summer 2010 newsletter

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1 SUMMER 2010 continued on page 2 Message from the Director continued on page 2 Scientists, Engineers and Social Scientists Collaborate on Climate Change Research This year, Ringo Starr, on the eve of his 70 th birthday said: “If you get up in the morning, there is a pretty good chance you are going to have a good day.” For faculty and staff in higher education, the thing that gets us out of bed is the privilege of working with the current generation of students. According to Intelligent Life magazine (2009), this is the smartest generation in history with an amazing ability to cross cultural barriers and mix cultural interests. This generation is also remarkable for their commitment to social justice, care and awareness for the environment and dedication to the societies around them. This is demonstrated by the more than 5,000 undergraduate students at Boise State University, Idaho State University and the University of Idaho who last year logged a combined 150,000+ hours in Service Learning Programs. Since this staggering number only represents university-tracked hours, and does not include volunteer programs or students from Idaho’s colleges and private institutions, we can assume that this is a very low estimate of the actual giving of this current generation of students in Idaho. The other side of this synergistic equation is when faculty provide experiences in the classroom or through research that totally alters the career direction and aspirations of students. This is very evident throughout the EPSCoR Program, particularly as a result of new faculty hires. The provosts, deans and vice-presidents of research are to be congratulated in the stellar new hires from top Universities that have been made despite strong competition from larger institutions. Many of these new hires are profiled in this series of newsletters. Here are just two examples of the synergy between these faculty and Idaho’s students. Jeremy Hegman is a graduate of the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind in Gooding. Jeremy was born deaf, but has a hearing assistance implant that gives him functionality. Jeremy is now a student at the College of Southern Idaho and works at the Kimberly R&E Center, assisting with the UI EPSCoR RII project and with water quality sampling along the On February 23rd, 2010, faculty in economics, hydrology, and civil engineering participated in a workshop and field day in Idaho’s Magic Valley. Among other stops, the group toured the University of Idaho’s research facility in Hagerman where they learned about water needs, issues and concerns of aquaculture. Pictured here, from left to right: Kristyn Scott, M.S. student of Gary Johnson, associate professor in the Geological Sciences Department at the University of Idaho-Idaho Falls and Assistant Director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI); Levan Elbakidze, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the University of Idaho; Arturo Leon, assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Boise State University; Garth Taylor, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the University of Idaho; Rick Allen, professor of water resources engineering at the University of Idaho’s Kimberly Research and Extension Center; Gary Johnson (see above); and Bryce Contor, research hydrologist with the University of Idaho-Idaho Falls, IWRRI).

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Idaho EPSCoR Objective: The primary objective of EPSCoR is to stimulate research in niche areas that can become fully competitive in the disciplinary and multidisciplinary research programs of the National Science Foundation and other relevant agencies.

TRANSCRIPT

• 1 •

SUMMER 2010

continued on page 2

Message from the Director

continued on page 2

Scientists, Engineers and Social Scientists Collaborate on Climate Change Research

This year, Ringo Starr, on the eve of his 70th birthday said: “If you get up in the morning, there is a pretty good chance you are going to have a good day.”

For faculty and staff in higher education, the thing that gets us out of bed is the privilege of working with the current generation of students. According to Intelligent Life magazine (2009), this is the smartest generation in history with an amazing ability to cross cultural barriers and mix cultural interests. This generation is also remarkable for their commitment to social justice, care and awareness for the environment and dedication to the societies around them.

This is demonstrated by the more than 5,000 undergraduate students at Boise State University, Idaho State University and the University of Idaho who last year logged a combined 150,000+ hours in Service Learning Programs. Since this staggering number only represents university-tracked hours, and does not include volunteer programs or students from Idaho’s colleges and private institutions, we can assume that this is a very low estimate of the actual giving of this current generation of students in Idaho.

