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r e s e a r c h h a n d s - o n l e a r n i n g o u t r e a c h a l u m n i l o c a t i o n

Utah State GREATSwww.usu.edu/greats 2008

The Measure and Means for All that is GreatThe year 2008 has been another great year for Utah State University. We have good reason to celebrate the many accomplishments of our students and faculty. We are proud of the continued excellence and contributions this great university makes to the state and the world. It is a tribute to the spirit and pride that identifies and distinguishes us as Aggies. It is a reflection of world-class research and teaching that provides our students exceptional value through high-quality, hands-on experiences. It is a promise of a higher education in the truest sense of that word.

Compiled in this booklet, you will find examples of great heights achieved by our students and faculty that are well worth noting. Accomplishments such as:

• A grand prize rocket launch win from NASA. Our engineering students took home five of seven awards at the national competition.

• The recognition of more than 500 USU students who, since 1975, have conducted research supported by the Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities grant program. From metal sculpture to chokecherry seed propagation and whirling disease in trout, real-life problems are explored and solved by our undergraduates.

• USU alum Brandon Schrand received the Barnes & Noble ‘Discover Great New Writers’ Award for his memoir, The Enders Hotel.

• Top prize earned by undergraduate Katie Fotheringham for an impressive kitchen design in the student category of the Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliance, Inc. Kitchen Design Competition.

• USU-licensed technology that now allows road crews to replace entire bridges in a single weekend. The reduced road closures and detours of a bridge installed at I-215 in Salt Lake City saved $4 million in road construction costs and cut construction time down from six months to a single weekend.

• USU’s world-acclaimed Fry Street Quartet performed Utah’s first complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle. It was a musical marathon this fall that would normally occur over the course of a year but was accomplished in just two weeks.

• Deserved recognition for a student-run organization, Aggie Blue Bikes, that benefits the environment and promotes good health. The idea started in 2005 to attack air quality problems in Cache Valley. The program that checks bikes out to students free of charge, has grown from nine to approximately 120 bicycles in just three years.

These highlights showcase the varied and diverse abilities of the students, faculty and staff at our great institution. In an effort to increase USU’s success, I was pleased to announce a comprehensive fundraising campaign with a goal of $200 million in March 2007. We successfully reached and surpassed that four-year goal in the first year of the campaign. As a result of the early success, the university has extended the length and increased the dollar amount of the campaign’s goals to $400 million.

I deeply appreciate the generous gifts and donations, large and small, that have come to USU over the past 12 months. At any time, particularly during these challenging economic times, we know that giving is not done without careful thought. The decision to invest in higher education is truly a reflection of foresight and vision — for it is a gift to the future that benefits students for generations to come.

My special thanks to our students, faculty, staff, alumni and all our generous supporters of the past year. It is you who provided the measure and means for all we know that is great about Utah State.

Stan L. AlbrechtPresident, Utah State University

Table of Contents

5 USU-Logan Recognized for Academics, Safety, Affordability

7 Three Great Gifts for Utah State University

9 Sculpture Completes Award-Winning Building

11 Sharing the Roaded Landscape

13 A Fighting Chance

15 Minding the (Sediment) Budget: Watershed Sciences Student Honored for Snake River Study

17 Discovering Wetlands: New Building at Utah Botanical Center will Engage Children in Learning and

Environmental Stewardship

19 English Department Alum Receives Barnes & Noble ‘Discover Great New Writers’ Award

21 USU Paramount in Life of 100-Year-Old Graduate

23 USU-Licensed Technology Saves Utah Drivers Time and Money

25 Utah State University’s Interior Design Program is Cookin’

27 A Great, Pretty Place: Logan Makes Several “Best Places” Lists

29 What Diet? Dietetic Students Teach Community How to Eat Healthier without Dieting

31 A New Name, A New Era of Leadership: USU Renames its Highly Ranked College: Emma Eccles

Jones College of Education and Human Services

33 Wiki Textbook Teaches Students More than Physiology

35 ‘Green’ Plastic: Engineering Student Recycles Dairy Waste to Create Biodegradable Plastic

37 A Multicultural Messiah: Well-Known Production Takes on New Dimensions for USU Students,

Community

39 Seeking Weapons of Mass Reduction

41 All Paths Lead to Art

43 Mr. September: USU Engineering Student Takes Home Best of Show

45 USU Engineering Student Gets Smart with Prestigious $75,000 Scholarship

47 The Landscape of Success — Legendary Teaching

49 A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words

51 USU Students Lift Off with Grand Prize Rocket Launch Win from NASA

53 Teaching from Experience

55 USU Home to ‘Golden Scholars’

57 Taking Music to the Community

59 Head in the Clouds, Feet on the Ground

61 Undergraduate Research Reigns at USU

63 A Lifelong Gift

65 Art Alum Sculpts Memories into Memorial Tribute

67 Challenging Science, Challenging Students

69 Regional Campus Opens Path to Med School

71 The Price is Right

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73 Taking Aggie Athletics to New Heights

75 Ignoring Limits

77 Aggie Blue Bikes: Student-Run Organization Benefits the Environment and Promotes Good Health

79 Blue Goes Green

81 Students Participate in International Service Project While Preserving USU History

83 Ag Gymnast Founds Nonprofit to Fight Poverty in Africa

85 USU Students Head to Mexico and Make a Difference

87 WRDC at USU Improving Rural America

89 Changing the World One Drop at a Time

Editor’s Note: Utah State Greats 2008 is a compilation of news and feature stories from

December 2007 through November 2008. Dates referenced in these stories reflect the time in

which they were written.

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with prime location – scenic and safe,” Coward

said. “We know our safe and beautiful mountain

valley setting is a sure draw for both our faculty

and students. How fortunate we are to be able to

combine these distinctions with our impressive list

of academic achievements, including this year’s

(2007) Carnegie Professor of the Year.”

Parents of prospective students, take note:

Utah State University and Logan City are sure,

affordable and safe bets.

The Logan region topped the

rankings, once again, as the safest

U.S. metropolitan area for 2007,

according to City Crime Rankings:

Crime in Metropolitan America.

In addition, Logan is also ranked

among the Top 10 of the nation’s

“most secure places to live,”

according to rankings compiled by

the Farmers Insurance Group.

USU was also ranked in the Top 10

“most affordable” college markets in

the nation, according to a new report.

Best yet, students can combine a

safe environment with an outstanding

learning environment in light of

other notable national academic

recognitions during the past year,

including U.S. News and World

Report magazine once again naming

USU’s College of Education and

Human Services among the top tier

of colleges of education in the nation,

said Raymond T. Coward, USU

executive vice president and provost.

“We enjoy an enviable pairing of world-

class research and hands-on learning

USU-LOGAN RECOGNIZED FOR

ACADEMICS, SAFETY,AFFORDABILITY

The Logan region topped the rankings, once again, as the safest U.S. metropolitan area for 2007, according to City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America.

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Report: America’s Best Graduate Schools, 2008 edition)

• Top 10 most affordable college markets for home prices in 2007 (Third Annual Coldwell Banker College Home Price Comparison Index, Nov. 6, 2007)

• Top 35 overall score among public national universities based on social mobility, research and service (The Washington Monthly, September 2007)

• Top 20 among land-grant universities in the nation and in the top 10 non-medical land-grant universities for federal research revenue generated (National Science Foundation’s report based on fiscal year 2004 research expenditures)

• Top 100 among all public institutions in the nation for total research revenue generated (National Science Foundation’s report based on fiscal year 2004 research expenditures)

• Best Value College (The Princeton Review, 2008 edition)

Writer: John DeVilbiss, 435-797-1358, john.devilbiss@usu.eduDecember 2007

2007 Rankings of Note:

• 1st in the nation as the safest U.S. metropolitan area (City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America, 14th edition, November, 2007)

• 5th in the nation as the most secure among small towns (Farmers Insurance Group, December, 2007)

• 1st among all universities in the nation in money spent on aerospace research and development (National Science Foundation’s report based on fiscal year 2004 research expenditures)

• 1st among all national public universities for graduates with least debt (U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges, 2008 edition)

• 2nd in the nation in total research dollars received by a college: USU’s College of Education and Human Services (U.S. News and World Report: America’s Best Graduate Schools, 2008 edition)

• 26th in the nation overall against all graduate colleges of education (U.S. News and World

1stin the nation as the safest U.S. metropolitan area (City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America, 14th edition, November, 2007)

among all universities in the nation in money spent on aerospace research and development (National Science Foundation’s report based on fiscal year 2004 research expenditures)

among all national public universities for graduates with least debt (U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges, 2008 edition)

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Research Center.

The building will become a state-of-the-art,

high-tech educational facility to train students

in business, entrepreneurship, accounting,

engineering, water management, natural resources,

environmental policy and other programs.

“Mr. Bingham’s contribution will have lasting effects

on the educational culture and environment in the

Uintah Basin,” said USU President Stan L. Albrecht.

“It will raise the level of education and the quality

of life in the Basin. But, most important for the

community, it will support Utah State University’s

broader effort to help the Basin recruit its own,

educate its own and return them to the local

community as educated citizens, business people

and leaders.”

The design and programming phase of the

Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center

begins in fall 2007 with construction starting in early

2008 and occupancy expected in 2009.

The building will create a dynamic new research

component for the Uintah Basin, Albrecht said.

Huntsmans Give Nearly $26 Million to Utah State University (December 2007)

Jon M. Huntsman announced that he and his wife,

Karen H. Huntsman, are giving nearly $26 million to

Utah State University had a record

year in fundraising thanks to many generous

donations from givers at all levels. USU President

Stan L. Albrecht announced in March 2007 that

the university would launch a comprehensive

campaign with a goal of raising $200 million to

fund people, programs and places at the university.

Now, nine months into the campaign (December

2007), the outpouring of support has exceeded all

expectations.

