Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Electric Vehicle Charger Availability With A Mobile, Self-Contained Charging Station, Robert Serrano, Arifa Sultana, Declan Kavanaugh, Hongjie Wang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Research

As the transition to sustainable transportation has accelerated with the rise of electric vehicles (EVs), ensuring drivers have access to charging to maximize the electric miles driven is critical to lowering carbon emissions in the transportation sector. Limited charging station capacity and poor reliability, especially during peak travel times, long distance travels, holidays, and events, have hindered the adoption of EVs and threaten the progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptive, flexible deployment strategies combined with innovative approaches integrating mobility and renewable energy are essential to address these systemic challenges and bridge the current infrastructure gap. To address these challenges, …

An Alternative To Biliverdin, Mesobiliverdin Ixα And Mesobiliverdin-Enriched Microalgae: A Review On The Production And Applications Of Mesobiliverdin-Related Products, Naveena Poudyal, Jon Y. Takemoto, Yuan-Yu Lin, Cheng-Wei T. Chang

Chemistry and Biochemistry Student Research

Despite attracting interest for decades due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities, the use of biliverdin IXα (BV) in medicine and agriculture is hampered by uncertain purity and limited availability. A significant amount of effort has been devoted to the production and application of BV, but with limited success. Mesobiliverdin IXα (MBV), a natural BV analog derived from microalgae, offers a path to overcome the limitations of BV. MBV production is scalable, and it can be obtained at high purity. MBV and BV share important structural features (e.g., bridging propionate groups) and both are substrates of biliverdin reductase A (BVRA), …

Solar Flare Prediction Using Multivariate Time Series Of Photospheric Magnetic Field Parameters: A Comparative Analysis Of Vector, Time Series, And Graph Data Representations, Onur Vural, Shah Muhammad Hamdi, Soukaina Filali Boubrahimi

Computer Science Student Research

The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive resource for the selection of data representations for machine learning-oriented models and components in solar flare prediction tasks. Major solar flares occurring in the solar corona and heliosphere can bring potential destructive consequences, posing significant risks to astronauts, space stations, electronics, communication systems, and numerous technological infrastructures. For this reason, the accurate detection of major flares is essential for mitigating these hazards and ensuring the safety of our technology-dependent society. In response, leveraging machine learning techniques for predicting solar flares has emerged as a significant application within the realm of …

Utilizing Deep Learning And Object-Based Image Analysis To Search For Low-Head Dams In Indiana, Usa, Brian M. Crookston, Caitlin R. Arnold

Publications

Although low-head dams in the USA provide water supply, irrigation, and recreation opportunities, many are unknown by regulators. Unfortunately, hundreds of drownings occur each decade at these dams from an entrapment current that can form immediately downstream. To explore the ability of deep learning to scan large areas of terrain to identify the locations of low-head dams, ArcGIS Pro and embedded deep learning models for object-based image analysis were investigated. The State of Indiana low-head dam dataset was selected for model training and validation. Aerial imagery (leaf-off conditions) captured from 2016 to 2018 for the nearly 94,000 km² area …

Evidence Of Substorm-Driven Penetration Electric Field Contributions To Low-Latitude Phenomena: Enhanced Upward Drifts, Plasma Bubble Development And Severe Scintillation, J. Sousasantos, F. S. Rodrigues, B. G. Fejer, R. W. Eastes, A. O. Moraes

All Physics Faculty Publications

In this work, it is demonstrated that substorm-driven penetration electric fields can efficiently enhance the upward plasma transport, favoring the development and structuring of plasma irregularities and the occurrence of scintillation on L-band signals. While most previous studies focus on investigating penetration electric fields during intense geomagnetic storms, here, the period used (April 01–05, 2020) was under very mild geomagnetic activity (−27 nT ≤ SYM-H ≤ 6 nT), so that interplanetary and disturbance dynamo contributions are minimized. This period comprised the same seasonal and solar flux conditions, while undergoing multiple short-lived substorms, making it well-suited to evaluate unequivocally: (a) to …

Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Networks For Streamflow Prediction In The Upper Colorado Basin, Akhila Akkala, Soukaina Filali Boubrahimi, Shah Muhammad Hamdi, Pouya Hosseinzadeh, Ayman Nassar

