Digital Commons Network^™

A Study On The Impact Of Diet On Unified Fire Authority Firefighter Performance, Marin Easton

Student Research Symposium

Objective: This project aimed to examine the impact of nutrition knowledge, dietary intake, and physical activity on firefighters’ performance on their routine physical assessment (RPA) Methodology: Members of the Unified Fire Authority were invited via email to participate in this cross-sectional study. Participants (N=92) completed a 40-question survey that assessed specialized diet adherence, dietary intake, nutrition knowledge (using questions from the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire; 1 point for each correct answer [26 points possible]), regular physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), and perceived physical performance on their RPA. Based on their responses, participants were categorized into one of two groups: …

“Me Adjacent”: Alternate Personas And Virtual Worlds, Katie Snow, Gracie Wilkinson, Nichole Bresee, Whitney Hall, Leah Downey

Student Research Symposium

Research shows that people who engage in role-playing games (RPG), from video games to tabletop games, can derive feelings of achievement, as well as social and immersive experiences which can help them reach eudaimonic and hedonic states (Snodgrass et al. 2019). However, gaming has also been linked to negative emotions related to “problematic” and “addictive” play, related to toxic communities and compulsive gameplay. In this project, we examine how avatars — digital and imaginary representations of players — shape emotional states. Through free listing and pile sorting interviews, our results show how gamers relate to their avatars, and how these …

Love Across The Ages: An Intergenerational Reminiscence Theatre Piece, Rhiannon Tarver, Mckenna Finley

Student Research Symposium

Ethnodramatic theatre performances are based on real people’s lived experiences, often collected through interviews, while reminiscence theatre pieces specifically consider the experiences of older adults, usually reflecting on their earlier life experiences. Our project had several goals for each participant group who were or will be involved. Our overarching goal for the project is to show both older and younger generations that love stories connect us all. We aimed to share senior citizens’ experiences in order to demonstrate that their stories continue to speak to contemporary youth. Some stories may end positively, and others may not, providing young people with …

The Imperfect Structure Of General Education, Bella Slack

Student Research Symposium

Hello my name is Bella Slack, and I completed this Research Project for my English 2010 class. Every student attending an American College is required to complete their General Education before moving further into career programs. Students spend tens of thousands of dollars on these classes, increasing the funds needed to obtain a college education and prolonging the number of years they are in college before their career. I used Library and Internet resources to find primary and secondary research, as well as a personally conducted survey that was used to inform my argument. Through careful analysis of my sources …

Anxiety In Teenagers: Causes And Reducers, Maryjane Toponce

Student Research Symposium

I talk about what anxiety is and causes. I also talk about types of anxiety and how people can reduce their anxiety.

Price Controls On The Pharmaceutical Industry, Camden Clark

Student Research Symposium

The rapidly increasing cost of drugs is an ever-growing problem for Americans. As time goes on, fewer and fewer people are able to purchase the medications they are prescribed. This research analyzes the benefits for price controls on the United States pharmaceutical industry and aims to investigate the most practical, efficient methods of implementing price controls. Online research was conducted to find primary and secondary sources detailing the impacts of high drug prices in the United States, comparing the healthcare policies in the United States with policies in other countries, and exploring potential solutions. As a result of this research, …

Adapt Lake Mead Releases To Inflow To Give Managers More Flexibility To Slow Reservoir Draw Down, David E. Rosenberg

Publications

A 20-year Colorado River drought continues and Lake Mead draws down. As Lake Mead falls through 8 elevation tiers to 1,020 feet (5.7 million acre-feet [maf]), releases drop and mandatory water conservation targets for California, Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico grow to 1.375 maf per year (USBR, 2019). How will different reservoir inflows, releases, and additional water conservation efforts beyond mandatory targets speed or slow Lake Mead draw down, stabilization, and recovery?

