Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Serum And Commercial Serum-Free Media On Development Of In Vitro Produced (Ivp) Embryos In Cattle, Kyla Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Serum-containing media has been shown to increase incidence of large offspring syndrome and to alter gene expression, protein synthesis, and cell signaling. These factors together can result in increased pregnancy loss when combined with assisted reproduction technologies. However, there are very few direct comparisons of commercial serum-free media (IVF Bioscience™) and serum-containing media on both IVF and cloned embryo development in cattle. The aim of this study was to determine the role of serum in oocyte maturation and subsequent embryo development. Three culture systems, including in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro culture (IVC), were used in this study. Both …

Projected Land-Use Change In Northern Utah: Its Implication On Above- And Below-Ground Biomass Carbon, Md Khan Shajidul Kabir

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Land can broadly be classified based on human use and natural characteristics into categories such as cropland, pastureland, urban areas, forests, shrubland, and wetlands. Each type of land has a different capacity to store carbon, and forests play a dominant role. In Utah, economic incentives, urban growth, and population increase are driving shifts in these land-use categories. Using data on agricultural revenue, land values, environmental characteristics, and satellite-based carbon information from the past decade, this study examines how land use may change over the next two decades. The findings suggest a substantial expansion of urban areas, accompanied by declines in …

The Practice Of Inclusion: Indigenous Knowledge And Ethical Design, Kate E. Van Der Zalm

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Indigenous Knowledge is a cumulative body of practices and beliefs developed by Indigenous communities through generations of interaction with the natural environment. This knowledge offers valuable insights for caring for the land in sustainable and respectful ways but is not fully considered in modern planning and design practices. This research examines how Indigenous Knowledge is currently understood and used within landscape planning and design firms in British Columbia, Canada. Using a combination of existing research and interviews with design professionals and Indigenous participants, the study explores where Indigenous Knowledge is being applied, where challenges exist, and what opportunities remain for …

Gradient Based Optimization Methods For Robust Learning And Biomedical Signal Modeling, Jarrod Mau

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation explores how modern artificial intelligence techniques can be used to better understand complex biological data. Specifically, it develops new machine learning based methods and applies them to two important biomedical problems: analyzing brain signals and studying protein behavior.

The first part of the work introduces a new machine learning approach designed to improve how computers classify structured data. Traditional neural networks are powerful but can sometimes generalize poorly. This research proposes a method that combines the flexibility of neural networks with the reliability of ensemble techniques, leading to more robust and accurate predictions across different types of datasets. …

Scalable Roof Polygon Extraction And Geometric Characterization From Remotely-Sensed Data For Snow Load Assessment, Jashon Newlun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Heavy snow accumulation on rooftops is a serious structural risk in cold climates, and understanding how much snow builds up on different types of roofs is essential for safe building design. Currently, most data on roof snow loads comes from small, labor-intensive field surveys that cover only a handful of buildings at a time. This results in far too few measurements of buildings to draw confident conclusions about how snow behaves across communities. This thesis develops and demonstrates a new automated approach for measuring roof snow accumulation and extracting key building characteristics across thousands of buildings at once using airborne …

Exploring The Correlation Between Malnutrition And Food And Nutrition Insecurity In Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Heather Burr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) may increase the risk of malnutrition because of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and restrictive eating. In addition, patients with IBD may experience food and nutrition insecurity. Therefore, we conducted an online survey to assess risk of malnutrition and food and nutrition insecurity among adult patients with IBD in outpatient and community settings. Patients were recruited between July and December 2025, aiming to reach adults in the Rocky Mountain Region diagnosed with IBD. Data collected included demographics, health-related factors, risk of nutrition insecurity, risk of food insecurity, and barriers and facilitators to dietary management of IBD.

Fifty-seven patients …

Faith And Doubt: Exploring How We Interpret The World, Amber Mccuen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This collection of four fictional short stories explores questions of belief—and practice of belief—in four separate contexts. The first story, “Little Marie,” follows a young girl who’s made her own system of belief created by correlation. The second story, “Last Days,” sees a woman return to her childhood home which has been overcome by the hoarding habits of her paranoid, fundamentalist Christian mother. The third story, “Graduation,” takes place at a divinity school graduation and explores the strength of both social influence and unspoken rules within closed groups. The final story, “Away From the Ninety and Nine,” follows a cult …

Diversity In Childrens Literature, Tess Rasmussen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This project examined the diversity of classroom libraries and explored how to improve representation through data collection and community involvement. The question guiding this research was, how does increasing diversity in the classroom library influence elementary students' engagements with reading and their sense of belonging. This question was rooted in the teaching philosophy of each child being seen on the walls and in the stories told in their classroom. This question leads to the understanding that inclusive literature supports students' increasing empathy, and an awareness of cultures and perspectives different than their own. An inventory of multiple classroom libraries was …

