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Factors Influencing Reproductive Success Of Ferruginous Hawks In The Uintah Basin, Utah, Heather L. Keough, Michael R. Conover, Anthony J. Roberts

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

We examined factors that potentially influenced reproductive success in Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) in the Uintah Basin, Utah, and determined whether oil and gas well development was one of those factors. For three breeding seasons (2002–2004), we measured the number of nestlings, fledglings, and dispersed young that were produced by pairs of Ferruginous Hawks nesting within 2365 km2 managed by the Bureau of Land Management. We hypothesized that reproductive success would be influenced by nesting substrate, abundance of prey, distance to the closest occupied raptor nest, and distance to the closest active well. Although the Uintah Basin experienced a drought …

Stomatal Physics, Katie Sweet, Keith Mott, David Peak

Browse All Undergraduate research

Stomata, microscopic pores on a leaf’s surface, regulate the diffusion of CO2 from, and the diffusion of water vapor to, the air.

Stomata are responsible for fixing essentially all carbon in the biosphere and generating over 90% of the water vapor in the atmosphere over landmasses.

Exactly how stomata respond to temperature, light intensity, and ambient CO2 and humidity, is still a matter of active debate.

Most research probing this question focuses on identifying and unraveling complicated biochemistry. Recent investigations in our laboratory, however, indicate that much of stomatal behavior can be understood in terms of a simple vapor phase …

The Utah Statesman, October 16, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, October 9, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Efficient Gene Targeting In Golden Syrian Hamsters By The Crispr/Cas9 System, Zhiqiang Fan, Wei Li, Sang R. Lee, Qinggang Meng, Tom D. Bunch, Kenneth L. White, Zhongde Wang, Il-Keun Kong

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The golden Syrian hamster is the model of choice or the only rodent model for studying many human diseases. However, the lack of gene targeting tools in hamsters severely limits their use in biomedical research. Here, we report the first successful application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system to efficiently conduct gene targeting in hamsters. We designed five synthetic single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs)—three for targeting the coding sequences for different functional domains of the hamster STAT2 protein, one for KCNQ1, and one for PPP1R12C—and demonstrated that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is highly efficient in introducing site-specific mutations in hamster somatic cells. We …

The Utah Statesman, October 7, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Digitalcrust - A 4d Data System Of Material Properties For Transforming Research On Crustal Fluid Flow, Y. Fan, S. Richard, R. S. Bristol, S. E. Peters, S. E. Ingebritsen, N. Moosdorf, A. Packman, T. Gleeson, I. Zaslavsky, S. Peckham, L. Murdoch, M. Fienen, David G. Tarboton, N. Jones, Richard P. Hooper, J. Arrigo, D. Gochis, J. R. Olson, D. Wolock

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Fluid circulation in the Earth's crust plays an essential role in surface, near surface, and deep crustal processes. Flow pathways are driven by hydraulic gradients but controlled by material permeability, which varies over many orders of magnitude and changes over time. Although millions of measurements of crustal properties have been made, including geophysical imaging and borehole tests, this vast amount of data and information has not been integrated into a comprehensive knowledge system. A community data infrastructure is needed to improve data access, enable large‐scale synthetic analyses, and support representations of the subsurface in Earth system models. Here, we describe …

Faculty Senate Agenda, October 6, 2014, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Human Resources information on code changes affecting faculty
• Update on Section 100 change describing position of VP for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies
• PTR Code Change Discussion & Advisory Votes
• Code Change 402.12.3 Committee on Committees term (first reading)
• Educational Policies Committee Annual Report
• EPC Items
• Honors Program Report
• Libraries Advisory Council Report
• Parking Committee Report

Usu Faculty Senate Minutes, October 6, 2014, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Roll Call
• Faculty Forum Reminder
• Making Motions
• Human Resources Information on Code Changes Affecting Faculty – BrandE Faupell
• Update on Section 100 Change Describing Position of VP for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies – Doug Jackson-Smith
• PTR Code Change Discussion & Advisory Votes – Doug Jackson-Smith

The Utah Statesman, October 2, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, October 2, 2014, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Applied Economics

• Course Description Change, Prerequisite Change, Dual List
• Title Change, Course Description Change

Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences

• New Course
• Credit Hour Change
• Add University Studies Designation

Plant Soils and Climate

• Prerequisite Change, Course No. Change

Caine College of the Arts

• Add University Studies Designation

Accounting

• Course Description Change

COMMDDE

• New Course

HPER

• New Course
• Course Description Change/Title Change

Psychology

• Prerequisite Change

Teacher Education and Leadership

• Add Multiple List
• Course Description Change
• Delete Course (remove dual list)
• Title Change
• Course Description/Prerequisite Change
• New Course
• Grade Type