The campaign reached momentum in October

2007 with a $15 million gift from Marc and Debbie

Bingham for the Uintah Basin Campus, followed by

a nearly $26 million gift from Jon M. Huntsman in

early December 2007 to start the Jon M. Huntsman

School of Business at USU. The year has topped off

with a $25 million gift from The Emma Eccles Jones

Foundation that is going to support USU’s College

of Education and Human Services.

USU Receives $15 Million Gift for Uintah Basin Campus Center (October 2007)

Utah entrepreneur and businessman Marc Bingham

and his wife, Debbie, donated $15 million to Utah

State University’s Uintah Basin campus to fund

construction of an Entrepreneurship and Energy

THREE GREAT GIFTS FOR UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY

An architectural drawing of the Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center in Vernal.

Jon and Karen Huntsman announce $26 million gift in December 2007.

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“The College of Education and Human Services is

already renowned nationally, and this gift culminates

a long-term relationship between the College, the

Foundation, and its founder, Emma Eccles Jones,”

said USU President Stan L. Albrecht.

“Jones’s legacy is one of dedication to the

education of teachers and children,” said Albrecht.

“This gift is a fitting tribute to her.”

“This College is among the elites in the country in

both academics and in the impact of its programs

on people in our state and across the nation,” said

Albrecht. “This gift will allow the College to continue

to excel — and continue the work that Emma loved.”

Carol Strong, dean of the College, said this

significant gift reflects the strengths of the programs

and the commitment of faculty in the College to

making a difference in peoples’ lives.

Strong said the support of The Emma Eccles Jones

Foundation has been a key factor in the national

accolades the college has received. For the past

nine years, the college has been ranked in the top

two percent of graduate programs nationally by

U.S. News and World Report. This past year, it

ranked 26th in a field of more than 1,200 colleges of

education, and was second in the nation in research

funding generated by its faculty.

Writer: Maren Cartwright, 435-797-1355, maren.cartwright@usu.eduDecember 2007

Utah State University.

USU President Stan L. Albrecht said $25

million will go to the School of Business,

and approximately $1 million will be used

as scholarship support for USU students

from Armenia.

In recognition of the gift, the College of

Business has changed its name to the

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.

Albrecht called Huntsman one of

the nation’s outstanding leaders and

philanthropists.

“We are deeply appreciative of the

Huntsman family and their dedication to higher

education in Utah,” Albrecht said. “The impact of

this generous gift will be felt not only by the College

of Business but by the entire university. The Jon

M. Huntsman School of Business will help our

students prepare to become tomorrow’s leaders —

locally, regionally, nationally and globally.”

Jon Huntsman praised the university and its

College of Business.

“Utah State University is a beautiful and most-

unique academy for higher education in America,”

Huntsman said. “Our family is deeply honored to be

intricately bonded with its school of business. We

shall provide every possible means to continue its

growth toward a world-class institution.”

The Emma Eccles Jones Foundation Gives $25 Million Gift to USU’s College of Education and Human Services (December 2007)

Utah State University announced that The Emma

Eccles Jones Foundation is making a $25 million

gift to USU’s College of Education and Human

Services. The gift will be used for construction of an

additional education and research building and to

fund a number of endowed professorships in early

childhood education.

Emma Eccles Jones reading to children.

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SCULPTURE COMPLETES AWARD-WINNING BUILDING

and the arts at Utah State. As individuals and as founding members of the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, they have contributed to the education of hundreds, if not thousands, of the university’s students while providing the foundation of the region’s cultural offerings. They were instrumental, through the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, in the establishment of the Caine School of the Arts in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at USU. But their gift of the Performance Hall to the university was a private one, one they believed in from the project’s inception. At the time, it was the largest individual gift in the university’s history.

While “Passacaglia” completes the Performance Hall, the structure has already earned accolades for its design. The building opened Thursday,

Jan. 12, 2006, and is the first on campus designed specifically for chamber music. It seats 431 audience members and a maximum of 22 musicians on its stage. And, its technical elements are astounding. There are 18-inch thick concrete walls that fully insulate the interior of the hall. There are adjustable curtains and canopies that contribute to the acoustic excellence. Small vents under every seat ensure silent air flow. The details of the building’s planning and construction go on and on.

Lead architect for the Performance Hall was Vinicius Gorgati of Sasaki Associates, Inc. He said he designed the building as if it were a public work of art. In a tribute to the

The Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall at Utah State University has been called the jewel of the university’s arts facilities. Now, the completion of the sculptural installation “Passacaglia” puts an exclamation point on a project that came straight from the heart.

Perhaps that should be hearts — plural — because many were involved. But it was the love, dedication and vision of two women that inspired many, guaranteeing a beautiful addition to the campus environment.

Kathryn Caine Wanlass and Manon Caine Russell, sisters, have long supported education

Guests view the completed sculpture in the lobby of the Performance Hall. (Photo provided by USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art)

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distinctive scenery of Cache Valley, the front façade is wrapped in a wrinkled zinc skin that mimics the folds of the Bear River Mountains.

“We wanted the hall to look like it grew out of the landscape,” said Gorgati’s colleague, master planner Ricardo Dumont.

“The Performance Hall has a vulnerability, an openness, a delicacy to it,” “Passacaglia” creator and Bay Area artist Ann Preston said. “It doesn’t sit there like a bank or a city hall with four feet planted on the ground. It allows you to think your own thoughts and feel your own feelings.”

With its detailed planning and painstaking installation, “Passacaglia” was completed in September 2007. Elements of the sculpture extend from the wall into the floor of the lobby and continue beyond the interior of the building and its glass walls into the plaza. The piece is constructed of geometric forms that evolve in a mathematical and organic sequence.

“The sculpture takes on a presence of mechanical accuracy balanced against organic, nature-like forms rendered in burnished and molded steel and mottled suede-like grey panels,” said Victoria Rowe, director of USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art.

The museum, under Rowe’s leadership, has curatorial oversight of the sculpture.

The sculpture’s name — “Passacaglia” — derives from a musical form related to dance. The sculpture is composed of geometric forms — a dance of triangles transform into larger geometric units that then expand into a counter rhythm of contoured panels, Rowe said.

“The steel elements sparkle, reflecting light and provide a contrast of texture with the velvety warm grey patina of the tetrahedral forms,” she said. “Standing before it, the viewer is simultaneously awed by its scale and captivated by its presence. Yet, somehow it intrigues more than overpowers, entreating its audience to return and look again.”

“The benefits of this gift will be experienced in perpetuity,” USU President Stan L. Albrecht said at the Performance Hall dedication. “We want to thank Kathryn Caine Wanlass and Manon Caine Russell for the generous gift that makes this world-class performance hall possible. This premier venue will make an enormous difference in the academic, professional and personal lives of our students and faculty.”

Writer: Patrick Williams, 435-797-1354,patrick.williams@usu.eduJanuary 2008

Critical acclaim and honors for the Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall:

•“Achieving the Art of Acoustics – The grand opening of Utah State University’s new performance hall was just that — grand — because the building fits that description in every way.” Intermountain Contractor (March 1, 2006)

•Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects, California Council. (Oct. 2007)

•Outstanding Campus Architecture, Chronicle of Higher Education. (Feb. 23, 2007)

•“Great architecture is not born solely from a drafting table and blueprints. More often it originates from a delicate mix of visionary benefactors, a dedicated purpose, a supportive community, and, of course, talented design professionals. All these elements contributed to the construction of the Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall.” Jeremy Pugh, Utah Style and Design Magazine (Winter 2007)

•Honor Award, Utah Chapter of the American Institutes of Architects. (Oct. 2006)

(photo by Robert Preston)

•AmericanInstitutesofArchitects,UtahChapter,listof Utah’s Best Buildings (along with Old Main, a campus landmark). (April 2007)

•Best Architecture Project, Intermountain Contractor.

•Best Mechanical/Electrical Project, Intermountain Contractor.

•“Coolest Cache Structures,” (number six), The Herald Journal.

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SHARING THE ROADED

LANDSCAPEMost motorists

can offer a deer-in-the-

headlights story, in which

they’ve been forced to hit the

brakes, swerve or survey the

damage of a sudden, white-

knuckle encounter with wildlife

in the roadway.

Utah State University

researchers are exploring

solutions to make the nation’s

four million miles of roaded

landscape safer for all

creatures – human and beast.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions account for an

average of 200 human deaths in the United

States each year, says Patricia Cramer, a

research ecologist with USU’s Department of

Wildland Resources. Nonhuman vertebrates

fare much worse. According to research

published by Wildland Resources professor

Michael Conover, more than a million die on

American roads each day.

Beyond mortality, each mile of pavement signals

destruction and fragmentation of wildlife habitat,

Cramer says. For most animals, roads mean

reduced access to water, food, mates and

protective habitat.

“This is a much more complex problem than

some roadkill here and there,” she says. “Roads

can impact critical ecological processes and

influence the demographics and evolution of

animals and plants.”

Cramer and colleague John Bissonette, professor

in the Department of Wildland Resources and

unit leader with the U.S. Geological Survey Utah

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit,

recently completed a three-year study to evaluate

the use and effectiveness of wildlife crossings

in the United States and Canada. The project,

which includes the efforts of student researchers

and team members from governmental agencies

and other universities, was funded by the

National Cooperative Highway Research Program

of the National Academies of Science and

Engineering’s Transportation Research Board.

As part of the project, the researchers conducted

an exhaustive survey of efforts by transportation

and wildlife officials in the United States and

USU wildlife ecologist Patricia Cramer pauses at a wildlife crossing installed under Highway 89-91 in Utah’s Wellsville Canyon.

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Canada to determine what measures state and

provincial agencies are conducting to mitigate

wildlife-vehicle collisions.

“What we’ve discovered is some states and

provinces are using innovative measures, such

as construction of wildlife passages, and others

aren’t taking much action,” Cramer says.

Conventional tools, such as yellow warning

signs, that warn motorists of areas prone to

wildlife crossing, have minimal impact, says

Bissonette, principal investigator on the project.