The other side of this synergistic equation is when faculty provide experiences in the classroom or through research that totally alters the career direction and aspirations of students. This is very evident throughout the EPSCoR Program, particularly as a result of new faculty hires. The provosts, deans and vice-presidents of research are to be congratulated in the stellar new hires from top Universities that have been made despite strong competition from larger institutions. Many of these new hires are profiled in this series of newsletters. Here are just two examples of the synergy between these faculty and Idaho’s students.

Jeremy Hegman is a graduate of the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind in Gooding. Jeremy was born deaf, but has a hearing assistance implant that gives him functionality. Jeremy is now a student at the College of Southern Idaho and works at the Kimberly R&E Center, assisting with the UI EPSCoR RII project and with water quality sampling along the

On February 23rd, 2010, faculty in economics, hydrology, and civil engineering participated in a workshop and field day in Idaho’s Magic Valley. Among other stops, the group toured the University of Idaho’s research facility in Hagerman where they learned about water needs, issues and concerns of aquaculture. Pictured here, from left to right: Kristyn Scott, M.S. student of Gary Johnson, associate professor in the Geological Sciences Department at the University of Idaho-Idaho Falls and Assistant Director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI); Levan Elbakidze, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the University of Idaho; Arturo Leon, assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Boise State University; Garth Taylor, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the University of Idaho; Rick Allen, professor of water resources engineering at the University of Idaho’s Kimberly Research and Extension Center; Gary Johnson (see above); and Bryce Contor, research hydrologist with the University of Idaho-Idaho Falls, IWRRI).

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Message from the Director, continued from page 1

Climate Change Research, continued from page 1

Idaho EPSCoR researchers are creating innovative collaborations across disciplines in order to ask and answer real-world questions about climate change. How might climate change affect water availability for agriculture? If drought affects surface and groundwater differently, how would this have an impact on water rights conflicts? These are the sorts of questions that can be framed and studied when environmental scientists, engineers, and social scientists work together.

“Ideally, the interaction is a synergy,” said Siân Mooney, professor in the Department of Economics at Boise State University and leader of the Economics and Policy team for Idaho EPSCoR. “It’s a two-way street, scientists and social scientists work together to identify and craft ways to analyze the problem.”

This early interaction between all scientists with joint problem identification is key when it comes to achieving true collaboration, Mooney said. “Otherwise, it might be a situation where a scientist collects a lot of great data, but the social scientist asks ‘what can I do with this? These may be great data but they might not contribute to answering interesting economic questions.’ Similarly social scientists may proceed with a research project only to find out later on that vital data from the other sciences are not available.”

mid Snake River with Drs. Rick Allen and Clarence Robison. Jeremy has taken charge of all sampling data quality control and archiving as well as providing field assistance. This work has helped motivate Jeremy to a professional career in computer technology and research.

Danie Merriman, a Moscow-based undergraduate, was supported by EPSCoR on a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) last summer with Dr. Elowyn Yager in Boise. This summer, Danie continued working through Dr. Yager’s NSF-CAREER award on a research project in Switzerland and is now planning her undergraduate thesis with a major in Environmental Science. Danie has just left to Argentina, where she will spend her junior year.

It is within this spirit of EPSCoR that we look forward to the first EPSCoR Springboard Day on September 2 in Boise. The purpose of this meeting is to provide a forum for university researchers, educators, and agency representatives to meet and explore mutual interests that lead to information sharing, a better understanding of opportunities in climate change science and education, and future collaborations in Idaho. If you

are not able to attend, look for a summary of this event in our upcoming newsletters.

* Details and registration for Springboard Day are available through the Idaho EPSCoR web page (www.uidaho.edu/epscor). All are welcome to attend!

Most scholars are not trained to do interdisciplinary (also called mixed-discipline) work. So how does this happen in the Idaho EPSCoR program? First, faculty members such as Dr. Mooney, who have experience working in mixed-discipline teams, facilitate and lead by example. Bringing early-career faculty together gives them opportunities to swap ideas and learn from one another, through workshops, meetings, and other electronic and in-person gatherings.