40-Years Of Lake Urmia Restoration Research: Synthesis And Next Steps, Marsoud Parsinejad, David E. Rosenberg, Yusuf Alizade Govarchin Ghale, Bahram Khazaei, Sarah Null, Omid Raja, Ammar Safaie, Somayeh Sima, Armin Sorooshian, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Lake Urmia, Iran Collaborations

Public concern over environmental issues such as ecosystem degradation is high. However, restoring coupled human-natural systems requires integration across many science, technology, engineering, management, and governance topics that are presently fragmented. Here, we synthesized 544 peer-reviewed articles published through September 2020 on the desiccation and nascent recovery of Lake Urmia in northwest Iran. We answered nine questions of scientific and popular interest about causes, impacts, stabilization, recovery, and next steps. We find: (1) Expansion of irrigated agriculture, dam construction, and mismanagement impacted the lake more than temperature increases and precipitation decreases. (2) Aerosols from Lake Urmia's exposed lakebed are negatively …

Geospatial Analysis Of Drug-Related Crimes In Local Communities In Utah, Erin Crump

Student Research Symposium

According to the 2021 World Drug Report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), over 36 million people among 275 million people who used drugs worldwide suffered from drug use disorders in 2020 alone. In addition, the number of people who use drugs is estimated to increase by 11 percent globally by 2030. Therefore, there exists a strong need to further understand drug usage and drug-related crimes to address prevention and intervention policies. In particular, the identification of geographical locations with frequent drug-related crimes is very critical for law enforcement agencies and state/federal governments to establish …

Development Of Particle Image Velocimetry Learning Tool: Learnpiv.Org, Kevin Roberts

Student Research Symposium

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is an experimental measurement technique used for quantitative and visual analysis of the velocity distribution in a flow field. Researchers conduct PIV by using lasers to illuminate particles in a flow field of interest, digital cameras to record images of these illuminated particles, and PIV software to analyze the recorded images, producing a velocity vector field. Applying proper techniques to gather useful images and identifying PIV processing algorithm parameters to the collected images is a challenging task for novice PIV users who are unaware of the inner workings of PIV algorithms. Recognizing this problem, we created …

Fruits Of Nandina Domestica Are (Sometimes) Cyanogenic And (Sometimes) Hazardous To Birds, Scott Zona

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

A 12-month survey of cyanogenesis in the fruits and leaves of Nandina domestica (Berberidaceae) revealed that the leaves are strongly cyanogenic throughout the year, as measured by the Feigl-Anger test. Fruits vary in their cyanogenic potential depending on the degree of ripeness and clone. Green fruits are strongly and rapidly cyanogenic, but most ripe fruits are weakly and slowly cyanogenic. Some fruits tested negative for cyanide. Fruits tend to become less cyanogenic the longer they remain on the plant, so birds feeding on older fruits are at a lower risk of poisoning. More than other frugivores, cedar waxwings (Bombycilla …

Social Students, Social Scholars: How Usu English Graduate Students Use Social Media, Taylor Franson

Student Research Symposium

This research study focused on social media usage of USU English graduate students within the Utah State University English Department. The case study and interview results showed that few English graduate students have received advice on how to use social media, despite believing social media could be used to advance their careers. Many believe networking could be crucial to being published, creating contacts within the English world, and furthering their academic career, but few know how to go about this. This study suggests that there is room within the English department to create opportunities for English graduate students to learn …

Spongy Moth (Lymantria Dispar Dispar Linnaeus), Ann Mull, Lori R. Spears

All Current Publications

Spongy moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) are invasive leaf-eating (defoliating) pests that threaten trees and shrubs in urban, suburban, and rural landscapes. The spongy moth was accidentally introduced to the U.S. in 1869 by an amateur French entomologist in Massachusetts who sought to establish a hardier American silkworm industry. These moths now commonly occur in the northeastern U.S. and are also found in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, California, Oregon, and Washington. In Utah, according to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (2021), the spongy moth is anticipated to survive and multiply rapidly …

