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Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, 2022 Special Issue (Vol. 5, Iss. 3)

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length 2022 Special Issue (Volume 5, Issue 3) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

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

Improving Performance Through Strategic Teaching Documentation: The Continued Importance Of Seldin, Miller & Seldin’S "The Teaching Portfolio" In The Face Of A New Reality, Antje Graul

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Book Review

Seldin, P., Miller, J. E., & and Seldin, C. A. (2010) The teaching portfolio: A practical guide to improved performance and promotion/tenure decisions. John Wiley & Sons.

416 pages. Available in hardback ($), paperback and digital format ($)

Keywords: teaching, teaching documentation, teaching portfolio, tenure, promotion

The Utah Statesman, January 31, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

No abstract provided.

Robust Plant Segmentation Of Color Images Based On Image Contrast Optimization, Yuzhen Lu, Sierra N. Young, Haifeng Wang, Nuwan Wijewardane

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Plant segmentation is a crucial task in computer vision applications for identification/classification and quantification of plant phenotypic features. Robust segmentation of plants is challenged by a variety of factors such as unstructured background, variable illumination, biological variations, and weak plant-background contrast. Existing color indices that are empirically developed in specific applications may not adapt robustly to varying imaging conditions. This study proposes a new method for robust, automatic segmentation of plants from background in color (red-green-blue, RGB) images. This method consists of unconstrained optimization of a linear combination of RGB component images to enhance the contrast between plant and background …

Bottom-Up Drivers Of Future Fire Regimes In Western Boreal North America, Adrianna C. Foster, Jacquelyn K. Shuman, Brendan M. Rogers, Xanthe J. Walker, Michelle C. Mack, Laura L. Bourgeau-Chavez, Sander Veraverbeke, Scott J. Goetz

Aspen Bibliography

Forest characteristics, structure, and dynamics within the North American boreal region are heavily influenced by wildfire intensity, severity, and frequency. Increasing temperatures are likely to result in drier conditions and longer fire seasons, potentially leading to more intense and frequent fires. However, an increase in deciduous forest cover is also predicted across the region, potentially decreasing flammability. In this study, we use an individual tree-based forest model to test bottom-up (i.e. fuels) vs top-down (i.e. climate) controls on fire activity and project future forest and wildfire dynamics. The University of Virginia Forest Model Enhanced is an individual tree-based forest model …

The Utah Statesman, January 24, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Poverty Among Utah Women: A 2022 Update, Dawn-Marie G. Wood, Emily S. Darowski, Susan R. Madsen, Gregory C. Knapp

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

In 2016, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) released a research snapshot entitled “Poverty Among Utah Women.” At the time, 46.9% of Utah female-headed households with related children under age 5 were living in poverty.¹ Since then, the overall poverty rate in Utah has decreased 2.4%.² However, over a third (36.4%) of that same demographic still live in poverty.³ Additionally, although Utahns experience lower rates of poverty than the national average (8.9% in Utah vs. 12.3% nationwide), more women continue to live in poverty than men (9.6% vs. 8.2%, respectively).⁴ Many factors influence poverty among …

Community Based Engineering Design Challenges For Adolescent English Learners, Amy Wilson-Lopez

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

The Utah Statesman, January 17, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Hysteretic Transition Between States Of A Filled Hexagonal Magnetic Dipole Cluster, Andrew D. P. Smith, Peter T. Haugen, Boyd F. Edwards

All Physics Faculty Publications

By minimizing the magnetostatic potential energy and by finding zeros in the sum of the squares of the torques, we find the equilibrium states of six dipoles of identical strength at the vertices of a regular hexagon and a variable-strength dipole at the center. The seven dipoles spin freely about fixed axes that are perpendicular to the plane of the hexagon, with their dipole moments directed parallel to the plane. When the central dipole is weak compared with the perimeter dipoles, a ‘‘circular’’ state applies in which the perimeter dipole moments circle around the central dipole, which points toward a …

The Utah Statesman, January 10, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Differentialgeometry Package, Ian M. Anderson, Charles G. Torre

Downloads

This is the entire DifferentialGeometry package, a zip file (DifferentialGeometry.zip) containing (1) a Maple Library file, DifferentialGeometryUSU.mla, (2) a Maple help file DifferentialGeometry.help, (3) a Maple Library file, DGApplicatons.mla. This is the latest version of the DifferentialGeometry software; it supersedes what is released with Maple.