Computer Science Student Research

Streamflow prediction is vital for effective water resource management, enabling a better understanding of hydrological variability and its response to environmental factors. This study presents a spatio-temporal graph neural network (STGNN) model for streamflow prediction in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), integrating graph convolutional networks (GCNs) to model spatial connectivity and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks to capture temporal dynamics. Using 30 years of monthly streamflow data from 20 monitoring stations, the STGNN predicted streamflow over a 36-month horizon and was evaluated against traditional models, including random forest regression (RFR), LSTM, gated recurrent units (GRU), and seasonal auto-regressive integrated …

Forb Diversity Globally Is Harmed By Nutrient Enrichment But Can Be Rescued By Large Mammalian Herbivory, Rebecca A. Nelson, Lauren L. Sullivan, Erika I. Hersch-Green, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Pedro M. Tognetti, Peter B. Adler, Lori Biederman, Miguel N. Bugalho, Maria C. Caldeira, Juan P. Cancela, Luísa G. Carvalheiro, Jane A. Catford, Chris R. Dickman, Aleksandra J. Dolezal, Ian Donohue, Anne Ebeling, Nico Eisenhauer, Kenneth J. Elgersma, Anu Eskelinen, Catalina Estrada, Magda Garbowski, Pamela Graff, Daniel S. Gruner, Nicole Hagenah, Sylvia Haider, W. Stanley Harpole, Yann Hautier, Anke Jentsch, Nicolina Johanson, Sally E. Koerner, Lucíola S. Lannes, Andrew S. Macdougall, Holly Martinson, John W. Morgan, Harry Olde Venterink, Devyn Orr, Brooke B. Osborne, Pablo L. Peri, Sally A. Power, Xavier Raynaud, Anita C. Risch, Mani Shrestha, Nicholas G. Smith, Carly J. Stevens, G. F. Ciska Veen, Risto Virtanen, Glenda M. Wardle, Amelia A. Wolf, Alyssa L. Young, Susan P. Harrison

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Forbs (“wildflowers”) are important contributors to grassland biodiversity but are vulnerable to environmental changes. In a factorial experiment at 94 sites on 6 continents, we test the global generality of several broad predictions: (1) Forb cover and richness decline under nutrient enrichment, particularly nitrogen enrichment. (2) Forb cover and richness increase under herbivory by large mammals. (3) Forb richness and cover are less affected by nutrient enrichment and herbivory in more arid climates, because water limitation reduces the impacts of competition with grasses. (4) Forb families will respond differently to nutrient enrichment and mammalian herbivory due to differences in nutrient …

Utah Organizations Supporting Women & Girls: Exploring The Landscape, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

In 2024, U.S. News & World Report rated each state using 71 metrics in eight categories. Utah came out on top, declared as the “Best State Overall” for the second year in a row, ranking number two in education, and number three in both economy and infrastructure categories. ¹ In addition, WalletHub dubbed Utah 2023’s Most Charitable State, citing high levels of charitable giving and volunteerism,² and ConsumerAffairs declared Utah the “Best State to Move to in 2024.”³ In addition, Utah also ranks high in work hours, volunteerism, affordability, happiness, outdoor recreation, social mobility, and more.⁴ See …

Advancements In Near Real-Time Bolide Detection: Continuum Calibration, Altitude Estimation, And Velocity Approximation Using Noaa Goes Glm Data, Eric Mckinney, Ryan Frazier, John Pratt, Mike Larsen, Philip Nelson, Hans Gunther

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

• Bolides, also known as fireballs, are a class of meteoroids that explosively break up and release large amounts of energy as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere

• While inherently of scientific value, bolides that occur over populous areas can result in alarm and, on rare occasions, terrestrial damage

• Thus, rapid bolide detection and characterization systems are advantageous for the scientific community, public interest, and political de-escalation efforts

• Jenniskens et al. (2018) and Rumpf et al. (2019) showed that the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) sensor onboard the NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) satellites can detect bolide signatures

• This presentation complements a …

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Redefining The Limits Of Functional Continuity In The Early Evolution Of P-Loop Ntpases, Andrey O. Demkiv, Saacnicteh Toledo-Patiño, Encarnación Medina-Carmona, Andrej Berg, Gaspar P. Pinto, Antonietta Parracino, Jose M. Sanchez-Ruiz, Alvan C. Hengge, Paola Laurino, Liam M. Longo, Shina Caroline Lynn Kamerlin