“Motorists simply aren’t slowing down enough to

prevent collisions.”

New pavement-level animal crossings, such as

those near Park City, Utah, are also ineffective,

Bissonette says. “They simply do not work. The

traffic volume is too great and the speeds are

too high.”

What is working, the researchers say, are

animal overpasses and underpasses that keep

wildlife out of harm’s way. Such solutions

may seem costly, but Bissonette argues

they’re worth it. “Construction of a specially

designed overpass or underpass is a sizable

investment,” he says. “But if you amortize the

cost of the investment against the cost of not

doing it – and factor in human mortalities – I

think that puts it into perspective.”

Bissonette and Cramer also note that the issue

is much broader than concern for large mammals

that cause highly destructive accidents.

Obviously, a collision with an elk will put a bigger

damper on your day than a bug splattering your

windshield, they say, but all creatures great and

small are impacted by impenetrable terrain.

“When approaching this problem and

considering solutions you need to think about

the permeability of the landscape,” Bissonette

says. “We need to consider accessibility not only

for deer and elk, but for smaller mammals, fish,

birds, reptiles – even insects.”

Bissonette says conventional solutions have

favored a “funnel” approach; that is, forcing

wildlife into progressively narrower options for

safe passage. “What we need to be doing is

thinking of a ‘sieve’ approach,” he says.

Solutions that accommodate a broad spectrum

of species are needed, Cramer says. That bug

on the windshield may seem an insignificant

annoyance, but the decline of American bee

populations and the corresponding impact on

agriculture is not. So much so that the state of

Washington posts reduced speed limits in alfalfa

production areas during periods of pollination.

What the researchers have also gleaned from the

study is that wildlife collision mitigation needs to

begin at the start of the road-planning process.

Cramer advises students preparing for careers

in wildland management that they must be

prepared to get involved in long-range roadway

planning and offer environmentally friendly

solutions. And she warns that the process could

span their entire careers. “A single highway

project may require 20 to 30 years of planning,”

she says.

“Transportation projects are not ‘done deals,’”

Cramer says. “Recent plans for highway

construction in Wyoming and Ohio, for example,

were altered to better accommodate wildlife.”

When scientifically sound, fiscally feasible

alternatives are offered, she says, highway

officials are ready to listen.

Contacts: John Bissonette, 435-797-2511, john.

bissonette@usu.edu; Patricia Cramer, 435-797-

1289; patricia.cramer@usu.edu

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517,

maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu

January 2008

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A FIGHTING CHANCE Wading through Antelope Island’s

chest-high stalks of yellow-blossomed mullein

and gazing out across the shifting, sun-washed

colors of the Great Salt Lake, you can almost

trick yourself into believing you’ve stumbled

into an impossibly remote, exotic land. But the

clockwork roar of jet engines departing nearby

Salt Lake International repeatedly intrudes upon

your thoughts – a rude reminder of your proximity

to Utah’s bustling Wasatch Front.

In this high desert refuge, Utah State University

doctoral student

Amanda Murray

keeps a solitary vigil.

Perched on Antelope’s

craggy, western ridges

from dawn to dusk,

the wildlife biologist

meticulously records

the activities of some

of the island’s most

elusive inhabitants –

bighorn sheep.

Murray’s research aims

to bolster conservation

of the imperiled

ovines and contribute

to worldwide efforts

to successfully

relocate other fragile,

large mammals.

Though necessary

as a conservation practice, she says, animal

relocation doesn’t come cheap – either in terms

of the cost of physically moving the animals or

the impact on the animals’ health.

“Moving a bighorn is like an organ transplant,” says

Murray, a Quinney Fellow in the College of Natural

Resources’ Wildland Resources Department. “The

procedure is necessary to maintain the health

and survival of the species, but the stress on the

animals is high. The risks are tremendous and you

want to ensure the best possible outcome.”

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

introduced California mountain sheep, drawn

Wildlife biologist Amanda Murray is studying bighorn sheep on Utah’s Antelope Island.

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research, funded by the Utah chapter of the

Foundation for North American Wild Sheep,

focuses on identifying the class of animals

within a source population that is most

successful in a relocation operation.

Ultimately, Murray says, the bighorns’ survival

depends on their behavior.

“Our goal is to learn more about these animals

and to find the recipe for successful relocation

that will allow the animals to thrive in a rapidly

changing environment,” she says. “We want to

give the sheep a fighting chance.”

Contacts: Amanda Murray, 435-760-6971,

almurray.usu@gmail.com; Johan du Toit,

435-797-0242; johan.dutoit@usu.edu.

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517,

maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu

January 2008

from herds in British Columbia and

Nevada, to Antelope Island about

ten years ago. An ideal oasis, it

seems, to protect the animals

from human-introduced threats

and create a thriving nursery herd

to replenish areas throughout the

American West.

Though the island’s bighorns are

not endangered, the species has

a precarious history in the Rocky

Mountain West.

“The sheep nearly disappeared from

Utah by the 1960s,” Murray says.

Overhunting, disease and

fragmentation of the animals’ habitat by

urbanization and highways led to their decline,

she says.

Antelope Island’s sheep have flourished but the

secluded nursery presents a distinct challenge

for the animals once they venture into the

outside world. The island has no cougars.

True, mountain lions are natural predators of

the sheep and a certain number of bighorns are

expected to provide sustenance for the hungry

cats. “But if the sheep have no innate fear or

knowledge of predators, the relocated animals

can become an instant feast,” Murray says.

Murray’s work paves the way for continuing

study that could one day allow biologists to

identify sheep lacking anti-predator behavior

and develop anti-predator cues to teach the

animals to fear beasts of prey. For now, her

Bighorn sheep, captured in this photo through Murray’s spotting scope, encounter unfamiliar predators when relocated from their safe haven on Antelope Island.

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MINDING THE (Sediment)

BUDGETprimarily by water release schedules of the Jackson Lake Dam.

“The dam disrupts not just the flow of water but the movement of sediment,” she says. “This im-pacts the river’s physical template, which is the foundation for everything that lives in it.”

Built in stages starting in 1910, Jackson Lake Dam rises to a crest elevation of 6,777 feet. The dam enables storage of water in Jackson Lake beyond the glacial lake’s natural elevation. The additional water stored by the concrete and earthen structure irrigates farms throughout Idaho’s Snake River basin.

Erwin was honored for her research in fall 2007 by the National Park Service’s Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. She was selected for the inaugural Student Award, established this year, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments made by students involved in RM-CESU projects.

Her work is part of series of ongoing projects led by faculty mentor Jack Schmidt, a geomorphologist and professor in Watershed

Running a solvent business or household requires keeping an eye on what comes in and what goes out. Maintaining a healthy river involves a similar line of thinking, says Utah State University doctoral student and Water Fellow Susannah Erwin.

“It’s sort of like balancing a checkbook,” says Erwin, who recently returned to Logan following a third field research season on the Snake River

in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.

An S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation Ph.D. Fellowship recipient in USU’s Department of Watershed Sciences, Erwin studies channel change in the river caused

Watershed Sciences Student Honored for Snake River Study

From left, Watershed Sciences students Susannah Erwin, Matthew Shannon and Jason Alexander collect sediment samples on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park.

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Sciences. The research is funded by a variety of sources, including the NPS and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Northern Rockies Science Center.

“I’ve been thoroughly impressed by Susannah’s organizational and field skills that resulted in collection of unique data concerning gravel transport by the Snake River and its tributaries,” Schmidt says. “These data allow us to make recommendations to the National Park Service and the Bureau of Reclamation regarding how releases from Jackson Lake Dam can better maintain the health of the riverine ecosystem throughout Grand Teton National Park.”

Monitoring a river’s channel change is critical, Erwin says, because the balance of water and sediment determines the river’s form and characteristics of animal and plant habitats.

She and her team wield a 200-pound Toutle River sampler, deployed from a raft attached to a large steel cable strung across the river from bank to bank, to measure gravel transport rates and collect samples at various points in the river.

“It’s a heavy piece of equipment and the cable sometimes stretches as far as 300 feet,” Erwin says. “It’s physically challenging to take measurements and collect samples during high flow conditions.”

The bedload sampling technique is unique. “Only one other group in the nation uses the Toutle River sampler and they’re a California consulting firm that taught us how to use it,” she says.

What Erwin’s research reveals is that, given the current dam release schedule, the Snake River may not be capable of moving sediment supplied by tributaries downstream.

“This may mean that gravel is accumulating near some tributary mouths or other areas and could interfere with river navigation,” she says. “It also impacts vegetation, fish and other aquatic life.”

Damming a river doesn’t always result in sediment accumulation, she says. Glen Canyon Dam and the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, for example, have caused the opposite effect – sediment deficit.

The main reason for this difference, Erwin says, is that Jackson Lake is a natural lake, whereas those Colorado River dams formed manmade reservoirs, namely Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

Between field seasons, Erwin returns to USU to analyze collected samples and create computer models of the river to determine the predicted impact of varied dam release schedules.

“With our data, we’ve created a sediment budget that can be tied to dam release schedules,” she says. “This helps the National Park Service determine what flows are necessary to move sediment and maintain equilibrium.”

During October 2007, Erwin presented her research at the annual RM-CESU Managers’ Meeting in Salt Lake City and afterward, traveled to Denver to present a poster at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.

“Our lab group is involved in several projects in support of the National Park Service’s efforts to manage complex, large river ecosystems,” says Schmidt, director of the USU-based Intermountain Center for River Rehabilitation and Restoration and the USU Water Initiative.

“We are privileged to work in some of the most beautiful, natural landscapes that our nation pro-tects, and I am proud of the recognition gained by Susannah, her technicians and her supportive fellow grad students,” he says.

Contacts: Susannah Erwin, s.erwin@aggiemail.usu.edu; Jack Schmidt, jack.schmidt@usu.edu, 435-797-1791

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517, maryann.muffoletto@usu.eduFebruary 2008

A Quinney Fellow in USU’s College of Natural Resources, Erwin was selected for the National Park Service’s Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit’s inaugural Student Award.

