Digital Commons Network^™

Constraints Of Haunted Heritage Tourism In Logan, Utah, Kylie Schroeder

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

It has become common in Salem, Savannah, New Orleans, Edinburg, or Gettysburg, to witness groups of people being led through the darkened streets as part of a ghost tour or haunted history walk. An altered form of commercialized legend tripping, these companies offer guided tours, feature spooky stories, and often showcase local history. However, the trend of haunted heritage tourism, especially in the form of ghost walks and haunted history tours, has spread beyond places with national or international reputations for hauntings and is now growing in small towns whose stories are rarely shared beyond the local populace.

This thesis …

A High-Magnification Uv Lens For High-Temperature Optical Strain Measurements, Robert S. Hansen

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

Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is an experimental method used to produce full-field strain maps of specimens undergoing deformation. In this measurement, images of a specimen are taken before and after mechanical and thermal loading, then software is used to track deformation and compute strains. DIC has been recently adapted for high-temperature tests by using ultraviolet (UV) range cameras, lenses, and filters to produce the images.

Application of DIC to small length scales and at high temperatures can be performed with proper equipment. However, for these measurements, there is no commercially available high-magnification lens that will allow images to be taken …

Determinants And Mechanisms Of National Identity Shift In Tanzania, Alexander C. Wendt

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

Since gaining independence in 1961, Tanzania has enjoyed high levels of national identification, far higher than other states in east Africa. Yet, between 2005 and 2015, the Afrobarometer survey recorded a decline in the national identity and an increase in ethnic identities in Tanzania. These changes are striking because of the successful nation-building policies implemented by former president Julius Nyerere. In addition, during the same period of 2005-2015, states bordering Tanzania have increased their level of national identification. This thesis reviews the literature on how changes in institutions, economic modernization, and conflict create incentives for political competition that may in …

Salt Tolerance Of Six Switchgrass Cultivars, Youping Sun, Genhua Niu, Girisha Ganjegunte, Yanqi Wu

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass) cultivars (‘Alamo’, ‘Cimarron’, ‘Kanlow’, ‘NL 94C2-3’, ‘NSL 2009-1’, and ‘NSL 2009-2’) were evaluated for salt tolerance in two separate greenhouse experiments. In experiment (Expt.) 1, switchgrass seedlings were irrigated with a nutrient solution at an electrical conductivity (EC) of 1.2 dS·m−1 (control) or a saline solution (spiked with salts) at an EC of 5.0 dS·m−1 (EC 5) or 10.0 dS·m−1 (EC 10) for four weeks, once a week. Treatment EC 10 reduced the tiller number by 32% to 37% for all switchgrass cultivars except ‘Kanlow’. All switchgrass cultivars under EC 10 had a significant reduction of …

Usu Aerospace Engineering Researcher Lands Prestigious Navy Grant, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University’s Doug Hunsaker, a rising star in aerodynamics research, received the coveted Young Investigator Program (YIP) award from the Office of Naval Research.

Usu Mechanical Engineering Team Takes First At Soapbox Derby | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Nine teams competed in Saturday’s 2nd annual ASME Soapbox Derby.

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, College Of Humanities And Social Sciences, April 27, 2018, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Utah State University requests approval to offer the following Baccalaureate degree(s): Portuguese effective Fall 2018.

Iterative Design Of A Simulation-Based Module For Teaching Evolution By Natural Selection, Jody Clarke-Midura, Denise S. Pope, Susan Maruca, Joel K. Abraham, Eli Meir

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: This research builds on a previous study that looked at the effectiveness of a simulation-based module for teaching students about the process of evolution by natural selection. While the previous study showed that the module was successful in teaching how natural selection works, the research uncovered some weaknesses in the design. In this paper, we used design-based research to investigate how design changes to the module affected not only students’ understanding of the concepts but also their usage of misconceptions in the assessments. We present results from two studies. In study 1, we looked at gains in understanding …

Identification Of Genes Directly Responding To Dlk1 Signaling In Callipyge Sheep, Hui Yu, Jolena N. Waddell, Shihuan Kuang, Ross L. Tellam, Noelle E. Cockett, Christopher A. Bidwell

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Background

In food animal agriculture, there is a need to identify the mechanisms that can improve the efficiency of muscle growth and protein accretion. Callipyge sheep provide excellent machinery since the up-regulation of DLK1 and RTL1 results in extreme postnatal muscle hypertrophy in distinct muscles. The aim of this study is to distinguish the genes that directly respond to DLK1 and RTL1 signaling from the genes that change as the result of muscle specific effects.