Exploring The Experiences Of Adult Children Of Parents With Addiction: A Qualitative Support Group Approach, Brooke Stanton

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Adult children of parents with addiction often grow up having to navigate emotional instability, inconsistent caregiving, and long-term relational impacts that continue into adulthood. Many individuals report limited access to supportive care and spaces where they can share their stories. This capstone project addresses the gap by designing and facilitating a support group specifically for adult children of parents to build connection and healing. Through this qualitative study, participant feedback, and analysis, this project examines how structured peer support can create meaningful change for this population. The following paper outlines the development of the group, the theoretical foundations that guided …

A Mixed Methods Analysis On The Effect Of Active Learning On Extraneous Cognitive Load Within Undergraduate Statistics Courses, Michelle Brady Rich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Students enrolled in college-level statistics courses often lack the foundational skills of statistical concepts which can potentially lead to increased mental load. Additionally, the curricula within undergraduate classes often focus on traditional theory with little student exploration or participation. This combination of increased mental load and passive lectures can be explored through the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). CLT examines how new information enters the limited capacity of an individual’s working memory and how exceeding this capacity affects the ability to transfer the information to long-term memory. This research focused on the extraneous cognitive load, or the load imposed by the …

Climate Change-Related Effects On Carbon Emissions And Net Ammonification Across Lowland To Upland Soils From A High-Latitude Coastal Ecosystem, Jenna M. Ross, Karen H. Beard, Katharine C. Kelsey, Matteo Petit Bon, A. Joshua Leffler

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Warming, sea-level rise, and changing herbivory patterns are affecting ecosystem processes in northern coastal soils, including carbon and nitrogen cycling, although their combined effects are poorly understood. We studied the impact of these changes in a full-factorial microcosm experiment using four distinct soil types from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of western Alaska. Soil was collected from three coastal wetlands, which differ in flooding frequency and use by migratory geese, and one rarely-flooded upland tundra used by geese in late summer. Microcosms containing these soils were incubated for 16 weeks at 10°C or 18°C, with or without three short-term floods, and with …

Beyond Beneficial Margins: Four Mechanisms Linking Border Vegetation To Pest Dynamics, Jorge F. M. Cardoso, Fabiane M. Mundim

Biology Student Research

Vegetated field borders are widely promoted as tools to enhance biodiversity and strengthen biological control in agroecosystems. However, their role in pest dynamics remains conceptually fragmented and empirically inconsistent. Here, we develop a unified framework explaining how crop border vegetation influences pest populations through four interlinked ecological mechanisms. First, borders act as host reservoirs and selective filters, providing alternative hosts and overwintering habitat that enhance pest persistence across crop cycles. Second, borders modify pest colonization dynamics by shaping movement, aggregation, and host-location behavior at crop edges. Third, borders restructure multitrophic networks, simultaneously supporting natural enemies, alternative prey, vectors, and pathogens, …

Quantifying Evapotranspiration From The Wetlands In The Peripheral Area Between The Most Downstream Stream Gages And The Open Water Body Of The Great Salt Lake, Motasem S. Abualqumboz, David G. Tarboton

Publications

Study region: The eastern peripheral area between the most downstream stream gages and the open water body of the Great Salt Lake (GSL), located in northern Utah within the semiarid western United States (US). 

Study focus: As GSL levels decline, the eastern peripheral area is expanding, exposing former lakebed, much of which has transitioned into natural and managed wetlands. Evapotranspiration (ET) from these wetlands consumes water that would otherwise reach the open-water lake body, yet these losses remain poorly quantified and directly affect the GSL water balance. This study compares a water-balance-based ET estimate for the wetlands in the peripheral …

Training Turfgrass For Drought Resilience, Kelly Kopp, Jerry L. Goodspeed

All Current Publications

Utah’s semi-arid climate always makes efficient irrigation essential, but never more so than during a drought. In many communities, outdoor landscape irrigation represents the largest share of residential water use during the summer months. At the same time, research and Utah State University (USU) Extension observations have consistently shown that lawns across the state are often overwatered, leading to shallow root systems and increased vulnerability to heat and drought stress. Adjusting irrigation practices during drought not only conserves water but also improves the long-term health and resilience of turfgrass systems.

Faculty Senate Agenda April 27, 2026, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - March 30, 2026
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Report
• Strategic Enrollment Management Annual Report
• Student Success Annual Report
• Committee on Committees Annual Report
• Calendar Committee Annual Report
• 4:00 Information
• EPC Report - April 2, 2026
• 4:15 Additional Business
• Faculty Senate President-Elect
• Format & Responsibilities
• Passing the Gavel
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: Zooming Into Nature With Digital Microscopes, Rita Hagevik, Kaitlin Campbell, Kathy Cabe Trundle, Lawrence Krissek

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides information about using digital microscopes in the garden. It discusses how they work, choosing the right digital microscope, uses in the garden, and activities. It is part of the Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens resource sheet series from Utah State University Extension and Smart Foodscapes.

