Digital Commons Network^™

Making The Writer’S Project, Alex Calderwood

ELO (un)supervised 2026

The Writer’s Project is a series of playful text editors which intervene in the act of writing in unexpected, challenging, and unusual ways. Some of the editors are conceptual experiments in user interface design: What if the editor asked you if you were sure before committing to each word? What if the delete key was not functional? Others editors are provocations that take aim at the conditions and AI-mediated writing, built to create a tension between writerly agency and system resistance. These involve placing writers into different configurations with text streams, for instance by turning prior writings into a Tetris-like …

Connected/Disconnected, Emery Beckman

ELO (un)supervised 2026

With the rise of AI, scholars are grappling with how it fits into their field and determining how authorship plays a role in the assistance of these tools. I argue that AI can be deemed a digital companion to creative and interactive design. Anthropic has recently launched Claude Code, a coding assistant for various projects. This talk explores how agentic AI can offer digital assistance while advocating for human thought to remain at the forefront. This talk will analyze and demo an interactive site and explore a collection of AI-assisted poems built alongside Claude Code titled "Connected/Disconnected." It will explore …

Previous Soil Environment Impacts Biomass Yield Of Winter Rye And Triticale, Monica Bennion, Christopher W. Rogers, Joy Barsotti, David L. Bjorneberg, Pramod Acharya, Jared Spackman

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Idaho is one of the top dairy-producing states, requiring forage systems that balance on-farm needs with environmental priorities. Introduction of new winter cereal forage rotations [i.e., hybrid rye (Secale cereale)] may improve nutrient use efficiency, protect soil, and utilize winter precipitation to provide spring forage. Research was conducted to assess the potential of hybrid rye compared to a commonly grown forage, [triticale (× Triticosecale)], across four historical nutrient-management treatments at two harvest stages. Biomass was calculated on a dry matter basis and converted to kg/ha. Hybrid rye biomass production did not differ from that of triticale under previous management …

Spatial Analysis Of Regional Economic Composition On Freshwater Usage In The Us Counties, Ashok Bahadur Deuba, Karl Geisler

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

The paper analyzes regional freshwater usage on the basis of industry across the US counties. While numerous studies have examined the relationships between industry and water usage, little information is available on regional economic composition of freshwater usage. The study uses water data from the USGS and industry data from the US Census Bureau for the contiguous US to explore the question using multiple spatial econometrics techniques. The preliminary results indicate Agriculture, Mining, Utilities, Construction, Manufacturing , Wholesale Trade, Transportation and Warehouse, Finance and Insurance, Real Estate and Rental and Leasing, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, Management of Companies and …

Atp-Based Monitoring To Indicate Microbial Performance In Wastewater Treatment Plants, Lydia Smith, Gregor Posadas, Roy Henson, Sondra Miller

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Wastewater treatment plants use complex operational systems to clean wastewater, with microorganisms being a core component of transforming polluted water into clean water. This study is based on a newly researched technology that infuses high concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) into return activated sludge, which enhances microbial activity and improves nutrient removal processes. The DO infusion system was installed and tested in a wastewater treatment facility in Greenleaf, Idaho. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was monitored as a biohealth indicator to assess the performance of the DO infusion system in terms of supporting microbial activity in biological wastewater treatment. Findings show that …

Analyzing Atmospheric Vortices On The Martian Surface, Francis Quinn, Noah Hoblet, Rachel Clark, Racine D. Cleveland, Brian Jackson

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

For this project, we are estimating the frequency of dust devils on Mars using data from the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. Dust devils are rotating columns of air that form when uneven surface heating, caused by solar insolation, creates localized instability. The resulting vortex produces a characteristic dip in atmospheric pressure. To detect these dips in atmospheric pressure, we have analyzed data collected by the MEDA (Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer) sensor suite aboard the Perseverance rover. Using Python-based tools, we tailor code to visualize the meteorological data (e.g, pressure and temperature) to find dips in pressure that may correspond to …

Emotional Vs. Informational Framing And Campaign Reach In Crowdfunding: Evidence From 15,901 For-Profit And Charitable Campaigns On Kickstarter And Kiva, Marco Trotta

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Crowdfunding campaigns rely heavily on how they tell their story. This study asks whether the emotional tone of a campaign description shapes how many backers it attracts, and whether that relationship looks different for for-profit campaigns compared to charitable ones. This paper analyzed 15,901 campaigns drawn from Kickstarter and Kiva, classifying each description as either emotional or informational and measuring reach by backer count.