Results

The quantitative PCR results indicated that DLK1 expression was significantly increased in hypertrophied muscles but not in non-hypertrophied muscles. However, RTL1 was up-regulated in …

The Matryoshka Effect: Usu Researchers Describe Underwater Phenomenon | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Researchers at Utah State University are sending cascades of water into a tank to uncover a mystery of fluid dynamics.

Modeling Temperature And Moisture Dependent Emissions Of Carbon Dioxide And Methane From Drying Dairy Cow Manure, Enzhu Hu, Pakorn Sutitarnnontr, Markus Tuller, Scott B. Jones

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Greenhouse gas emissions due to biological degradation processes of animal wastes are significant sources of air pollution from agricultural areas. The major environmental controls on these microbe-induced gas fluxes are temperature and moisture content. The objective of this study was to model the effects of temperature and moisture content on emissions of CO₂ and CH₄ during the ambient drying process of dairy manure under controlled conditions. Gas emissions were continuously recorded over 15 d with paired fully automated closed dynamic chambers coupled with a Fourier Transformed Infrared gas analyzer. Water content and temperature were measured and monitored with …

Self-Efficacy Change Associated With A Cognitive Load-Based Intervention In An Undergraduate Biology Course, David F. Feldon, Joana Franco, Jie Chao, James Peugh, Cathy Maahs-Fladung

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Cognitive load theory (CLT) holds that discovery learning and other instructional strategies imposing high levels of extraneous load on novice learners hinder learning. Such learning conditions are also associated with significant drops in persistence, a key measure of motivation. However, research within the CLT framework typically engages motivation as a necessary precursor to learning, rather than as an outcome of instruction. In this study, we examine changes in motivational beliefs as outcomes of learners' cognitive processes through a CLT lens as they engage with instruction. Using a double-blind quasi-experimental design, we manipulate the level of cognitive load imposed on participants …

Usu Engineering Researcher Gets Prestigious Nsf Career Award | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University professor and researcher Ling Liu will receive a major research grant for his work in developing more thermally efficient materials.

Design Case: Implementing Gamification With Arcs To Engage Digital Natives, Travis N. Thurston

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Gamification is an emerging topic for both student engagement and motivation in higher education online courses as digital natives become post-secondary students. This design case considers the design, development, and implementation of a higher education online course using the ARCS model for motivational design combined with the four-phase model of interest development as a framework for gamification implementation. Through “designerly ways of knowing,” this design case explores engaging digital native students with a gamified online course design, which will be of interest to instructional designers and instructors in higher education. Overall, students in the pilot course responded favorably to the …

From Outside To Online: Unanticipated Directions For Utah Master Naturalist, Mark Larese-Casanova, Jennifer Perkins

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Utah Master Naturalist is an award-winning Utah State University Extension program that promotes stewardship of Utah’s natural world through place-based, experiential field courses across the state. Although successful in eliciting positive short- and long-term impacts, Utah Master Naturalist’s traditional five-day field courses were unavailable to many students and instructors due to constraints of time and location. This case study examines Utah Master Naturalist’s first hybrid course, Desert Explorations, and describes the positive results from our pilot study, how a hybrid course solves availability issues, and how field-based learning theories can be adapted to online education through careful design.