The Utah Statesman, April 4, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Relevance Of Pulsed Electroacoustic Measurements For Spacecraft Charging, Zachary Gibson, J. R. Dennison

Physics Student Research

The magnitude and spatial distribution of charge embedded in dielectric materials and the evolution of the charge distributions with time are at the heart of understanding spacecraft charging. Spacecraft materials are charged primarily by incident fluxes of low energy electrons, with electron fluxes in the 10 keV to 50 keV range often responsible for the largest deleterious arcing effects. While the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) method can provide sensitive non-destructive measurements of the internal charge distribution in insulating materials, it has often been limited for spacecraft charging applications by typical spatial resolutions of ≤10 μm, with a 10 μm range of …

School-Based Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Adolescents With Anxiety: A Pilot Trial, Julie M. Petersen, Carter H. Davis, Tyler L. Renshaw, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent diagnoses in youth, often resulting in impaired social and school functioning. Research on treatments for youth anxiety is primarily based in traditional clinical settings. However, integrating youth psychotherapies into the school environment improves access to evidence-based care. The present study is a pilot, randomized waitlist-controlled trial of a school-based, group acceptance and commitment therapy-based (ACT) intervention for adolescents with anxiety. Students at two separate schools (N = 26) with elevated anxiety were randomized to a 12-week waitlist or to immediate treatment. Participants in the immediate treatment condition reported statistically significant decreases …

Review Of Environmental Contamination At Akwesasne And Associated Health Outcomes, Thoin F. Begum, David O. Carpenter, Akwesasne Task Force On The Environment (Atfe)

Journal of Indigenous Research

The Akwesasne reservation along the St. Lawrence River has experienced significant exposure to several persistent organic pollutants due to rapid industrialization. The Aluminum Company of America, General Motors, and Reynolds Metals operated aluminum foundries that that used polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as hydraulic fluids, which leaked and were washing down the drain into the rivers or disposed of on their property. This has resulted in the community, the soil, air and water, and their food sources being contaminated with PCBs, persistent organochlorine pesticides, and heavy metals. Epidemiological studies found that exposure to these environmental toxicants are negatively associated with growth and …

[History Of Moab Charter School], Moab Charter School

Moab Time Capsule 2022

Moab Charter School first opened its doors on August 4, 2004 as Moab Academy. It was started by a group of active parents from Moab and Castle Valley interested in providing an alternative to local schooling in a small-school, small-class size setting. MCS was first established as a private school with tuition, the governing board soon applied for a public school charter with the Utah State Office of Education (USOE). The charter was granted, and MCS joined the many other free, public charter schools across the state of Utah. There are approximately 130 such charters in Utah today, all publicly …

Cultural Competency In Usu Extension: Impact Of Professional Development For Latino Outreach Programs, Celina G. Wille, Lendel K. Narine

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

In response to the growing Latino population in Utah, USU Extension faculty participated in trainings to build their cultural competency and engage with Latino audiences. The professional development series were attended by 186 Extension professionals. A 2021 follow-up study reported that 52% of respondents who participated in the training are currently engaging in Latino outreach programs.

[Letter From Usu Moab Nursing], Connie Wilson, Rachel Parker, Utah State University Moab Nursing

Moab Time Capsule 2022

Utah State University Moab graduated its first nursing class in the spring of 2018. Our enrollment has fluctuated over the last five years. We have had as few as two students and as many as ten students in our cohorts. It has certainly been an adventure, creating a complete and robust nursing program in our little town with just a couple faculty and sometimes just a couple students. The program started with Nancy Chartier as a professor and the campus coordinator and Connie Wilson as a professor. After getting the program up and running, Nancy was ready to retire. Connie …

Career And Technical Education (Cte) As A New Adventure For Usu Moab And The Moab Community, Steve Hawks, Bruce Miller

Moab Time Capsule 2022

With the passage of Senate Bill 69, the College of Eastern Utah (CEU) officially became part of the Utah State University system on March 4, 2010. Following the merger,USU quickly created the School of Applied Sciences, Technology and Education(ASTE) within the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences to provide administrative guidance and leadership for all Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offered throughout the state, including those that were previously available only through CEU.