The results are consistent across both campaign types. For-profit campaigns using emotional language had roughly 11.6% fewer backers than their informational counterparts. Emotional charitable campaigns also underperformed, attracting about 13.6% fewer backers relative to the informational …

Investigating H-Alpha Variability In Classical Be Stars: Β Lyr, 59 Cyg, And Γ Cas, Vinny Barnes, Josh Uriu, James Dull

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Classical Be stars are hot, luminous B-type stars characterized by hydrogen emission lines in their spectra. Among the most rapidly rotating stars known, they spin at 70-80% of their critical velocity, ejecting material into a circumstellar disk that produces these spectral features. Depending on viewing orientation, this can appear as either strong emission or sharp absorption lines. Be star variability arises from several sources, including disk instabilities, extreme rotation, and gravitational interactions with binary companions. To better understand this variability—and more broadly, hot star evolution—we obtained high-resolution H-alpha spectra of three known variable Be stars: 59 Cyg, OT Gem, and …

Lidar(T) Open Source Pathways: Community Water Resistance To Hoku Ai Datacenter, Jonathon Van Der Horn

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

We pivoted from our previous SARE project "Toward AI Water Sustainability: Indigenous Knowledge, LiDAR, and Art," (2025) focused on AI water usage and indigenous water rights and protection. A conclusion from that research concerned AI data centers in Oregon moving upstream to Idaho's Snake River. A 2026 public hearing in Pocatello, Idaho discussed an AI data center being built at the local Hoku site. The overwhelming community response against the AI data center over environmental concerns affecting local water systems led us to connect Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) maps of Idaho and Geographic Information System (GIS) applications for creative …

Protecting Indigenous Food Sovereignty Through Ecosystem Management: Evaluating The Relationship Between Camas And Garrison At The Centennial Marsh, Sincere Martin-Teton, Hart-Fredeluces Georgia, Sidney Fellows, Joshua Grinath, Nolan Brown, Bailey Dann

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Food Sovereignty and ecosystem conservation are closely tied to the protection of traditional food systems for Indigenous communities. The Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh in south-central Idaho holds great significance to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, supporting tribal identity and cultural practices across generations. Camas (Camassia quamash), native to the marsh, has served as an important sustenance for the tribes. Alongside camas, an increase in monocultures of sod-forming Garrison Creeping Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus arundinaceus) raises questions on whether these plants can be managed to coexist in this ecosystem. Introduced as forage for cattle, Garrison has had minimal research but …

Neuroactive Metabolite Assessment Of Gaba-Producing Probiotics For Healthy Aging, Sanaly Nava, Dishant Aggarwal, Samjhana Pradhan, Ken Aho, Cynthia Blanton, Javier Ochoa-Repáraz, Kavita Sharma

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Aging is a gradual process of weakening bodily function that leads to decline in physical, cognitive and behavioral abilities. Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), a major neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, is produced by both neurons and gut bacteria, and plays a crucial role in numerous physiological functions. Notably, aging is associated with a decline in GABA production and alterations in gut microbiota. Therefore, restoring GABA production by correcting dysbiosis presents a potential strategy for managing age-related functional decline. To better understand how to support healthy aging, our study investigates the gut-brain axis and the potential of genetically modified GABA-producing …

High Burden Of Elevated Fib-4 In Metabolically At-Risk Primary Care Patients: Simple Predictors To Guide Hepatic Fibrosis Triage, Ridwan Ademola Lawal, Fatimah Bello, Rashmee Patil, Juliana Yang

