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Take Off! How To Make Your College Course More Exciting, Andreas K. Wesemann

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

TAKE OFF!

How to make your college course more exciting

As many universities transition to online Learning Management Systems (LMS), many of the traditional techniques familiar and used by generations of professors are lost in the process. Utah State University has moved to the CANVAS LMS, and there are many methods to incorporate these former strategies, and new applications that online systems bring to keep millennial learners engaged, excited and entertained while maintaining the educational purpose of courses. But for some of the seasoned professors who haven’t yet made the leap, a few simple steps can have tremendous impact on …

Engaging Students In A Synchronous Distance Setting: Asking Online Questions, Christopher J. Hartwell

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

One major challenge in higher education is engaging student in the learning process, and this challenge is of particular concern in synchronous broadcast classes, where students are geographically dispersed. This paper argues that the use of online questions, that students can respond to using their electronic devices, is an effective way to increase student participation and engagement in such settings. Personal experience with one particular online question platform – Poll Everywhere (www.polleverywhere.com) – is used to illustrate potential capabilities, question types. Both advantages and challenges of using online questions are discussed.

Amplify Your Teaching Impact: Capitalizing On 1-On-1 Instruction, Abby D. Benninghoff

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The objective of this essay, which is based on a keynote presentation delivered at the 2016 Empowering Teaching Excellence Conference at Utah State University, is to address this central question: how faculty can make a positive, substantive impact on students through 1-on-1 instruction? The consensus answer derived from experiences and anecdotes offered by this author, her colleagues, and students is to be deliberate in 1-on-1 interactions with students. This simple message is expanded through discussion of 10 key concepts that can help faculty amplify their teaching impact: 1) be available, 2) help students feel comfortable, 3) be a model, 4) …

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

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

For our inaugural issue, we reviewed the feedback from our 2016 ETE faculty conference—an event for USU faculty hosted every August on the USU main campus. We identified several of the presenters who received high marks in post-session surveys and invited them to submit a proceedings paper for their presentation. Many responded, and their papers now comprise the majority of this issue. Because most of the articles began as stand-up presentations for a conference, several adopt a first-person narrative style in which the authors share examples of things they have tried in their teaching that have worked. In the process …

Five Ways Consortia Can Catalyze Open Science, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Karen S. Baker, Nicholas Berente, Courtney G. Flint, Gabriel Gershenfeld, Brandon Grant, Michael Haberman, John Leslie King, Christine Kirkpatrick, Barbara Lawrence, Spenser Lewis, W. Christopher Lenhardt, Matthew Mayernik, Charles Mcelroy, Barbara Mittleman, Namchul Shin, Shelley Stall, Susan Winter, Et Al

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

An analysis of more than 50 collaborations shows the secrets of success, write Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld and colleagues from the Stakeholder Alignment Collaborative.

Virus Survival Without Hosts, Cody J. Bills, Craig W. Day

Biology Posters

It is important to always clean up using proper chemicals following working with a virus. Failure to do so may leave active virus on a surface or in a medium and present a potential hazard. This study was done to determine if viruses from the Flaviviridae, Adenoviridae, and Picornaviridae families can remain active for more than three weeks on a dry surface or in a liquid medium.

The Alfalfa Project, Josh Worley

Biology Posters

Spider Silk is one of the most unique fibers produced in the natural world. Its mechanical properties are unparalleled and have the potential to revolutionize industries around the globe. However creating this silk as it exists in nature, is difficult. Due to inability to farm orb weaving spiders that produce silk, other hosts must be inserted. This is the point of emphasis at the Spider Silk Research lab at the BioInnovations Center at Utah State University. Hosts that are currently being researched are; Silkworms, E Coli, Alfalfa, and Goats. Each of these hosts is unique in its ability to produce …

Percent Of Cytopathic Effect In Vero Vs Vero-76 Cells, Taylor Redding, Skot Neilson, Craig Day, Jonna Westover

Biology Posters

Vero cells and Vero-76 cells are both used to evaluate the antiviral effect of drugs in vitro. This study tested whether Vero and Vero-76 cells yield similar cytopathic effects when inoculated with yellow fever Virus (YFV) or Dengue Virus(DV). Each virus was plated on replicated 96 well plates of Vero and Vero-76 cells with different cell concentrations. The two cells lines did not give significantly different results for most cell and virus concentrations.

