Digital Commons Network^™

Home On The Range: Where Deer And Antelope Compete With Feral Horses For Limited Resources, Katelyn Davies, Hannah B. Klugman, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, David C. Stoner

All Current Publications

Given projections for continued drought conditions in the West, a better understanding of how native wildlife respond to competition with feral horses will be critical for developing effective conservation programs in the future. This fact sheet provides information on feral horses and presents study data comparing their use of water resources with that of native wildlife.

Toxic Plants In Zimbabwe: The Lantana Camara Species, Frank Kapungu, Cecilia Masvingwe

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Lantana camara is a major invasive plant species in Zimbabwe. Its toxic effects pose a threat to livestock production, biodiversity, and development. A survey was carried out throughout the country to investigate the distribution of L. camara in Zimbabwe and assess the extent of its spread. Identification was done by toxicologists with the support of an experienced botanist from the National Herbarium of Zimbabwe. The location of the plants was identified using a portable Garmin eTrex® 10 Handheld GPS navigation device., and the coordinates were recorded. Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) was used to plot the map. L. camara was …

Implementation Of The Trojan Sex Chromosome Approach In The San Juan River: Investigation And Validation Of Feminization Methods For Channel Catfish, Chad Teal

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda September 21, 2026, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

3:00 pm Call to Order

Approval of Minutes - August 24, 2026

3:05 University Business

3:20 Faculty Senate Business

3:35 Report

Honors Program Annual Report

3:45 Information

EPC Report - September 3, 2026

4:00 Additional Business

Faculty Authored Course Materials Policy

Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Collaborative Research: Influence Of Fault Frictional Healing And Realistic Tectonic Loading Rates On Shallow Subduction Megathrust Locking, Srisharan Shreedharan

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Photochemistry At The Air-Aerosol Interface, Yi Rao

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Exceptional Holography (2025 Renewal, Revised Budget), Oscar Varela

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Innovating Effective Engineering Designs For Hazard Risk Reduction In North Carolina, Daniella Hirschfeld

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Cedar: Investigating The Mesosphere And Lower Thermosphere Neutral Temperature And Winds Responses To Geomagnetic Storms Equatorward Of The Auroral Zone, Tao Yuan

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Harvest And Retting Method Alter The Composition Of Hemp Fiber For High Performance Concrete, Abigail Lazier, Jennifer Macadam, Srishti Banerji, Bruce Bugbee

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

Recently, the use of natural fibers in place of polymer fibers in high performance concrete has been explored for improved mechanical properties (including reduced spalling) and greater sustainability. This project aims to recycle biomass waste produced by the medical cannabis industry by using it in concrete. We have designed and conducted multiple studies to determine efficient methods for fiber harvest and processing from our in-house medical cannabis waste. Harvest method, (including fresh harvest and defoliation or physically induced senescence), storage condition, ( 4 C or 25 C), and processing technique, (mechanical or biological) were trialed. Additionally, we used standard forage …

Impacts Of Sprouted Barley On Performance And Carcass Ultrasound Measurements In Angus-Influenced Steers During Backgrounding, Zachary C. Crump, Anthony Fernando Alberto, Bailee L. Brown, Bryce W. Roholt, Lillian L. Okamoto, Ryan A. Spurling, Robert E. Ward, Brady M. Blackett, Robert L. Harding, Sanjeewa D. Ranathunga, Kara J. Thornton

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The objective of this research was to determine the impacts of including sprouted barley (SB) in the diets of backgrounding beef steers. Angus-influenced steers (328 ± 6.59 kg) were assigned to one of four diets (n = 15/diet): a control (CON) diet, or a diet containing 5%, 10%, or 20% SB (DM basis)—replacing corn silage and some rolled barley. Individual intake and feeding behavior were monitored using Vytelle bunks. Body weight (BW) and ruminal fluid samples were collected on d 0, 30, and 60, while dry matter intake (DMI), feeding behavior, average daily gain (ADG), and gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) were …

A Database Of Reliability-Targeted Snow Loads For The United States, Nicholas Brimhall, Cameron Swapp, Brennan Bean

Browse all Datasets

This data release provides the data and code necessary to create a database of 10,625 site-specific Reliability-Targeted Snow Loads (RTSLs) for locations in the Conterminous United States and Alaska. RTSLs are the design snow load requirements necessary to achieve the reliability targets set forth in Chapter 1 of the ASCE 7 Standard, which is the national standard that largely governs hazards-based design in the United States. The data and methods used in this data release are based upon the methods described in Bean et al. (2021), with updated data and refined methodology as applicable.

A Global Database Of Winter Wind Values, Jayden Gardner, Hannah Fluckiger, Nicholas Brimhall, Brennan Bean

Browse all Datasets

This repository contains the data and code necessary to create winter wind (W2) estimates for international locations. It is an extension of the approach outlined in Bean et al. (2025) to include additional data from European locations. Winter wind is defined as the proportion of time that the wind speed exceeds 10 mph during the months of October to April, which is used in snow load design to calculate the potential severity of drifting on a roof.

