Educational Policies Committee Agenda, November 3, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, November 3, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Program Proposals

• Creating a Climate Adaptation Science specialization within eleven Master of Science and nine PhD degrees
• Offering a Master of Public Health
• Offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Changing the name of the PhD in Theory and Practice of Professional Communication to Technical Communication and Rhetoric
• Making changes in the Geography Bachelor of Science program

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, November 3, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, November 3, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Program Proposals

• Creating a Climate Adaptation Science specialization within eleven Master of Science and nine PhD degrees
• Offering a Master of Public Health
• Offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Changing the name of the PhD in Theory and Practice of Professional Communication to Technical Communication and Rhetoric
• Making changes in the Geography Bachelor of Science program

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Other

• New courses from the Department of Music
• Curriculog updates/suggestions/questions

How Many Babies With Hearing Loss Will Be Missed By Repeated Newborn Hearing Screening With Otoacoustic Emissions Due To Statistical Artifact?, Karl R. White, Lauri H. Nelson, Karen F. Munoz

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objective: People who manage newborn hearing screening programs are often told that repeating OAE hearing screening more than two or three times per ear unacceptably increases the probability of false-negatives (i.e., passing babies who have permanent hearing loss). This study evaluated the accuracy of that recommendation.

Design: A 2.0 cc coupler and three human ears with hearing loss were used to estimate the number of false-negative results per 1,000 OAE screening tests. Using those results, together with the prevalence of hearing loss among newborns, we calculated the number of babies that would be missed due to repeated testing.

Results: If …

The Pop-Up Effect: Why Buoyant Spheres Don’T Always Leap Out Of The Water | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

News Release – LOGAN, UTAH, Nov. 2, 2016 – It’s a common swimming pool game: Force a buoyant ball underwater and let it go. The ball springs to the surface and jumps into the air. But, submerge the ball deeper underwater and the effect is often disappointing. Contrary to intuition, increasing the release depth often leads to a decreased pop-up height.

Animal, Dairy, And Veterinary Sciences Center For Integrated Biosystems | Biological Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The goal of my research group is to develop and investigate methods and tools to understand and detect diseases. We currently have 3 research thrusts: modeling subretinal tissue, simulating microgravity and radiative effects on skeletal muscle, and separating and identifying bacteria. We use micropatterning and 2D cultures with spider silk to model normal and diseased layers of the subretina. For our muscle research, we are currently using a rotating cell culture system and Cesium disks to replicate the conditions during spaceflight. To identify mycobacterial strands, we are combining dielectrophoresis with Raman spectroscopy for fast and accurate detection. In each of …

Be Students Attend Bmes Conference | Biological Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) is a society of professionals devoted to developing and using engineering and technology to advancing human health and well-being. This year students from the Biological Engineering department at Utah State University attended the annual BMES conference. Here is what one of our students, Ian Wadsworth had to say about the conference.

Multiplex Social Ecological Network Analysis Reveals How Social Changes Affect Community Robustness More Than Resource Depletion, Jacopo A. Baggio, Shauna B. Burnsilver, Alex Arenas, James S. Magdanz, Gary P. Kofinas, Manlio De Domenico

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Network analysis provides a powerful tool to analyze complex influences of social and ecological structures on community and household dynamics. Most network studies of social–ecological systems use simple, undirected, unweighted networks. We analyze multiplex, directed, and weighted networks of subsistence food flows collected in three small indigenous communities in Arctic Alaska potentially facing substantial economic and ecological changes. Our analysis of plausible future scenarios suggests that changes to social relations and key households have greater effects on community robustness than changes to specific wild food resources.

Does The Presence Of Oil And Gas Infrastructure Potentially Increase Risk Of Harvest In Northern Bobwhite?, Evan P. Tanner, R. Dwayne Elmore, Craig A. Davis, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, David K. Dahlgren, Eric T. Thacker, Jeremy P. Orange

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Beyond organisms experiencing direct impacts (mortality) from the presence of anthropogenic features, interactive relationships may exacerbate the effects of anthropogenic disturbance within the context of these features. For example, mortality risk may be affected by the road infrastructure associated with energy development by influencing space use of predators including human hunters. To assess these relationships, we conducted research on northern bobwhite Colinus virginianusacross a hunted and non-hunted area of Beaver River Wildlife Management Area, Oklahoma, using radiotelemetry from 2012–2015. We found that bobwhite mortality risk decreased as the distance from primary roads (m) increased across weeks (hazard ratio [HR] …