Installation instructions

Cache Code Math Computer Lab Activity: Geometry (Guess The Quadrilateral), Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica Shumway, Kimberly Beck, Umar Shehzad, Mimi Recker

Instructional resources

This instructional Scratch card is used in 5^th grade computer labs. Here students are given step-by-step instructions to code a quiz in Scratch using properties of quadrilaterals. The activity is meant to be delivered in conjunction with the mathematics lesson plans, “Cache Code Math March Unit: Geometry in Mathematics and Programming.”

Cache Code Math Computer Lab Activity: Geometry (Guess The Triangle), Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica Shumway, Kimberly Beck, Umar Shehzad, Mimi Recker

Instructional resources

This instructional Scratch card is used in 5th grade computer labs. Here students are given step-by-step instructions to code a quiz in Scratch using properties of triangles. The activity is meant to be delivered in conjunction with the mathematics lesson plans, “Cache Code Math March Unit: Geometry in Mathematics and Programming.”

A New Non-Inheriting Homogeneous Solution Of The Einstein-Maxwell Equations With Cosmological Term, Charles G. Torre

Research Vignettes

No abstract provided.

Our Potential: A Collection Of Essays From Aggie First Scholars, Volume 2, Aggie First Scholars

Our Potential

A collection of essays from first-generation college students at Utah State University.

A New Non-Inheriting Homogeneous Solution Of The Einstein-Maxwell Equations With Cosmological Term, Ian M. Anderson, Charles G. Torre

Publications

We find a new homogeneous solution to the Einstein-Maxwell equations with a cos- mological term. The spacetime manifold is R × S3. The spacetime metric admits a simply transitive isometry group G = R × SU(2) and is Petrov type I. The spacetime is geodesically complete and globally hyperbolic. The electromagnetic field is non- null and non-inheriting: it is only invariant with respect to the SU(2) subgroup and is time-dependent in a stationary reference frame.

The De Rham Decomposition Theorem, Ian M. Anderson, Charles G. Torre

Tutorials on... in 1 hour or less

In this worksheet we show how the DG software provides for a local implementation of the de Rham decomposition theorem for Riemannian manifolds.

Cache Code Math Mathematics Lesson Plans: Exponents And Repeats, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica Shumway, Kimberly Beck, Umar Shehzad, Mimi Recker

Instructional resources

This document entails four 5^th grade mathematics lesson plans. The lessons are intended to be implemented in conjunction with the computer lab activities found in “Integrated Lesson (CS and Math)”. The mathematics focus of these lessons is exponents as repeated multiplication, which is paired with the computer coding concepts of repeat loop blocks.

Cache Code Math Computer Lab Activity: Geometry (Jump Using My Blocks And Variables), Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica Shumway, Kimberly Beck, Umar Shehzad, Mimi Recker

Instructional resources

This instructional Scratch card is used in 5th grade computer labs. Here students are introduced to My Blocks and variables. This is meant as an introductory lesson to “Guess the Triangle” and “Guess the Quadrilateral.” The activity is meant to be delivered in conjunction with the mathematics lesson plans, “Cache Code Math March Unit: Geometry in Mathematics and Programming.”

Voices Of Usu: An Anthology Of Student Writing, Vol. 15, Utah State University Department Of English

Voices of USU

This collection of student writing represents the voices of over 2,000 students who enroll each academic year in Utah State University’s second-year composition course, Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode. Voices of USU celebrates excellence in writing by providing undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds and disciplines the opportunity to have their work published.

2022 Report To The Governor: Utah's Land, Water, And Air, Janet Quinney Lawson Institute For Land, Water, And Air

Reports

This report serves as a 2022 snapshot of key issues and concerns with Utah's shared resources. It highlights gathered data that is available to provide context to these issues, as well as identifies areas where more study is needed. Addressing these challenges will enable Utah policymakers and other statewide leaders to make informed decisions for the future. Under the authorship of 37 researchers and experts and the general guidance of 38 advisory committee members, the report outlines 26 issues and trends to pay attention to in the coming months and years.

What's New In Differentialgeometry Release Dg2022, Ian M. Anderson, Charles G. Torre

Tutorials on... in 1 hour or less

This Maple worksheet demonstrates the salient new features and functionalities of the 2022 release of the DifferentialGeometry software package.