18 19

DISCOVERINGWETLANDS

Center’s education program to expand its

reach well beyond the nearly 4,000 students

and teachers who currently visit the center on

field trips each year. With the addition of this

unique facility, 8,000-10,000 students will be

accommodated, and the building will be available

for other public events.

EducationUBC field trips are tied to the state’s

science core curriculum and activities

are centered on learning goals for each

grade level. Teachers are provided

with curriculum and activities to use in

their classrooms to encourage more

investigation and learning before and

after UBC field trips.

Utah State University is moving

forward with construction of Wetland Discovery

Point, a year-round, indoor and outdoor

classroom at the Utah

Botanical Center (UBC)

in Kaysville.

The Utah Legislature

provided $950,000 in

2007 to advance the

creation of this facility.

The 2007 legislative

appropriation,

partnership with

Kaysville City and

significant support

from private donors

and the Utah Division

of Water Quality are combining to make

Wetland Discovery Point a reality. Construction

begins spring 2008. Completion is scheduled

for fall 2008.

Why Build It?Utah’s growing population, future economic

development and quality of life

depend on wise use of natural

resources. The Utah Botanical

Center plays an important role in

demonstrating and teaching the

kind of sustainable environmental

stewardship that is crucial to

Utah’s future. Wetland Discovery

Point will allow the Utah Botanical

New Building at Utah Botanical Center will Engage Children in Learning and Environmental Stewardship

Wetland Discovery Point will be the centerpiece of the Utah Botanical Center’s edu-cation program.

20 21

Students explore a range of topics, including:

• Wetland ecology

• Energy conservation

• Wise water use

• Fish and wildlife

• Insects

• Air quality

• Stormwater management

• Horticulture

The BuildingWetland Discovery Point will feature a flexible

classroom space for up to 60 students, a

gathering area with a wide view of the UBC

ponds and the Wasatch Mountains, and a deck

and boardwalks that will serve as outdoor

learning areas.

The 3,200 sq. ft. building will qualify for

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

(LEED) Platinum certification, the highest

certification attainable from the U.S. Green

Building Council. There are currently fewer than

75 LEED Platinum-certified buildings in the

United States and none are in Utah.

The building will

be the centerpiece

of the UBC’s

education program

and a highly

visible example of

sustainable design

and construction

to Center visitors

and the tens of

thousands of

people who pass

the UBC each

day on I-15 in

Kaysville.

Designed by

Salt Lake City-

based AJC Architects, and to be built by

Big-D Construction. Wetland Discovery

Point wil l demonstrate sustainable building

principles, including:

• Collecting and storing rainwater for

landscape irrigation and toilet flushing

• On-site bio-filtration for sewage treatment

• Use of natural light and passive solar

methods to reduce energy needs

• Solar panels to generate electricity

• Ground-source heating and cooling

• Radiant floor transfer of heating and cooling

• Utah native plant landscaping

Wetland Discovery Point will be key to advancing

the mission of the Utah Botanical Center which is

to guide the conservation and wise use of plant,

water and energy resources through research-

based educational experiences, demonstrations

and technologies.

Writer: Tim Vitale, 435-797-1356,

tim.vitale@usu.edu

February 2008

Mark Larese-Casanova teaches children at the Utah Botanical Center.

20 21

English Department Alum Receives Barnes And Noble

‘DISCOVER GREAT NEW WRITERS’ AWARD

“If it had not been for my graduate work at USU, I don’t think I would have been able to write the kind of book I did,” Schrand said. “Beneath its narrative and all the sentences and the structure, there lies my training. The average reader won’t see my master’s degree in American Studies behind the curtain, so to speak, but it’s there. I know it’s there.”

Brandon Schrand hasn’t been out of graduate school long, but he is quickly building a reputation in the literary field — just ask booksellers Barnes and Noble.

Schrand’s forthcoming memoir, The Enders Hotel, has been picked as a Barnes and Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection for summer 2008.

The author earned a master’s degree at USU in 2003 in American Studies, where he focused on western American literature.

According to the Barnes and Noble Web site, The Discover Great New Writers Program helps publishers introduce dynamic new literary writers to the reading public and highlights the most impressive new works published each season. Schrand’s memoir was one of 150 books submitted and among the 18 selected for summer 2008.

Schrand began work on The Enders Hotel, published by the University of Nebraska Press (planned release in May 2008), as an assignment for a class at the University of Idaho, where he earned a master’s of fine arts and where he now coordinates the same MFA program he completed. The assignment just grew, he said, as he followed the story.

USU alum Brandon Schrand received the Barnes and Noble ‘Discover Great New Writers’ Award for his memoir The Enders Hotel.

22 23

Schrand attended Utah State University from 2001-03, and the road that led him to the Logan campus was one of chance, he said. Schrand’s bachelor’s degree is in English literature from Southern Utah University (’98).

“My wife and I moved to Logan because it was close to both our families,” Schrand said. “I took some time out of school and worked, bought a house, had a son and decided I should go to graduate school. USU was right up the hill so I applied there. So while it was chance and chance alone that led me to USU, it turned out to be one of the most extraordinary chances in my life because USU prepared me in no small way to become the writer I am today.”

After walking up the hill, Schrand enrolled in Utah State’s American Studies program, a diverse program that allows students the opportunity to explore American life and cultures from interdisciplinary perspectives.

“The American Studies degree is an immersion in literature, art, folklore, history, anything you want to study on the way to a broad-based, creative, gratifying career,” said Star Coulbrooke, a program alum (’99) and now faculty member in the Department of English. “If you want to work at what you enjoy, create your own career, make your own way in the world, American Studies is the degree for you.”

Faculty who worked with Schrand during his time on campus speak highly of his skill and potential.

“In the tradition of Mary Clearman Blew and Bill Kittredge, Brandon Schrand has written a memoir based on growing up in a determined, perhaps stubborn western family and in a deteriorating construction of the Old West, the Enders Hotel,” said Melody Graulich, editor of Western American Literature and professor of English and American Studies at USU. “Now a historic landmark in Soda Springs, Idaho, the hotel is an emblem of the town’s fantasies of becoming a tourist boomtown in the late 19th century. Brandon’s exploration of the hotel and

its history, based on rich interdisciplinary research, becomes a focal point for a wide-ranging study of the tenacity and dreams of small western towns and their inhabitants.”

Evelyn Funda, an associate professor in the Department of English, also worked with Schrand.

“Brandon never forgets that he started as a small-town Idaho boy, which means he both honors that background and remains refreshingly humble and untainted by inflated ego,” Funda said. “But make no mistake — just because he’s from Soda Springs

doesn’t mean his work is some sentimental picture of a bygone western era. The Enders Hotel is based on his rigorous interdisciplinary research, and the result is a sharp appraisal of how we envision a region and are shaped by family history.”

Schrand’s book will be promoted and featured by Barnes and Noble for 12 weeks, May-July, in 2008. The work has won a number of earlier awards, including the 2007 River Teeth Prize for best book of literary nonfiction, and “The Enders Hotel,” the title piece from the book, was selected as a Notable Essay in the Best American Essays 2007.

“For me, the most rewarding aspect of my education at USU was both the focus on interdisciplinary studies and having access to the dynamic faculty who made interdisciplinary engagement possible,” Schrand said. “My thesis committee — Melody Graulich, Jennifer Sinor and Chris Cokinos — really pushed me intellectually in ways I never thought imaginable. So I am grateful for their work. Others, too, influenced me in important ways. Evelyn Funda, Paul Crumbley, Bob Pyle (a visiting writer), Daniel McInerney and the late Lynn Meeks— each was invaluable in providing me and my peers a first-class education.”

Writer: Patrick Williams, 435-797-1354,patrick.williams@usu.edu

March 2008

The Enders Hotel is an award-winning memoir by USU American Studies alum Brandon Schrand.

22 23

USU PARAMOUNT IN LIFE OF 100-YEAR-OLD GRADUATE

Shortly after Utah State University

celebrated its 120th birthday in March, one

of its early graduates will celebrate her own

birthday—100 years, on April 14. Ruth Davis

Manning said her greatest accomplishment is

graduating from USU with a bachelor’s degree in

foods and nutrition and child development.

Mrs. Manning graduated in 1930 (42 years after the

university was founded) from the School of Home

Economics. Her graduating class had 150 people,

53 of whom were women, and total enrollment at

USU was 1,247, compared to more than 23,000

today. She said there was never a question about

whether she would graduate from college.

“I was determined to graduate from Utah State,”

she said. “And if you’re determined to do

something, you’ve got to do

everything you can to get it

done. But the determination

has to come first.”

Mrs. Manning’s enthusiasm

for education and desire to

share that love with others

is apparent in her children.

Her son, Fred, graduated

from USU with a degree in

elementary education, and

he taught at North Park Elementary in Tremonton

for 28 of his 32-year teaching career.

“All the children loved ‘Mr. Manning,’” said his

sister, Diane Green, who works for USU’s Center

for Persons with Disabilities. “He felt one of

his most important

responsibilities to the

children was to help

them develop a love

for school, and he did

just that.”

While Ruth Manning

was attending USU

in the early 1900s,

scientists were

just beginning to

understand vitamins

and minerals. She said

she remembers doing

research with rats, in

which the students took

away certain vitamins

from the rats, one at

a time, and noted the

effects it had on the rats.

Ruth Davis Manning graduated from USU in 1930 and says graduating with a bachelor’s degree was her greatest accomplishment. She turns 100 on April 14, 2008.

Mrs. Manning’s graduation photo from the 1930 USU yearbook, “The Buzzer.”

24 25

“The rats would be running up and down their

cages, and when we removed vitamin A from

their diets, the rats went downhill in just a few

days,” she said. “Once we gave the rats vitamin

A again, they got their eyesight back and started

running around again.”