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

At the heart of many nucleoside triphosphatases is a conserved phosphate-binding sequence motif. A current model of early enzyme evolution proposes that this six to eight residue motif could have sparked the emergence of the very first nucleoside triphosphatases—a striking example of evolutionary continuity from simple beginnings, if true. To test this provocative model, seven disembodied Walker A-derived peptides were extensively computationally characterized. Although dynamic flickers of nest-like conformations were observed, significant structural similarity between the situated peptide and its disembodied counterpart was not detected. Simulations suggest that phosphate binding is nonspecific, with a preference for GTP over orthophosphate. Control …

On Signifiable Computability: Part Ii: An Axiomatization Of Signifiable Computation And Debugger Theorems, Vladimir A. Kulyukin

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Signifiable computability aims to separate what is theoretically computable from what is computable through performable processes on computers with finite amounts of memory. Mathematical objects are signifiable in a formalism ℒ on an alphabet 𝒜 if they can be written as spatiotemporally finite texts in ℒ on 𝒜. In a previous article, we formalized the signification and reference of real numbers and showed that data structures representable as multidimensional matrices of discretely finite real numbers are signifiable. In this investigation, we continue to formulate our theory of signifiable computability by offering an axiomatization of signifiable computation on discretely finite real …

Earth Orbital Rhythms Links Timing Of Deccan Trap Volcanism Phases And Global Climate Change, Thomas Westerhold, Edoardo Dallanave, Donald Penman, Blair Schoene, Ursula Röhl, Nikolaus Gussone, Junichiro Kuroda

Geosciences Faculty Publications

At the end of the Cretaceous, the massive Deccan trap (DT) volcanic eruptions are regarded as the primary driver of global climate deterioration. Accurate age models are key to unravel the sequence of events related to DT volcanism onset and effects on the global climate system. We establish a direct geochemical link between DT volcanism as recorded in marine osmium isotopic data and global climate change documented in benthic foraminifera carbon and oxygen isotope records. Based on our state-of-the-art astronomically calibrated age model, two major shifts in marine ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os at 66.49 and 66.28 million years ago are …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda March 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - February 6, 2025
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
• Caine College of the Arts
• Jon M. Huntsman School of Business
• Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
• College of Engineering
• College of Humanities and Social Sciences
• S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources
• College of Science
• College of Veterinary Medicine
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Leveraging High-Frequency Sensor Data And U.S. National Water Model Output To Forecast Turbidity In A Drinking Water Supply Basin, John T. Kemper, Kristen L. Underwood, Scott D. Hamshaw, Dany Davis, Jason Siemion, James B. Shanley, Andrew W. Schroth

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

As high-frequency sensor networks increasingly enhance data-driven models of water quality, process-based models like the U.S. National Water Model (NWM) are generating accessible forecasts of streamflow at increasingly dense scales. There is now an opportunity to combine these products to construct actionable water quality forecasts. To that end, we couple streamflow forecasts from the NWM to a gradient-boosted decision tree algorithm (LightGBM) trained on 5+ years of high-frequency monitoring data to forecast in-stream turbidity levels in the Catskill Mountains, NY, USA. Results indicate LightGBM models are capable of relatively skillful predictions, which enable robust forecasts for 1–3 days lead times. …

This One Weird Trick Gets Users To Stop Clicking On Clickbait, Ankit Shrestha, Arezou Behfar, Sovantharith Seng, Matthew Wright, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Clickbait, masked behind interesting headlines and thumbnails, is often used to spread misinformation and trick users into clicking on social media posts or links that direct them to malicious websites. To help users protect against clickbait, we examined interventions based on persuasion theories including designs that used social consequence, personal consequence, and badges. To this end, we first conducted a preliminary study to translate the participants’ feedback into improving our initial designs, followed by a lab study with 20 participants (60% Male, 40% Female; 18-44 years old) aimed at understanding their perceptions of the improved interventions; we further updated our …

Faculty Senate Agenda March 3, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - February 3rd minutes
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Information
• EPC Report - February 3, 2025
• Emergency/Risk Survey
• 3:45 Report
• School of Graduate Studies
• Professional Responsibilities (PRPC)
• Parking and Transportation
• 4:00 New Business
• 4:05 Old Business
• Adjourn: 4:30

Managing Beyond Water: Utilizing Community Well-Being Interviews In The Upper Yakima River Basin, Usa, For Climate Change Adaptation, Rebecca Gustine, Alexander Theophilus, Courtney G. Flint, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, Emma Epperson, Claudia Mendez Wright, Jennifer C. Adam