Use Of 5-(Perylen-3-Yl)Ethynyl-Arabino-Uridine (Auy11) To Inactivate Rift Valley Fever Virus And Preserve Neutralization Epitopes, Kolton Williams, Brady Hickerson, Brian B. Gowen

Biology Posters

Rift Valley fever (RFV) is a mosquito-borne disease, endemic to Africa, and known to cause abortion in animals and hemorrhagic fever in humans. All enveloped viruses require the fusion of viral membranes with cellular membranes to enter into and replicate inside the host cell. These viruses have a universal objective: find the cell receptors that match the viral attachment proteins and use those to gain access to the cell membrane. The use of aUY11, a monosaccharide (sugar)-based compound, has previously shown to effectively use a biophysical approach in the inhibition of viral fusion of other enveloped viruses1. In this study, …

Got Bugs In Your Kefir?, Julienne Henrie

Biology Posters

What is Kefir ? Kefir is a type of fermented milk that is cultured with Kefir grains. Kefir grains make up the probiotic culture used to produce Kefir. These cauliflower-like grains contain mostly lactobacilli bacteria and yeasts held together by Kefiran, an exopolysaccharide structure. (Korsak et al. 2014). Kefir grains are Mesophilic. Mesophilic starters are cultured at room temperature, which allows the probiotics to remain active when consumed. Properties of mesophilic starters also give Kefir the liquid consistency it is known for. (Sarah, 2016). Kefir originated in the Caucasus Mountains thousands of years ago, the name coming from the Turkish …

Culturing Viruses From Wild Deer In Utah, Brennan Winkler, Justin Moscon, Eric Dewart, Annette Roug, Bart Tarbet

Biology Posters

In the Spring of 2016, two deer showing clinical signs of neurological illness were reported to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The animals were euthanized and post-mortem tissues collected for identification of any disease causing agents. Brain and spleen samples were sent to Dr. Eric Delwart, University of California-San Francisco for metagenomics evaluation. Mobukvirus (described once) and novel picornavirus and bovine parvovirus were tentatively identified. However, cell culture of the viruses is necessary for further characterization and genomic sequencing. If these novel viruses can be cultured, it may be possible to develop serologic tests for additional field investigations in …

Estimation Of The Trichomonad Concentration In Beef Bull Preputial Samples And Resultant Population Effect Of Pooling On Detection Of Tritrichomonas Foetus Using Qpcr, David J. Wilson, Thomas J. Baldwin, Amanda Wilhelm, Chelsea H. Whitehouse, Jennifer L. Bunnell, Kerry A. Rood, Arnaud Van Wettere

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The primary objective was assessment of effect of sample pooling on Tritrichomonas foetus detection using qPCR in beef bulls within 5 logs of trichomonad concentration in spiked preputial samples. The secondary objective was to use qPCR Ct values to estimate the percentage of beef bulls in the field population within each log of trichomonad concentration. Solutions containing none, 1,10,100,1000 and 10,000 trichomonads (T)/ml were made and tested by qPCR. Test sensitivities for single positive samples were: 1 T/ml, 20/40 (50%); 10 T/ml, 40/40 (100%); 100 T/ml, 40/40 (100%); 1000 T/ml, 40/40 (100%); 10,000 T/ml, 40/40 (100%). For 5-sample pools (1 …

The Utah Statesman, March 30, 2017, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Bear Lake Telescope Helps Usu Researchers Track Orbital Debris | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Researchers at Utah State University recently completed the installation of a specially-constructed telescope designed to monitor space debris.

The Utah Statesman, March 23, 2017, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Women And Leadership Theory Think Tank Report 2015, Julia Storberg-Walker, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

On July 26–28, 2015, at George Washington University, 25 senior scholars from multiple disciplines gathered to attend a path-breaking event on women and leadership theory. The event, named The Women and Leadership Theory Think Tank (hereafter “Think Tank”), was a part of a targeted and comprehensive effort to “move the needle” forward on women and leadership theory. Beginning in 2013, Drs. Susan R. Madsen and Julia Storberg-Walker (with others) designed and delivered a series of related events, and women from all over the world have participated. The Think Tank was one strategy to scale up the impact on women and …

Species Delimitation And Lineage Separation History Of A Species Complex Of Aspens In China, Honglei Zheng, Liqiang Fan, Richard I. Milne, Lei Zhang, Yaling Wang, Kangshan Mao

Aspen Bibliography

Species delimitation in tree species is notoriously challenging due to shared polymorphisms among species. An integrative survey that considers multiple operational criteria is a possible solution, and we aimed to test it in a species complex of aspens in China. Genetic [four chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments and 14 nuclear microsatellite loci (nSSR)] and morphological variations were collected for 76 populations and 53 populations, respectively, covering the major geographic distribution of the Populus davidiana-rotundifoliacomplex. Bayesian clustering, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), Principle Coordinate Analysis (PCoA), ecological niche modeling (ENM), and gene flow (migrants per generation), were employed to …