Research Symposium

Background: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), including metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH), is a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Current guidelines recommend fibrosis-based risk stratification using noninvasive tools such as the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index in patients with metabolic risk factors, followed by secondary assessment (e.g., transient elastography or enhanced liver fibrosis(ELF) testing) for those with elevated scores. However, data on the real-world prevalence of elevated FIB-4 in U.S. primary care populations, particularly in safety-net settings, and the downstream implications for fibrosis evaluation remain limited. We aimed to quantify the burden of elevated FIB-4 in a primary care setting …

A Tale Of Two Business Librarians: Integrating Ai Into Business Library Services, Michael Deike, Zac Grisham

Midwest Business Librarian Summit (MBLS)

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms higher education, academic business librarians are uniquely positioned to leverage these emerging tools to enhance instructional reach and operational efficiency. This presentation offers two distinct, actionable perspectives on integrating generative AI into business library services, spanning research assistance, information literacy instruction, and internal library operations. 

The first segment explores practical applications of generative AI in business research instruction. This approach advocates for the use of generative AI as foundational reference resources. Attendees will learn targeted strategies to guide students in using AI for pre-search topic exploration, effective keyword generation, and initial source evaluation. Crucially, …

What Didn’T Work And Why It Matters: Failure And Growth In Business Librarianship, Jennifer Horne, Ryan E. Yoakum, John Amundsen, Zac Grisham

Midwest Business Librarian Summit (MBLS)

No abstract provided.

Speaking Procurement: Defending Specialized Business Resources, Erica Freed, Samantha Bobbit

Midwest Business Librarian Summit (MBLS)

Business librarians are increasingly asked to defend high-cost, specialized resources to procurement offices that expect competitive bidding, interchangeable products, and clear evidence of value. Yet many business information tools are effectively sole source products: proprietary datasets, unique company and market intelligence, exclusive analyst content, and platforms with no true competitors. Presented jointly by a business librarian and an acquisitions librarian, this talk will explore common issues and strategies for writing effective justifications and communicating collection decisions to procurement offices outside of the library.   Erica & Sam will discuss how librarians can articulate uniqueness, and distinguish between overlapping and non-substitutable resources, …

Experience Gained In Introducing Efficient Fodder Production In Iraq, Manfred Siebert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cultivation of fodder plants is one of the most important measures for increasing the agri­cultural production of Iraq. Lucerne, Egyptian clover, maize, sorghum, and barley prosper excellently on the irrigation lands. They pro­duce high fodder yields if the plants are grown on suitable soil, if there is enough irrigation water available, and if the cultivation measures are realized in best quality. Fodder production guarantees sufficient and safe supply of the increasing stocks of cattle and sheep with green fodder, hay, and silage throughout the year, and contributes to improving the fertility of the soils of Iraq which are extremely poor …

Trials On The Improvement Of Deteriorated Natural Pastures In The Sahel Of Upper Volta, Bernard Toutain

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Overstocking and the recent drought have led to a severe deterioration of some Sahelian rangelands of Upper Volta, leading to a more or less acute disappearance of grazable vege­tation. Partial protection improves pastures located on the more fertile soils. On the poorer soils, light techniques such as harrowing and superficial tillage of the soil were tried with success, but yield improvement remained slight.

Problems And Possibilities Of Continuous Forage Production In Arid Subtropical Regions, Horst Patzold

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The low animal performance and stocking rate in arid subtropical regions mainly depend on the discontinuity of forage production. In winter-raining steppes of North Africa, the cultivation or sod-seeding of adapted grasses, especially for forage production in the dry season. (summer), is recommended. For the dry savannas of West Africa with summer­raining, proposals are made for three different stages depending on the intensity of land use. They include a better use of grazing areas by transhumance, proposals for a ranching system, especially for meat production, and possibil­ities for milk production by stabling of cattle, including forage production under irrigation.

