Digital Commons Network^™

2026 Northern Utah Water Champion Award, Spring Runoff Conference

Spring Runoff Conference

Recognizes individuals who have demonstrated sustained, meaningful contributions to the stewardship, management, governance, or understanding of water in Northern Utah.

Utah State University’S Water Legacy, Brad Mortensen

Spring Runoff Conference

Utah State University's President, Brad Mortensen, presents at the 2026 Spring Runoff Conference.

Drone Based Operational Cloud Seeding, Jared Smith

Spring Runoff Conference

Cloud Seeding: Next Generation Operations and Validation

What is Winter Cloud Seeding? 

• The act of introducing favorable dust particles into a cloud to promote ice crystal nucleation 
• Requires naturally occurring clouds and cold temperatures 
• Aimed at enhancing winter snowpack

Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan – Longterm Actions, Jake M. Serago

Spring Runoff Conference

GSL’s water level is in long-term decline. Water users face shortages and challenges. Increased temperatures, greater precipitation extremes and population changes are stressing water supplies in the basin. 84% of Utah residents think the Government is accountable for resolving issues facing GSL.

Agricultural Water Leasing Opportunities & Updates, Hannah Freeze

Spring Runoff Conference

The framework for this leasing program is based on depletion savings from conservation practices not surplus or tailwater

Pheasant Forever Loan Program, Will Benkelman

Spring Runoff Conference

Bear River Watershed Community Conservation Program

Our Mission: Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever’s (QF) mission is to conserve pheasants, quail, and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public access, education, and conservation advocacy.

When The Job Hurts: An Ergonomic Investigation Of Telecommunications Fieldwork., Noah Clark

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

This ergonomic case study examines the work-related musculoskeletal disorders of a 53-year-old telecommunications field manager who has a diverse occupational background. This study encompasses both sedentary and physically demanding positions, where the transition to blue-collar fieldwork following a brain injury at age 42 exacerbated persistent wrist challenges, ultimately leading to a diagnosis of osteoarthritis and subsequent surgery. This study utilizes extensive task analysis, body discomfort surveys, and two standardized ergonomic evaluation techniques: the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and the ACGIH Threshold Limit Value (TLV) for Hand Activity. The RULA examination obtained a score of 6 and the TLV test …

Logan River Watershed Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Zan Murray

Spring Runoff Conference

Agenda:

Program Overview: PL-566 & NEPA

Project Need and Purpose

Project Alternatives

Preferred Alternative Costs and Benefits

NEPA Timeline/Current Schedule

Questions

A Tangible Modeling Language For Systems Engineering, Maissane Aik

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

With the continuous growth of technology and system complexity, systems engineering plays a crucial role in ensuring performance, adaptability, and clarity across interconnected processes. Yet, as modeling tools become increasingly abstract and dependent on digital infrastructures, they have drifted away from the tangible, intuitive ways humans naturally think, communicate, and design. Current modeling approaches often require engineers to navigate numerous diagrams and layers of abstraction. To address the gap, this research will focus on creating a novel systems engineering language that reintroduces tangibility into system modeling. The proposed language will represent system elements as modular blocks that capture structure, behavior, …

Computational Study Of Slosh Dynamics And Active Slosh Damping In Spacecraft Propellant Tanks Equipped With A Magneto Active Propellant Management Device, Priyanshu Savaliya

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

The management of liquid propellant in microgravity remains one of the longest-standing issues in spacecraft design. Traditional passive damping techniques using baffles or diaphragms tend to add structural mass and complexity. The current study proposes a novel active slosh damping device which dynamically adjusts the rheology of the damper fluid using electromagnets, simulated in ANSYS Fluent, to actively manage and dampen slosh in an oscillatory excited cylindrical propellant tank. The electromagnetic fields are modulated through a User-Defined Function (UDF) that responds to force feedback simulated in real time via virtual load cells. In Fluent, the interface dynamics of xenon, fuel, …

Techno Loteria: Working With Senior Planet From Aarp, Darryl Greer

Staying Safe, Smart, and Well Online: Empowering Older Adults in the Digital Age

No abstract provided.

Cache Water District Conservation Program, Autumn Matthews

Spring Runoff Conference

Conservation and Education Programs.

Conservation Goals:

Increase community awareness through outreach, workshops, and community programs that support water conservation.

Expand and improve programs that encourage water savings and more efficient water use across the community.

Help residents save money by promoting water efficiency and reducing unnecessary water use.

What Am I Actually Sharing? Everyday Data Decisions And How To Stay In Control, Yair Cabrera Menendez

Staying Safe, Smart, and Well Online: Empowering Older Adults in the Digital Age

No abstract provided.

