Digital Commons Network^™

Producing Analytical Models Of The Sport Spacecraft For Science Data Processing, Jason L. Powell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Scintillation Prediction Observation Research Task (SPORT) is a joint United States of America and Brazil 6U CubeSat mission. The SPORT mission is to understand how the Earth’s ionosphere evolves during day and night transitions. Space Weather Probes, a suite of instruments developed by Utah State University, monitors the ionosphere by observing currents and voltages around the SPORT spacecraft body. This thesis presents the data collected by Space Weather Probes and how it is used to measure the ionosphere. Modeling techniques are also presented to demonstrate how the Space Weather Probes instrument is expected to respond to the ionosphere.

Soil Health And Remediation For Urban Gardens In Utah, Melissa Chilinski

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

Urban environments are at an increased risk of soil contamination and poor soil health due to anthropogenic causes. As healthy farmland is developed, new urban farmers and gardeners are often left growing food on unwanted land with unknown histories of previous use. Varied research and methods for obtaining healthy soils can cause new growers to make decisions that negatively impact soil health and fertility, or on the other hand, conflicting information can cause individuals to become unnecessarily fearful of common soil contaminants and their effect on human health. Common soil contaminants, like trace metals (often referred to as heavy metals) …

Methods For Preparing And Characterizing Granular Materials For Electron Yield Measurements, Tom Keaton

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

This work presents a systematic study on sample preparation methods and accuracy of electron yield (EY) measurements of highly insulating, granular materials. EY measurements of highly insulating materials, especially those with high EY, are challenging due to the effects of sample charging even for very low fluence electron probe beams. EY measurements of particulates are complicated by: (i) roughness effects from particulate size, shape, coverage, and compactness; (ii) particle adhesion; (iii) substrate contributions; and (iv) electrostatic repulsion and potential barriers from charged particles and substrates. Numerous methods were explored to rigidly affix particles on conducting substrates at varying coverages for …

Hydroclimate Effects On Great Salt Lake Decline Since 1980, Siiri Joy Bigalke

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

As a terminal basin lake, the Great Salt Lake (GSL) is known to act as a barometer for low frequency climate variability for the Western United States. As thus, there are naturally occurring large changes to GSL elevation levels that vary on time scales from years to decades. However, amongst these naturally occurring interannual changes there has been a significant declining trend in the elevation levels since a string of anomalous pluvial years in the early 1980s. In the summer of 2022, the Great Salt Lake reached its lowest levels in recorded history, which coincided with a two-decades long regional …

Multivariate Econometric Regression Of Factors That Determine Form Of Disposition Of Human Remains Using Archival Death Certificates, Salt Lake County, Utah, Delphine T. Feigenbaum

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

This project considers the inescapable and burgeoning issues concerning the long-term allocation of scarce natural resources between the living and the deceased. America’s population growth will demand more space and maintenance resources used for disposition. To meet the forthcoming exigencies, economic planners need to address natural resource availability for future generations while incorporating sustainable and innovative technologies to prohibit environmental injustice.

The goals are to answer the following questions: How do demographical variables, age and sex influence the choice of disposition? How do cause of death variables influence the choice of disposition? I also evaluate the hypothesis that the average …

Development Of Secondary Special Education Science Assessments And Curriculum Map, Heather Thompson

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

This project explores and develops science curriculum for secondary students with severe special needs. It identifies why science is important for this demographic as well as what students and teachers need to improve science instruction within that setting. The project provides a curriculum map with leveled access to each of the Essential Elements detailed by the state throughout an academic year. It also provides leveled common assessments to us in conjunction with that map in order to facilitate a continued share from success growth mentality.

An Integrated Experimental And Modeling Approach To Design Rotating Algae Biofilm Reactors (Rabrs) Via Optimizing Algae Biofilm Productivity, Nutrient Recovery, And Energy Efficiency, Gerald Benjamin Jones

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

Microalgae biofilms have been demonstrated to recover nutrients from wastewater and serve as biomass feedstock for bioproducts. However, there is a need to develop a platform to quantitatively describe microalgae biofilm production, which can provide guidance and insights for improving biomass areal productivity and nutrient uptake efficiency. This paper proposes a unified experimental and theoretical framework to investigate algae biofilm growth on a rotating algae biofilm reactor (RABR). The experimental laboratory setups are used to conduct controlled experiments on testing environmental and operational factors for RABRs. We propose a differential-integral equation-based mathematical model for microalgae biofilm cultivation guided by laboratory …