Mrs. Manning used the knowledge she gained from

her education to stay healthy throughout her life.

Today, she doesn’t take a single prescription drug,

but adheres to a comprehensive vitamin regimen

she put together herself. She has also managed

to live almost twice as long as was expected for a

woman born in 1908.

Health, vitamins and food were always an interest

to Mrs. Manning and she had the opportunity to

study herbs from Dr. John R. Christopher, a pioneer

herbalist who started a company that continues to

sell herbal supplements today.

“He taught me that taking cayenne pepper is good

for the heart,” she said. “Dr. Christopher would take

a teaspoon of pepper and just swallow it. I have to

take capsules, but it really helps calm you down if

you are feeling stressed.”

After she graduated, Mrs. Manning taught home

economics, English, speech and foods at high

schools throughout the West for about eight years.

“I loved teaching and working with older children,”

she said. She recalled an incident when all the

ovens were removed from the high school where

she taught. The girls were so upset because they

said cooking was the only fun class they had.

After Mrs. Manning married, her dedication to

research at USU continued. Her husband, Hugh

Manning, and a few other farmers put their money

together and bought a piece of ground in Blue

Creek. They deeded the land to the Utah State

University Utah Agricultural Experiment Station.

One of the varieties of wheat developed on this land

was named “Manning Wheat” after Hugh Manning.

“It was a high-yield wheat that proved to be very

good in mechanical mixing and baking high quality

breads,” Green said.

Because of the research done on the farm, Mr.

Manning was asked to speak at many meetings

regarding farms and wheat.

“He was nervous about speaking, so mom enrolled

the whole family in a Dale Carnegie course to better

each one of us in public speaking,” Green said.

During the late 1930s, women’s liberation had

become a large part of Mrs. Manning’s life. She

said she remembered when a group of women

from New York City came to Salt Lake City to

distribute materials about women’s rights. Mrs.

Manning helped distribute the literature farther

west to women in Washington state.

“In those days women couldn’t teach after they got

married so a friend of mine went to Las Vegas to

get married and then came back to Utah to teach,”

Mrs. Manning said. “No one checked for a marriage

license, but people began to wonder who that guy

was coming out of her house each morning.”

During her lifetime, Mrs. Manning has witnessed

many changes in America. When the first airplane

flew over Brigham City, she said word got out in

the local newspaper, and everyone was so excited

to witness it, they started gathering outside an

hour before it was supposed to fly overhead. Mrs.

Manning also recalled the introduction of Jell-O.

“That was the most wonderful food that ever

came out.”

Mrs. Manning’s daughter agrees that after 100 years

of varied and exciting experiences, her mother’s

greatest accomplishment was graduating from USU.

“My mom instilled the desire for education and

continual learning throughout life as a way to better

oneself and those around us,” she said. “I do

believe that is why her greatest accomplishment

was graduating from USU. It sparked her desire to

always be learning and achieving a better you.”

Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429,

annalisa.fox@usu.edu

March 2008

24 25

USU-LICENSED TECHNOLOGY SAVES UTAH DRIVERS

TIME AND MONEY

Road construction causes delays,

detours and confusion, but there is a light at

the end of the tunnel thanks to researchers at

Utah State University. A camera called Texel,

created by USU engineers, is helping to reduce

construction time and cut down traffic jams while

saving the state millions of dollars.

In October 2007, a bridge at I-215 East and

4500 South in Salt Lake City was replaced in

a single weekend, thanks, in part, to USU’s

Texel camera. Using complex 3-D images that

combine lidar (similar to radar, but using light in

place of radio waves), digital photography and a

global positioning system, the Utah Department

of Transportation was able to construct a

prefabricated bridge built off site to fit the

existing bridge’s exact specifications.

The technique used to replace the bridge, called

accelerated bridge construction (ABC), cut road

closures and detours in the area from six months

to a single weekend and saved $4 million in road

construction costs.

“This innovation let us accomplish the work that

needed to be done and not impact the driving

public,” said Shana Lindsey, UDOT’s director of

research and bridge operations.

The camera takes a normal digital photo of

the scene in front of it, while the lidar and GPS

are used at the same time to collect additional

information. Once the 3-D photographic image

is captured, it shows up on the screen like a

normal digital photo. Unlike traditional digital

photography, however, the scene is automatically

embedded with distance, area and volume

information. When multiple Texel photos are

In October 2007, a bridge at I-215 East and 4500 South in Salt Lake City was replaced in a single weekend, thanks, in part, to USU’s Texel camera. Photo courtesy of UDOT.

26 27

combined, a complete

3-D scene is formed

with views from every

desirable position.

“This is what lidar

technology has

going for it,” said

Bob Pack, USU civil

and environmental

engineering professor

and inventor of the

licensed technology.

“The ability to know

every detail of an area

before you start building saves both time and

money, as there are fewer surprises.”

Pack started working on the Texel camera at

the USU Center for Advanced Imaging Ladar, a

former Utah Center of Excellence and current

Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR)

Initiative project. The funding and notoriety

gained from being a USTAR project allowed USU

to license Pack’s camera to a Salt Lake City-

based company, InteliSum.

InteliSum worked closely with UDOT throughout

the bridge replacement process.

“Prefabricated bridges offer significant

advantages over onsite cast-in-place

construction,” said Bob Vashisth of InteliSum.

Bob Pack, USU civil and environmental engineering professor and inventor of the licensed technology.

“Our goal on all future

UDOT ABC projects is

to implement the use

of the Texel camera

through planning,

field survey, design,

modeling, animation

and conflict resolution

before and during the

actual move.”

The October bridge

replacement was so

successful UDOT plans

to replace 13 more

bridges in 2008 using the ABC method.

“The bridge replacement went exactly according

to plan,” said Lindsey. “Utah’s economy is tied

directly to traffic flow. We’re using taxpayer

dollars, and everyone benefits when we

use innovation to prevent lane closures and

accomplish the work faster. It was a good thing

to bring this technology to Utah.”

For more information on USU’s Center for

Advanced Imaging Ladar and the Texel camera,

visit http://cse.usu.edu/cail/index.html.

Writer: Maren Cartwright, 435-797-1355,

maren.cartwright@usu.edu

March 2008

26 27

Utah State University’s INTERIOR DESIGN PROGRAM IS COOKIN’

she completed it. Fotheringham, a junior in Utah State’s Interior Design Program, received the assignment from her professor, Darrin Brooks, during her junior design studio.

“We were in class on a Monday when professor Brooks gave us the assignment,” Fotheringham said. “The designs were due Friday – that Friday.”

“I basically cut sleep from my life,” she said. “I was on campus from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. I spent a lot of time in the design studio.”

Fortheringham’s sleep-depravation paid off with the competition win. She was awarded $2,500 and received a trip to an exclusive resort in Arizona. Utah State University was rewarded as well for her winning effort. The Interior Design program will receive $10,000 from Sub-Zero - Wolf.

While others might be surprised that a student could pull off a win in a national competition in only four days, Fotheringham’s professor said he is not surprised.

“That strength and the diversity that our students have in their education make this possible,”

Brooks said. “All our students have a strong foundation and skills and learn early on about attention to detail. Work by Utah State students garners a lot of attention.”

Providing practical experience comes from having a diverse faculty, Brooks said. Many come to the program with solid experience in the business world. The students also gain a strong background in architecture. USU’s

There is an old political adage that says if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Good advice for a politician, but a number of Utah State University students are just fine taking the heat in the kitchen.

That is, taking the heat in national kitchen design competitions, especially Katie Fotheringham who learned in January 2008 that she had taken the top prize in the Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliance, Inc. Student Kitchen Design 2007 Competition.

“Since the inaugural competition in 1993, our Kitchen Design Contest has become the highest-regarded award in the industry,” said Paul Leuthe, corporate marketing manager of Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliance. “With each contest we gain insight into kitchen design trends and learn how designers incorporate our appliances into their projects.”

The fact that Fotheringham won the student competition is not surprising when you see her design. What is surprising is the speed in which

Katie Fotheringham’s impressive kitchen design took the top prize in the student category of the 2007 Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliance, Inc. Kitchen Design Competition.

28 29

program is also extremely graphic, using the most up-to-date graphic programs.

“Our students are able to design, market and present their ideas in a strong fashion,” Brooks said.

Looking at Fotheringham’s design confirms that. The sleek, modern design is as breathtaking as was the budget for creating the space. There were a number of rules and requirements for the Sub-Zero - Wolf competition, but the budget to produce the award-winning kitchen was an eye-popping $200,000.

There were other rules and guidelines, like using National Kitchen Bath Association standards. Fotheringham had to know the standard height of countertops and many other industry and code standards. Of course, the use of Sub-Zero and Wolf products was a given.

The result is a dream kitchen that anyone — young or old — would like to have.

An emphasis by Fotheringham in her design was to combine the many elements with a nod to sustainability. All her product choices and finishes are eco-friendly, from concrete counter tops stained with soycrete, to the bamboo cabinets and the energy efficient appliances. The brick walls showcase the use of an existing material.

Fotheringham is modest about her win, but firm in her career choice.

“Design something you love, something you are passionate about,” she said. “You can then sell it to others.”

Fotheringham was involved in interior design as a high school student at Taylorsville High School. She also participated in concurrent enrollment courses offered through Weber State. It was after a tour to Utah State and its Interior Design program that she made the decision to study at USU.

“That tour made my decision easy,” she said. “The USU students worked at a completely different level than the other schools and programs I’d visited.”

Fotheringham credits the USU program and her professors with her success.

“The classes have definitely prepared me,” she said. “The professors do push us, but they truly prepare us for ‘real-life’ experience.”

Fotheringham hopes to work at a large commercial design firm once she graduates. She said she likes commercial designs, so bring on more kitchens. Fotheringham can stand the heat.

Students in Utah State’s Interior Design program excel in many competitions. Students have received international honors two years in a row at the Tasmeen Doha, winning week-long trips to Qatar. A complete listing of design competition winners is found on the Interior Design Web site (http://interiordesign.usu.edu/comp.htm).