Are You Lost? Developing A Map (Metadata Application Profile) For Your Institutional Repository, David Advent, Connor Murphy

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Developing a MAP (Metadata Application Profile) for your Institutional Repository.

Effects Of Spatially Targeted Fertilizer Strategies On Canopy Growth Across Contrasting Tart Cherry Orchard Sites, Kurt Wedegaertner, Brent Black, Matt Yost, Grant Cardon

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

Variable-rate fertilization is increasingly promoted in perennial orchard systems, but its effectiveness remains difficult to predict because tree responses are often inconsistent and strongly conditioned by site-specific constraints. To address this, we evaluated soil-based and vigor-based zoning frameworks across four commercial tart cherry (Prunus cerasus) orchards representing contrasting soil conditions, canopy structures, and management histories. Within each orchard, management zones were defined using either soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) or satellite-derived canopy vigor. Fertilization strategies were implemented by varying fertilizer application timing among zones using split-application approaches while maintaining a constant total fertilizer rate. Tree-level canopy structure was …

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: Gardening With Native Plants, Kathy Cabe Trundle, Lawrence Krissek

All Current Publications

Native plants form the foundation for healthy local and regional ecosystems. By adding native plants to your gardening and landscape plans, you will contribute to nature’s best hope for the soil health, habitat resilience, and biodiversity we need for a brighter, more sustainable future.

Reflective Refinement Through Iterative Model Building, Idris Solola, Hillary Swanson, Sarah Schwartz, Rida Munir, Jared B. Arnell, Ravi Sinha

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Student Research

While research has emphasized the role of classroom discourse, hands-on demonstrations, and carefully crafted prompts in eliciting and responding to students’ ideas, there’s a need to investigate how the systematic design of modeling instruction can serve as the structure that naturally supports responsive teaching. Drawing on the knowledge in pieces (KiP) epistemology and the concept of responsive teaching, we present an instructional approach called guided reflective refinement (GRR), which guides students to articulate and examine their thinking through building and evaluating models. We analyzed middle school students’ model drafts over a 7-day unit on conservation of energy to understand the …

Energetic Characterization Of 3-D Printed Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Fuels For Hybrid Rocket Propulsion Applications, Stephen A. Whitmore, Ryan J. Thibaudeau, Ava T. Wilkey

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Hybrid rocket technologies are gaining recognition as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional propulsion systems. Utah State University’s Propulsion Research Laboratory has developed a High-Performance Green Hybrid Propulsion (HPGHP) technology, leveraging 3D-printed ABS fuel for reliable, low-energy ignition. Among tested materials, only ABS shows suitable electrical-breakdown properties for arc ignition. Unfortunately, due to the proprietary formulations in commercial ABS blends, and its limited use as a rocket-propellant, related composition and combustion data are limited. This study uses spectroscopic evaluation and bomb calorimetry to estimate material compositions, enthalpies of formation, and combustion energies for multiple commercially available 3-D print feed stock ABS types, …

Considerations For Microbial Inoculation Under Dryland Stress Conditions, Benedict Odinaka Okorie

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

Microbial inoculants are critical for sustainable crop production in dryland agriculture. However, several limitations (drought, heat, salinity, nutrient deficiency, etc.) of drylands and soil variability limit their consistent performance. Climate, soil properties (pH, texture, etc.), and their interactions are strong filters for microbial communities, functions, and activities across multiple scales, regions, and ecosystems. This review discusses several considerations of the peculiarities of drylands that must be factored into microbial formulations and inoculations decisions. Blanket/universal microbial formulations, inoculation methods, timings, and rates generally approach microbial, plant, and soil functions in isolation. This masks the complex microbial, soil, plant, environmental interactions, and …

Evaluating The Impact Of Residential Landscape Audits Using 5-Second Water Use Data, Mahmud Aveek, Camilo J. Bastidas Pacheco, David E. Rosenberg, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, Kelly Kopp, Belize A. Lane

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

We used 5-s water use data to evaluate the effectiveness of residential landscape water audits in summer 2022. Fifty-nine households in two northern Utah cities were monitored for 2–5 weeks before and 3–10 weeks after an audit. We found that the distribution of weekly irrigation volumes postaudit was statistically less than the distribution preaudit (significant at the 1.9E10-5 level). Collectively, the participants reduced their landscape irrigation water use by approximately 379,000 L per week (100,300 gal per week; 0.3 acre-feet per week). We also analyzed changes in irrigation event volume, duration, frequency, and the number of days between events at …

