Digital Commons Network^™

General Education Subcommittee Minutes, February 16, 2021, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• ENVS 4550 (QI)
• Discussion
• Business
• CI Rubric Proposal

Ground Snow Loads For Asce 7-22 – What Has Changed And Why?, Marc Maguire, Brennan L. Bean, James Harris, Abbie Liel, Scott Russell

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

The changes to the ASCE 7 ground snow load maps proposed for the 2022 edition target a uniform reliability rather than a uniform hazard – an important distinction – and are the first of their kind in ASCE 7. Previously, the ASCE 7 snow loads used a uniform-hazard 50-year mean recurrence interval (MRI) with a 1.6 load factor. The newly proposed loads directly target the safety levels stipulated in Chapter 1 of ASCE 7, resulting in a strength design level load that is to be used with a load factor of 1.0. This paper describes changes in design provisions that …

European Aspen With High Compared To Low Constitutive Tannin Defenses Grow Taller In Response To Anthropogenic Nitrogen Enrichment, Franziska Bandau, Benedicte Riber Albrectsen, Kathryn M. Robinson, Michael J. Gundale

Aspen Bibliography

Boreal forests receive nitrogen-(N)-enrichment via atmospheric deposition and industrial fertilization. While it is known that N-enrichment can intensify interactions with natural antagonists, it remains poorly understood how genetic variability in plant defense chemistry can affect biotic interactions and height growth in N-enriched environments. We grew replicates of five low- and high-tannin Populus tremula genotypes, respectively, under three N-treatments (ambient, 15, and 150 kg N ha−1 yr−1). We assessed shoot blight occurrence (i.e. symptoms caused by Venturia fungi) during four growing seasons, and tree height growth during the same period. Damage by Venturia spp. increased with N-addition during all years, likely …

A ‘How To’ Guide For Interpreting Parameters In Habitat-Selection Analyses, John Fieberg, Johannes Signer, Brian Smith, Tal Avgar

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Habitat-selection analyses allow researchers to link animals to their environment via habitat-selection or step-selection functions, and are commonly used to address questions related to wildlife management and conservation efforts. Habitat-selection analyses that incorporate movement characteristics, referred to as integrated step-selection analyses, are particularly appealing because they allow modelling of both movement and habitat-selection processes.
2. Despite their popularity, many users struggle with interpreting parameters in habitat-selection and step-selection functions. Integrated step-selection analyses also require several additional steps to translate model parameters into a full-fledged movement model, and the mathematics supporting this approach can be challenging for many to understand.
3. Using …

Anthropogenic And Climatic Factors Interact To Influence Reproductive Timing And Effort, Susannah S. French, Geoffrey Smith

Browse all Datasets

Reproduction, although absolutely essential to a species’ persistence, is in itself challenging. As anthropogenic change increasingly affects every landscape on Earth, it is critical to understand how specific pressures impact the reproductive efforts of individuals, which directly contribute to the success or failure of populations. However, organisms rarely encounter a single burden at a time, and the interactions of environmental challenges can have compounding effects. Disentangling environmental and physiological pressures is difficult because they are often context-dependent and not generalizable, but long-term monitoring across variable landscapes and weather patterns can improve our understanding of these complex interactions. We tested the …

Arctic Observations And Numerical Simulations Of Surface Wind Effects On Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera Measurements, Kyle E. Fitch, Chaoxun Hang, Ahmad Talaei, Timothy J. Garrett

Physics Student Research

Ground-based measurements of frozen precipitation are heavily influenced by interactions of surface winds with gauge-shield geometry. The Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera (MASC), which photographs hydrometeors in free-fall from three different angles while simultaneously measuring their fall speed, has been used in the field at multiple midlatitude and polar locations both with and without wind shielding. Here, we present an analysis of Arctic field observations – with and without a Belfort double Alter shield – and compare the results to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the airflow and corresponding particle trajectories around the unshielded MASC. MASC-measured fall speeds compare well with …

Post-Pandemic, Translational Research, And Indigenous Communities, Rodney C. Haring, Laticia Mcnaughton, Dean S. Seneca, Whitney Ann E. Henry, Donald Warne

Journal of Indigenous Research

It is well documented that American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/First Nations, known as Indigenous Peoples, have among the most significant health disparities in the world. Clinical services for these populations are typically underfunded, and Indigenous Peoples often have preexisting and co-occurring health conditions. These factors combined with a multitude of social inequities make Indigenous communities extremely susceptible to infectious diseases, including COVID- 19. This paper discusses perspectives on the post-pandemic frameworks and policies toward translational science as an approach to advance health promotion for community-based interventions, dissemination, and sustainability. The importance of exercising Indigenous self-determination, public health authority, and population health …

Measuring Heterogeneous Preferences For Residential Amenities, Arthur J. Caplan, Sherzod B. Akhundjanov, Kristopher Toll