When Is A Linear Connection A Metric Connection?, Ian M. Anderson, Charles G. Torre

Tutorials on... in 1 hour or less

In this worksheet we use the DG software to answer the following question: When is there a metric tensor on M whose Christoffel symbols coincide with the components of a given linear connection?

The Economic Contribution Of Utah's Energy And Mining Industries, Tanner J. Mccarty, Zuyi Wang, Man-Keun Kim, James Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Utah’s abundant energy and mineral resources are used to heat homes, drive industry, and keep the lights on. Effectively managing these energy and mineral resources and their associated supply chains requires knowledge of their economic value and how they currently contribute to Utah’s economy. This report calculates the total economic contribution of Utah’s energy and mining industries for 2019 and 2020. Each industry makes substantial contributions to Utah’s gross domestic product, employment, and tax base. Table 1 displays each industry’s economic contribution to Utah’s economy.

Collectively, these industries contributed over 10% to Utah's total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), supported over …

Angler Catch Rates, Opinions, And Abiotic Variable Relationships In The Lower Logan River, Utah, Tyler Coleman, Jim Derito, Chris Penne, Gary Thiede, Phaedra Budy

Watershed Sciences Student Research

Summer base flows for rivers are critical for maintaining water quality, healthy fish populations, and a functional aquatic ecosystem. Low summer base flows can increase water temperatures and lower dissolved oxygen levels. These conditions can cause Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) energetic stress and result in lower angler catch. The goal of this study was to determine if low river flows and higher water temperatures influence angler catch rates of Brown Trout on the lower Logan River, Utah and to better understand angler use of the lower river. We performed a creel survey on approximately 6.4 km of the …

Stakeholder Knowledge And Perceptions Of Free-Roaming Equids And Their Management At A Western U.S. Land-Grant University, Hollee S. Wood, S. Nicole Frey, Terry A. Messmer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The horse (Equus ferus caballus), originally native to North America, became extinct on the continent approximately 10,000 years ago. Horses that migrated from North America to Eurasia across the Bering Strait continued to evolve and were domesticated along with burros (E. asinus). Both species were then transported to the Americas where they were intentionally released or escaped into the wild, forming feral herds. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRHBA) provided federal oversight and protection for feral horses and burros (hereafter, free-roaming equids) that inhabited designated areas on public lands in the western …

Far-Red Photography For Measuring Plant Growth: A Novel Approach, Cole Webb, F. Mitchell Westmoreland, Bruce Bugbee, Xiaojun Qi

Techniques and Instruments

A critical part of agricultural studies is determining plant stress and growth rate. Modern computer vision provides a series of tools that can be applied to derive this data. In this paper, we will show our findings, analyze their accuracy, and define a system capable of deriving this data with near-human accuracy in a fraction of the time. Denoising techniques applicable to this system will be discussed, as will our discoveries and findings. Finally, suggestions for further research opportunities will be provided.

Bat Mortality At Ontario Wind Farms Quantified And Compared Using Four Candidate Estimator Equations, Bethany G. Thurber, Catherine B. Jardine, J. Ryan Zimmerling

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wind farm development is expanding globally. While wind energy is a low-cost option for new electricity supply, the impacts to wildlife populations, including bats (Chiroptera), are of ecological concern. To quantify these impacts, scientists have developed estimator equations to estimate bat mortality, which vary in assumptions related to correction factors. We compared the results of 4 estimators applied to post-construction monitoring data from Ontario, Canada, wind farms to evaluate the effects of field methods and correction factors on estimator consistency. To conduct our study, we obtained data from 21 wind farms between 2011 and 2017 for a total of 26 …

Is Mitigation Translocation An Effective Strategy For Conserving Common Chuckwallas?, Chad A. Rubke, Daniel J. Leavitt, Woodrow L. Crumbo, Brock Williams, Ashley A. Grimsley-Padron, Kristin J. Gade, Russell Benford, Michael F. Ingraldi, Brian K. Sullivan, Ryan P. O’Donnell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Mitigation translocation remains a popular conservation tool despite ongoing debate regarding its utility for population conservation. To add to the understanding of the effectiveness of mitigation translocation, in 2017 and 2018 we monitored a population of protected common chuckwallas (Sauromalus ater) following translocation away from the area of construction of a new highway near the South Mountains, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. We removed chuckwallas from the construction right-of-way, paint-marked and pit-tagged them, and then released them in a nearby municipal preserve. We deployed very high frequency radio-telemetry transmitters on a sub-sample of 15 translocated adult chuckwallas. We monitored the …