtuous Spanish woman who accompanied her husband …

An Intensified Seasonal Transition In The Central U.S. That Enhances Summer Drought, S.-Y. Wang, J. Santanello, H. Wang, D. Darandiaran, R. Pinker, S. Schubert, R. R. Gillies, R. Oglesby

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

In the long term, precipitation in the Central U.S. decreases by 25% during the seasonal transition from June to July. This precipitation decrease has intensified since 1979 and such intensification could have enhanced spring drought occurrences in the Central U.S., in which conditions quickly evolve from being abnormally dry to exceptionally dry. Various atmospheric and land reanalysis data sets were analyzed to examine the trend in the June-July seasonal transition. The intensified deficit in precipitation is accompanied by increased downward shortwave radiation flux, tropospheric subsidence, enhanced evaporative fraction, and elevated planetary boundary layer height, all of which can lead to …

Lichen Monitoring Delineates Biodiversity On A Great Barrier Reef Coral Cay, Paul C. Rogers, Roderick W. Rogers, Anne Hedrich, Patrick T. Moss

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Coral islands around the world are threatened by changing climates. Rising seas, drought, and increased tropical storms are already impacting island ecosystems. We aim to better understand lichen community ecology of coral island forests. We used an epiphytic lichen community survey to gauge Pisonia (Pisonia grandis R.BR.), which dominates forest conditions on Heron Island, Australia. Nine survey plots were sampled for lichen species presence and abundance, all tree diameters and species, GPS location, distance to forest-beach edge, and dominant forest type. Results found only six unique lichens and two lichen associates. A Multi-Response Permutation Procedures (MRPP) test found statistically distinct …

Quaking Aspen At The Residential-Wildland Interface: Elk Herbivory Hinders Forest Conservation., Paul C. Rogers, Allison Jones, James Catlin, James Shuler, Arthur Morris, Michael R. Kuhns

Aspen Bibliography

T: Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests are experiencing numerous impediments across North America. In the West, recent drought, fire suppression, insects, diseases, climate trends, inappropriate management, and ungulate herbivory are impacting these high biodiversity forests. Additionally, ecological tension zones are sometimes created at residential-wildland interfaces with divergent management directives. For example, private conservation reserves bordering public land may be degraded from browsing where game species find refuge from hunting and plentiful forage. We examined putative herbivore impacts to nearly pure aspen forests at Wolf Creek Ranch (WCR), a sparsely developed residential landscape in northern Utah. Forty-three one-hectare monitoring …

A Millennium-Length Reconstruction Of Bear River Stream Flow, Utah, J. R. Derose, M. Bekker, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, R. Kjelgren, E. B. Allen, T. Bardsley, B. M. Buckley

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

The Bear River contributes more water to the eastern Great Basin than any other river system. It is also the most significant source of water for the burgeoning Wasatch Front metropolitan area in Northern Utah. Despite its importance for water resources for the region’s agricultural, urban, and wildlife needs, our understanding of the variability of Bear River’s stream flow derives entirely from the short instrumental record (1943-2010). Here we present a 1,200-year calibrated and verified tree-ring reconstruction of stream flow for the Bear River that explains 67% of the variance of the instrumental record over the period from 1943-2010. Furthermore, …

Feeding Two Birds With One Scone? The Relationship Between Teaching And Research For Graduate Students Across The Disciplines, Joanna Gilmore, David M.G. Lewis, Michelle Maher, David F. Feldon, Briana E. Timmerman

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

We surveyed over 300 graduate students at a Southeastern research university to increase our understanding of their perceptions of (a) the connection between teaching and research, (b) the means by which integration occurs, and (c) the extent to which teaching and research contribute to a shared skill set that is of value in both contexts. We also examined differences across disciplines in the perception of this teaching-research nexus. Overall, findings indicate that graduate students perceive important relationships between teaching and research, and they point toward opportunities for administrators to promote teaching and research integration.

Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Factors Associated With Urban Deer–Vehicle Collisions, Erin C. Mccance, Richard K. Baydack, David J. Walker, Derek N. Leask

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Increasing populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in urban areas have resulted in an increase in deer–vehicle collisions (DVCs). Deer–vehicle collisions represent a human–wildlife conflict of serious concern, given that they result, most notably, in significant risk to human safety, deer mortality, and costly vehicle damage. Although many communities have developed databases that track the frequency and location of DVCs, there is a need for analysis of the factors that affect DVC locations in urban areas. Data on deer movement patterns across roads in urban areas are valuable to reduce the occurrence of DVCs on existing roads and …

Arresting Contagion: Science, Policy, And Conflicts Over Animal Disease Control, David D. Vail

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Atmospheric Changes On The Low-Frequency Variations Of Convective Afternoon Rainfall Activity Over Taiwan, W.-R. Huang, H.-H. Hsu, S.-Y. Wang

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

This study examines the characteristics of low-frequency variations (defined as decadal-scale changes) in summer (June-August) convective afternoon rainfall (CAR) activity over Taiwan during 1961-2012. Using 3-hourly rain gauge data, it was found that (1) the CAR frequency exhibits a secular trend and the 10-20 decadal oscillation, (2) the trend in CAR frequency is positive in northern Taiwan but negative in central and southern Taiwan, and (3) the CAR rate increased over most of the lower plains but decreased over the mountain range of Taiwan. Diagnoses using the Japanese ReAnalysis (JRA-55) data and surface observations indicate that the low-frequency variations in …

Boundary Object Or Bridging Concept? A Citation Network Analysis Of Resilience, Jacopo A. Baggio, Katriana Brown, Denis Hellebrandt

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Many recent studies observe the increasing importance, influence, and analysis of resilience as a concept to understand the capacity of a system or individual to respond to change. The term has achieved prominence in diverse scientific fields, as well as public discourse and policy arenas. As a result, resilience has been referred to as a boundary object or a bridging concept that is able to facilitate communication and understanding across disciplines, coordinate groups of actors or stakeholders, and build consensus around particular policy issues. We present a network analysis of bibliometric data to understand the extent to which resilience can …

Developing, Implementing, And Evaluating A No-Child-Left-Inside Pilot Program, Claudia Radel, Jamie C. Brand, Roslynn Brain

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

We describe experience with a pilot week-long, No-Child-Left-Inside (NCLI), outdoor program implemented in Cache Valley, Utah, in 2012. Through response analysis of a “pre-then-post” children's survey and a parent-completed demographic survey, we assess program effectiveness in raising children's enthusiasm for nature-related behaviors and in reaching a target audience of all local families. The program reached many families with low participation in other conservation programs but failed to reach families from the growing Latino population. Participating children experienced increased excitement to spend more time outdoors exploring and learning, accomplishing NCLI goals of laying a groundwork for children's enhanced environmental literacy.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, December 8, 2014, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Update on Electronic P&T Binders
• EPC Items for December
• Council on Teacher Education
• Scholarship Advisory Board
• Code Change 402.12.3 Committee on Committees Term(Second reading)
• PTR Working Group Recommendations
• AFT code change proposals (send to PRPC?)

Cultural Mismatch In Pedagogy Workshops: Training Non-Native Teachers Communicative Language Teaching, Maria Luisa Spicer-Ecalante, Karin Dejonge-Kannan

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

As a professional ideology, the Communicative Language Teaching approach (CLT) (Ellis, 1996, 2012; Lee & VanPatten, 2003) has been exported to non-Western contexts with varying degrees of success (e.g., Lewis & McCook, 2002; Li, 1998). The authors of this paper, both non-native speakers of English who have lived and taught in the USA for 20 years, discuss their experiences training teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) from China and Iraq/Kurdistan. Confirming previous research on the topic, they found teachers’ beliefs about teaching to be highly resistant to change, even in the face of evidence that negates them (Bax, …

Geographic Determinants Of Rural Land Covers And The Agricultural Margin In The Central United States, Timothy J. Stoebner, Christopher L. Lant

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Geographic research on the Corn Belt and other regional landscapes of the central U.S. has not to date identified quantitatively the climatic, edaphic, topographic, and economic characteristics that determine rural land cover, and that therefore govern land cover change. Using the USDA/NASS Cropland Data Layer, this study identifies these characteristics by employing Multivariable Fractional Polynomials within a logistic regression framework. It maps the suitability distribution for corn, soybeans, spring and winter wheat, cotton, grassland, and forest, which collectively dominate the central U.S., at a 56 m resolution across 16 central U.S. states. The non-linear logistic regression models are successful in …

The Relevance Of Culture In Politics: The Application Of Cultural Studies Using The Strategic Culture Method, Elizabeth G. Wilson

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

American Studies scholars have long been aware that their interdisciplinary studies reach far beyond Americana. The fields of folklore, English, history, political science and anthropology have all been enveloped under the American Studies umbrella. Public perceptions tend to assume that scholars engaged in these fields are limited to work within academia.

