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Faculty Senate Agenda, April 30, 2012, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• FDDE Annual Report
• EPC Items
• HR Code Changes: 307 Conflicts of Interest, 350 Educational Benefits, 369 Organ Donor Leave
• Update on Commencement
• Calendar Committee Report
• Continuing USU-Eastern Integration
• Committee on Committees Annual Report
• Post-Tenure Review Task Force Issues #2
• Open Access Policy
• PRPC Code Changes Section 405.7.2(1) and 405.8.3(1) (Second Reading)
• Nominations for Committee on Committees

The Interacting Effects Of Clumped Seed Dispersal And Distance- And Density-Dependent Mortality On Seedling Recruitment Patterns, Noelle G. Beckman, Claudia Neuhauser, Helene C. Muller-Landau

Biology Faculty Publications

1. Seed dispersal and natural enemies both influence spatial patterns of seedlings, which in turn influence future abiotic and biotic interactions, with consequences for plant populations, distributions and diversity. Clumped seed deposition is common, especially for vertebrate-dispersed seeds, and has the potential to significantly affect interactions with density-responsive enemies, yet has received relatively little attention.
2. We used spatially explicit simulation models to examine how different patterns of seed dispersal and natural enemy attack structure seedling spatial patterns. We simulated clumped seed dispersal by combining a two-dimensional Student’s T dispersal kernel for expected seed rain with a negative binomial distribution for seed …

The Utah Statesman, April 25, 2012, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, April 23, 2012, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, April 20, 2012, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, April 16, 2012, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• FDDE Annual Report - Christopher Neale
• Committee on Committees Annual Report - Flora Shrode
• Calendar Committee Report - Michelle Larson
• Continuing USU-Eastern Integration - Glenn McEvoy
• Open Access - Flora Shrode, Richard Clement
• EPC Items - Larry Smith
• HR Code Changes: 369 Organ Donor Leave, 350 Educational Benefits,357 Long Term Disability, 307 Conflicts of Interest - BrandE Faupell
• PRPC Code Changes Section 405.7.2(1) and 405.8.3(1) (for Second Reading). - Terry Peak
• Post-Tenure Review Task Force Issues #2 - Glenn McEvoy

The Utah Statesman, April 13, 2012, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Research Week Recap: April 2012, Center For Persons With Disabilities

Blog Posts

No abstract provided.

Leaf Area And Structural Changes After Thinning In Even-Aged Picea Rubens And Abies Balsamea Stands In Maine, Usa, R. Justin Derose, Robert S. Seymour

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

We tested the hypothesis that changes in leaf area index (LAI m2 m−2) and mean stand diameter following thinning are due to thinning type and residual density. The ratios of pre- to postthinning diameter and LAI were used to assess structural changes between replicated crown, dominant, and low thinning treatments to 33% and 50% residual density in even-aged Picea rubens and Abies balsamea stands with and without a precommercial thinning history in Maine, USA. Diameter ratios varied predictably by thinning type: low thinnings were 0.7 but 1.0 . LAI change was affected by type and intensity of thinning. On average, …

The Utah Statesman, April 11, 2012, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, April 6, 2012, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, April 5, 2012, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Utah State University

• New Course

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences

• New Course

Department of Plants, Soils and Climate

• Prerequisite Change
• Title Change, Course Description Change

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education School of Applied Sciences, Technology and Education

• Prefix Change

Department of Art and Design

• New Course
• Course Number Change, Dual List Change
• Course Number Change
• Title Change, Course Number Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change, Dual List Change
• Title Change, Course Number Change, Course Description Change, Dual List Change
• Course Number Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change
• Course Number Change, Title Change, Course Description Change
• Course …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, April 5, 2012, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

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

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, April 5, 2012, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, April 5, 2012, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Utah State University

• New Course

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences

• New Course

Department of Plants, Soils and Climate

• Prerequisite Change
• Title Change, Course Description Change

Department of Art and Design

• New Course
• Course Number Change, Dual List Change
• Course Number Change
• Title Change, Course Number Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change, Dual List Change
• Title Change, Course Number Change, Course Description Change, Dual List Change
• Course Number Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change
• Course Number Change, Title Change, Course Description Change
• Course Number Change, Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change
• Title Change, Course Description Change
• Title Change, …

The Utah Statesman, April 4, 2012, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Glass Is Half-Full: Overestimating The Quality Of A Novel Environment Is Advantageous, Oded Berger-Tal, Tal Avgar

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

According to optimal foraging theory, foraging decisions are based on the forager's current estimate of the quality of its environment. However, in a novel environment, a forager does not possess information regarding the quality of the environment, and may make a decision based on a biased estimate. We show, using a simple simulation model, that when facing uncertainty in heterogeneous environments it is better to overestimate the quality of the environment (to be an “optimist”) than underestimate it, as optimistic animals learn the true value of the environment faster due to higher exploration rate. Moreover, we show that when the …

Utah State Magazine, Spring 2012, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

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

The Communicator, April 2012, Terry Messmer

All Current Publications

This publication is an issue of "The Communicator" highlighting details of sage-grouse local working groups.