Approaches To Evaluating Blended Courses, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos, Stacy Bevan, Rebecca Charlton, Marlene Israelsen Graf

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Blended learning, sometimes referred to as hybrid or flexible learning, is becoming increasingly common in higher education. Unfortunately, many instructors receive limited training on how to effectively evaluate blended courses, and as a result, commonly rely solely on end-of-semester evaluations. Due to the more complex nature of how blended courses are designed and implemented, instructors should consider utilizing a variety of course evaluation methods. This article includes researched-based approaches for evaluating blended courses based on feedback from students, peers, and instructional designers. This combination of formalized feedback is offered as one strategy to ensure instructors achieve course learning objectives and …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 2, Issue 1

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full Spring 2018 issue (Volume 2, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence.

The Utah Statesman, April 17, 2018, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes, April 16, 2018, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Empowering Teaching Excellence (ETE) - Neal Legler | Travis Thurston
• Student Code Revision - Krystin Deschamp
• EPC Voting Clarification - Becki Lawver
• EPC April Report - Edward Reeve
• Policy 403 and 407 Revision Schedule - Kimberly Lott
• Academic Freedom and Tenure (AFT) Annual Report - Michael Lyons
• Committee on Committees (CoC) Annual Report - Rebecca Blais
• Calendar Committee Annual Report - Andi McCabe
• Koch Task Force Update - Kimberly Lott
• Code Change - Becki Lawver
• Election of Faculty Senate President-Elect - Kimberly Lott

The Water Entry Of Multi-Droplet Streams And Jets, Nathan B. Spiers, Zhao Pan, Jesse Belden, Tadd T. Truscott

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Water entry has been studied for over a century, but few studies have focused on multiple droplets impacting on a liquid bath sequentially. We connect multi-droplet streams, jets and solid objects with physical-based scaling arguments that emphasize the intrinsically similar cavities. In particular, the cavities created by the initial impact of both droplet streams and jets on an initially quiescent liquid pool exhibit the same types of cavity seal as hydrophobic spheres at low Bond number, some of which were previously unseen for jets and droplet streams. Low-frequency droplet streams exhibit an additional three new cavity seal types unseen for …

Effects Of Acoustic Coupling Layer Electrical Conductivity On Pulsed Electroacoustic Measurements, Zachary Gibson

Student Research Symposium

Determining the spatial distribution and evolution of embedded charge in thin dielectric materials has important applications in high-voltage DC power cable insulation, high-power electronic device, semiconductor, high-energy and plasma physics apparatus, and spacecraft industries. Pulsed Electroacoustic (PEA) measurements nondestructively probe internal charge distributions. This is achieved by applying a voltage pulse across a charged dielectric material. The pulsed electric field interacts with the embedded charge, creating an acoustic pressure wave that is detected by a piezoelectric sensor. The sample is placed between two electrodes in a parallel plate capacitor configuration. The spatial resolution of PEA measurements depends largely on pulse …

Blocking While Black: An Examination Of Racial Disparity On Holding Penalties In The Nfl, Dylan Leiker

Student Research Symposium

Race relations in the United States have received considerable media attention recently. Media coverage of discriminatory police violence against minorities and subsequent protest against these actions are an almost daily occurrence. Moreover, starting with Colin Kaepernick, many National Football League players have taken a knee during the National Anthem in protest of racial discrimination and violence by law enforcement against minorities. This action has generated considerable controversy. For example, President Donald Trump tweeted this past season, “The NFL has decided that it will not force players to stand for the playing of our National Anthem. Total disrespect for our great …

Sterility And C2c12 Cell Growth Potential Of Polycarbonate, Eryn Hanson, Morgan Bishop, Tessa Burrows

Student Research Symposium

The current data collection method of cell growth and death in a simulated space environment using a rotary cell culture system involves the use of disposable polystyrene. Polystyrene generates large amounts of waste and is limited by the sizes determined by manufacturers. A novel rotary cell culture system at USU required a material that could be custom machined for the purposes of the simulation. Polycarbonate is a durable material that is capable of being shaped, but little is known of its biocompatibility. The sterilization treatments of dry heat, autoclaving, ethanol, and UV radiation were used and compared to unsterilized polycarbonate …

