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Faculty Senate Agenda, February 7, 2011, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Instructure's Canvas the new Learning Management System (LMS) Program
• Research Council Annual Report (Brent Miller)
• Bookstore Report (Eric Worthen/David Parkinson)
• EPC Items (Larry Smith)
• PRPC Item

The Utah Statesman, February 2, 2011, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Tropical Street Trees And Climate Uncertainty In Southeast Asia, Roger Kjelgren, Yongyut Trisurat, Ladawan Puangchit, Nestor Baguinon, Puay Tan Yok

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Urban trees are a critical quality of life element in rapidly growing cities in tropical climates. Tropical trees are found in a wide variety of habitats governed largely by the presence and duration of monsoonal dry periods. Tropical cities can serve as a proxy for climate change impacts of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), urban heat island, and drought-prone root zones on successful urban trees. Understanding the native habitats of species successful as tropical urban trees can yield insights into the potential climate impact on those habitats. Species from equatorial and montane wet forests where drought stress is not a limiting …

Is Wildlife Going To The Dogs? Impacts Of Feral And Free-Roaming Dogs On Wildlife Populations, Julie K. Young, Kirk A. Olson, Richard P. Reading, Sukh Amgalanbaatar, Joel Berger

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

In human-populated landscapes, dogs (Canis familiaris) are often the most abundant terrestrial carnivore. However, dogs can significantly disrupt or modify intact ecosystems well beyond the areas occupied by people. Few studies have directly quantified the environmental or economic effects of free-roaming and feral dogs. Here, we review wildlife-dog interactions and provide a case study that focuses on interactions documented from our research in Mongolia to underscore the need for studies designed to best determine how dogs affect native wildlife and especially imperiled populations. We suggest additional research, public awareness campaigns, and the exclusion of dogs from critical wildlife habitat. The …

The Utah Statesman, January 26, 2011, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, January 24, 2011, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, January 12, 2011, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Utah State Magazine, Winter 2011, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

No abstract provided.

Temperature Increase Effects On Sagebrush Ecosystem Forbs: Exprimental Evidence And Range Manager Perspectives, Hilary Louise Whitcomb

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

No abstract provided.

White Apple Leafhopper Typhlocyba Pomaria, Diane G. Alston, Michael E. Reding

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

A New Noncovalent Force: Comparison Of P∙∙∙N Interaction With Hydrogen And Halogen Bonds, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

When PH(3) is paired with NH(3), the two molecules are oriented such that the P and N atoms face one another directly, without the intermediacy of a H atom. Quantum calculations indicate that this attraction is due in part to the transfer of electron density from the lone pair of the N atom to the σ(∗) antibond of a P-H covalent bond. Unlike a H-bond, the pertinent hydrogen is oriented about 180° away from, instead of toward, the N, and the N lone pair overlaps with the lobe of the P-H σ(∗) orbital that is closest to the P. In …

Large Shift In Source Of Fine Sediment In The Upper Mississippi River, Patrick Belmont, Karen B. Gran, Shawn P. Schottler, Peter Wilcock, Stephanie S. Day, Carrie Jennings, J. Wesley Lauer, Enrica Viparelli, Jane K. Willenbring, Daniel R. Engstrom, Gary Parker

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Although sediment is a natural constituent of rivers, excess loading to rivers and streams is a leading cause of impairment and biodiversity loss. Remedial actions require identification of the sources and mechanisms of sediment supply. This task is complicated by the scale and complexity of large watersheds as well as changes in climate and land use that alter the drivers of sediment supply. Previous studies in Lake Pepin, a natural lake on the Mississippi River, indicate that sediment supply to the lake has increased 10-fold over the past 150 years.Herein we combine geochemical fingerprinting and a suite of geomorphic change …

Cat-Facing Insects, Diane G. Alston, Michael E. Reding

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Annual Report: Evaluation Of Mechanical, Biological, And Chemical Treatments To Restore Sagebrush Steppe In Northeastern Utah, J. M. Taylor, Terry A. Messmer