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• New Course
• Delete Course
• Prerequisite Change

Electrical and Computer …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, October 2, 2014, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

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

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, October 2, 2014, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Applied Economics

• Course Description Change, Prerequisite Change, Dual List
• Title Change, Course Description Change

Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences

• New Course
• Credit Hour Change
• Add University Studies Designation

Plant Soils and Climate

• Prerequisite Change, Course No. Change

Caine College of the Arts

• Add University Studies Designation

Accounting

• Course Description Change

COMMDDE

• New Course

HPER

• New Course
• Course Description Change, Title Change

Psychology

• Prerequisite Change

Teacher Education and Leadership

• Add Multiple List
• Course Description Change
• Delete Course (remove dual list)
• Add Multiple List
• Title Change
• Course Description, Prerequisite Change
• New Course
• Grade Type

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• New Course
• Delete Course …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, October 2, 2014, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee

Utah State Magazine, Fall 2014, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

The quarterly magazine for friends and alumni of Utah State University.

Bioeconomic Factors Of Beef Heifer Maturity To Consider When Establishing Criteria To Optimally Select And/Or Retain Herd Replacements, M. C. Stockton, R. K. Wilson, Dillon M. Feuz, L. A. Stalker, R. N. Funston

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Understanding the biology of heifer maturity and its relationship to calving difficulty and subsequent breeding success is a vital step in building abioeconomic model to identify optimal production and profitability. A limited dependent variable probit model is used to quantify the responses among heifer maturities, measured by a maturity index (MI), on dystocia and second pregnancy. The MI account for heifer age, birth BW, prebreeding BW, nutrition level, and dam size and age and is found to be inversely related to dystocia occurrence. On average there is a 2.2% increase in the probability of dystocia with every 1 point drop …

Another Year Of Great Strides, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Four more issues of the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research have been printed. I have exciting updates to share and new developments to report, but above all, I want to take a moment to thank the authors for submitting their fine work to our Journal. They provide the content that is critical to the advancement of science. I also want to thank reviewers for their tireless work on behalf of Psi Chi Journal. Their excellent peer reviews provide the feedback necessary for us to meet the Journal’s mission “to foster and reward the scholarly efforts of psychology students as …

Warming, Competition, And Bromus Tectorum Population Growth Across An Elevation Gradient, Aldo Compagnoni, Peter B. Adler

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is one of the most problematic invasive plant species in North America and climate change threatens to exacerbate its impacts. We conducted a two‐year field experiment to test the effect of warming, competition, and seed source on cheatgrass performance across an elevation gradient in northern Utah. We hypothesized that warming would increase cheatgrass performance, but that warming effects would be limited by competing vegetation and by local adaptation of cheatgrass seed sources. The warming treatment relied on open top chambers, we removed vegetation to assess the effect of competition from neighboring vegetation, and we reciprocally …

Schooling Increases Risk Exposure For Fish Navigating Past Artificial Barriers, Bertrand H. Lemasson, James W. Haefner, Mark D. Bowen

Biology Faculty Publications

Artificial barriers have become ubiquitous features in freshwater ecosystems and they can significantly impact a region's biodiversity. Assessing the risk faced by fish forced to navigate their way around artificial barriers is largely based on assays of individual swimming behavior. However, social interactions can significantly influence fish movement patterns and alter their risk exposure. Using an experimental flume, we assessed the effects of social interactions on the amount of time required for juvenile palmetto bass (Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis) to navigate downstream past an artificial barrier. Fish were released either individually or in groups into the flume …

Teaching Environmental Education To Native American And Alaska Native Students: A Case Study In Interdisciplinary Teaching In Higher Education, Nichlas Emmons, Travis Hardin

Journal of Indigenous Research

Teaching Indigenous students environmental education through an interdisciplinary learning approach takes advantage of a more holistic perspective that these students share. Students enrolled in three different Native American and Indigenous Studies courses were asked to contribute to a class capstone project. The three projects consisted of a land acquisition and management proposal with the Miami Nation of Indiana, a proposal for a forest management plan for the Keeweenaw Bay Indian Community, and environmental histories of the Miami, Potawatomi, and Shawnee in Indiana. The development of these service and community projects in natural resource management and environmental studies promoted an interdisciplinary …