Dr. Mooney and a team of other EPSCoR faculty—environmental scientists and social scientists—recently submitted an application for a “Water, Society and Climate” grant from the National Science Foundation, and this, she said, was the result of EPSCoR networking.

These opportunities are great news for new faculty like Alejandro (Lejo) Flores, assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences at Boise State University. “As a young scientist, I anticipate that collaboration with social scientists will become increasingly important throughout my career,” Flores said. “Scientists will be asked to relate their discrete research to the bigger picture, addressing questions about the feedbacks between human and natural systems.”

Although Dr. Flores has only been at BSU for a year, he and his EPSCoR-supported colleagues are already formulating collaborations. He is working with Drs. Kelly Cobourn (a new EPSCoR hire), Scott Lowe (EPSCoR investigator) and Siân Mooney in the Department of Economics, devising methods to identify the economic decision-making processes of irrigators in the Snake River Basin. By analyzing remote sensing data (Flores’ specialty) and examining the legal framework of water apportionment, they aim to produce an econometric model that will help policy makers and decision makers understand the complexities of water rights in a time of economic uncertainty and climate variability. This mixed-discipline collaboration has already resulted in submission of a research proposal to NASA.

Levan Elbakidze, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the University of Idaho, is also engaging cross-disciplinary collaborations that contribute to our understanding of water use and climate change; he is working with engineers Gary Johnson (associate professor at the Idaho Water Resources and Research Institute), Bryce Contor (research hydrologist, University of Idaho-Idaho Falls), and Rick Allen (research professor with the Kimberly Research and Extension Center) to integrate hydrologic and economic models in a unique interdisciplinary integrated framework.

Peter Goodwin, Project Director

Dr. Mooney and a team of other EPSCoR faculty—environmental scientists and social scientists—recently submitted an application for a “Water, Society and Climate” grant from the National Science Foundation, and this, she said, was the result of EPSCoR networking.

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By integrating agronomic, hydrologic, and economic factors Dr. Elbakidze is able to address questions about optimal water use and distribution among agricultural users under various policy strategies and mechanisms. The current version of the model is specifically intended to test benefits of hypothetical water markets in the contexts of water allocation decisions during dry years.

Such models provide a much needed bridge between policy formation and physical sciences. Social scientists can field the “So what?” questions, explained to Dr. Mooney: “If society asks why scientists are using time and resources to study a little fish,” she said, “we economists can show its economic value by demonstrating, for instance, that this particular fish plays an important role in salmon fisheries, and salmon fisheries play an important role in the economy.”

Several other researchers with prior interdisciplinary experience in this area have recently moved to Idaho as a result of NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) investments, including Tim Frazier, assistant professor in the Geography Department and Bioregional Planning program at the University of Idaho and Jae Ryu, assistant professor in the University of Idaho-Boise’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

We can expect collaborations between scientists and engineers and social scientists to become more common in the years to come, helping us ask and answer big-picture questions about water resources in a changing climate.

THE PEOPLE OF IDAHO EPSCOR

Tim Frazier

Tim Frazier (pictured here in Kilauea, Hawaii, where a lava flow overtook a portion of the state highway) is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and the Bioregional Planning program at the University of Idaho. He joined the faculty at UI in 2009 after earning his Ph.D. in geography from the

Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Frazier’s research focuses on hazards and climate change and their impact on society, especially in coastal areas. His area of expertise includes tsunami evacuation and climate change enhanced storm surge. He specializes in stakeholder-driven research, in which a research project follows a community needs assessment. His research examines issues, opportunities, and constraints relating to vulnerability reduction and resilience enhancement and is based on mixed methods, involving both qualitative and quantitative data. As a result of the current Idaho EPSCoR RII grant, Dr. Frazier will be able to contribute his knowledge of stakeholder interaction (using such techniques as focus groups and interviews) and the process and theory of doing vulnerability assessments.