Time-Inconsistent Preferences And The Welfare Effects Of Financing Unfunded Social Security With Consumption Taxation, Emily E. Sorensen

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

A sizable body of evidence suggests that individuals make retirement preparation plans for the future, but then they persistently fail to follow through and prepare adequately to fund their retirement. In parallel, observational and experimental evidence suggests that people discount the future hyperbolically, and a hyperbolic discount function leads to inadequate preparation for retirement in modeling applications. In this paper, I construct a life-cycle model of consumption, saving, and intensive labor supply in which the representative individual possesses a hyperbolic discount function. The model exhibits time-inconsistent dynamic optimization as the individual persistently formulates, breaks, and then re-formulates consumption, saving, and …

Historic Downtown Streetscape Plan Price City, Utah, Patricia Beckert

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

The idea of a small-town Main Street has profound meaning within the American culture that has prevailed for the past two centuries. Historically, Main Street serves as the beating heart of a community, a place where economic, social, cultural, and civic activities are centered (Francaviglia, 1996; Main Street America, n.d.). Since the beginning of the 19th century, many factors have led to the decline of Main Streets, and despite a variety of efforts from different stakeholders, that decline has only intensified in recent decades (Isenberg, 2008; Orvell, 2014 Howard, 2015). In 1980, after a three-year project conducted by the National …

Utah State University Commencement, 2023 – Uintah Basin Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

2023 Commencement Ceremony for the Uintah Basin campus of Utah State University.

Elementary Classroom Views Of Nature Are Associated With Lower Child Externalizing Behavior Problems, Amber L. Pearson, Catherine D. Brown, Aaron Reuben, Natalie Nicholls, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Kimberly A. Clevenger

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Exposure to nature views has been associated with diverse mental health and cognitive capacity benefits. Yet, much of this evidence was derived in adult samples and typically only involves residential views of nature. Findings from studies with children suggest that when more greenness is available at home or school, children have higher academic performance and have expedited attention restoration, although most studies utilize coarse or subjective assessments of exposure to nature and largely neglect investigation among young children. Here, we investigated associations between objectively measured visible nature at school and children's behavior problems (attention and externalizing behaviors using the Brief …

Impacts Of Irrigation Technology, Irrigation Rate, And Drought-Tolerant Genetics On Silage Corn Production, Tina Sullivan, Matt Yost, Dakota Boren, Earl Creech, Boyd Kitchen, Randall Violett, Burdette Barker

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

Many studies have examined individual water-saving management practices for corn (Zea mays L.), but few studies have looked at how combinations of practices might further enhance water optimization. The research objectives of this paper were to evaluate the impact of irrigation technology, irrigation rate, and crop genetics, as well as their interactions, on silage corn yield and forage quality. Trials were conducted in three Utah locations from 2019 through 2021. The results from five site-years indicated that the best water optimization practices varied by site-year. Low-elevation sprinklers commonly applied water more efficiently, with four of the five site-years having …

High Frequency Radio Communication, Tyler Larsen

Physics Capstone Projects

High frequency radio communication has been the most reliable form of communication for many decades. Over that period, we have learned and experienced times of enhanced signals along with complete radio blackouts. The purpose of this research is to collect and analyze radio signal data to see the evidence of various reasons as to why these phenomena occur. A radio antenna was set up at USU campus to retrieve the signals from beacon networks across the globe that transmit signals every 15 minutes. By tracking a few of these signals we can locate the times of discrepancies in the signals …

Utah State University Commencement, 2023 – Kaysville Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

2023 Commencement Ceremony for the Kaysville campus of Utah State University.

The Kp Index And Behavior Of Quiet Periods, Collette Walbeck

Physics Capstone Projects

The Kp-index quantifies the electromagnetic effects in the Earth’s atmosphere and is used in a variety of scientific fields. Higher Kp values tend to be the focus in these fields as they relate to high solar activity and geomagnetic storms. This study aimed to examine the significance, if any, of lower Kp indices. A simple data analysis was performed on continuous sequences of low Kp values, deemed Quiet Periods. Both the daily average of the values and the full set of Kp data were used. A decaying exponential relationship was discovered between the length of these periods and their frequencies …

Effectiveness Of Multilayer Graded-Z Forms Of Radiation Shielding, Brinley Packer