How To Quantify The Temporal Storage Effect Using Simulations Instead Of Math, Stephen P. Ellner, Robin E. Snyder, Peter B. Adler

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The storage effect, originally a theoretical hypothesis to explain how ecologically similar species could coexist by responding differently to environmental variability (Chesson & Warner, 1981; Shmida & Ellner, 1984), has developed into a core concept in community ecology (Mittelbach 2012)with empirical support from communities of prairie grasses (Adler et al., 2006), desert annual plants (Pake & Venable, 1995; Angert et al., 2009), tropical trees (Usinowicz et al., 2012) and zooplankton(Caceres, 1997). An essential step in this maturation was mathematical analysis (Chesson, 1994, 2000a) that identified the conditions required for the storage effect to help stabilize coexistence of competitors. For the …

Grazing Effects On Precipitation-Driven Associations Between Sagebrush And Perennial Grasses, Maike F. Holthuijzen, Kari E. Veblen

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

While many studies have addressed the effect of individual stresses on plant—plant associations, few have addressed the effects of co-occurring stresses. We therefore investigated how associations between Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) and 2 native grasses (Poa secunda and Elymus elymoides) responded to different combinations of grazing and moisture stresses in the Great Basin, USA. Positive (i.e., facilitative) interactions between nurse plants and their beneficiaries are predicted to increase with increasing moisture limitation and grazing stress, but these interactions may break down at extreme levels of stress. We hypothesized that (1) competitive interactions and …

Psychological Stress Among Risks For Alzheimer's Disease, Maria C. Norton, Elizabeth B. Fauth

All Current Publications

This fact sheet defines stress, stressors and reaction to them, what stress does to our brain and body, and how stress effects can accumulate over time. It also includes tips on reducing the effects of stress on the brain.

Considerations For Sage-Grouse Management Objectives, David K. Dahlgren, Terry A. Messmer, Eric T. Thacker

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes ways to conserve and manage sage-grouse and includes information on population dynamics; movements, habitat, and climatic interactions; and management objectives.

H.O.P.E. For Indigenous People Battling Intergenerational Trauma: The Sweetgrass Method, Mark Standing Eagle Baez, Patricia Isaac, Carla Allison Baez

Journal of Indigenous Research

H.O.P.E. for Indigenous People Battling Intergenerational Trauma: The Sweetgrass Method

The Sweetgrass Method, when applied to practitioners/clinicians, embraces the three strands. The first strand in the braid (Introspection) focuses one’s mental state by grounding the self to the present moment with healthy/healing approaches, in addition to recognizing and reflecting on one's thoughts, emotions and actions. The second strand in the braid (Collaboration) weaves the importance as professionals in the area consultation (with other professionals or traditional practitioners) for support on services that are working for the client, as well as receiving feedback on services that may need to be tailor-made …

Infrared Spectroscopy Of The Nitrogenase Mofe Protein Under Electrochemical Control: Potential-Triggered Co Binding, P. Paengnakorn, Philip A. Ash, Sudipta K. Shaw, Karamatullah Danyal, T. Chen, Dennis R. Dean, Lance C. Seefeldt, Kylie A. Vincent

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

We demonstrate electrochemical control of the nitrogenase MoFe protein, in the absence of Fe protein or ATP, using europium(III/II) polyaminocarboxylate complexes as electron transfer mediators. This allows the potential dependence of proton reduction and inhibitor (CO) binding to the active site FeMo-cofactor to be established. Reduction of protons to H2 is catalyzed by the wild type MoFe protein and Β-98^Tyr→His and Β-^99Phe→His variants of the MoFe protein at potentials more negative than -800 mV (vs. SHE), with greater electrocatalytic proton reduction rates observed for the variants compared to the wild type protein. Electrocatalytic proton reduction is strongly …

Geolocator Tracking Of Great Reed-Warblers (Acrocephalus Arundinaceus) Identifies Key Regions For Migratory Wetland Specialists In The Middle East And Sub-Saharan East Africa, Joshua J. Horns, Evam Buechley, Mark William Chynoweth, Lale Aktay, Emrah Çoban, Mehmet Sli Kırpık, Jordan M. Herman, Yakup Şaşmaz, Çağan H. Şekercioğlu