Base Maps And Other Source Files For: A Global Database Of Reliability-Targeted Snow Loads, Shaveen Britto, Nicholas Brimhall, Cameron Swapp, Brennan Bean, Jayden Gardner, Hannah Fluckiger

Browse all Datasets

The 2022 edition of ASCE 7 introduced reliability-targeted snow loads (RTSLs) for structural design. The development of design snow loads for locations outside the Conterminous United States (OCONUS) requires methods that can provide reliable estimates in regions with varying station density and climatic conditions. This repository contains the data and code used to develop and evaluate a climate-analog approach for estimating RTSLs at international locations. The climate-analog method identifies reference stations with similar climatic and geographic characteristics and uses their estimated RTSLs to predict snow loads at locations where direct observations are limited or unavailable. The methodology relies on station-level …

A Global Database Of Reliability-Targeted Snow Loads, Nicholas Brimhall, Cameron Swapp, Brennan Bean, Shaveen Britto, Jayden Gardner, Hannah Fluckiger

Browse all Datasets

This data release provides the data and code necessary to create a database of 18,809 site-specific Reliability-Targeted Snow Loads (RTSLs) for locations outside of the United States. RTSLs are the design snow load requirements necessary to achieve the reliability targets set forth in Chapter 1 of the ASCE 7 Standard, which is the national standard that largely governs hazards-based design in the United States. The intent of this release is to provide engineers seeking to use US-based design standards in international settings a database of snow load values consistent with the methodologies used to establish ground snow loads in ASCE …

Base Maps And Other Source Files For: A Database Of Reliability-Targeted Snow Loads For The United States, Nicholas Brimhall, Cameron Swapp, Brennan Bean

Browse all Datasets

This data release provides the supporting data and files to create a database of 10,625 site-specific Reliability-Targeted Snow Loads (RTSLs) for locations in the Conterminous United States and Alaska (see Brimhall et al. (2026)). RTSLs are the design snow load requirements necessary to achieve the reliability targets set forth in Chapter 1 of the ASCE 7 Standard, which is the national standard that largely governs hazards-based design in the United States. The data and methods used in this data release are based upon the methods described in Bean et al. (2021), with updated data and refined methodology as applicable.

Fast Computation And Model Order Reduction Of The Friction Stir Welding Process With Pod-Deim, Joshua Kay, Zilong Song

Mathematics and Statistics Student Research and Class Projects

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state manufacturing process widely used in joining aluminum and other metal workpieces. The FSW process can be modeled by a coupled system of non-Newtonian Navier–Stokes and heat-transfer equations. However, solving this non-linear system with high accuracy requires significant computational power. This work refines the system by introducing corrected coefficients and new treatments for boundary conditions near the tool. Then, model order reduction, including the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and Discrete Empirical Interpolation Method (DEIM), is applied to efficiently solve the FSW system in a low-dimensional space. To enhance accuracy and effectiveness, two novel treatments …

A Brief History Of Irrigation In Utah, Burdette Barker, Reagan Wytsalucy

All Current Publications

Irrigation is essential for most crop production in Utah. With an ever-increasing population, regular drought cycles, and environmental concerns, there is a public discourse about agricultural irrigation water use. This fact sheet is an effort to step back in time to consider the heritage of irrigated agriculture in Utah, from prehistory to the present, and the modernization of irrigation driven by global industrialization and the information age.

General Education Subcommittee Minutes September 3, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - April 2, 2026
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• Additional Items
• CI Courses and Pre-requisites
• Retreat Follow-up on University Studies and Depth Designations
• Reduced-Credit Bachelor's Degree Policy Discussion
• Adjourn: 9:32 am

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes September 3, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - April 2, 2026
• Program Proposals
• Other Business
• Sub-120 Credit Degree Programs
• Deadlines and Curriculum Resources
• Course Modalities
• Courses Not Taught for Five Years
• Adjourn: 2:55 pm

Educational Policies Committee Minutes September 3, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - April 2, 2026
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Center for Civic Excellence
• Other Business
• Three-year academic plans
• Reduced Credit Bachelor's Programs Policy
• Adjourn: 3:48 pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda September 3, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• R401 - Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Review
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda September 3, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Center for Civic Excellence
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

2026 Report On The State Of Great Salt Lake Social Science, Creed Jones, Avyrlie Smith, Shae Barber, Stacia Ryder, Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed, Georgie Corkery, Jennifer Givens, Anna Mcentire, Carla Trentelman, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Kirsten Vinyeta, Bryn Watkins