Physics Capstone Projects

This study explored how different forms of radiation shielding were more or less effective than standard single-layer shielding. Beta and gamma radiation sources were used and measured using a Geiger counter to determine how well the various forms of shielding protect against the radiation. The shielding effectiveness of standard homogeneous materials (e.g., graphite, carbon/epoxy composites, aluminum, and lead) of various thicknesses for different radiation sources was measured to provide standards for comparison. Once a basis of effective shielding was established, the study can go into greater depth into how to use shielding materials to be more effective, to better shield …

Beaver Pond Geomorphology Influences Pond Nitrogen Retention And Denitrification, Desneiges Murray, Bethany T. Neilson, Janice Brahney

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Beaver ponds are increasingly promoted as a strategy for physical stream restoration, and more recently recognized as natural solutions for excess nonpoint source pollutants, such as nitrogen (N). Beaver ponds facilitate N transformations on the streamscape by increasing sediment-water interactions and creating low and high redox conditions in close proximity. Because beaver ponds vary widely in their geomorphology, the spatial extent of morphological units should dictate the degree of biogeochemical processing. We explore the role of beaver pond geomorphic units in facilitating sediment N transformations using a sediment mass balance approach. We quantified input, output, and transformation of N species …

Promoting Student Reflection Through Reflective Writing Tasks, Elena Taylor

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Reflection is a necessary component of learning. Through reflective assignments and tasks, students are given opportunities to evaluate their learning and analyze strategies they use while acquiring and applying course material. Reflections also help students assess and think deeply about the information presented in class and thus better retain it. Through reflecting on their learning, students are also given the opportunity to formulate goals for future improvement. Reflective tasks can be implemented in any classroom, and writing is a powerful tool to do that. This article describes several writing tasks that …

A Participatory Exercise In Developing Syllabi With Adult Learners, Laneshia Conner, V. Nikki Jones, Jason P. Johnston

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Transformative participatory approaches in education are positioned to challenge traditional models where instructors bear all responsibility for knowledge creation and learners are passive recipients of knowledge. The promotion of participatory learning and critical pedagogy is essential to helping professionals seeking to understand oppressive structural barriers and employing strategies to dismantle these structures. This article describes a participatory approach undertaken to guide learners through an exercise to co-create syllabus content in a graduate social work course. Learners identified three themes, concerns, fears, and problems, related to the course material. Learners were also …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 1, Spring 2023

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Spring 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to student self-reflection, participatory learning, and returning to the in-person learning following the COVID-19 pandemic. The first article takes a critical approach to understanding pedagogy with adult learners by involving students in the creation of course syllabi as a way to challenge ideologies related the roles of instructor and students. The second article blends research and narrative to explore how the experiences of …

For The Dissertation: A Classification Of Tensors In Ecsk Theory, Joshua James Leiter, Charles G. Torre

Physics Student Research

This dissertation presents a Petrov/Plebanski/Segre/Algebraic (PPSA) classification scheme for both the curvature and torsion tensors in Einstein-Cartan-Sciama-Kibble theory (ECSK); additionally the work includes a software package in Maple with computational and PPSA classification tools. Six different solutions are classified using the new software tools developed. We also present a new boundary term for ECSK-NMC scalar theory to ensure Dirichlet boundary conditions. New work completed includes the decomposition of an arbitrary 4th rank tensor under SO (p, q), equivalent SL (2, C) irreducible spinor decompositions of arbitrary 3rd and 4th rank tensors. We provide new proofs that the corresponding spinors are …

Examining Teachers' Beliefs About 3d Learning: The Importance Of Analyzing Multiple Data Sources, Jessie Nixon, Colin Hennessy Elliott, Jefferey B. Bush, Mimi Recker

Publications

While teachers’ beliefs about curricular reforms such as NGSS and 3D learning (science practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts) often influence whether or not they enact these practices in the science classroom, it is unclear if changes in beliefs influence practices or if engaging in new teaching practices changes teachers’ beliefs. Through a comparative case study, we examine how two science teachers' beliefs about 3D learning related to their implementation of a science unit introducing students to a sensor-based physical computing system. We found that it was necessary to triangulate multiple data sources to better understand teachers’ beliefs. We …

I-Optimal Or G-Optimal: Do We Have To Choose?, Stephen J. Walsh, Lu Lu, Christine M. Anderson-Cook

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

When optimizing an experimental design for good prediction performance based on an assumed second order response surface model, it is common to focus on a single optimality criterion, either G-optimality, for best worst-case prediction precision, or I-optimality, for best average prediction precision. In this article, we illustrate how using particle swarm optimization to construct a Pareto front of non-dominated designs that balance these two criteria yields some highly desirable results. In most scenarios, there are designs that simultaneously perform well for both criteria. Seeing alternative designs that vary how they balance the performance of G- and I …