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Student Research

In contemporary, natural resources dependent and specialized communities, community well-being is connected to the environment. Understanding the local connections between community well-being and the environment can provide a more complete understanding of how to manage social-ecological systems and promote community resilience. Herein, we combine semi-structured community well-being interviews with hydrologic modeling using the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model to suggest climate adaptation pathways for a diverse set of community interests. We found that community well-being across the Yakima River Basin was connected to water, snow, and the environment through recreation opportunities, aesthetics, livelihoods, and having clean water and air. Additionally, …

Simplification Of Woody Plant Trait Networks Among Communities Along A Climatic Aridity Gradient, Camila D. Medeiros, Santiago Trueba, Christian Henry, Leila R. Fletcher, James A. Lutz, Rodrigo Méndez‐Alonzo, Nathan J. B. Kraft, Lawren Sack

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Plant ecological strategies are shaped by numerous functional traits and their trade-offs. Trait network analysis enables testing hypotheses for the shifting of trait correlation architecture across communities differing in climate and productivity.

2. We built plant trait networks (PTNs) for 118 species within six communities across an aridity gradient, from forest to semi-desert across the California Floristic Province, based on 34 leaf and wood functional traits, representing hydraulic and photosynthetic function, structure, economics and size. We developed hypotheses for the association of PTN parameters with climate and ecosystem properties, based on theory for the adaptation of species to low …

Reviews And Syntheses: Variable Inundation Across Earth’S Terrestrial Ecosystems, James Stegen, Amy J. Burgin, Michelle H. Busch, Joshua B. Fisher, Joshua Ladau, Jenna Abrahamson, Lauren Kinsman-Costello, Li Li, Xingyuan Chen, Thibault Datry, Nate Mcdowell, Corianne Tatariw, Anna Braswell, Jillian M. Deines, Julia A. Guimond, Peter Regier, Kenton Rod, Edward K. P. Bam, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Inke Forbrich, Kristin L. Jaeger, Teri O’Meara, Tim Scheibe, Erin Seybold, Jon N. Sweetman, Jianqiu Zheng, Daniel C. Allen, Elizabeth Herndon, Beth A. Middleton, Scott Painter, Kevin Roche, Julianne Scamardo, Ross Vander Vorste, Kristin Boye, Ellen Wohl, Margaret Zimmer, Kelly Hondula, Maggi Laan, Anna Marshall, Kaizad F. Patel

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The structure, function, and dynamics of Earth's terrestrial ecosystems are profoundly influenced by how often (frequency) and how long (duration) they are inundated with water. A diverse array of natural and human-engineered systems experience temporally variable inundation whereby they fluctuate between inundated and non-inundated states. Variable inundation spans extreme events to predictable sub-daily cycles. Variably inundated ecosystems (VIEs) include hillslopes, non-perennial streams, wetlands, floodplains, temporary ponds, tidal systems, storm-impacted coastal zones, and human-engineered systems. VIEs are diverse in terms of inundation regimes, water chemistry and flow velocity, soil and sediment properties, vegetation, and many other properties. The spatial and temporal …

Infrared Sensors Provide A Reliable And Economic Alternative For Emissivity Testing, Owen Brent Graham

Research on Capitol Hill

Emissivity is a material property that describes how well a material absorbs and emits electromagnetic radiation.

Gig Drivers Need Access To Affordable Electric Vehicles (Evs) And Accessible, Fast Chargers, William Bouck

Research on Capitol Hill

Compared to gas cars, EVs are cheaper to fuel and maintain, and they don’t pollute Utah’s air. But they aren’t used on a scale big enough to make a difference. We asked gig drivers (people who work for Uber, Grubhub, etc.) why EVs aren’t catching on, since they spend 30+ hour driving per week. Addressing their problems will enable increased EV use, making travel cheaper and cleaner.

What Do Utahns Think About Global Warming And Climate Change?, Scott Hotaling, Kendall Becker, Lendel K. Narine, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Roslynn Mccann, Peter D. Howe

All Current Publications

In Utah, there is widespread consensus that global warming is happening, and the strength of this consensus has been steadily rising since 2010. Over the last 14 years, some public opinion metrics have risen dramatically while others have been largely stable. The degree of climate impacts in Utah will depend on residents’ perceptions of climate change and support for implementing policies to help the state adapt to warmer temperatures, more extreme weather events, and other associated changes. In this fact sheet, we integrate multiple data sources to summarize the status and trends of Utahns’ opinions on climate change.

