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Promoting Critical Thinking In General Biology Courses: The Case Of The White Widow Spider, Joseph S. Wilson

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

It is generally accepted that critical thinking is an important and, likely, essential, component of success in college and beyond. Despite the unanimity, only a low percentage of students in the U.S. can demonstrate critical thinking proficiency on standardized exams. This phenomenon may result from instructors using a reductionist view of critical thinking and focusing on learning processes rather than on evaluation of intellectual resources. In general biology courses, I use a non-threatening, active-learning, group activities to promote critical thinking. For example, students are presented with an email from a member of the community and asked to formulate a response …

About This Issue, Mike A. Christiansen

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

An introduction to Volume 1, Issue 2 of the Journal on for Empowering Teaching Excellence, which features articles primarily on teaching and learning innovation in small, often rural classroom settings.

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 1, Issue 2, Usu Center For Innovative Design And Instruction

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Volume 1, Issue 2 of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, a publication of Utah State University focused on providing a forum for instructors in higher education to share best practices and ideas related to effective teaching.

Engagement Across The Miles: Using Videoconferencing With Small Groups In Synchronous Distance Courses, Amy Piotrowski, Marla Robertson

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

This article presents suggestions for conducting small group work in synchronous distance courses taught using Interactive Videoconferencing (IVC) systems. One challenge of teaching over an IVC system is getting students involved in class activities. The authors share how they have used a videoconferencing tool to break up IVC classes into small groups for discussion activities and get peer feedback on written work. These activities engage students in applying what they are learning and constructing knowledge through discussion with their peers.

Towards An Eco-Phylogenetic Framework For Infectious Disease Ecology, Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones, William D. Pearse, Luis E. Escobar, Ana Alba-Casals, Scott Carver, T. Jonathan Davies, Simona Kraberger, Monica Papes, Kurt Vandegrift, Katherine Worsley-Tonks, Meggan E. Craft

Biology Faculty Publications

Identifying patterns and drivers of infectious disease dynamics across multiple scales is a fundamental challenge for modern science. There is growing awareness that it is necessary to incorporate multi-host and/or multi-parasite interactions to understand and predict current and future disease threats better, and new tools are needed to help address this task. Eco-phylogenetics (phylogenetic community ecology) provides one avenue for exploring multi-host multi-parasite systems, yet the incorporation of eco-phylogenetic concepts and methods into studies of host pathogen dynamics has lagged behind. Eco-phylogenetics is a transformative approach that uses evolutionary history to infer present-day dynamics. Here, we present an eco-phylogenetic framework …

A Statistical Estimator For Determining The Limits Of Contemporary And Historic Phenology, William D. Pearse, Charles C. Davis, David W. Inouye, Richard B. Primack, T. Jonathan Davies

Biology Faculty Publications

Climate change affects not just where species are found, but also when species’ key life-history events occur—their phenology. Measuring such changes in timing is often hampered by a reliance on biased survey data: surveys identify that an event has taken place (for example, the flower is in bloom), but not when that event happened (for example, the flower bloomed yesterday). Here, we show that this problem can be circumvented using statistical estimators, which can provide accurate and unbiased estimates from sparsely sampled observations. We demonstrate that such methods can resolve an ongoing debate about the relative timings of the onset …

Usu To Host Institute Of Biological Engineering Regional Conference | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Biological engineering students at Utah State University will host a regional conference aimed at connecting participants with industry.