Low-Impact Infrastructure: Development And Design Potential For Surface Application Alternatives For Subsurface Infrastructure In Yellowstone National Park's Upper Geyser Basin, Michael R. Pace

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

In sensitive and iconic landscapes, such as Yellowstone National Park’s Upper Geyser Basin, construction and expansion of visitor services is hindered, and often blocked, by the potential for environmental damage that could occur during the installation of subsurface utilities. These utilities, crucial to the success of development, require an alternative method of installation when placed in locations requiring special consideration and protection.

Yellowstone, in particular, is faced with the responsibility of protecting limited hydrothermal resources while also providing access to the general public. Sub-surface utilities threaten this responsibility due to the unknown nature of much of the subsurface

geology in …

Limited Alpine Climatic Warming And Modeled Phenology Advancement For Three Alpine Species In The Northeast United States, Michael L. Davis, Kenneth D. Kimball, Douglas M. Weihrauch, Georgia L. D. Murray, Kenneth Rancourt

Ecology Center Publications

• Premise of the study: Most alpine plants in the Northeast United States are perennial and flower early in the growing season, extending their limitedgrowing season. Concurrently, they risk the loss of reproductive efforts to late frosts. Quantifying long-term trends in northeastern alpine flower phenology and late-spring/early-summer frost risk is limited by a dearth of phenology and climate data, except for Mount Washington, New Hampshire (1916 m a.s.l.).
• Methods: Logistic phenology models for three northeastern US alpinespecies (Diapensia lapponica, Carex bigelowii and Vaccinium vitis-idaea) were developed from 4 yr (2008–2011) of phenology and air temperature measurements from 12 …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, September 4, 2014, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education

• New Course
• Title Change
• Credit Hour, Grade Mode Change
• Title, Prerequisite, Course Description Change

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science

• New Course

Department of Plants, Soils and Climate

• Credit Hour Change
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Art and Design

• New Course

Department of Theatre Arts

• Grade Mode Change

Department of Family, Consumer and Human Development

• New Course

Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

• Title Change
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Psychology

• Title, Prerequisite, Course Description Change

Department of Teacher Education and Leadership

• Course Description change
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Biological Engineering

• New Course …

Atms And Cris Geolocation, Mark Esplin, Kris Robinson, Ben Esplin, Nephi Grant, Deron Scott, Likun Wang

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

An important part of any earth observing sensor’s calibration is determining the precise location of the sensor footprint on the earth (geolocation calibration). SDL has evaluated the geolocation calibration of two sensors on the Suomi-NPP spacecraft: ATMS (Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder) and CrIS (The Cross-track Infrared Sounder). Both sensors have bands that can sense the radiance contrasts that generally occurs at land sea boundaries both during the day and the night. The observed position of the land sea transitions can be compared to the know shoreline position to evaluate the geolocation calibration. SDL used two different methods to achieve sub-pixel …

Identifying Priority Species And Conservation Opportunities Under Future Climate Scenarios: Amphibians In A Biodiversity Hotspot, Kyle Barrett, Nathan P. Nibbelink, John C. Maerz

All Publications

Climate change is driving shifts in the distribution of plants and animals, and prioritizing management actions for such shifts is a necessary but technically difficult challenge. We worked with state agencies in the southeastern United States to identify high-priority amphibian species, to model the vulnerabilities of those species to regional climate change, and to identify long-term climatic refugia within the context of existing conservation lands. Directly interfacing with state natural resource experts ensured that 1) species prioritization schemes extend beyond political boundaries and 2) our models resulted in conservation-relevant applications. We used a correlative model to project midcentury distributions of …

An Exploration Of Object And Scientific Skills-Based Strategies For Teaching Archaeology In A Museum Setting, Candice L. Cravins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A pilot study conducted at the Utah State University Museum of Anthropology explores the most engaging strategies for teaching archaeology to children in a museum setting. During a week-long summer workshop event in June 2013, two styles or modes of teaching archaeology were contrasted and evaluated: object-based teaching and scientific-skills based teaching. The teaching styles are evaluated based on third and fourth grade students' level of excitement and engagement with various archaeology activities - which activities are the most interesting and engaging to children while they are in the museum? The first mode of teaching archaeology focuses on object-based learning. …

Stream Side Science Lesson Plan: Water Management, Nancy Mesner

All Current Publications

In this exercise, students will be assigned roles as community members, develop questions and positions, and participate in a mock “community meeting” to discuss the development of a water use plan that addresses water shortages, distribution, and water quality.