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Wetland-dependent migratory songbirds represent one of the most vulnerable groups of birds on the planet, with >67% of wetland-obligate species threatened with extinction. One of the major hurdles for conservation efforts is determining the migration routes, stopover sites, and wintering sites of these species. We describe an annual migration cycle revealed by geolocator tracking of Great Reed-Warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) breeding in the Aras River wetlands of eastern Turkey. Because of its relatively large size and breeding ground fidelity, the Great ReedWarbler is an excellent candidate for geolocator studies and can serve as an indicator species for other wetland songbirds, many …

Space Environment Effects Of Ionizing Radiation On Seed Germination And Growth, Alex Souvall, Takuyuki Sakai, Takahiro Shimizu, Yuta Takahashi, Midori Morikawa, Shusuke Okita, Akihiro Nagata, Toshihiro Kameda, Shaunda Wenger, Jr Dennison

Presentations

An initial limited set of tests of germination rate and seed growth in a controlled environment have identified statistically significant differences between control samples and seed flown in a Russian LEO research flight. Most significantly, average seed germination of space borne seeds was 2 days less than the 6 days for the control seeds. Modification of the seed coat leading to enhanced rate of water uptake, as a result of radiation from the space environment or abrasion due to launch vibrations, is hypothesized to cause early germination. High school students will conduct growth tests on seeds exposed to simulated space …

Common Genetic Variants Found In Hla And Kir Immune Genes In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anthony R. Torres, Thayne Sweeten, Randall C. Johnson, Dennis Odell, Jonna B. Westover, Patricia Bray-Ward, David C. Ward, Christopher J. Davies, Aaron J. Thomas, Lisa A. Croen, Michael Benson

Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice Publications

The “common variant—common disease” hypothesis was proposed to explain diseases with strong inheritance. This model suggests that a genetic disease is the result of the combination of several common genetic variants. Common genetic variants are described as a 5% frequency differential between diseased vs. matched control populations. This theory was recently supported by an epidemiology paper stating that about 50% of genetic risk for autism resides in common variants. However, rare variants, rather than common variants, have been found in numerous genome wide genetic studies and many have concluded that the “common variant—common disease” hypothesis is incorrect. One interpretation is …

By Means Of Human Selection: The Birth Of Three Parent Babies, Rachel Robinson-Greene

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In the late 1990’s, doctors at the St. Barnabus Institute in New Jersey developed a groundbreaking new technique—they successfully produced a child using the genetic material of three different donor parents. The motivation for the innovation was to help certain at-risk couples have healthy biological children of their own. The procedure, if successful, blocks the spread of disease that is sometimes passed through mitochondrial DNA—a genetic contribution passed to children by their biological mothers. Some women pass on mitochondrial DNA that causes muscular dystrophy or respiratory problems. Leigh Syndrome, a fatal disease, is also passed through mitochondrial DNA.

Volume 70 Issue 1 (Fall/Winter 2016)

Utah Science

2: What's on Your Plate?

When studying cancer in mice, USU researchers are starting with a “Western diet” and finding more connections between diet and health… good and bad.

5: Uncommon Hamsters Helping Fight Common Viruses

New genetically modified hamsters play an important role in studying human diseases caused by adenovirus, and may also be valuable in studies of Ebola, dengue and hanta viruses.

8: Science vs. Viruses

When viruses cause enough damage to make the news, it’s rarely “news” to scientists at the Institute for Antiviral Research. Learning how viruses work, and testing drugs to stop them, is what …

Better Late Than Never: Effective Air-Borne Hearing Of Toads Delayed By Late Maturation Of The Tympanic Middle Ear Structures, Molly C. Womack, Jakob Christensen-Dalsgaard, Kim L. Hoke

Biology Faculty Publications

Most vertebrates have evolved a tympanic middle ear that enables effective hearing of airborne sound on land. Although inner ears develop during the tadpole stages of toads, tympanic middle ear structures are not complete until months after metamorphosis, potentially limiting the sensitivity of post-metamorphic juveniles to sounds in their environment. We tested the hearing of five species of toads to determine how delayed ear development impairs airborne auditory sensitivity. We performed auditory brainstem recordings to test the hearing of the toads and used micro-computed tomography and histology to relate the development of ear structures to hearing ability. We found a …

Aggies In The Arctic: Usu Environmental Engineers Decode Icy Watersheds | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Published in Creating Tomorrow – Oct. 15, 2016 – When it comes right down to it, scientists and environmental engineers will tell you that nearly every ecosystem on Earth is driven by one simple thing: temperature.