Alejandro Flores

Alejandro (“Lejo”) Flores joined the faculty in the Department of Geosciences at Boise State University as an assistant professor in August 2009. Dr. Flores earned his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering (hydrology) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2009. His research specialties are ecohydrology,

hydrologic modeling, hydrometeorology, remote sensing, geomorphology, and data assimilation. Dr. Flores’ models simulate the response of land surfaces to forcings (i.e., conditions or inputs), such as precipitation, temperature, and solar radiation. He examines the impact of various scenarios on variables such as soil moisture, which is a critical factor in modulating weather and climate.

Rupesh Shrestha

Rupesh Shrestha is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University-Boise. Dr. Shrestha came to ISU-Boise in April 2010 after finishing his Ph.D. in forestry at Virginia Tech with an emphasis on Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) algorithm development for biophysical

parameters of trees. He is currently working with Nancy Glenn, research professor in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University-Boise, on modifying and updating LiDAR tools at the Boise Center Aerospace Laboratory (BCAL) (http://bcal.geology.isu.edu/Envitools.shtml). Dr. Shrestha is working with other Idaho EPSCoR scientists on LiDAR algorithm development for landscape and vegetation analysis and integration with other remotely sensed datasets.

Elowyn Yager

Elowyn Yager is an assistant professor in civil engineering at the University of Idaho-Boise College of Engineering where she joined the faculty in 2007. She earned her Ph.D. in geology from the University of California at Berkeley in 2006. Dr. Yager is an expert in fluvial geomorphology and is the recipient of a CAREER award,

the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty. Her research interests focus on understanding the interactions between flow turbulence, sediment transport and river morphology. She helps predict flow and sediment flux throughout river systems, which is particularly important in areas impacted by increased fire severity and human activities (e.g. logging, grazing, mining, dam removal, or construction).

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OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Profile: Blair Vanderlugt

Blair Vanderlugt is one of 24 students to receive a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) award from Idaho EPSCoR this year. REUs allow students to explore their interests alongside of

nationally recognized university professors and their research teams, in this case in areas related to Water Resources in a Changing Climate.

Originally from Seattle, Vanderlugt is a senior economics major and McNair Scholar at Boise State University. This summer he has been working with assistant professors Scott Lowe and Kelly Cobourn, both of whom are part of Idaho EPSCoR’s current RII grant. Vanderlugt’s research project looks at the agricultural economics of climate change; specifically, he’s investigating the possibility that trends in weather affect small and large farms disproportionately.

Using data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Vanderlugt has examined demographic information dating back to the 1950s, paired with crop and weather data. “The concern is how farmers will adapt to the future,” Vanderlugt said.

Knowing whether small or large farms have an advantage when faced with climate variability can help agriculture, as an industry, adapt. “Sometimes smaller farms adapt more easily,” he said, “because they are paying attention to immediate changes on-the-ground and can respond more quickly to a changing environment.”

Vanderlugt sees many important roles for economists in his field—everything from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Africa to the local foods movement in Boise—and he’s excited about the possibilities. His immediate plans include pursuing a graduate degree in agricultural and resource economics, and this choice is due in large part to BSU’s Department of Economics which has a real strength in that area. “Everyone has been very helpful,” he said. “My professors have been a great resource.”

Student Profile: Carol MooreAfter fifteen years as a full-time mother, Carol Moore found that re-entering the workforce was no easy task. Prospective employers considered her decades-old associate’s degree in computer programming to be out-of-date.

One day, while working in an entry-level position with Idaho’s Clark County, Moore happened upon an ESRI magazine on the floor (ESRI makes Geographic Information Systems software).

“It was the first time I’d heard of GIS,” Moore said. “That was it for me – I knew what I wanted to do. I love maps and I love natural resources work.”

Carol took a huge step toward this future and landed in a remote sensing class taught by Nancy Glenn, research professor in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University-Boise and a lead researcher for Idaho EPSCoR’s RII Track 2 grant. Moore had a temporary job working for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and she realized that the information she was learning in Dr. Glenn’s class might help the NRCS soils crew quantify basalt in their soil surveys and that this could increase the efficiency and quality of data collection.