Writer: Patrick Williams, 435-797-1354,patrick.williams@usu.eduMarch 2008

Katie Fotheringham was a junior in USU’s Interior Design Program when she won the national competition.

ADDITIONAL INTERIOR DESIGN KITCHEN DESIGN WINS …

Megan Ridge2007 GE Monogram - Dream Kitchen Design Contest

Best Student Concept1st Place ($5,000 scholarship)

Audrey Cummings2007 GE Monogram - Dream Kitchen Design Contest

Best Student Concept3rd Place ($1,000 scholarship)

28 29

A GREAT, PRETTY PLACE

Utah State University is a special place —

a major research university where a human touch

still prevails. You’ve arrived at a setting described

by the legendary mountain man Jim Bridger as “the

most beautiful valley in the Rocky Mountains.”

The university’s stellar faculty, staff and

students continually strive to make new

discoveries and opportunities for themselves,

and USU’s reputation as a national center

for academic excellence has continued with

increasing momentum.

Located in the city of Logan in northern Utah’s

Cache Valley, Utah State is 80 miles northeast

of Salt Lake City and is within a day’s driving

distance of six national parks. The surrounding

area, including ski resorts, lakes, rivers and

mountains, makes Utah State one of the finest

recreational environments in the nation.

“Logan is a vibrant college town and a

great place to live for multiple reasons,”

said Jay Nielson, Logan City’s community

development director. “We have a great

combination of waterways, traditional streets,

urban forests, good buildings and nice

neighborhoods — and we are surrounded by

breathtaking mountains.”

Logan Makes Several “Best Places” Lists

Located in the city of Logan in northern Utah’s Cache Valley, Utah State is 80 miles northeast of Salt Lake City and is within a day’s driving distance of six national parks.

30 31

Hollist said that in just five minutes one can

be fishing, hiking, biking, canoeing or rock

climbing in the surrounding mountains. She

also mentioned several sporting events held in

the Logan area each year that attract national

attention including LOTOJA Bike Race, Wasatch

Back Relay Race and Top of Utah Marathon.

Nielson believes many people live in the

Logan area because of its beautiful, natural

setting. Logan canyon is a spectacular natural

resource, just minutes from campus, and is

a backyard playground for all. It is a place of

legend, history, recreation and more, and it is

the subject of a new book published in 2007

by Utah State University faculty member and

Journalism and Communication Department

Head Michael S. Sweeney.

“Last Unspoiled Place — Utah’s Logan Canyon”

is Sweeney’s tribute to the geologic wonder he

was drawn to from his first visit to Logan. The

book was published by National Geographic.

Sweeney thinks Logan Canyon is truly a

unique place.

“I have lived in many states and have seen

places that are beautiful and wild,” he said. “But

if you think of those places — Yellowstone, for

instance — they are commercialized or crowded.

There are traffic jams and difficulties getting a

room or campsite reservation.”

Logan Canyon’s beauty rivals that of

Yellowstone, Sweeney said, but it doesn’t

have the commercial development and the

crowds. The highway makes the canyon easily

accessible, and soon a visitor can become lost in

the canyon’s wonders.

“You can drive a few minutes into the canyon,

then park the car and get into a quiet area of

almost pure wilderness,” Sweeney said. “It’s

a unique place, unspoiled, and it’s a place to

restore the soul.”

Not a bad thing to have in your backyard.

Writer: Maren Cartwright, 435-797-1355,

maren.cartwright@usu.edu

April 2008

The Cache Valley area has recently appeared on

several “best places” lists:

• No. 1 safest U.S. Metropolitan Area for 2007,

according to City Crime Rankings: Crime in

Metropolitan America.

• One of Top 10 of the nation’s “Most Secure

places to Live” by Farmers Insurance

Group, 2007.

• One of the Top 50 “Cities for Overall

Economic Vitality” by the Wall Street

Journal, 2007.

• No. 3 on Money Magazine’s “Best Places to

Retire Young,” 2007.

• No. 12 on Forbes Magazine’s “Best Small

Places for Business and Careers,” 2007.

• No. 3 in an MSN real estate article listing

“Low-Cost Locales Where Jobs are

Plenty,” 2007.

• One of 15 “Great Cities for Job

Seekers” by CareerBuilder.com.

Taking the No. 2 spot, Logan has an

unemployment rate of 2 percent.

• No. 5 in the Top 5 Real Estate Markets for

College Towns from a 2008 report by College

Real Estate LLC, a Texas-based company

established in 2004.

• If Norman Rockwell and Daniel Boone built a town together, it would be Logan. The May/June 2008 issue of Where To Retire magazine features Logan as an “undiscovered haven.”

Julie Hollist, director of the Cache Valley Visitors

Bureau, said Logan provides a well-rounded,

integrated experience that is multi-faceted. She

said the area has multiple offerings, especially in

the areas of the arts and outdoors.

“Logan is an incredible resource for those

who enjoy the arts,” Hollist said. “We have an

internationally renowned opera, several local

and visiting performing artists throughout the

year, an incredible chamber music group and

several art galleries.”

30 31

WHAT DIET?

More times than

not, poor eating habits bring

low self-esteem, high blood

pressure, weight gain and the

resulting never-ending question

about whether to start a diet

this Monday or the next.

USU Dietetics students

say skip the diet question

completely — start eating

healthy not only this coming

Monday, but today and

every day!

Students in the Nutrition and Food Sciences

Department at USU plan, promote and present

an annual Health and Nutrition Expo for USU

students, faculty and community. In spring 2008,

students chose to concentrate on teaching

people that there are no magic diets, no magic

foods and no magic supplements to learning how

to eat healthy.

The expo is part of the Advanced Dietetics

Practicum class. Senior dietetics students are

taught in-depth ways to plan and carry out

events, while learning principles for research

and teaching. Senior students also mentor junior

Dietetics students as they help with booths and

present food demonstrations.

Tamara Vitale, USU Dietetics clinical associate

professor, said the expo not only gives students

the opportunity to show off their research

findings, but it also gives them the hands-on

experience they will need in the real world for

event planning and teaching methods.

Vitale approximated there were 1,700 people

who attended the 2008 expo. The attendees

could learn from a variety of booths sponsored

by USU Dietetics students, USU clubs,

community vendors and health professionals.

Junior Dietetics students participated in the

expo through food demonstrations. Every 10

minutes samples of delicious snacks were

offered to whet the appetites of the participants

and to encourage the idea that healthy eating is

easy, fun and appetizing.

Patrick Shepherd, senior Dietetics student, could be

seen at his booth concentrating on cancer-causing

vegetables. He wore a breastplate made from carrots

and mushrooms, shields of squash and a headdress

made of a variety of vegetables. His diet “secret”

was that the vegetables people don’t eat are the

only cancer-causing ones. Students like Shepherd

learned fun and exciting ways to present their

research and also answer questions.

Jessie Oliver (left) and Tamara Vitale at the USU Health and Nutrition Expo.

Dietetic Students Teach Community How to Eat Healthier without Dieting

32 33

“People have questions we have to know

how to answer,” said Nicole Beuhler, a senior

Dietetics student. “We need to research topics

aside from our primary presentation. We want to

help people learn all aspects of our topic.”

Beuhler said she never thought she would need

to learn advertising and communication skills to

work as a dietitian. She now feels that planning

for the expo taught her a variety of skills she will

use in her future career.

According to Vitale, the Service Learning

Program at USU encourages hands-on learning

by giving credit and recognition to students

participating in applied learning courses and

projects throughout campus. The expo gives

the Service Learning Program a perfect example

of how students should be getting involved in

hands-on learning.

“The Health and Nutrition Expo is an excellent

way for students to gain confidence in their

knowledge about nutrition,” said Vitale. “It

also gives them experience in qualities that

employers value — communication skills,

teamwork skills, flexibility and adaptability,

analytical skills, motivation and many more.”

Vitale said the qualities students learn while

planning the expo are not typically included on

exams, but they are qualities asked about in

job interviews and reference checks. It is easier

to recommend a student for a job if she sees

them in action. Through this practice, students

are able to gain confidence and competence in

other aspects of their field of study.

“The expo provides practice in many skills,” said

Vitale. “The students develop nutrition-related

materials and activities. They plan, market,

organize, form sub-committees and maintain

a budget. They also obtain a temporary food

handler’s permit from the Health Department and

make sure all regulations are followed.”

Jessica Draper, a senior in Dietetics,

concentrated on contacting booth vendors. She

also helped design a time-management tool

used to keep every aspect of the expo on track,

as well as researching her own topic on organic

foods. The main goal of her presentation was to

get people thinking about organic foods and the

impacts they can have, good or bad, on health,

the environment and a college student’s budget.

“I had no idea how hard it was to plan an event,”

said Draper. “When I helped plan the expo, I

realized how every little detail mattered. A topic

such as mine can cause some controversy, and

you have to be prepared with answers.”

Vitale explained that students take it upon

themselves to promote the event the best way

they can. Students write press releases and

design posters, among other promotional tools

they use. They are encouraged to work with

broadcast groups and newspapers throughout

the community to promote the event.

The work isn’t all finished when the final

presentation is given at the end of the expo.

Students are required to write a one-page

reflection paper describing what they felt the

pros were, what they could have done better

and what new roles they took on. The papers are

used to help future students planning the event.

“This year’s expo was a great success,” said

Vitale. “All the students work hard and see it pay

off in the end. I never cease to be amazed as it

all comes together.”

Writer: Ben Hibshman, b.hibshman@aggiemail.usu.eduApril 2008

Patrick Shepherd, senior dietetics student, presents his research on cancer-causing vegetables at the Health and Nutrition Expo.

32 33

A NEW NAME, A NEW ERA OF LEADERSHIP

U tah State University celebrated two

significant gifts April 23, 2008 and announced at

the same time that it will rename it prestigious

college of education the Emma Eccles Jones

College of Education and Human Services.