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This study reports on estimates of heterogeneous preferences for residential amenities among households in the Mountain West region of the US. The estimates are derived from a choice experiment funded by the Utah Department of Transportation and Utah Transit Authority—an experiment based upon large samples of both homeowners and renters who participated in a larger, statewide transportation study. The choice experiment and transportation study allow us to control for a rich set of household-level demographic and lifestyle characteristics, which in turn permits identification of a host of factors contributing to heterogeneity in residential preferences. We leverage a percentage-change housing cost …

The Utah Statesman, February 8, 2021, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Career: Support Our Troops: Re-Storying Student Veteran And Service Member Deficit In Engineering Through Professional Formation And Community Advocacy, Angela L. Minichiello

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

The Utah Stem Master Educator Institute, Colby Tofel-Grehl

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

An Optimal Deterministic Algorithm For Geodesic Farthest-Point Voronoi Diagrams In Simple Polygons, Haitao Wang

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Given a set S of m point sites in a simple polygon P of n vertices, we consider the problem of computing the geodesic farthest-point Voronoi diagram for S in P. It is known that the problem has an Ω(n + m log m) time lower bound. Previously, a randomized algorithm was proposed [Barba, SoCG 2019] that can solve the problem in O(n + m log m) expected time. The previous best deterministic algorithms solve the problem in O(n log log n + m log m) time [Oh, Barba, and Ahn, …

The Next Generation Of American Indian Public Health Workers: What We Learned From The Phweic Project, Desiree Restad, Allyson Kelley, David Porter, Lauri Kindness, Christie Farmer, Nadine Weasel Bear

Journal of Indigenous Research

Abstract

Background- American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations experience more health disparities than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States. Developing a skilled AIAN public health workforce is one way to address health disparities and build a new generation of public health workers.

Approach- To address this call, the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council (RMTLC) developed the Public Health Workforce Expansion in Indian Country (PHWEIC) project. PHWEIC is a 5-year project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This evaluation focused on process and impact measures related to building the public health workforce.

Methods- PHWEIC participants …

Indigenous Utmost Care, Shaun L. Hains Ph.D.

Journal of Indigenous Research

Indigenous Psychology can include land-based indicators of validity and reliability. With the question, “How do we earn our eagles over our schools?”, the youth, community, schools, and Nations began with a commitment with the land. The care of the land led to student leadership and the eagles literally began to fly above the schools. Now the work in health and education could include a relevant land-based indicator that could be celebrated. As the eagle feather is used with Indigenous Voice, now the eagles above the schools became a statement of wholeness. With many systems of support for youth, the sharing …

Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Practices For Trauma-Impacted American Indian/Alaska Native Populations: Does The Role Of Culture Even Matter?, Charlie N. Knowlton Ph.D., Theresa Lafavor Ph.D.

Journal of Indigenous Research

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people experience trauma at disproportional rates compared to the general U.S. population. Despite highly supported evidence-based trauma treatments among majority groups, questions remain regarding whether they address culturally-based attitudes, values, and behaviors necessary to promote change and recovery within AI/AN communities. Minimal data exists on practitioner attitudes towards existing standards of care and areas for continued development. This study details the results of a national online survey of mental health practitioners (N = 103 providers) working with AI/AN trauma-impacted populations from a diverse range of clinical settings, theoretical orientations, and years of training …

Aircraft Input Files For Pylot And Machupx, Jaden Thurgood

Browse all Datasets

This data was used in an attempt at system identification for rudderless aircraft using simulation.

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, February 4, 2021, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 7 January 2021 Minutes

Program Proposals

• Change the name of the minor from Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies to Equine-Human Science.
• Update the Certificate of Completion in the Plan of Study for Automotive Technology.
• Offer a Certificate of Completion Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).
• Update the Medical Assistant Certificate of Completion.
• Offer an accelerated Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a Master of Science in Environmental Planning.
• Offer a new Post Baccalaureate Certificate, Practitioner of Food Safety.
• Offer a Post-Baccalaureate (Graduate) Certificate Program: Certificate in Advanced Research Methods and Analysis – Quantitative (CARMA- Q).
• Change the name of the Rehabilitation …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, February 4, 2021, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 7 January 2021 Minutes

Program Proposals

• Change the name of the minor from Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies to Equine-Human Science.
• Update the Certificate of Completion in the Plan of Study for Automotive Technology.
• Offer a Certificate of Completion Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).
• Update the Medical Assistant Certificate of Completion.
• Offer an accelerated Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a Master of Science in Environmental Planning.
• Offer a new Post Baccalaureate Certificate, Practitioner of Food Safety.
• Offer a Post-Baccalaureate (Graduate) Certificate Program: Certificate in Advanced Research Methods and Analysis – Quantitative (CARMA- Q).
• Change the name of the Rehabilitation …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, February 4, 2021, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Other Business

• Missing Course Descriptions (missing descriptions/examples)
• Institutional Certificates
• Email regarding Fall semester

76-Year Decline And Recovery Of Aspen Mediated By Contrasting Fire Regimes: Long-Unburned, Infrequent And Frequent Mixed-Severity Wildfire, Cerena J. Brewen, John-Pascal Berrill, Martin W. Ritchie, Kevin Boston, Christa M. Dagley, Bobette Jones, Michelle Coppoletta, Coye L. Burnett