Oceans, rivers, forests and deserts are a product of the chemical and biological processes that depend on a predictable mix of hot and cold. Even in the Arctic, where shallow soils are frozen most of the year, tiny variations in temperature can impact entire regions.

Combining Careers In Engineering | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Published in Creating Tomorrow – Oct. 15, 2016 – Nephi Jones has spent the last decade developing a more efficient bioreactor for the life sciences industry. The big stainless steel vessels dot the laboratory space where he works at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Logan. The machines generate the basic ingredients for therapeutic drugs that combat eye disease, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer and are constantly evolving to produce better results.

Highly Selective Halide Receptors Based Upon Chalcogen, Pnicogen, And Tetrel Bonds, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The interactions of halides with a number of bipodal receptors are examined via quantum chemical methods. The receptors are based upon a dithieno thiophene framework in which two S atoms can engage in a pair of chalcogen bonds with a halide. These two S atoms are replaced by P and As atoms to compare chalcogen with pnicogen bonding, and by Ge which engages in tetrel bonds with the receptor. Zero, one, and two O atoms are added to the thiophene S atom which is not directly involved in the interaction with the halides. Fluoride is bound the most strongly, followed …

Detection Of Fungal Infections Using Sers | Biological Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Climate change, mass production of feedstocks, improved survival rates for patient with serious autoimmune diseases and cancers have increases the risk of fungus-caused infections in geographic areas previously thought safe. Most serious, are aggressive fungal infections that create difficult to treat pneumonias that lead to organ failure and death. Immune-compromised individuals need to initiate medication treatment as early as possible to have a chance of survival. Normally healthy individual may spread the infection unknowingly, since in the early stages their symptoms may appear to be no more than a common cold. With the change in climate, atypical fungal species will …

Aqueous Processing Of Lignocellulosic Biomass To Advanced Biofuels | Biological Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

An important current focus of research in biology, chemistry, engineering, agriculture, and environmental sciences is the development of clean technologies that utilize cellulosic biomass as a renewable resource to the largest extent possible in a biorefinery setting to produce sustainable liquid transportation fuels and chemicals. Of all sustainable resources, only biomass can be transformed into organic fuels and chemicals that can integrate well into our current transportation infrastructure with the inherent convenience, cost, and efficiency advantages of current fuels. Cellulosic biomass can be converted to fuels and chemicals through aqueous-phase processes involving carbohydrates-derived and lignin-derived reactive intermediates deconstructed from these …

A Lota Lota Consumption: Trophic Dynamics Of Non-Native Burbot In A Valuable Sport Fishery, Stephen L. Klobucar, W. Carl Saunders, Phaedra Budy

Watershed Sciences Student Research

Unintentional and illegal introductions of species disrupt food webs and threaten the success of managed sport fisheries. Although many populations of Burbot Lota lota are declining in the species’ native range, a nonnative population recently expanded into Flaming Gorge Reservoir (FGR), Wyoming–Utah, and threatens to disrupt predator–prey interactions within this popular sport fishery. To determine potential impacts on sport fishes, especially trophy Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush, we assessed the relative abundance of Burbot and quantified the potential trophic or food web impacts of this population by using diet, stable isotope, and bioenergetic analyses. We did not detect a significant …

The Utah Statesman, October 13, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Cognitive Functioning Of Akwesasne Mohawk Adolescents Exposed To Pcbs, Joan Newman 4425055, Mia Gallo, Akwesasne Task Force On The Environment, Lawrence M. Schell

Journal of Indigenous Research

This study was carried out in partnership with Akwesasne Mohawks whose environment has been polluted with PCBs from industrial effluent. Using three cognitive tests (Woodcock Johnson Revised, Test of Memory and Learning, and Ravens Progressive Matrices), we investigated the cognitive functioning of 269 adolescents and related their scores to PCBs in their blood. Although the group of adolescents performed as the standardization sample of other adolescents of the same age in North America, we found that scores on three of their subtests (all involving memory) were negatively related to PCB body burden. There was an especially robust association of PCBs …