Stereotypical Association, Sara Gwynn

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this study was to understand the possible reasons for the association of a certain stereotype towards an image. This was done by conducting an experiment involving multiple participants and having these individuals take a total of five surveys. By collecting fifty images that fell under the categories of race, religion, relationships, gender, and symbols - one hundred and three questions were asked to the seventy participants, all with differing ages and gender. An analysis for each question was then conducted to understand why the most chosen image was associated with the corresponding question. In conclusion, there was …

Increased Stress Among College Students, Trevor Magleby

Student Research Symposium

As I was sitting in my photo history class one day, I was learning about Orientalism which means "the representation of Asia, especially the Middle East, in a stereotyped way that is regarded as embodying a colonialist attitude." Essentially the western world was taking photos of the Asian population with a heavy perspective of western culture interwoven into the photographs. I want to do a research project on how universities portray college life through exciting and fun pictures on their websites to lure in freshman to believe that college life is a breeze. What is not portrayed is the actual …

Is Information Provided By Crisis Named Resources On Facebook And Twitter Trustworthy?, Apoorva Chauhan

Student Research Symposium

Crisis Named Resources (CNRs) are social media pages and accounts named after a crisis event. CNRs appear to be dedicated and authoritative online sources that facilitate crisis-related information exchange around a crisis event. They are easy to find when looking for crisis-related information on social media, and as a result, they tend to receive more attention than other sources of information. This study examines the factors considered by members of the public and experts when evaluating the trustworthiness of CNRs. In this study, members of the public and experts are shown screenshots of Hurricane Irma Facebook and Twitter CNRs, and …

2d Design & Color Theory: The Navajo People, Abigail Garbett

Student Research Symposium

This project is being submitted as part of the requirements for ARTH 3270, Native North American Art. Native American 2-Dimensional design is simple in nature visually. However, the symbolism behind them is complex. Every detail, down to the color choice is thought out and planned in order to get a very distinct message across. Whether that be spiritual or social, there is meaning behind it all. These symbols and their meanings, while they may seem to be outdated, have followed us from generation to generation and still have significance now.

Mechanisms Of Abnormal Angiogenesis In Retinal Disease, Farhad Farjood

Student Research Symposium

Abnormal angiogenesis is often the final step towards loss of vision in many retinal diseases, including exudative age-related macular degeneration. While many risk factors have been found to be linked to elevated levels of angiogenic proteins in the eye, the exact mechanisms leading to abnormal angiogenesis remain unclear. Loss of cell-cell contact and mechanical stress are two understudied phenomena that are often associated with retinal degeneration. The hypothesis of this work is that mechanical stress and loss of cell-cell contact can promote initiation and/or progression of aberrant angiogenesis in the retina by inducing the expression of angiogenic proteins. To test …

Multi-Resolution Analysis Using Wavelet Basis Conditioned On Homogenization, Abibat Lasisi

Student Research Symposium

Wavelets and homogenization methods have been used in the development of algorithms for the approximate solution of differential equations. In this work, we propose a homogenization wavelets reconstruction algorithm for computing the solution of elliptic partial differential equations. The proposed algorithm is based on the characterization of homogenization methods in multi-resolution analysis. We employ orthogonal decomposition of the problem into two scale problems at various scale levels using wavelets multi-resolution analysis. To illustrate the proposed methodology, we restrict the problem to that of one dimensional case. The problem of flow in a porous medium with conductivity/permeability depending on the spatial …

Cyberbullying And How To Help..., Amanda Camarillo-Lamont

Student Research Symposium

My goal through my research project is to bring awareness to the public of cyberbullying and to show people how to stop it from spreading more in their community and globally. I am going to do this by using my graphic design background to create an informational research poster. Cyberbullying can happen to everyone and with the advancement of technology, it’s much harder to get ahold of it now. Kids who are being bullied at school are also being cyberbullied outside of school and that makes it harder for them to escape from all the negativity, eventually leading them to …