The $25 million gift from the Emma Eccles Jones

Foundation, announced in December 2007,

will support design and construction of a new

building and five endowed faculty chairs in early

childhood education. An additional $1 million gift

announced Wednesday from the George S. and

Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation will support a

new Center for Early Care and Education named

for Dolores Doré Eccles.

Carol Strong, dean of the Emma Eccles Jones

College of Education and Human Services, said

the gifts will allow the already highly ranked

college to affirm even further its status as one

the nation’s leaders in early childhood education,

research and service.

“The synergy created by these generous gifts

will serve as a powerful catalyst, helping to

transform early childhood education not only

regionally and nationally but internationally,”

she said.

The new building will house all of the college’s

important programs and research in early

childhood education, including the Emma Eccles

Jones Center for Early Childhood Education

and its endowed chair, Ray Reutzel. It will also

be home to the Sound Beginnings Preschool, a

one-of-a-kind program in the Intermountain West

where children with cochlear implants or digital

hearing aids can learn spoken language.

Also under the same roof, the Dolores Doré Eccles

Center for Early Care and Education will provide

much-needed child-care facilities for infants and

young children whose parents are USU students,

staff or faculty. In addition, the facility will offer

early childhood education, student and parent

training, a model research environment and endless

opportunities for USU undergraduate and graduate

students to observe, tutor and experience hands-

on learning internships.

“These will be the critical training grounds for students

who will become our nation’s best teachers, deaf

USU Renames its Highly Ranked College: Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

The Very Reverend Frederick Q. Lawson, (from left to right), Clark Giles and Spencer F. Eccles.

34 35

educators, speech-language

pathologists and audiologists,”

Strong said. “These gifts have

far-reaching potential — they aim

to create a bright future for our

children and grandchildren, and

theirs as well.”

Spencer F. Eccles, chairman

of the board and CEO for the

George S. and Dolores Doré

Eccles Foundation, said the

celebration was a reminder

of commitment to education

by Emma Eccles Jones and

Dolores Doré Eccles, who were sisters-in-law.

“This is a great day to celebrate and honor the

contributions of two incredible women,” Eccles

said. “Both were strong and spirited women who

shared a firm belief in the value of education.

They would be pleased to know what they have

contributed to, and I believe that here at USU in the

College of Education, the best is yet to come.”

Clark Giles, chair of the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, echoed those thoughts.

“We are pleased to provide this gift to further

enhance the early childhood education program

at USU, and we are honored they are naming the

college after Emma,” Giles said. “Aunt Em focused

her career on providing training and education for

teachers of early childhood education, and the

new center at USU will be a great benefit to the

university, the state and the nation.”

The Very Reverend Frederick Q. Lawson, trustee of

the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, told a packed

Sunburst Lounge in USU’s Taggart Student Center

that Emma Eccles Jones, Logan’s first kindergarten

teacher, was a model teacher with a progressive

spirit that is reflected today in USU’s College of

Education and Human Services.

“She was a dedicated teacher and a loyal friend

to the teaching profession,” Lawson said. “She

serves as a model for this wonderful school of

education, and we are privileged to know that

every teacher who graduates from this program

will carry on that great tradition.”

USU President Stan L. Albrecht said Emma

Eccles Jones touched the lives of many children

when she was a teacher herself, and the college,

named after her, will extend that touch to

countless generations of young children.

“These gifts are a reflection of the great confidence

these foundations have in us,” Albrecht said.

“We are humbled by that confidence, but we

enthusiastically embrace this great challenge.”

Writer: Tim Vitale, 435-797-1356,

tim.vitale@usu.edu

April 2008The Very Reverend Frederick Q. Lawson presented Dean Carol Strong with books from Emma Eccles Jones’ personal collection.

Students from Edith Bowen Laboratory School sang during the ceremony.

Spencer F. Eccles stands with a plaque that will hang in the atrium of the Emma Eccles Jones Education Building.

34 35

WIKI TEXTBOOK TEACHES STUDENTS MORE THAN PHYSIOLOGY

All students understand the pain of

paying hundreds of dollars for textbooks each

semester, but few likely realize the effort their

instructors put into choosing a quality book.

When Kevin Young, lecturer at Utah State

University’s Brigham City campus, couldn’t find a

book he liked for the physiology class he taught

during summer 2006, he decided to work with his

students to create their own wiki textbook using

Wikibooks, a companion site to Wikipedia that

allows users to create a free library of textbooks

anyone can edit.

Young’s idea to incorporate wikis into the

classroom was fueled by Brigham City Executive

Director Andy Shinkle’s enthusiasm for innovation

and new technology.

“I believe technology has the

capability to improve the quality

of education, especially for our

nontraditional students because

it offers flexibility with both time

and location that isn’t available

traditionally,” Shinkle said. “Kevin

has been very enthusiastic and

innovative with his teaching. He

has been successful with taking

a difficult subject matter and

ensuring that students excel, and

he’s used technology to make it

fun and exciting at the same time.”

The class was taught remotely

through IP broadcast technology

to students enrolled in Provo

College’s pre-nursing program.

The students needed to take several basic courses

from an accredited institution before continuing with

the program, and USU stepped up to fulfill that role.

“It was an interesting experience having students

who were there to learn, taking the role of

textbook writers,” Young said. “But the students

learned physiology through this collaborative

project, and they all progressed into the nursing

program and passed their nursing exams.”

Young created the basic outline for the textbook by

establishing 18 chapter headings. Then he divided the

class into 18 teams and assigned each to research

and write one chapter. By involving the students in

their education through creating their own textbook,

they learned more than just physiology.

Kevin Young, biology lecturer at USU’s Brigham City campus, helped his physiology class create a wiki textbook.

36 37

or other organizations to which he belongs. Not only

did the project get the students more involved in

their coursework, it also gave Young the opportunity

to get to know his students better.

When teaching from a distance, it can be difficult to

personalize each student’s experience, he said. But

through wikis, he can learn about and interact with

each student through their profiles and contributions.

He was concerned about vandalism to the wiki.

But he remembered Penchina saying most cases

of vandalism at Wikipedia are corrected within

four minutes. This seemed unbelievable, but then

he experienced it firsthand.

One day during class, students started reporting

that their pages had been deleted or filled with

profanity. He started to compose an e-mail to a

wiki-enthusiast who had been helping, but before

he had even sent the e-mail, everything had been

fixed. He looked at his watch and it had been less

than four minutes.

Young’s fascination with wikis extends beyond

the classroom. In November 2007, he won a

weeklong trip to Australia with his wife through a

contest promoting the new Australia Travel wiki

on Wetpaint.com.

Meanwhile, he has transitioned his class to using

Wetpaint’s wiki site because it is easier to insert

images and videos, which students enjoy. He

created the “physiwiki” site for students to write

class notes and practice questions for each other.

“I once heard someone say, ‘If you never fail,

you’re not trying enough new things,’” Young

said. “That’s what I try to instill in my students

as I aim to prepare them for an uncertain future. I

want them to learn how to take risks and how to

discover in new ways.”

To view and contribute to Human Physiology, visit

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Human_Physiology.

Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429, annalisa.fox@usu.edu April 2008

“It taught me to not only research, but to verify the

information I use for my classes,” said Stephanie

Greenwood, a student from Young’s spring 2007

class and certified nursing assistant at Utah Valley

Regional Medical Center. “I learned to find multiple

sources for any subject I research.”

Greenwood said she devoted a lot of time to

researching and checking the information for

the book, so by the time she was finished, she

truly understood the material. “It wasn’t just a

memorize-and-regurgitate-for-the-test type of

class,” she said. “The things I learned from that

class stuck with me.”

Today, the textbook, Human Physiology, receives

2,000-3,000 visits per day and holds the prestigious

title of “Featured Book” on Wikibooks. Young has

used the book a few times for his own classes, but

he hopes students in other universities will also use

and improve upon the book.

As a testament to Shinkle’s commitment to

developing the most technologically advanced

campus at USU, he gave the faculty members at

Brigham City video iPods and told them to use

the iPods for something educational.

Young started listening to a podcast sponsored by

Stanford University called “Entrepreneurial Thought

Leaders Seminar.” One morning, the guest speaker

on the podcast was Gil Penchina, former vice

president of eBay, speaking about his recent decision

to leave eBay to become CEO of a company called

Wikia, a commercial company started by the founders

of Wikipedia that provides a place for people to create

wikis about anything.

This sparked Young’s

interest in wikis, and

he said he’ll never

stop using them,

whether it’s

for classes,

hobbies

36 37

‘GREEN’ PLASTIC

Take a look

around and you might

be surprised by how

many things are made

of plastic. Paints,

adhesives, prostheses,

brushes and furniture

name just a few. Since

plastic was created

about 150 years ago,

it has become one of

the most commonly

manufactured materials

in society. About

200 billion pounds of

plastics are produced

annually worldwide.

Libbie Linton, a Utah State University senior

majoring in biological and irrigation engineering,

has been researching bioplastics as an

alternative to conventional plastics since 2004.

Finding alternatives to petroleum-based

products such as plastic will help to increase

sustainability. In the United States alone, some

60 billion pounds of plastics are discarded

annually, and more than 90 percent of the waste

is not yet recycled.

Bioplastics could easily be substituted for

regular plastics because they can be molded

and the strength can be adjusted just like

regular plastics, Linton said. Bioplastics are

biodegradable and aren’t derived from oil,

making them a much more sustainable product.

“When I began working with Libbie the

summer before she started college, she

really dug into the details of the organisms,

processes and previous research by others

concerning bioplastics,” said Ronald

Sims, head of the Biological and Irrigation

Engineering Department. “By the time she

started college, she was well into research

and discovery in the laboratory.”

Bioplastics are made from a compound called

polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA, she said.