Ecqnomics Of Nitrogen Fertilization Of Native And Introduced Grasslands In The Intermountain Area Of The United States, John P. Workman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

While numerous studies have shown that live­stock forage can be significantly increased by grassland fertilization, there is little mention in the literature of the economic considera­tions of this management practice. A Utah State University study was conducted to help alleviate this research deficiency. Forage pro­duction response of several Utah grassland sites to nitrogen fertilization was subjected to marginal economic analysis. When fertilized forage was harvested as hay, nitrogen appli­cation proved to be a profitable practice on semi-wet meadow and mountain loam sites. When valued as forage to be grazed directly by livestock, production increases due to fer­tilization were unprofitable. Significant …

Weed Control-Revegetation Systems, Raymond A. Evans, James A. Young

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Chemical weed control systems integrating 2,4-D [(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) acetic acid] or picloram ( 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) spraying for brush control and atrazine[2-chloro-4-( ethylamino-6-isopropylamino )-s-tria­zine] for Bromus tectorum L. control were investigated in a series of rangeland commu­nities. Applications of both weed control tech­nique greatly enhanced seedling growth and increased yield of perennial grasses seeded the year after the fallow. Available soil moisture during the growing period of the fallow and seedling years because of decreased weed com­petition was the major factor for the better stands of perennial grass from herbicidal weed control systems.

Some Effects Of Treading By Sheep On Pastures Of The Mediterranean Climatic Zone Of South Australia, Edwards D. Carter, Thambiappah Sivalingam

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In a treading experiment on a red brown earth soil at the Waite Agricultural Research Insti­tute in South Australia, various combinations of treading intensity (0, 12.5, 25 and 50 sheep equivalents per hectare) and treading frequency (0, 7, 14 and 28 days) reduced the establish­ment and productivity of subterranean clover, annual ryegrass and a mixture of these two species. With increasing intensity of treading, soil bulk density increased under the clover swards but not under the grass and mixture swards where apparently the ryegrass provided a cush­ioning effect between hoof and soil. Soil moisture percentage decreased with increasing intensity of …

Farmer Usage Of Annual Medics In A Ley Farming Area In South Australia, Murray V. Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A survey of farmers in a ley farming ( cereal­livestock) area of South Australia with natu­ralized annual medics (Medicago spp.) showed a great potential for improved usage of annual medics in their farming systems. Most effective medic users expected dominant medic pastures 6 or more years in 10, whereas less effective medic utilizers expected dominant medic pas­tures 5 or less years in 10. Nearly 50% of farm­ers had not sown any medic seed over the last 10 years. While most of these had less effective medic use there were several examples of more effective use with no or minimal medic …

Persistence Of Perennial Ryegrass Under Grazing In A Mediterranean-Type Environment Of South Australia, P R. Gibson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pastures were continuously grazed by sheep for four years at six stocking rates on the Kan­garoo Island Research Centre, South Australia. Changes in botanical composition in a reno­vated pasture sown to Lolium perenne cv. Vic­torian and subterranean clover (Trifolium sub­terraneum) cvv. Mt. Barker and Woogenellup, are discussed in relation to the replacement of the oestrogenically-potent subterranean clo­ver cv. Yarloop. There was a consistent within-year and be­tween-year decline in the perennial ryegrass component and this was associated with con­current invasion by vigorous, exotic, annual species mainly of Mediterranean origin. The lack of persistence of the perennial ryegrass indicates little …

Optimal Combinations Off Our Large Herbivores For Short Grass Prairie, George M. Van Dyne

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Diets of four large herbivores grazing together on a shortgrass prairie rangeland were studied. Cattle and bison consumed mainly grasses; sheep and antelope consumed mainly forbs. To maximize forage use, optimal grazing deter­mined by nonlinear programming would be 67, 20, 12, and I% of the forage grazed to be taken by cattle, bison, sheep, and antelope, respectively. Historically, this range has been grazed primarily by cattle. This study suggests more animal production could be attained with a mixture of herbivore species.