The Mystery Of Baselevel Controls In The Incision History Of The Central Colorado Plateau, Natalie M. Tanski, Joel L. Pederson, Alan J. Hidy, Tammy M. Rittenour, James P. Mauch

Geosciences Student Research

Erosion can remain active and changing in landscapes long after tectonic drivers have ceased, potentially due to local‐geologic controls, climate changes, or geodynamics. We present new fluvial incision‐ rate histories and terrain analyses of the Colorado River system through the central Colorado Plateau to understand what has caused the variable erosion across this post‐orogenic landscape. Results from new cosmogenic and luminescence dating of fluvial terrace and upland gravel deposits in Glen and Meander Canyons establish incision‐rate histories that are marked by an Early‐Middle Pleistocene erosion hiatus, followed by ∼200 m of rapid incision over the last ∼350 kyr. Projection of …

Exploring The Instructional Effectiveness Of High-Growth K-2 Teacher Teams In Foundational Reading, Jake Downs, Katie Martz, Kathleen Mohr

Teacher Education and Leadership Student Research

This study examined high-performing teacher teams in Title I elementary schools that demonstrated significant student growth in foundational reading skills. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, we identified K-2-grade-level teams within a district with the highest growth on Acadience Reading. The study explored (1) student growth and proficiency outcomes in these high-growth teams and (2) how teachers described their instructional practices and outcomes. Focus group interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis revealed key factors, including collaboration, data responsiveness, professional development, and content/pedagogical knowledge. Recommendations and directions for future research are discussed.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda February 18, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Information
• EPC Report
• Emergency/Risk Survey
• 3:40 Report
• Professional Responsibilities and Procedures Committee
• School of Graduate Studies
• Parking Committee
• Old Business
• New Business
• Adjourn 4:30

Introduction To The Vegetable Session & Usu Vegetable Production Lab, Milena Maria Tomaz De Oliveira

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Outline

I. Meet the specialist & current role at USU

II. USU vegetable programs/Utah's Unique challenges

III. Overview of current & Upcoming studies

IV. Survey/Poll

V. Q&A

Restore The Shore: A Guide To Lakeshore Revegetation In The Great Basin, Jes V. Braun, Rae Robinson, Annie L. Henry, Karin M. Kettenring

All Current Publications

Lakeshore vegetation supports many valuable aspects of lake ecosystems: foraging areas for birds, rearing grounds for fish, nutrient cycling, carbon storage, and aesthetic, cultural, and spiritual values. Yet, the vegetation of many lakeshores has been lost or heavily impacted by humans. What can be done to restore lakeshore vegetation to ensure that lakes remain healthy for future generations? In this guide, we summarize best practices for lakeshore revegetation (i.e., the process of actively reintroducing vegetation, usually native species, to a restoration site through seeding and planting) in the Great Basin.

A Machine Learning Model To Predict Wildfire Burn Severity For Pre-Fire Risk Assessments, Utah, Usa, Kipling B. Klimas, Larissa L. Yocom, Brendan P. Murphy, Scott R. David, Patrick Belmont, James A. Lutz, R. Justin Derose, Sara A. Wall

Wildland Resources Student Research

Background

High-severity burned areas can have lasting impacts on vegetation regeneration, carbon dynamics, hydrology, and erosion. While landscape models can predict erosion from burned areas using the differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR), post-fire erosion modeling has predominantly focused on areas that have recently burned. Here, we developed and validated a predictive burn severity model that produces continuous dNBR predictions for recently unburned forest land in Utah.

Results

Vegetation productivity, elevation, and canopy fuels were the most important predictor variables in the model, highlighting the strong control of fuels and vegetation on burn severity in Utah. Final model out-of-bag R^{2 …}

Atsubp-2.0: An Integrated Web Server For The Annotation Of Arabidopsis Proteome Subcellular Localization Using Deep Learning, Naveen Duhan, Rakesh Kaundal

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

The organization of subcellular components in a cell is critical for its function and studying cellular processes, protein–protein interactions, identifying potential drug targets, network analysis, and other systems biology mechanisms. Determining protein localization experimentally is time-consuming and expensive. Due to the need for meticulous experimentation, validation, and data analysis, computational methods provide a quick and accurate alternative. Arabidopsis thaliana, a beneficial model organism in plant biology, facilitates experimentation and applies to other plants. Predicting its proteins' subcellular localization can improve our understanding of cellular processes and have applications in crop improvement and biotechnology. We propose AtSubP-2.0, an extension of …

Education Policy Committee Agenda February 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

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