Beyond Easy Incorporation: Liability Of The Sole Shareholder In Singlemember Limited Liability Companies Between Global Legal Models And The Limitations Of The Uae Framework, Lama Mohammed Abu Mahmoud

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Between the global legal models that have developed precise mechanisms to regulate the liability of the sole shareholder, and the UAE framework, which can still be considered in a stage of development, this study seeks to examine the possibility of achieving a balance between economic freedom and legal oversight. This is done through analyzing comparative legal models that have adopted different approaches to maintaining this balance, whether through regulatory, preventive, or financial control mechanisms.

This study examines the single-member limited liability company as one of the most widely used legal forms in modern economic environments, given the flexibility it offers …

Water Supply Update, Jordan Clayton

Spring Runoff Conference

Snowpack and Water Supply Conditions.

>95% of the water we use in Northern Utah comes from snow. Therefore, it’s critically important to quantify how much water is stored in our snowpack.

Legislative Summary Panel, Brian Steed, Scott Sandall, Jill Koford, Joel Ferry

Spring Runoff Conference

Legislative updates provided at the Spring Runoff Conference 2026.

Digital Challenges Experienced By Older Adults In Hidalgo County, Migdalia (Dee) Ochoa

Staying Safe, Smart, and Well Online: Empowering Older Adults in the Digital Age

No abstract provided.

Water In 2026, Spencer Cox

Spring Runoff Conference

Presentation by Utah Governor Cox.

Mitochondrial Transfer And Induced Ros As A Therapeutic Strategy In Idh2-Mutant Chondrosarcoma, Vegas R. Bedder, Caleb Wyckoff, Chris Osgood, Gavin A. Vasquez, Michael Stacey

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Chondrosarcoma (CS) are common bone cancers that produce cartilaginous tumors and are extremely refractive to chemo-and-radiation therapies, leaving very limited treatment options. They contain mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase genes, IDH1 or IDH2. Either IDH1 or IDH2 mutations are present in individual tumors, but not both. They both convert alphaketoglutarate (αKG) into the potent oncometabolite D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D2HG). D2HG can be transported from the tumors to cells of the tumor microenvironment (TME) where it can alter metabolic and epigenetic profiles in recipient cells. The process of α-KG to D2HG conversion occurs in the cytoplasm of IDH1 mutant cells, and in the …

Human Subject Studies For The Alignment Of Llm-As-A-Judge Evaluation Metric For Science News, Gabriel Vega Osborne

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Science news has become an important vehicle to disseminate scientific breakthroughs, discoveries, and technological innovations. With the advancement of large language models and related AI models, it is possible to automatically generate science news from scientific papers, extending the reader population from domain scientists to a broader scope. However, how to evaluate the quality of the generated news warrants research. Traditional token based metrics have been shown to fail to evaluate the semantics and nuances of science news. Inspired by the fact that a major goal of science news is to educate readers with new knowledge, we thus propose knowledge …

Craniofacial Differences And Safe Sleep Practices: Findings From A Caregiver Survey At A Children’S Hospital, Cait Vuturo-Brady, Aracelia S. Aldrete, Jesus Gil Inciong, Miccah Seaman, Rianna Leazer

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Purpose

Many infants with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) have airway issues that make supine, flat-surface sleep challenging.¹ Prior studies indicate that alternative positioning may reduce obstructive events,² and early sleep-disordered breathing can affect later development.³  Despite this, caregivers of infants with craniofacial differences rarely receive tailored sleep guidance, and no evidence-based, condition-specific recommendations currently exist.^4,5

Methods

This single-site, cross-sectional study evaluated sleep practices, caregiver education, and barriers to adherence among parents of children (< 3 years) with CL/P treated at CHKD’s Craniofacial Program. Eligible caregivers (n=117) were identified via query of the electronic medical record by CHKD Data Governance and invited to complete an anonymous REDCap survey assessing demographics, sleep environment, counseling, and understanding of safe-sleep recommendations.

Results & Conclusions

Of the 11 caregivers who completed the survey, 91% reported crib sleep, though several also used beds, couches, …

The Living Lab: Instructional Design Interventions To Improve Communication And Equity In Federal Housing Programs, Joana I. Camp

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

The Living Lab is an independent applied research project informed by my 25 years of lived experience as a Section 8 voucher holder, examining how instructional design strategies can improve administrative workflows, communication, and equitable access within the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Drawing on sustained participation, the research identifies two primary systemic barriers: the federally mandated 15-day inspection period and incomplete Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) packets. To address these issues, the project developed the RFTA Roadmap—a zero-cost, clarity-driven communication tool that embeds sequential instructions directly within procedural workflows, mitigating the Split-Attention Effect and cognitive “Bandwidth Tax” associated with standard …

Personality Traits In Criminals, Ravinesh Prasad Jr

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

It's a poster that shows research done to show personality traits that are in criminals. The studies show how criminals differ from civilians. It also goes into the flaws of the studies and how they could be done better. The information is present on the poster, but I also add more context and answer questions people have. The point is to just share interesting studies and what they found. This study shows that correlation doesn't equal causation.