This kind of initiative and the capacity for the practical application of information helped lead Moore to her next

opportunity: working with Dr. Glenn to research new possibilities for basalt mapping, a project funded by a NRCS National Geospatial Data Center grant through the USDA. Moore was able to present this research at the NRCS Tri-State Soil Science Meeting in May—an unusual opportunity for an undergraduate student.

Most recently, Moore assisted on a project, partially funded by Idaho EPSCoR, to create 3D visualizations for public audiences using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology and other digital data. The products include 3D virtual tours of Idaho’s landscape on video. One is a tour of eastern Idaho’s water resources that was produced for the Bureau of Land Management/U.S. Forest Service Eastern Idaho Visitors Center, which receives nearly 30,000 visitors annually. The other video explores the Borah Peak earthquake fault and was produced for the Idaho Falls School District #91. Dr. Glenn’s graduate student, Sara Ehinger, mentored Moore through her work on the videos, which are available at http://bcal.geology.isu.edu/videos.shtml.

So, what’s next for Carol Moore? In a few semesters, Moore will receive

her bachelor’s degree in earth and environmental systems with a minor in GIS, and she is considering continuing on for a master’s degree in GIS. She is interested in developing remote sensing tools for conservation professionals. “When I grow up,” she chuckled, “I want to be Nancy Glenn.”

Dr. Nancy Glen, research professor in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University-Boise (right) with her student Carol Moore (left) who presented a poster at the second annual EPSCoR Tri-State Western Consortium meeting in Nevada in April 2010. Moore’s poster demonstrates an Idaho EPSCoR-funded project that used Light Detection and Ranging radar (LiDAR) and other digital data to produce 3D virtual tours of Idaho’s landscape and natural resources on video.

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RESULTS FROM PRIOR SUPPORT

GO NANO!

GoNano Technologies, a three-year-old startup in Moscow, Idaho, recently introduced innovative Carbon Capture and Recycle ™ (CCR) technology. The process uses nanocatalysts to convert greenhouse gas CO₂ emissions from utilities, refineries, and industrial plants into useable “feedstock” chemicals. Specializing in the development of high surface Nanospring™ materials, the company has also developed catalytic converters and other catalysis products. Nanosprings™ are very durable and versatile.

While nanotechnology has many uses, GoNano’s research is primarily about environmental applications. The products themselves benefit the environment, but equally important, their manufacturing processes are also environmentally friendly.

These nano innovations can be traced, in part, to support from the Idaho NSF EPSCoR program. GoNano grew from collaboration between prior EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) grant recipient Dr. David McIlroy, Professor of Physics at the University of Idaho; Dr. M. Grant Norton, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs, College of Engineering and Architecture at Washington State University; and investor and businessman, Tim Kinkeade. Dr. McIlroy is also Director of the Biological Applications of Nanotechnology (BANTech) Initiative, an interdisciplinary program that integrates nanomaterials research with cell biology and bioscience research (i.e., bionanoscience) at the University of Idaho.

The first phase of EPSCoR support for nanoscience, from 2001 to 2004, funded broad nano materials development while the second RII phase, from 2005 to 2008, built upon the first and allowed researchers to develop sensors based on those nano materials.

McIlroy explained that EPSCoR funding enabled more than just research innovation; it also helped train the workforce that GoNano would eventually hire. He estimated that 3 out of 4 of the new company’s technical workers had research training funded as a result of EPSCoR. “EPSCoR support helped create an integral group of people. It gave students and faculty and postdoctoral researchers an opportunity to work together. It’s especially helpful to have people trained in many different fields—physicists, chemists, and mechanical engineers—working for GoNano.” In turn, the company offers unique opportunities for learning and career development for recent graduates.

Last October, GoNano unveiled its CCR technology at the Clean Tech Open Gala in Seattle, where they had the opportunity to present their research and products to Governor Christine Gregoire. This summer, NSF awarded GoNano a $147,095 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I grant to continue the research and marketing for their carbon dioxide recycling technology. Idaho EPSCoR looks forward to watching GoNano’s growing contributions to our economy and discoveries that benefit society.