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing The Ecology Of Greater Sage-Grouse On The Bear Lake Valley, Utah- Idaho Current Research Progress And Future Research Plans, C. Cardinal, Terry A. Messmer

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Validation Results: Utah And Western Sierra Variants Of The Forest Vegetation Simulator, R. Justin Derose, John D. Shaw, James N. Long

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) is the most widely available and used growth and yield model in the US. It is used in both forest management and research and the basic model framework is integrated with post-processors which can be used for many useful analyses (e.g., fire effects, bark beetle susceptibility, etc.). Recent identification of the nomenclature and a basic validation procedure has resulted in a nation-wide effort to objectively test individual FVS variants following a specific protocol (FVS Validation Subcommittee 2009). Despite the huge range of possibilities for model use, and some independent testing of various model components, (e.g., …

Codling Moth Cydia Pomonella, Diane G. Alston, Michael E. Reding

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Plant Species Vulnerability To Climate Change In Peninsular Thailand., Y. Trisuart, S. Fajendra, Roger K. Kjelgren

CWEL Publications

The objective of this research study was to evaluate the consequences of climate change on shifts in distributions of plant species and the vulnerability of the species in Peninsular Thailand. A sub-scene of the predicted climate in the year 2100, under the B2a scenario of the Hadley Centre Coupled Model, version 3 (HadCM3), was extracted and calibrated with topographic variables. A machine learning algorithm based on the maximum entropy theory (Maxent) was employed to generate ecological niche models of 66 forest plant species from 22 families. The results of the study showed that altitude was a significant factor for calibrating …

On The Brink Of Change: Plant Responses To Climate On The Colorado Plateau, Seth M. Munson, Jayne Belnap, M. Schelz, Mary Moran, T. W. Caolin

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

The intensification of aridity due to anthropogenic climate change in the southwestern U.S. is likely to have a large impact on the growth and survival of plant species that may already be vulnerable to water stress. To make accurate predictions of plant responses to climate change, it is essential to determine the long-term dynamics of plant species associated with past climate conditions. Here we show how the plant species and functional types across a wide range of environmental conditions in Colorado Plateau national parks have changed with climate variability over the last twenty years. During this time, regional mean annual …

A Possible Pathway For High School Science In A Stem World, Cary Sneider

Publications

Today‘s high school science teachers find themselves in a period of transition. For the past decade there have been calls for replacing a narrow focus on science education—the traditional courses in physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth and space science—with a broader curriculum on STEM (that is, the four allied fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). However, at present there are no guidelines on what that broader curriculum should include or how it should be designed, and the gulf that has separated science and mathematics seems as wide as ever, despite decades of efforts to bridge the two disciplines. Next …

Mapping Engineering Concepts For Secondary Level Education, Jenny L. Daugherty

Publications

Much of the national attention on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education tends to concentrate on science and mathematics, with its emphasis on standardized test scores. However as the National Academy of Engineering Committee on K-12 Engineering Education stressed, engineering can contribute to the development of an effective and interconnected STEM education system (Katehi, Pearson, & Feder, 2009). In addition, engineering can provide authentic learning contexts for science, technology, and mathematics. Numerous K-12 engineering initiatives have emerged across the U.S. developing curriculum and conducting teacher professional development (Brophy, Klein, Portsmore, & Rogers, 2008). The focus of pre-college engineering education …

Mapping Engineering Concepts For Secondary Level Education, J. L. Daugherty

Publications

No abstract provided.