Psychological Inflexibility And Stigma: A Meta-Analytic Review, Jennifer Krafft, Jillian Ferrell, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Stigma is known to have major impacts on the physical and psychological health of many groups. Psychological inflexibility is a psychological process that may help explain the impact of stigma on both self and others. Accordingly, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which targets psychological inflexibility, has been researched as a potential treatment for stigma. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of these issues, this paper offers a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between psychological inflexibility and stigma, as well as a systematic review of ACT interventions for stigma. The results of the meta-analysis showed a positive, medium-to-large …

Hydrodeoxygenation Of Acetic Acid As A Model Compound For The Aqueous Phase Catalytic Pyrolysis Oils, Hossein Jahromi, Foster Agblevor

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Catalytic pyrolysis of biomass generates organic, aqueous, gaseous and solid fractions. The organic fraction can be easily hydrotreated to produce hydrocarbons, but the aqueous phase that contains between 10 to 25% soluble organics can pose challenges in wastewater treatment. The aqueous fraction from the catalytic pyrolysis of Pinyon Juniper wood was characterized for its organic content. The fraction contained about 15 wt% organic compounds determined from Karl Fischer analysis. The organic fractions were further characterized using gas chromatography and mass selective detection (GC/MS). The analysis showed that the dissolved organics were composed of acetic acid, ketones, aldehydes, and phenolic compounds. …

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Rearing And Nutrition, James Withers, Loren Linford

Biology Posters

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive insect from Asia. It has caused millions of dollars in damage to fruit, vegetable, ornamental, and field crops since its arrival in North America, and can be a severe nuisance pest when it congregates on human structures to overwinter. The BMSB caused $37 million of apple crop damage in the Mid-Atlantic Area in 2007. To study the insect, effective rearing methods are needed. Previous research (Funayama 2004 & 2006; Medal et al. 2012) showed that carrot, raw peanut and soybean increased rearing efficiency. Recent lab experience has found good …

Design And Construction Of Single-Spacer Type-Iv Crispr Sequences, Michael Adams, Hannah Domgaard, Ryan Jackson

Biology Posters

CRISPR systems are RNA-guided microbial adaptive immune systems that have been repurposed for applications in medicine, pharmacology, and agriculture. The hallmark of CRISPR immune systems is the CRISPR sequence contained in the host chromosome, which consists of short direct-repeats of 20-40 bases, followed by unique spacer sequences of about the same length. In 2005 several bioinformatics groups discovered that CRISPR spacer sequences in bacteria and archaea were identical to known microbial pathogens such as viruses and plasmids, suggesting that CRISPRs serve as a molecular memory of encounters with foreign nucleic acid. Since 2005 basic research on these systems has revealed …

Animal Care Internship At Zootah, Jonah Fronk

Biology Posters

The management at Zootah offers a flexible internship program for people of all interests. My internship focused on animal care, especially the husbandry of reptiles and amphibians, enrichment, training, and increasing tractability.

This Means War: Female Choice In Guppies, Nathan Payne, Zac Talbot, Garrett Rydalch, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

In many organisms, including guppies, females choose with whom they mate. This is called female selection. For our experiment male and female guppies have been isolated from each other and then we tested to see if females preferred similar looking males in a bright environment more than a male in a neutral colored environment. We hypothesized that the female would prefer the male in the brighter colored environment over the males in the neutral colored environment. We predicted that the female would touch the glass on the brighter side more frequently.

Pharmacy Technician Internship, Melanie Aston

Biology Posters

Sara Roberts, the Pharmacy Manager of Walgreens, allowed me to complete my internship in in the pharmacy there. Here, I worked as a pharmacy technician and got a deeper look into what a future in healthcare looks like. Because I had already received my pharmacy technician license, no further training was required for me to complete the tasks expected of me as a technician.

Honey Fungus: Death From Underneath, Mike Gudmundson, Jim Lutz

Biology Posters

Armillaria root disease is found in many temperate and tropical forests throughout the world. It is responsible for on average 2-4% of mortalities in infected forests. This root disease is caused by many species of fungus from the Armillaria genus. They are commonly referred to as Honey Fungus. This fungus spreads mainly through the interaction of tree roots. The Wind River Forest Dynamics Plot shows evidence of an infection by Armillaria. However the extent of the infection has not been studied or mapped. Research Question : How much of the WFDP is infected and what are the effects of Armillaria …