Review: Technical Aspects For The Utilization Of Small Grain Straws As Feed Energy Sources For Ruminants: Emphasis On Beef Cattle, J. Severe, D. R. Zobell

All Current Publications

This publication defines Straw and provide information on straw composition, plant cell wall development, and treatments of straw for feed.

Stream Trailer Demonstrations, Usu Extension

All Current Publications

The stream hydrology trailer is a hands-on educational tool that allows participants to examine the natural movement of streams and rivers. The stream hydrology trailer contains a large flat “land area” composed of plastic grit.

The Utah Statesman, March 26, 2012, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Gis In Natural Resource Education: Where Are We Headed?, Joseph K. Berry

Conference on University Education in Natural Resources

Over the past three decades, GIS education in natural resources has evolved from a focus on automated cartography, to spatial database management, to geo-web applications. Within these contexts, curricula have emphasized the mechanics of descriptive mapping (“Where is What”) involving acquisition, storage, retrieval, query and display of spatial objects. However, the future of GIS education is moving from a “down the hall and to the right” specialist’s role for providing mapped data, to a broader and more active role of providing spatial information for natural resource research, policy, planning and management. The instructional emphasis is shifting from data–centric tools to …

Understanding Scholarly Communication – Tools To Help Graduate Students Publish, Susanne Clement

Conference on University Education in Natural Resources

Although graduate students are increasingly expected to publish before graduation, they are rarely offered formal education in the full range of the scholarly communication process in their discipline. They quickly learn how to do the research and to present their findings in a format suitable for submission to an academic peer-reviewed journal, but seldom do they (or their faculty advisors) understand the business of publishing and how that may affect their ability to get published. At Utah State University, the Department of Environment and Society (College of Natural Resources) started in 2010 requiring first-term graduate students to take a 2-credit …

Conducting Mountain Lion Research: A Citizen Science Project, Barbara Patterson, Don Hunter, Caroline Krunn

Conference on University Education in Natural Resources

Rocky Mountain Cat Conservancy, a Colorado-based conservation group dedicated to promoting wild cat conservation through research and community stewardship, seeks to mitigate human-mountain lion conflicts through an innovative community stewardship project that engages local students and volunteers in citizen science research. In addition to establishing a permanent, outdoor, wildlife-based curriculum at Front Range Community College - Larimer Campus, Communities, Cameras and Conservation establishes a connection to conservation through hands-on education where no such opportunity currently exists. It creates a new prospect for community members to engage in citizen science research and serve as conservation envoys by raising the level of …

Contrasting Student Values About General Education Vs. Major Courses: Differences Among Majors, Sexes And Standing, John D. Bailey, Susis Brubaker-Cole, Bill Bogley, Milo Korstsky

Conference on University Education in Natural Resources

No abstract provided.

Field-Based Learning In Surface And Groundwater Processes: Preparing Water Literate Citizens And Water Resource Professionals, Sara L. Rathburn, Michael Ronayne, Stephanie Kampf, Ellen Wohl

Conference on University Education in Natural Resources

Hydrologic field stations installed in the Cache La Poudre River basin will provide authentic field-based learning opportunities for non-majors and majors at Colorado State University to prepare a water literate citizenry and water resource professionals. Previous experience from a campus well field has demonstrated the effectiveness of local field-based instruction in water resources. Results from three semesters of perception surveys and pre- and post-knowledge tests show increased student satisfaction and knowledge gain in fundamental water concepts through the groundwater field exercise. The new hydrologic stations are designed to build upon these results to further improve undergraduate teaching and learning of …

Students To Empowered Professionals (Step) Mentoring Program: A Case Study, Susan P. Rupp

Conference on University Education in Natural Resources

Student-professional mentoring programs provide an experiential learning opportunity capable of broadening the intellectual content of instruction by integrating theory and practice, increasing student motivation through applied knowledge, and encouraging students to develop their skills as independent scholars (Millenbah and Millspaugh 2003). In the spring of 2008, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at South Dakota State University offered a new course at the request of South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks entitled “Applied Habitat Management” (WL400). This experiential learning course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop a wildlife habitat management plan in a small group …

Pinemap Intern Program: Integrating Undergraduates Into Forest Resource And Climate Change Research And Education, John B. Kidd, John R. Seiler, Martha C. Monroe, Shobha Sriharan

Conference on University Education in Natural Resources

The PINEMAP Intern Program is part of the Pine Integrated Network: Education, Mitigation, and Adaptation Project, a coordinated agriculture project (CAP) recently awarded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). A major goal of this CAP was to use educational projects to both integrate the scientific disciplines and expand the science to students and educators. Our Intern Program is one of the projects meeting this education aim. Our broad goal was to develop a program that will engage undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research, education and, potentially, future graduate studies. Principle investigators …

Teaching A Large Field Course In The 21st Century, Paul C. Layden, Robert Coleman

Conference on University Education in Natural Resources

Recent enrollment increases have presented some interesting challenges in maintaining the quality of our summer field course for natural resource students. We will discuss the logistical challenges, content and structure of the course and recent improvements made to the curriculum.