Engineering Design Thinking And Information Gathering Final Report, Nathan Mentzer

Publications

The objective of this research was to explore the relationship between information access and design solution quality of high school students presented with an engineering design problem. This objective is encompassed in the research question driving this inquiry: How does information access impact the design process? This question has emerged in the context of an exploratory DR-K12 grant project titled, Exploring Engineering Design Knowing and Thinking as an Innovation in STEM Learning. The research work presented here has expanded the data set developed in the DR-K12 and examined the larger data set with a focus on how information access impacts …

Understanding Of Student Task Interpretation, Design Planning, And Cognitive Strategies During Engineering Design Activities In Grades 9-12, Oenardi Lawanto

Publications

The objective of this study was to describe the task interpretation of students engaged in a design activity and determine the extent to which students translate their understanding of their design task to their planning and cognitive strategies. Twenty-nine students at one Colorado high school participated in this study. Students worked individually in the Architectural Design class (n=7), and in teams in the Robotics Design class (n=22). To capture students’ perceptions of their understanding of the task, planning strategies, and cognitive strategies, the Engineering Design Questionnaire (EDQ) was used. The development of the EDQ was guided by Butler and Cartier’s …

Integrating Technology And Problem-Based Learning: A Mixed Methods Study Of Two Teacher Professional Development Designs, Andrew Walker, Mimi Recker, Brooke Robertshaw, Jeffrey Olsen, Heather Leary, Lei Ye, Linda Sellers

The Instructional Architect Research Group

No abstract provided.

Revisiting Scaling Laws In River Basins: New Considerations Across Hillslope And Fluvial Regimes, Chandana Gangodagamage, Patrick Belmont, Efi Foufoula-Georgiou

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Increasing availability of high‐resolution (1 m) topography data and enhanced computational processing power present new opportunities to study landscape organization at a detail not possible before. Here we propose the use of “directed distance from the divide” as the scale parameter (instead of Horton’s stream order or upstream contributing area) for performing detailed probabilistic analysis of landscapes over a broad range of scales. This scale parameter offers several advantages for applications in hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology in that it can be directly related to length‐scale dependent processes, it can be applied seamlessly across the hillslope and fluvial regimes, and it …

Engineering Challenges In High School Stem Courses: A Compilation Of Invited Position Papers, Dan L. Householder

Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Since its initial funding by the National Science Foundation in 2004, the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) has worked to understand the infusion of engineering design experiences into the high school setting. Over the years, an increasing number of educators and professional groups have participated in the expanding initiative seeking to acquaint all students with engineering design. While there is strong support for providing students with engineering design experiences in their high school STEM courses, the lack of consensus on purposes and strategies has become increasingly apparent as the work continues. Among the unsettled issues are the …

“Getting Noticed”: Middle Childhood Incross-Cultural Perspective, David F. Lancy, M. Annette Grove

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Although rarely named, the majority of societies in the ethnographic record demarcate a period between early childhood and adolescence. Prominent signs of demarcation are: for the first time, pronounced gender separation in fact and in role definition; increased freedom of movement for boys while girls may be bound more tightly to their mothers; and heightened expectations for socially responsible behavior. But, above all, middle childhood is about coming out of the shadows of community life and assuming a distinct, lifetime character. Naming and other rites of passage sometimes acknowledge this transition, but it is, reliably, marked by the assumption or …

Scientific Inquiry In The Genetics Laboratory: Biologists And University Science Teacher Educators Collaborating To Increase Engagements In Science Processes., Todd Campbell, P. G. Wolf, J. P. Der, E. Packenham, N. Abd-Hamid

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Seeing The Forest For The Trees: Managing Social Conflict And Forest Restoration, Steven E. Daniels, Jens Emborg, Greg B. Walker

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This paper examines the role that social conflict is likely to play in forest restoration projects. A definition of conflict as “perceived goal interference among interdependent parties” serves as a point of departure for the discussion, and the nature of forest restoration conflict is systematically examined by focusing on each aspect of the definition: perceptions, goal interference, the parties, and their interdependence. Agencies undertaking restoration projects are encouraged to adopt a discourse orientation, wherein they recognize that 1) their public involvement efforts are creating a discourse that can incorporate a wide array of values and voices and 2) groups may …