Molecular Cloning, Josh Worley

Biology Posters

Molecular cloning is a process that manipulates the spider silk sequence to select for a proper sequence size and specific vector into which it can be expressed. This process is achieved using techniques such as digests, transformations, purifications, and ligations. This semester, our work has centered around the mPRI(alfalfa), pOET2(insect), and pmk(ecoli) vectors, into which we have, or will, insert 3 time, 6 time, and 9 time sequences of the spider silk amino acid chain. With each repetition of the silk sequence, its properties improve and become more like natural silk. Vector specification allows these sequences to be produced in …

Genetic Elements Involved In Zika Virus Neuropathogenesis, Matthew J. Dewey, Jordan C. Frank, Byung-Hak Song, Sang-Im Yun, Young-Min Lee

Biology Posters

Zikavirus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus(Fig. 1) that is closely related to Japanese encephalitis, West Nile, yellow fever, and dengue viruses. ZIKV was first discovered in Uganda in 1947, but it was not until recent outbreaks, such as through Micronesia in 2007 and through Brazil in 2015 (Fig. 2), that it has been found to be associated with neurological diseases such as Guillain-Barrésyndrome and microcephaly.

Summer 2017 Internship With Arup Laboratories, Jade Morgan

Biology Posters

I did my internship with ARUP Laboratories which is a national clinical and anatomical pathology reference lab and is a worldwide leader in innovative laboratory research. My position at ARUP was a Client Service Agent. I had a great time being an agent over the summer and experienced the process of medical testing. I learned a lot about the process of ordering tests, collecting specimen, processing specimen, testing the sample, and authenticating clients to release test results.

Dental Assisting At Comfort Dental, Karissa Horning

Biology Posters

I was able to get the most hands on experience I can before applying to Dental Schools. It gave me a better understanding of all that goes on during the day at a dental office. I got to work with 4 different dentists over the span on 4 months and learn their different techniques and styles. This internship really solidified my profession choice in the coming future. I will be able to take a lot of new knowledge with me as I apply to Dental Schools and hopefully go through school.

Sexual Coloration And Performance Capacity In Male Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana), Forrest Jensen, Spencer B. Hudson, Susannah S. French

Biology Posters

In many species of lizards, males fight over territories that allow them access to females, and during these interactions males will display sexual signals to competing individuals. Social signals such as coloration, are seemingly favored by sexual selection as they are thought to provide information about individual quality, such as performance capacity. Side-blotched Lizards, Uta stansburiana, exhibit throat color polymorphism (i.e. orange, yellow, and blue badges), which signal alternative life history strategies to conspecifics. Although morphological, behavioral and physiological characteristics have been shown to differ across male morphs, color variation within each morph has not been compared to aspects of …

Designing New Biomaterials: Modifying A Spider Silk Gene For Efficient Bacterial Expression For Industrial Production, Tanner J. Hancock, Nathan A. Payne, Travis Hotchkiss, Fernando A. Agarraberes, Randolph V. Lewis

Biology Posters

Spider silks have remarkable physical properties due to a combination of strength and elasticity. In addition, spider silks are biocompatible and biodegradable. Our laboratory has shown that the strength of products, such as fibers, produced with other silk proteins correlates with the size of the silk protein. The aciniform silk protein (AcSp1), has been shown to produce the thinnest and strongest fibers of all the natural spider silks. Aciniform silk is composed of a nonrepetitive amino-terminal region, 14 repeats of approximately 200 amino acids each, and a nonrepetitive carboxy-terminal region. We have been able to produce different variants of this …

Woodpecker Nesting Patterns In Eastern Washington Cascades, Sammy Cowell, Phil Fischer, Teresa Lorenz, Taryn Rodman, Ryan Sabel, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

• Woodpeckers serve as primary cavity excavators in fire dominated forests.
• Secondary cavity users (SCU’s) rely heavily on cavities excavated by woodpeckers.
• Woodpecker species are declining, and some are nowlocally threatened. Management needs answers.
• How is woodpecker reproductive success impacted by the behavior of woodpeckers, SCU’s, and predators?