Fairhiveframes-1k: A Public Fair Dataset Of 1265 Annotated Hive Frame Images With Preliminary Yolov8 And Yolov11 Baselines, Vladimir Kulyukin, Reagan Hill, Aleksey Kulyukin

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

In precision apiculture, the portable digital camera is a cost-effective sensor for capturing hive images or videos used to quantify different colony variables. Openly accessible, well-annotated, interoperable cell-level image datasets are still the exception rather than the norm. This shortage constitutes a major barrier to AI-driven approaches aimed at automating image-based comb analysis. In this article, we present FAIRHiveFrames-1K, a publicly available dataset of 1265 annotated hive frame images (1920 × 1080 PNG) designed to facilitate research in AI-intensive image-based comb analysis automation. The dataset, derived from a 2013–2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service multi-sensor research reservoir, includes 124,669 …

Eleven Major Challenges Utah Girls And Women Face: A 2026 Update, April Townsend, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Decades of research—across Utah, the nation, and the globe—consistently show that reducing the challenges girls and women face begins with clearly identifying the issues.¹ Greater awareness lays the groundwork for meaningful, effective solutions. In Utah, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) serves as the state’s primary entity for this work, producing hundreds of research reports that illuminate the barriers, challenges, and opportunities shaping the lives of girls, women, and families.

Hypersonic Impact Method For Aerodynamics And Convective Heating (Hi-Mach) With Sensitivities, Jeremiah Goates, Logan Freeman, Nathan Hoch, Douglas Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this paper is to present the development of an engineering level code for calculating hypersonic aerodynamics and convective heating, HI-Mach. Novel to this paper are the use of analytic methods for streamline tracing and the direct differentiation of geometric sensitivities for both forces and heat load. Independent panel inclination methods calculate the pressure distribution on the surface of a hypersonic vehicle. Normal shock relations provide the thermodynamic state on each panel. Streamlines are integrated using closed-form streamline equations. Flat plate formulas corrected for compressibility calculate the skin friction coefficient and acreage heat flux on each panel. Formulas …

Building On Common Ground: Autistic Adults' And Parents Of Young Autistic Children's Perspectives Of Early Behavioral Intervention Practices, Sophia R. D'Agostino, Naima Bhana-Lopez, Trenton J. Landon, Alyssa Roylance, Avery Briggs

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of autistic adults and parents of autistic children regarding applied behavior analysis (ABA)-based early intervention, their beliefs about best practices in early intervention, and their recommendations for improving service delivery. A mixed-methods design was used to compare quantitative survey data from 70 participants (33 autistic adults, 37 parents) with qualitative interview responses (12 autistic adults, 12 parents), exploring perceptions of ABA and early intervention implementation. Quantitative analyses revealed significant group differences in perceptions of ABA’s benefits and side effects: parents rated ABA-based interventions more positively overall, whereas autistic adults expressed …

Further Development Of A Low-Energy Arc-Ignition System For Nytrox/Abs Hybrid Propulsion Systems, Stephen A. Whitmore, Jared S. Coen, Ryan J. Thibaudeau

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Utah State University has developed a high-performance “green” hybrid propulsion technology based on the unique electrical breakdown properties of 3D-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Using 3D-printed ABS as fuel, typical startup sequences require approximately 5–15 joules and, once started, the system can be sequentially fired with no additional energy inputs required. The number of possible ignitions is limited only by the amount of fuel. The most technologically mature version uses gaseous oxygen (GOX) as oxidizer and 3D-printed ABS as fuel. While GOX is mass-efficient, it lacks volumetric efficiency unless highly pressurized. Nytrox, a blend of GOX and nitrous oxide, improves propellant …

The Need For Tribal Enrollment Verification Programs At Urban Indian Organizations, William O. Carson, Felina M. Cordova-Marks, Byron E. Upshaw, Caleigh Curley, John W. Molina

Journal of Indigenous Research

Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) serve as community centers, providing culturally responsive services to urban American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. The majority offer patient navigation, which helps clients with scheduling and understanding treatment plans. They also provide insurance navigation, assisting clients with accessing eligible health insurance plans. Given their unique standing in a competitive marketplace, and since most UIOs require their clients to be enrolled tribal members, providing enrollment verification services is needed. Currently, prospective clients are responsible for verification, with no support provided. This can be a significant issue as UIOs serve a large number of AI/ANs, with tribal affiliations …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes April 13, 2026, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - March 16, 2026
• University Business
• Faculty Senate Business
• Reports
• Strategic Enrollment Management Annual Report
• Student Success Annual Report
• Committee on Committees Annual Report
• Calendar Committee Annual Report
• Information
• Additional Business
• Adjourn: 4:30