The Utah Statesman, September 25, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, September 22, 2014, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Human Resources information on code changes affecting faculty
• Section 100 concerning VP for Research and Dean of the School of Grad Studies
• Educational Policies Committee Annual Report
• EPC Items
• Honors Program Report
• Libraries Advisory Council Report
• Parking Committee Report
• PTR Code Change Discussion & Advisory Votes
• Code change 402.12.3 Committee on Committees term (first reading)

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes, September 22, 2014, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Human Resources Information on Code Changes Affecting Faculty – BrandE Faupell
• Section 100 concerning VP for Research and Dean of the School of Grad Studies – Doug Jackson-Smith
• EPC Annual Report and September EPC Items - Larry Smith
• Honors Program Report – Kristine Miller
• Libraries Advisory Council Report – Dan Davis
• Parking Committee Report – James Nye
• PTR Code Change Discussion & Advisory Votes – Doug Jackson-Smith
• Code Change 402.12.3 Committee on Committees Term (First Reading) – Stephen Bialkowski

The Utah Statesman, September 16, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Limited Alpine Climatic Warming And Modeled Phenology Advancement For Three Alpine Species In The Northeast United States, Michael L. Davis, Kenneth D. Kimball, Douglas M. Weihrauch, Georgia L. D. Murray, Kenneth Rancourt

Ecology Center Publications

• Premise of the study: Most alpine plants in the Northeast United States are perennial and flower early in the growing season, extending their limitedgrowing season. Concurrently, they risk the loss of reproductive efforts to late frosts. Quantifying long-term trends in northeastern alpine flower phenology and late-spring/early-summer frost risk is limited by a dearth of phenology and climate data, except for Mount Washington, New Hampshire (1916 m a.s.l.).
• Methods: Logistic phenology models for three northeastern US alpinespecies (Diapensia lapponica, Carex bigelowii and Vaccinium vitis-idaea) were developed from 4 yr (2008–2011) of phenology and air temperature measurements from 12 …

The Utah Statesman, September 11, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Usu Faculty Senate Minutes, September 8, 2014, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Calendar
• Roll Call
• Faculty Senate Committee Assignments
• Broadcasting to Distance Sites
• Role of Faculty Senators – Doug Jackson-Smith
• Overview of Faculty Senate Webpage – Joan Kleinke
• Research and Graduate Councils Report – Jeff Broadbent
• Election of new Faculty Athletic Representative – Doug Jackson-Smith
• Election of new Committee on Committee Member and confirmation of other appointments – Doug Jackson-Smith
• Proposed Code Change to Lengthen Term for Committee on Committees Members – Doug Jackson-Smith
• Priority Issues for Faculty Senate Action in 2014/15 – Doug Jackson-Smith
• Overview of Post Tenure Review Process – Doug Jackson-Smith

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, September 4, 2014, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education

• New Course
• Title Change
• Credit Hour, Grade Mode Change
• Title, Prerequisite, Course Description Change

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science

• New Course

Department of Plants, Soils and Climate

• Credit Hour Change
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Art and Design

• New Course

Department of Theatre Arts

• Grade Mode Change

Department of Family, Consumer and Human Development

• New Course

Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

• Title Change
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Psychology

• Title, Prerequisite, Course Description Change

Department of Teacher Education and Leadership

• Course Description change
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Biological Engineering

• New Course …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, September 4, 2014, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education

• New Course
• Title Change
• Credit Hour, Grade Mode Change
• Title, Prerequisite, Course Description Change

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science

• New Course

Department of Plants, Soils and Climate

• Credit Hour Change
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Art and Design

• New Course

Department of Theatre Arts

• Grade Mode Change

Department of Family, Consumer and Human Development

• New Course

Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

• Title Change
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Psychology

• Title, Prerequisite, Course Description Change

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

• Course Description change
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Biological Engineering

• New Course …

Response Of Conifer-Encroached Shrublands In The Great Basin To Prescribed Fire And Mechanical Treatments, Richard F. Miller, Jaime Ratchford, Bruce A. Roundy, Robin J. Tausch, April Hulet, Jeanne C. Chambers

Articles

In response to the recent expansion of piñon and juniper woodlands into sagebrush-steppe communities in the northern Great Basin region, numerous conifer-removal projects have been implemented, primarily to release understory vegetation at sites having a wide range of environmental conditions. Responses to these treatments have varied from successful restoration of native plant communities to complete conversion to nonnative invasive species. To evaluate the general response of understory vegetation to tree canopy removal in conifer-encroached shrublands, we set up a region-wide study that measured treatment-induced changes in understory cover and density. Eleven study sites located across four states in the Great …