COLLABORATIONS

Learning To Communicate Science – NSF’s GK-12 Program

Chau Tran worked as a biologist for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries in Seattle for five years before she decided it was time to return to school for an advanced degree. She hoped to increase her career options.

Tran entered the Master’s program in Water Resources at the University of Idaho, and she took advantage of the National Science Foundation’s GK-12 program to help fund her education. In addition to being full-time graduate students, Fellows teach science 10 hours every week in local schools and earn a $30,000-per-year stipend. Although the financial incentive is important, GK-12 Fellows often discover personal and career benefits that go well beyond the paycheck.

“It was by far the best experience of my graduate career,” said Tran, who, from September 2009 to June 2010, taught with science teacher Geoff Pearson at Pullman High School in Pullman, Washington, located on the other side of the state line from the University of Idaho.

“At first I was worried the students would eat me alive,” she said.

But by the end of the year, Tran came to know the students well and felt confident teaching. Now she knows how to present scientific information in a clear and engaging manner and how to read her audience for comprehension.

Several University of Idaho graduates have found employment with GoNano Technologies. Pictured on the left is Dr. Giancarlo Corti, Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering (2006), and on the right is Dr. Miles Beaux, Ph.D. Physics (2010). Dr. Corti is Manager of R&D and Dr. Beaux is a Nanomaterials Research Engineer.

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This is one of the central aims of the GK-12 program, according to Paul Allan, Program Coordinator for the GK-12 Project at the University of Idaho. “We want to create better instructors who can communicate science well both in the classroom and to the general public,” Allan said.

“We did lots of labs where students had no idea what would happen and they got to discover answers for themselves,” Tran said, like the time she had students drip food coloring into bowls of milk then gave them toothpicks with a substance on the tip to dip into the milk. When the colors suddenly began moving, her students had to figure out why: the substance on the toothpick was soap, which pushed around the fat molecules in the milk.

Chau Tran’s students participate in the “Oh Deer!” lab simulating predator-prey interactions and natural resource limitation.

Participating teachers appreciate this infusion of fresh curriculum and they like having access to the cutting-edge science that graduate students can bring to the classroom.

Nationally, NSF has funded between 20 and 30 GK-12 programs each year for the last 11 years. The University of Idaho’s current GK-12 program is run by UI’s Waters of the West (WOW) program with Barbara Williams, associate professor in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, acting as the principal investigator on the grant. Idaho EPSCoR played a key role in positioning the University to compete successfully for its first GK-12 program that was focused on nanotechnology. Dr. Williams also was part of a previous Idaho EPSCoR RII grant as were other faculty members, including David McIlroy, professor in the Physics Department, who have been involved in GK-12.

This is no surprise. EPSCoR is helping to create an environment in which faculty have the capacity and support to develop opportunities for integrating research, education and outreach—opportunities which serve to enrich the careers of faculty and students alike.

EPSCoR Focuses on Increasing Diversity in the Western Tri-State Consortium

The New Mexico, Nevada and Idaho NSF EPSCoR funded programs formed the Western Tri-State Consortium due to their similar research agendas related to climate change and water resources. “Increasing the Diversity of The Western Tri-State Consortium” is among the newest Innovation Working Group (IWG) proposals funded by the Consortium.

The IWG Diversity Leadership Team will meet at the Valles Caldera Science and Education Center in Jemez Springs, NM on September 13-15, 2010 to develop a comprehensive strategic action plan that can be implemented throughout the Consortium to increase participation of and support for underrepresented minorities and women in EPSCoR scientific research and, more broadly, in STEM disciplines. The group will also address how best to carry out activities included in the Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track 2 proposal including leveraging existing programs, working with diverse populations, and the developing social networking to increase diversity in STEM.

This is one more example of how the Western Tri State Consortium significantly increases opportunities for scientific collaboration, and enhances each state’s ability to secure competitive funding and tackle complex climate change research agendas.