The Utah Statesman, March 20, 2017, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Design Of A Metadata Framework For The Environmental Models With An Example Hydrologic Application In Hydroshare, Mohamed M. Morsy, Jonathan L. Goodall, Anthony M. Castronova, Pabitra Dash, Venkatesh Merwade, Jeffrey M. Sadler, Mohammad Adnan Rajib, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, David G. Tarboton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Environmental modelers rely on a variety of computational models to make predictions, test hypotheses, and address specific problems related to environmental science and natural resource management. Scientists and engineers must devote significant effort to preparing these computational models. While significant attention has been devoted to sharing and reusing environmental data, less attention has been devoted to sharing and reusing environmental models. A first step toward increasing environmental model sharing and reuse is to define a general metadata framework for models that is flexible and, therefore, applicable across the wide variety of models used by environmental modelers. This paper proposes a …

The Utah Statesman, March 16, 2017, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, March 13, 2017, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Civil Engineering Professor Named Educator Of The Year | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University professor of civil engineering Dr. Paul J. Barr has been named the 2017 Educator of the Year by the Utah Engineers Council.

Community Supported Agriculture: Marketing & Outreach Strategies To Encourage Membership, Kenna Mcmurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain

All Current Publications

When you market your community supported agriculture (CSA) operation, you should consider the best communication tools to delivering information to potential and current shareholders, engaging your shareholders, and getting feedback. This fact sheet will provide tips on how to do so.

Time-To-Credit Gender Inequities Of First-Year Phd Students In The Biological Sciences, David F. Feldon, James Peugh, Michelle A. Maher, Josipa Roksa, Colby Tofel-Grehl

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Equitable gender representation is an important aspect of scientific workforce development to secure a sufficient number of individuals and a diversity of perspectives. Biology is the most gender equitable of all scientific fields by the marker of degree attainment, with 52.5% of PhDs awarded to women. However, equitable rates of degree completion do not translate into equitable attainment of faculty or postdoctoral positions, suggesting continued existence of gender inequalities. In a national cohort of 336 first-year PhD students in the biological sciences (i.e., microbiology, cellular biology, molecular biology, develop-mental biology, and genetics) from 53 research institutions, female participants logged significantly …

Pseudorabies Virus Shedding And Antibody Production In Invasive Wild Pigs In California, Samantha M. Wisely, Katherine A. Sayler, Brandon Parker, Rebecca Mihalco, Eric Covington

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Pseudorabies virus (PrV) is a herpesvirus endemic in invasive wild pigs in the United States. The virus has the potential to spill over into domestic herds and wildlife causing extensive morbidity and mortality. We surveyed 35 wild pigs from Kern County, California for evidence of exposure to PrV using serological analysis and for viral shedding using quantitative PCR. All 29 individuals that had sufficient sera to screen for antibody production via serological assay were positive. Two of 35 individuals were found to be shedding virus via genital mucosa. An additional 5 individuals were suspected to be shedding virus either in …

Busy Being Born : Embracing Change In Wildlife Damage Management, Janet L. Bucknall

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In 1965, Bob Dylan released a song called “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”, and it contained one of the decade’s most memorable lyrics – “He not busy being born is busy dying” (Dylan 1965). At the same time sobering and hopeful, the lyrics present purposeful rebirth as the salve for what otherwise would do us in. Wildlife damage management as a profession has been busy being born for decades. The work is bound to human values and communities, social and political priorities, scientific advancements, and landscape and wildlife population changes. Our profession cannot help but evolve.

Challenges And Opportunities For The Wildlife Damage Management Profession In The Face Of Expanding Wildlife Populations : An Extension Perspective, Roger A. Baldwin

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Many wildlife populations are expanding both their range and population densities given effective management practices. This wildlife expansion, combined with concomitant human expansion, has led to increased human-wildlife conflict in many parts of North America. Managing these conflicts has become more difficult given increased regulation on many management tools, leading to a need for new, effective strategies for mitigating these conflict situations, as well as a clearer understanding of how current management practices influence both target and non-target wildlife. A greater and more focused effort on education and outreach is needed to clearly inform all parties about true versus perceived …

The Utah Statesman, February 27, 2017, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Proceedings Of The Seventeenth Wildlife Damage Management Conference, Orange Beach, Al, February 26-March 1, 2017, Dana J. Morin, Michael J. Cherry

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Proceedings full document.

The Utah Statesman, February 23, 2017, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.