Optimizing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (Crrt) In The Icu: A Qsen-Based Framework For Nursing Decision-Making Support, Leslie Okhirkhian

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Nurses in critical care environments must exercise precise clinical judgement to recognize patient destabilization cues while managing the complex biomedical technologies that support failing physiological systems. Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) is a modality for hemodynamically unstable patients requiring fluid overload management and waste removal; however, it is a complex technology that demands nurses navigate a “tightrope” between renal perfusion and hemodynamic stability. Despite its prevalence, there is no concise decision-making support for nursing care in the current literature based on the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) strategies. This presentation addresses this gap by proposing a QSEN-based, standardized …

A Causal Inference Methodology For Root-Cause Diagnosis In Nonstationary Industrial Time Series, Cansu Yalim

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Industrial fault diagnosis lacks a procedure that learns time-varying causal structure from observational time series, makes identifiability limits explicit, and uses intervention-based reasoning to support root-cause assessment under industrial constraints. Although predictive maintenance can reduce downtime, diagnosis is often expert-rule-based or association-driven; pipelines may elevate downstream symptoms alongside true drivers and provide limited guidance on which feasible action would change a fault trajectory under current operating conditions. Because operating phases and fault progression create regime shifts, industrial systems rarely follow a single stable mechanism. This study develops and evaluates a three-stage, regime-aware causal diagnostic protocol based on a time-varying Dynamic …

Evaluating Sensory Sensitivities Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In An Adaptive Gymnastics Program, Aicha Kaouss, Bradley Eppinger, Austin Ebbrecht, Kailash Ram, Kaitlin P. Hardy Md

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Introduction: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participate in physical activity at lower rates than their neurotypical peers1. Sensory sensitivities, reported in approximately 75–95% of children with ASD, may contribute to this disparity2. Gymnastics environments involve bright lighting and loud noise, which can precipitate sensory overload. The impact of specific sensory features on participation in adaptive gymnastics remains underexplored.

Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited caregivers of children aged 3–12 years with an ASD diagnosis enrolled in the EVMS Adaptive Gymnastics Program. Caregivers completed the Sensory Experiences Questionnaire–Third Edition (SEQ-3)3 and supplemental survey items on Redcap which assessed environmental triggers and …

Parental Safe Sleep Knowledge And Infant Safe Sleep Practices In Tidewater, Virginia, Karen Hancock, Kathie Zimbrow, Carolyn Rutledge

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Tidewater, VA has the highest SIDS rate in the state. The purpose of this submission is to contribute to the limited knowledge available on parental knowledge and infant safe sleep practices in Tidewater, VA. Through this study we have attempted to identify impediments to infant safe sleep practices and hope to use this information to address gaps in education on infant safe sleep practices.

This abstract will be presented in poster presentation form and is appropriate for the following categories: Maternal, Child, and Neonatal Nursing as well as Public Health and Community Nursing.

Contributions to this work were made by …

The Impact Of Housing Instability And Transportation Insecurity On Copd Hospital Readmissions In Vulnerable Populations, Sophia Reid

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Problem Statement Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of morbidity and healthcare utilization in the United States, accounting for approximately $50 billion in annual healthcare costs, with $13.2 billion linked specifically to readmissions. Despite the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) targeting COPD as a key quality metric, 30-day readmission rates remain high at 22.6%. African Americans disproportionately experience worse COPD outcomes, including higher hospitalization rates and a slower decline in mortality. While social determinants of health (SDOH) are known to influence health outcomes, there is limited research analyzing the dual impact of housing instability and transportation …

Tour Of Old & Rare Books Collection, Kelsey Koym, Tara Sims

History of Medicine Seminar

No abstract provided.

Unpaid Academic Internship Award--Deborah's Place, Katherine Hudgens

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This presentation highlights the role I played as a case management intern for my field experience requirement. During my internship at Deborah's Place, a supportive housing program that supports women experiencing homelessness, I acquired extensive knowledge surrounding benefits assistance, federal and state-wide housing programs, and various supportive services used to help unhoused individuals.