Improving Production From Arid Rangelands Of The South-Western United States, Carlton H. Herbel, Robert P. Gibbens, John M. Tromble

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Three methods of several possibilities are dis­cussed for improving production from arid rangelands. Sandy lands infested with mes­quite can be improved by aerially spraying with 2,4,5-T. Natural recovery of perennial grasses,_ primarily mesa dropseed, following spraying resulted in 204 kg/ha herbage compared to 33 kg/ha on the adjacent unsprayed area. An area infested with creosotebush was root-plowed and seeded. Herbage production in 1975 was 1,631 kg/ha, primarily Lehmann and Boer lovegrass. Cattle production was increased by cross­breeding Herefords with either Brangus or Santa Gertrudis. The weaning weights of Santa Gertrudis calves were heavier than calves from the other two breeds, …

Management Of Ephemeral Ranges In The Western United States, Kay W. Wilkes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In using ephemeral range procedures, several aspects have come into focus:

(1) We have found that completion of our intricate multiple-use planning procedures gives us a much clearer picture of the many desert resource values and conflicts and the effects of "just letting the livestock go when the feed comes."

(2) There are a number of problems in taking sound ecological data and attempting to fit it in with other management needs in an allotment management plan, for example, off-road vehicle use on the desert, wild burros, and desert wildlife.

(3) We lack adequate information on the ephemeral and ephemeral-perennial …

Aid To Rangeland Management. Mechanical Type Conversion Of Woodland Areas, William Gordon Leavell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Efficient land utilization is essential to meet the growing requirements of an expanding population. The large low-producing pinyon­juniper woodland of the United States offers potential for increased production to meet additional livestock, wildlife, and watershed needs. Through a multiple-use planning pro­cess which determines areas suitable for in­creasing production by mechanical conversion of vegetative types and an environmental anal­ysis procedure which determines the benefits and adverse impacts of such actions, decisions can be made to undertake treatment in an environmentally acceptable manner. The Bureau of Land Management has me­chanically converted over 200,000 hectares of pinyon-juniper to a more diversified and pro­ductive …

Grassland Site Types Of The North Mongolian Forest Steppe Zone And Possibilities Of Intensification, K Kloss, M Succow

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Five grassland site types are distinguished: Chestnut soils are covered with natural forb or grass steppes producing 0.1 to 1.0 t DM/ha at less than 300 mm annual precipitation. They should be exclusively used for winter grazing. At higher precipitations, these soils will tum into permafrost soils. They bear mountain herbage vegetation as forest substitute asso­ciations. Productivity amounts to 4 t/ha. Mow­ing and/or grazing are possible. Fertilization seems to be profitable. Between grass steppes and mountain herbage lands we find extended meadow steppes located on shallow chemo­zems. Old, intensively grazed pastures in the lowlands have become depleted in nutrients. Nitrogen …

A Study Of The Improvement Of Dry-Land Ranges Developed Under The Ecological Conditions Of Erzurum (Eastern Anatolia), F Tosun, I Manga, M Altin, Y Serin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The study described in the paper was con­ducted to determine a suitable range improve­ment method under dry conditions in Erzurum, Turkey. Four treatments, i.e. control, broad­casting, and two artificial pasture establish­ments, were applied in the experiment, and the following results were obtained:

(a) Absence of good seedbeed preparation, and the occurrence of heavy competition from the native vegetation resulted in the failure of broadcasting. The additional profit for this treatment over control was negative.

(b) Artificial pasture establishment was the most successful method due to good seed­bed preparation and elimination of the competition coming from the native vege­tation.

(c) About …

Establishment And Permanent Use Of Cultivated Pastures In The Foothill Regions Of Turkmenia, S Ya Prikhodko, N D. Prikhodko

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The results of long-term experiments are re­ported. The following promising plant species were chosen for pasture establishment: Hal­oxylon persicum, H. aphyllum, Salsala paletz­kiana, S. richteri, Aellenia subaphylla, Artemisia badhysi, Kochia prostrata. These species of different forms of life were sown in mixture. Under conditions of cultivation, a great part of the plant species reached the generative stage in the 1st or 2nd years of life. At the age of 3 to 5 years, the shrubs reached a height of 160 to 400 cm, the semi-shrubs a height of 45 to 75 cm. The forage yield was 1.5 to 4.5 t/ha, …