Publications

Great Salt Lake (GSL) faces rapid decline that presents more than just a hydrological risk; it poses an existential social hazard. As water levels decline, ecosystems, economies, cultures, and societies face irreversible harm. Since the lake reached its lowest levels in 2022, this issue has specifically gained increased attention in Utah and beyond. Given both the degree to which human consumption contributes to the problem, and the potential risks that the drying of the lake poses for community health, social science research is a crucial for informing successful water management policies and mitigating impacts. The purpose of this report is …

Building Wellbeing Through Nature And Adventure For Justice-Involved Youth, Lewis Kogan, Meagan Ricks, Janna Coulter, Miranda Margetts, Lori Butterfield, Ben Ukoh-Eke

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Justice-involved youth often experience elevated levels of stress, mental health challenges, and reduced access to positive developmental opportunities. A nature- and adventure-based youth development program designed to strengthen resilience, self-efficacy, nature-connectedness, and well-being among justice-involved youth was piloted in 2025 to address these challenges. Pilot findings indicated improvements in resilience, self-efficacy, hopefulness, and connectedness to nature.

Expanding Access To Outdoor Recreation Through Adaptive Trail Riding In Utah, Makenna L. Pahlke

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Limited access to outdoor recreation limits opportunities for people with disabilities to enjoy the physical and psychosocial benefits of horseback riding. The Utah State University Equine Experience, an Extension program focused on horses, assessed an adaptive trail riding initiative for participants aged 12 to 40. Findings showed improvements in confidence, self-awareness, engagement, and social connections, highlighting the public benefit of enhancing accessible equine-assisted activities.

Piloting The Strong Bodies Strength Training Program In Utah, Gabriela Murza, Jenna Dyckman, Cris Meier, Emma Parkhurst, Sadie Wilde, Christina Pay, Naomi Brower, Cindy Nelson

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Muscle and bone loss occurs as we age, impacting health and independence. We evaluated a pilot 12-week strength training program for older adults in Utah. Participants showed improved fitness metrics and increased confidence. Results demonstrate the program’s effectiveness and public value in expanding access to evidence-based exercise that supports healthy aging.

Best Practices For Managing Human–Beaver Conflicts In North America: Balancing Ecological Benefits And Human Interests, Alec J. Sundelius, Jerry Altermatt, Doug Brimeyer, Derek J. Broman, Jared Duquette, Cory Mosby, Falyn Owens, Shawn Rossler, David B. Ruid, Brian F. Wakeling, H. Bryant White

Human–Wildlife Interactions Monographs

We explore the complexities of managing beaver (Castor canadensis) conflicts in North America, describing the most common approaches used by natural resource management agencies to address conflicts. We identify specific conflicts caused by beavers, the ecological benefits beavers provide, and the tools commonly used to address conflicts. We discuss regional differences in beaver management strategies, including ecosystem restoration and conflict prevention. We specifically discuss a variety of management practices including public education, land use management, trapping, translocation, exclusion, shooting, dam removal, repellants, and harvest incentive programs; we then review the challenges and benefits of these tools. We discuss …

Automatic Modulation Classification For Spectrum Sensing In Shared Satellite–Lte/5g Bands, Nahal Maleki, Todd Williams, Ulugbek Jainakov, Jason Jugar, Gilberth Caamano, Jeffrey Arnold

Small Satellite Conference

Automatic modulation classification (AMC) is a critical capability for spectrum monitoring, interference detection, and signal identification in increasingly congested satellite and terrestrial communication environments. This paper presents a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based AMC framework that classifies analog, digital, and multicarrier communication signals directly from raw in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) samples. The proposed framework supports twelve modulation classes, including binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature PSK (QPSK), 8PSK, 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM), 64QAM, pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)4, Gaussian frequency shift keying (GFSK), continuous phase FSK (CPFSK), broadcast FM (B-FM), single-sideband amplitude modulation (SSB-AM), double-sideband AM (DSB-AM), and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing …

Scaling Orbital Dynamics To The Laboratory: An Industrial-Robot Hardware-In-The-Loop Testbed For Small Satellites, Kelsey Tresemer, Shawn Higbee, Eric Albin, Steven Magana-Zook, Monwen Shen, Aaron Peer, Eric Reichel, Miranda Stern, Steve Hunter, Zach Shields

Small Satellite Conference

This paper summarizes an emerging hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) capability that uses collaborative robots (cobots) to reproduce satellite relative motion in a laboratory environment. The system maps orbital dynamics into a room-scale workspace while preserving mission-relevant pose evolution for small satellite applications such as rendezvous and proximity operations, formation flying, inspection, and cislunar concepts. The platform treats robot selection as a multi-parameter trade among workspace, orientation coverage, payload capacity, stiffness, acceleration, and path-tracking performance. Representative motion profiles define the required operating envelope, and the facility supports modular payloads that can host optics, avionics, inertial units, and flight computers. An external metrology system …