(Co-Investigators: Mary Jo Daniel, University of New Mexico; Michelle Casella, Nevada System of Higher Education; Sarah Penney, University of Idaho)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cyberinfrastructure WorkshopThe NSF is supporting Cyberinfrastructure in the EPSCoR’s - a workshop which will be held October 7th and 8th 2010 in Arlington, VA. One of the goals of this workshop is to develop metrics for comparing the quality of cyberinfrastructure in EPSCoR vs. non-EPSCoR jurisdictions. Participants from EPSCoR jurisdictions with cyberinfrastructure knowledge and interest are encouraged to attend. For more information visit: http://www.kynsfepscor.org/cyber10/cyber10.php#register

Idaho STEM Pipeline Showcased for Teachers

Idaho EPSCoR staff recently presented the Idaho STEM Pipeline resource (www.idahostem.org) to approximately 200 Idaho teachers at the i-STEM Teacher Institutes held in Idaho this summer. Navigating the World of i-STEM: “Focusing on use of Idaho Resources” i-STEM Education Conference was held on July 19-22, 2010 at College of Southern Idaho (Twin Falls) and

• 7 •

Northern Idaho College (Coeur d’Alene). The i-STEM Education initiative is a broad and growing partnership of educators, government and businesses working to enhance science, technology, engineering and math education in Idaho.

Idaho EPSCoR has formed partnerships with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Idaho State Department of Education in an effort to promote the Idaho STEM Pipeline and support additional STEM initiatives in the State of Idaho.

KUDOS

Dan Ames Receives HonorCongratulations to Dan Ames, associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University, on his recent awards: ISU named him a Distinguished Researcher for 2010 and the International Environmental Modelling Software Society honored him with a 2010 Early Career Research Excellence Award.

Kelly Cobourn Receives HonorCongratulations to Kelly Cobourn, assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Boise State University, for winning the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s prestigious Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award.

Kelly also has been elected as secretary of the Committee for Women in Agricultural Economics; this is an officer position on a national committee as part of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

Tim Frazier Participates in Hazards and Climate Change Conference in PanamaTim Frazier recently attended the Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute (PASI) conference, which took place in Panama City June 14-25 2010. Dr. Frazier was one of a select group of hazards and climate change researchers, considered to be the top experts in their fields, who were invited to participate in the conference.

Kelly Cobourn, pictured here with the current president of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, Ron Mittelhammer, accepts her award for best dissertation.

DID YOU KNOW…?This stunning photograph of the Southern Big Lost Range in Idaho has become the Idaho EPSCoR signature image. It was graciously provided to us by Ben Crosby, assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University. Thank you, Dr. Crosby!

NSBE Recognizes Idaho EPSCoR SupportThe Idaho EPSCoR Program was recently recognized by the University of Idaho chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Idaho EPSCoR supported recruitment at national and regional conferences and helped host the UI Dynamic Engineers Lecture Series in an effort to promote diversity in STEM fields.

Rick Schumaker, project administrator for Idaho EPSCoR, accepts a recognition award from Kwabena Boakye of the University of Idaho’s chapter of the National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE).

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www.uidaho.edu/epscor

Idaho EPSCoRPO Box 443029

Moscow, ID 83844-3029

*KBK865$M*

Idaho EPSCoR Contacts:Peter Goodwin, Director Idaho EPSCoR Program (main office)[email protected] /208-364-6164 Ph: (208) 885-5842/Fax: (208) 885-5111

Von Walden, Science Lead Rick Schumaker, Project [email protected] / 208-885-5058 [email protected] / 208-885-5742

Richard Allen, University of Idaho Liaison Althea Flegel, Project [email protected] /208-423-6601 [email protected] / 208-885-5842

Sian Mooney, Boise State University Liaison Sarah Penney, Diversity and [email protected] /208-426-1471 [email protected] / 208-885-2345

Colden Baxter, Idaho State University Liaison [email protected] / 208-251-5980