Hplc Method Development And Instrument Qc For Aldehyde And Ketone Compounds, Trevor O'Neil, Seth Lyman

Biology Posters

The Uintah Basin periodically experiences high ozone levels during the winter season (Lyman et al). Carbonyl compounds are produced from various emission sources and are precursors to ground level ozone production. Of these compounds, several aldehydes and ketones are volatile and listed as hazardous under the Clean Air Act (1990). We regularly measure carbonyl concentrations in air via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as part of our efforts to better understand and improve air quality in the Uintah Basin. For this project, we investigated possible improvements to our HPLC system to increase resolution, identification, and quantification of carbonyls in collected air …

Do Female Guppies Really Know What They Want?, Jennica Blasi, Abby Keuhl-Coe, Hanna Kirkland, Michael Larson

Biology Posters

• Hypothesis: Female guppies do not influence each other’s choice of male guppy

• Predictions: If female guppies do not influence each other’s choice in males, then most females guppies will choose the same male whether alone or in the presence of other females

• Choice is defined as which pane of glass the female interacts more with from 1 to 3 minutes after being introduced to the tank

• 34 Females were used, 17 small and 17 large

Summer 2017 Internship At The Forage And Range Research Lab Usda, Braydon Marchant

Biology Posters

I had the privilege to work with several researchers and lab technicians at the Forage and Range Research Lab, which is part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The work I did primarily dealt with the molecular genetics of grasses, particularly those of the Poa genus.

Condition-Dependence Of Defensive Tail Displays In Common Garter Snakes (Thamnophis Sirtalis), Sabrina Shay A. Anderson, Spencer B. Hudson, Lori Neuman-Lee, Susannah S. French

Biology Posters

Individual snakes can exhibit a diversity of antipredator responses including crypsis, flight, and a variety of stereotyped behavioral reactions to predators at close range. Among these responses are behavioral differences in the movement (e.g., waving or wiggling) of a conspicuous tail by an otherwise cryptically colored snake. Defensive tail displays may disorient a predator, divert attack to the tail, act as a warning signal, or serve no function at all. The use of tail displays in snakes may also depend on current physiological investment into color production and body size, which can affect locomotor ability to escape predators. The purpose …

The Effect Of Ethnicity And Socioeconomic Factors On Reporting Of Concussions Among Ncaa Student-Athletes, Joshua Hansen

Biology Posters

Concussions are traumatic brain injuries that result from “brain shaking” that can occur during any situation that may transmit force to the head. Concussions are defined as a clinical syndrome characterized by immediate and transient post-traumatic impairment of neural functions which lead to a complex grouping of both psychological and physiological symptoms. As knowledge of the long-term implications of these injuries grows, concussions are becoming more of a major health concern worldwide. One subset of concussion classifications, sports-related concussions, is receiving an increasing amount of attention from scientists and health-care practitioners alike. It is estimated that more than 3.8 million …

Associated Regional And University Pathologists Arup Research Internship, Devin Froerer

Biology Posters

ARUP is a reference laboratory that is part of the University of Utah. When a physician wants to run a test on a patients blood or other fluid for diagnostic purposes, there are a few options for where the test is run. Some hospitals are equipped to run many common tests. When a test exceeds what the hospital can do however, a patient’s sample is then sent to a better equipped lab, such as ARUP. ARUP is one of the largest reference laboratories in the nation, and has hundreds of thousands of samples that are tested there every week. These …

Optimization Of Recombinant Spider Silk Protein Purification From Goat Milk, Brandon Yazzie, Michael Valentine, Tanner Hancey, Kaedon Buchmiller, Justin Jones, Randy Lewis

Biology Posters

Over millions of years, spiders have evolved to produce a biocompatible material known as spider silk. Nephila clavipes, more commonly known as the Golden Orb Weaving Spider, is one of the most studied. Orb weaving spiders produce 7 different types of silk with unique functions and properties.

Guppies: Sexy And You Know It?, Leslie Bredthauer, Katelin Boettcher, Landon Keller, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

We were curious to know if female guppies are more interested in the quality or quantity of males.