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is a valued, minor component on northeastern California landscapes. It provides a wide range of ecosystem services and has been in decline throughout the region for the last century. This decline may be explained partially by the lack of fire on the landscape due to heavier fire suppression, as aspen benefit from fire that eliminates conifer competition and stimulates reproduction through root suckering. However, there is little known about how aspen stand area changes in response to overlapping fire. Our study area in northeastern California on the Lassen, Modoc and Plumas National Forests has …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, March 4, 2021, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 4 February 2021 Minutes

Program Proposals

• Offer a Nail Technician Certificate of Proficiency.
• Change the name of the Institute for Social Science Research on Natural Resources to Community and Natural Resources Institute.

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Other Business

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, February 4, 2021, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Other Business

• Missing course descriptions (missing descriptions/examples)
• Institutional Certificates

Self-Reported Ptsd Symptoms And Social Support In U.S. Military Service Members And Veterans: A Meta-Analysis, Rebecca K. Blais, Vanessa Tirone, Daria Orlowska, Ashton Lofgreen, Brian Klassen, Philip Held, Natalie Stevens, Alyson K. Zalta

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: The mental health burden of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is high in U.S. military samples. Social support is one of the most robust protective factors against PTSD and a recent meta-analysis indicates that this relationship is even stronger in military samples compared to civilian samples. Yet no meta-analyses have explored factors impacting this association in veterans and military service members (VSMs).

Objective: The current meta-analysis examined demographic, social support, and military characteristics that may moderate the relationship of PTSD severity and social support among U.S. VSMs.

Method: A search identified 37 cross-sectional studies, representing 38 unique samples with a …

The Status Of Women In Utah Politics: A 2021 Update, Hannah Payne, Marin Christensen, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

The Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) began reporting on the status of women in Utah politics in 2014, with updates in 2017 and now 2021. The first series of reports in 2014 were initially prompted by the Center for American Progress report titled “The State of Women in America: A 50-State Analysis of How Women Are Faring Across the Nation” that ranked Utah last in terms of women being in positions of decision making and leadership. Soon after, a series of other national reports also ranked Utah poorly, and most used the following four criteria: 1) gender wage gap, …

Deciphering And Engineering An Unprecedented Fungal Biosynthetic Pathway For Expanded Chemical Diversity In Flavonoids, Jixun Zhan

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Data From: Recovery From Discrete Wound Severities In Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana): Implications For Energy Budget, Locomotor Performance, And Oxidative Stress, Susannah S. French, Spencer B. Hudson

Browse all Datasets

Wounding events (predation attempts, competitive combat) result in injuries and/or infections that induce integrated immune responses for the recovery process. Despite the survival benefits of immunity in this context, the costs incurred may require investment to be diverted from traits contributing to immediate and/or future survival, such as locomotor performance and oxidative status. Yet, whether trait constraints manifest likely depends on wound severity and the implications for energy budget. For this study, food intake, body mass, sprint speed, and oxidative indices (reactive oxygen metabolites, antioxidant capacity) were monitored in male side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) healing from cutaneous wounds of discrete …

Social And Cultural Dynamics Of Non-Native Invasive Species, John Schelhas, Janice Alexander, Mark W. Brunson, Tommy Cabe, Alycia Crall, Michael J. Dockry, Marla R. Emery, Susan J. Frankel, Nina Hapner, Caleb R. Hickman, Rebecca Jordan, Michael J. Lavoie, Zhao Ma, Joe Starinchak, Jelena Vukomanovic

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Invasive species and their management represent a complex issue spanning social and ecological systems. Invasive species present existing and potential threats to the nature of ecosystems and the products and services that people receive from them. Humans can both cause and address problems through their complex interactions with ecosystems. Yet, public awareness of invasive species and their impact is highly uneven, and public support for management and control of invasive species can be variable. Public perceptions often differ markedly from the perspectives of concerned scientists, and perceptions and support for management are influenced by a wide range of social and …

Collaborative Research: Quantifying Watershed Dynamics In Snow Dominated Mountainous Karst Watersheds Using Hybrid Physically Based And Deep Learning Models, Bethany T. Neilson

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Agenda, February 1, 2021, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC Monthly Report – January 7, 2021
• PRPC Subcommittee 400 Code Rewrite
• Title IX Policy and Procedure
• Office of Research Annual Report
• School of Graduate Studies Annual Report
• 404.3.6 Code Changes Full Code/Track Changes (Second reading)
• Promotion and Tenure Survey

Presidential Records & Materials, Jen P. Kirk

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Research using presidential records can be quite complex. Presidential records are mix of public and private materials, and are located in a variety of archival, library, and museum settings. Understanding a little bit about the history of presidential records helps researchers understand where they can find information about the topics they seek to understand or explain. This display provides an overview of key institutions and a timeline of developments. An associated research guide provides direct access to key collections for each U.S. president.