Rethinking Integrated Computer Science Instruction: A Cross-Context And Expansive Approach In Elementary Classrooms, Umar Shehzad, Jody E. Clarke-Midura, Kimberly Beck, Jessica F. Shumway, Mimi M. Recker

Publications

This study examines how a rural-serving school district aimed to provide elementary level computer science (CS) by offering instruction during students’ computer lab, a class taught by paraprofessional educators with limited background in computing. As part of a research practice partnership, cross-context mathematics and CS lessons were co-designed to expansively frame and highlight connections across – as opposed to integration within – the two subjects. Findings indicate that the paraprofessionals teaching the lessons generally reported positive experiences and understanding of content; however, those less comfortable with the content reported lower student interest. Further, most students who engaged with the lessons …

A Unified Approach That Makes Online Taxi Service More Effective, Jiyao Li

Student Research Symposium

We propose a unified approach for scheduling taxis across a city. Balancing the supplies and demands on a city scale is a challenging problem in the field of online taxi services. To tackle the problem, we design a unified approach considering two important processes: Taxi-Rider Matching and Taxi Guidance. In the Taxi-Rider Matching, with the help of Lottery Selection (LS) and smoothed popularity score, the approach can balance supplies and demands well, both in the local neighborhood areas and hot places across the city. Regarding Taxi Guidance, we propose Q-learning Idle Movement (QIM) to direct vacant taxis to the most …

Plastic Photochemistry: Determining How Weathering Impacts Phototransformation Rates, Anna Fabiszak

Student Research Symposium

It is a scientific certainty that plastics do exist and will continue to exist in the environment for many years, but exactly how long? Photochemistry can be a major degradation pathway of plastics. Many studies have been performed using microbial activity, heat, and light. However, the question of which wavelengths have the greatest effect on the plastic phototranformation remains. This question was answered by irradiating weathered and pristine plastics under monochromatic LEDs lights from wavelengths 275-445 nm, and measuring the amount of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC).

Comparative Analysis Of Feature Selection And Machine Learning Models For Breast Cancer Risk Prediction, Tonmoy Roy

Student Research Symposium

The comparative analysis of feature selection and machine learning models for breast cancer risk prediction aims to develop accurate and efficient models for diagnosing breast cancer. In this analysis, we explore different feature selection techniques and machine learning models to identify the most effective feature combination for breast cancer risk prediction. Our study provides valuable insights into the importance of feature selection and model selection in developing accurate breast cancer risk prediction models. Using the three features provide high accuracy to detect breast cancer. Overall, this study highlights the importance of combining feature selection techniques with machine learning algorithms to …

Machine Learning In Analyzing Atmospheric Gravity Waves, Anastasia Brown

Student Research Symposium

The ANtarctic Gravity Wave Instrument Network (ANGWIN) is an international collaboration aimed at investigating the upper atmosphere dynamics over a continent-size region, using a network of all-sky imagers. In an effort to streamline the identification of “clean” windows in the extensive database of all sky-imager data obtained since 2012, we have developed a machine learning algorithm that sorts “clean” (marked as 0) images from “obscured” (marked as 1) images. Already, we have successfully created a LightGBM (Light Gradient-Boosting Machine) model that accurately sorts through images taken at the Davis and McMurdo research stations in Antarctica. The LightGBM model for the …

Tuning Random Forests For Interpretability, Kelvyn Bladen

Student Research Symposium

Random Forests are a widely used predictive technique in the modern data analyst’s toolkit. As with other machine learning methods, Random Forests have hyper-parameters that should be tuned for getting the best predictive accuracy and for interpretation. Variable importance measures give users valuable insights regarding which features are most informative for prediction. The subject of my research is the commonly used permutation importance algorithm with Random Forests. Key results of my research are: 1. When predictive features are highly correlated, importance values can be misleading. 2. The best choice of the Random Forests hyper-parameter mtry for importances may be quite …

Electric School Buses: Optimal Routing & Partial Charging, Megh Kc

Student Research Symposium

The transportation industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint of diesel school buses in the United States is being overlooked despite their significant portion as public transportation. Sense of an urgent need for school bus electrification raises the importance of the effective and efficient operation of school electric buses. However, capital investment, battery range anxiety, charging strategy, and riding time remain significant obstacles to implementing this solution.To address these issues, we have developed a mathematical optimization model that considers the practical constraints of school bus operation and employs a weighted multi-objective function. The model is …