Festival Of Science, Moab Festival Of Science

Moab Time Capsule 2022

Since 2016, the annual Moab Festival of Science has featureda fantastic variety of free eventsto the Moab communityshowcasing the wonders and value of science with a special focus on Colorado Plateau science.For many years the main events –like the keynote address, a science-themed movie, other scientific talks, and even a presentation with a live, rehabilitated great-horned owl took place in the historic Star Hall.In 2020, with the outbreak of COVID-19, the Festivalcommittee struggled with the decision of whether to cancel the event, but in the end rallied to provide the same great science outreach but in new COVID-safe format. Movies …

Constructing Usu Moab’S New Academic Building–An Example Of Resiliency And Community Impact, Hogan & Associates Construction, Inc.

Moab Time Capsule 2022

In some ways, theworld seemed to turnmore slowly at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were significantshutdowns, education became virtual, people needed to distance themselves socially, and companies sent employees home to work. At the same time, Hogan & Associates Construction and MHTN Architects pressed forward on Utah State University’s Moab Academic building asconstructionwascategorized by the Utah state government as an essential industry because of the considerablepublic money involved.

Usu Moab Historical Timeline, Steve Hawks, Lianna Etchberger

Moab Time Capsule 2022

A timeline of Utah State University in Moab from 1967 through 2022.

Utah State University Moab’S New Building—An Example Of Resiliency & Community Impact, Brittany Punjabi

Moab Time Capsule 2022

After 20 years in the making, Utah State University (USU) Moab's new building is finally here!Utah State's presence in Moab began more than 50 years ago as a room where people could take classes. As community demand increased, the university started renting additional spaces in a building in downtown Moab. They later purchased the facility that housed these rented rooms and bought a second building in the office complex. Although USU utilized this space for years, the community desired a learning environment built for higher education.

Episcopal Church Of St Francis Time Capsule Offering, Dave Sakrison, Episcopal Church Of St Francis

Moab Time Capsule 2022

Greetings and Salutations from the year 2022. We are sure you all know that for the past two years (that is 2020-2022) we have been suffering through a pandemic Covid. It has been a rough two years we have gone through quite a change from a vibrant church to an even more purposeful and more vibrant church even though our attendance has suffered from a membership of 60+ to 30 faithful members. As I am writing this I even wonder if there will be an Episcopal Church in Moab, time will have been told by the time you read this.

Pack It Out Utah: Usu Water Quality Extension Leads Utah’S Statewide Trails And Waterways Cleanup, Lauren Houskeeper, Hope Braithwaite

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah’s public lands have experienced a surge in outdoor recreation which has led to an increase in garbage on trails, parks, neighborhoods, and eventually, in our waterways. In response, Utah State University Water Quality Extension initiated an annual statewide cleanup to raise awareness and facilitate the proper disposal of litter. During the cleanup events in 2020 and 2021, over 11,000 pounds of trash were removed from our public lands and waterways.

Welcoming And Inclusive Farmers Markets: A Community Of Practice To Encourage Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, Jaclyn Pace, Regan Emmons, Kelsey Hall, Celina Wille, Lacee Jimenez, Carrie Durward, Roslynn Brain-Mccann

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Farmers markets, as vibrant hubs for community connection and stimulus to the local economy, often have staff, vendor, and customer demographics that are predominantly white. The Utah Farmers Market Network (UFMN) convened a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Community of Practice with market managers statewide to assist markets in becoming more welcoming and inclusive of historically excluded populations.

Introduction And Acknowledgments, Matt Wappett

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Behavior - Spring 2022, Midwest Symposium For Leadership In Behavior Disorders

ReThinking Behavior Magazine

A magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs.

Spring 2022, Volume 5, Issue 3