Bacteria accumulate PHA in the presence of

excess carbon source, similar to how humans

Engineering Student Recycles Dairy Waste to Create Biodegradable Plastic

Libbie Linton, biological and irrigation engineering student, has been studying ways to make bioplastic production more cost effective.

38 39

accumulate fat deposits on their bodies after

consuming excess food.

The major problem with producing

bioplastics on a large scale is the cost

associated with producing them. Presently,

bioplastics are around 2.5 times more

expensive than plastics produced from oil,

Linton said. But as the cost of oil increases,

that gap gets smaller and smaller.

The sources for the production cost include the

carbon used to help bacteria produce PHAs, the

purifying process and operation costs, such as

tanks to house PHA-producing bacteria.

Linton’s project focuses on ways to eliminate or

reduce one or more of these costs. To make this

green idea even greener, she aims to optimize

naturally-occurring environments and use

byproducts from other production processes.

During her junior year, a research group Linton

was affiliated with was awarded a grant from

the Utah Science, Technology and Research

(USTAR) initiative for the study of biodiesel

produced from algae.

Anaerobically-digested dairy waste is used to

grow the algae used for biodiesel production.

Bioplastic production can be integrated into this

process by using the carbon- and nutrient-rich

dairy waste to harvest PHA-producing organisms

that occur naturally in the dairy waste.

“Using wastes to make bioplastics solves two

problems at the same time,” Sims said. “It

provides sustainable waste treatment and avoids

polluting the environment. Second, by adding

a high-value product like bioplastic to the

biodiesel production process, the cost of both

products can simultaneously be lowered.”

Linton has developed and validated a

method for quantifying PHAs in a sample and

has successfully detected PHA-producing

bacteria in the waste.

Now, we have to look for ways to optimize this

partnership between biodiesel and bioplastic

production to get a lot of PHA for a good

price, she said.

“If there’s anything I’ve learned while working

on this project, it’s that everyone has to work

together,” Linton said. “No one can know

everything, so you have to team up with experts

from various disciplines to get the best results.”

During the 2008 USU Undergraduate Research

Week poster display, Linton claimed the award

for “Best Poster” in the engineering category.

She has also presented her research at national

conferences, including the Inland Northwest

Research Alliance Conference in Big Sky, Mont.,

in 2005, the Institute of Biological Engineering in

Tucson, Ariz., in 2006, the Institute of Biological

Engineering in St. Louis, Mo., in 2007, and the

Institute of Biological Engineering in Chapel Hill,

N.C., in 2008.

Linton plans to stay at USU to get her master’s

degree while continuing this research with Sims.

“I’d like to shift to a systems integration

emphasis for my master’s degree,” Linton

said. “I want to design a system for bioplastic

production that can be incorporated into the

commercial agricultural waste treatment process

without compromising biodiesel production.”

Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429,

annalisa.fox@usu.edu

April 2008

38 39

Utah State University’s Department of

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education

has partnered with Cache Community

Connections for seven years to sponsor a

production of George F. Handel’s famous

Messiah. This production, however, is a unique

blend of English, Spanish and American Sign

Language, making it a multicultural event for the

more than 100 singers, 50 instrumentalists and

21 theatrical interpreters for the Deaf who were

featured in the production.

A MULTICULTURAL

MESSIAHWell-Known Production Takes on New Dimensions for USU Students, Community

USU student Jaime Tongish interprets USU’s Multicultural Messiah in American Sign Language.

40 41

The director of audiology

in USU’s Department of

Communicative Disorders and

Deaf Education, professor John

Ribera, is the architect behind

this grand production.

“The message, the music and the

man who composed it have always

intrigued me,” said Ribera. “It was

the darkest time in Handel’s life,

when everything seemed against

him, that he came up with a

masterpiece now played all over the

world. It is very inspiring and I never

tire of it. “

This year’s production added an

educational family matinee to the

schedule. It provided fascinating

insight into the life and times of

Handel. Concert etiquette, Baroque music, Deaf

culture and other such topics were also included

in the matinee.

“Seeing a community of many people from many

different ways of life blend together in harmony

is amazing,” said orchestra member Robert

Robinson. “Friendships were built, trust was

established and love was shared with everyone.”

The exposure of American Sign Language to the

community has been one of the greatest benefits

of this Messiah performance. Deaf people

traveled from Salt Lake City and Provo to see

the performance in Logan. Several Deaf people

came with balloons to feel the vibrations of the

orchestra in their hands.

The head of USU’s Deaf Education Program,

Freeman King, asked Deaf education senior

Lacey Scott to become involved with the

production three years ago. “I joined without

knowing what I was getting into,” said Scott.

“But it has become one of the greatest things I’ll

remember about USU.”

Scott volunteered to coach the other Deaf

interpreters, and, despite the challenges of

learning her part and coaching, she found the

experience quite rewarding.

“We don’t follow the lyrics,” said Scott. “We

tell many stories of Christ and we become

the characters. We become the sinners, the

angels, the believers. We also become Christ

as we express the thoughts and feelings that he

must’ve felt.”

Proceeds from the concert series support

the annual international humanitarian hearing

healthcare mission. The mission provides

services to underprivileged men, women and

children from faculty and doctoral students in

audiology. The proceeds from the 2007 Messiah

production allowed the mission to see more

than 300 patients and fit more than 40 hearing

aids in Mexico. This year the humanitarian

team will travel to the Dominican Republic

where they will provide services for children in

schools for the Deaf.

Writer: Ryan Hall

April 2008

Dr. John Ribera, director of audiology, leads the Messiah.

40 41

Each new year

brings renewed rounds

of resolutions, among

which losing weight and

developing healthier

habits consistently rank

in the top five. Just as

predictable are a bevy of

newly released ads touting

the latest in weight loss

diets and tools for wishful

fitness enthusiasts.

Grapefruit, cabbage and

reverse diets … Israeli

Army, Atkins, Eat-Right-

for-Your-Type diets …

and 2008’s offering: the

GenoType Diet.

“The ability to determine a

proper diet based on your

genotype is premature,”

says Utah State University

researcher Michael Lefevre.

“We know that both

genetic and non-genetic

factors play a role in how

an individual responds

to different diets, but we

don’t yet know why.”

Lefevre, who was recruited to USU through

the Utah Science Technology and Research –

USTAR – initiative, has long studied the role

of diet in the development of cardiovascular

disease and Type 2 diabetes.

“We know that lowering saturated fat and

increasing plant sterols and fiber in one’s diet

can lower cholesterol levels,” says Lefevre,

who joined USU’s Center for Advanced

Nutrition in September 2007. “But everyone

SEEKING WEAPONS OF MASS REDUCTION

USU USTAR professor Michael Lefevre explores the role of diet in the development of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.

42 43

responds differently to diet changes and we

need tools to help us identify the best diet

match for each person.”

Lefevre believes that a metabalomics approach –

rather than a genomics approach – may provide

those tools. Metabalomics is the systematic

study of the unique chemical ‘fingerprints’ that

specific cellular processes leave behind.

To test his approach, he plans to set up a

metabalomics research kitchen with the ability to

feed up to 25 human subjects at a time.

“We will provide all meals for the people in each

study, the length of which could last from three

to four weeks or up to six months,” he says. “The

findings should help us begin to identify specific

genetic and non-genetic markers and tailor the

appropriate diet to each individual.”

Food is not always the enemy, says Lefevre,

who studies so-called functional foods; that

is, nutritional compounds in foods that inhibit

disease. Examples include antioxidants that

are often lauded for their health benefits. The

compounds, praised for their cancer prevention

and anti-aging properties, are so ubiquitous in

food, he notes, that whether or not they deserve

such credit is open to debate.

His current research focuses on bioactive

compounds, including flavonoids found in many

fruits and vegetables. Early studies indicate that

such compounds may offer protection against

cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Lefevre continues his work with Louisiana State

University’s Pennington Biomedical Research

Center, his former employer, on a National

Institutes of Health-funded botanical research

project that is examining how bioactives in fruits’

plant pigments affect health. The rich blue and

red hues of your favorite berries and grapes

could be doing more good for you than simply

pleasing your senses.

“Plant pigments may provide protection against

metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance – a

precursor to Type 2 diabetes,” he says.

Finding the right tools, including improved

nutrition, to combat modern-day plagues is

critical, he says.

“Today’s obesity epidemic is unprecedented,”

Lefevre says. “We have access to a large supply

of relatively inexpensive food – much of which is

high in fat and salt.”

He also notes that today’s lifestyles

encourage inactivity.

“Consider this: we actually press a button to

remotely start our cars and open their doors,”

Lefevre says. “The simplest tasks have been

reduced to one finger. We have escalators

instead of stairs and we sit at computers all

day. These little things add up in our lives. It’s

amazing how few calories we actually need

when we’re inactive.”

Personal choice is a factor in good health

but public policy encouraging healthy habits,

including pedestrian and bike-friendly

communities, could discourage overly sedentary

lifestyles, he says.

“Reversing current trends requires action from

all of us on personal and communal levels,”

Lefevre says.

Contact: Michael Lefevre, 435-797-3821

michael.lefevre@usu.edu

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517,

maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu

May 2008

42 43

In many cases, Utah State University’s

Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art is the

first exposure to art students living in northern

Utah may have. Making art accessible and

offering personal experiences with modern

and contemporary art objects is central to the

museum’s mission. Examining contemporary

issues and art-making specific to the American

scene in the western United States give a

certain flavor to the experience. Contemporary

art, although exciting, can be challenging to

understand, so to help its audience find meaning,

and to serve as a resource for teachers and

students of all kinds, the museum has developed

extensive education programs.

Early exposure to art and outreach to

underserved populations make the museum’s

K-12 education programs fundamental to

building art appreciators for the future and to

the museum’s youth

programs. The museum’s

education personnel are

committed to developing

resource information for

classroom teachers, and

one was recognized for

her dedicated efforts.

Nadra Haffar, education

curator at the Nora Eccles

Harrison Museum of Art,

has been named the

state’s Art Educator of the

Year. Make that years.

Haffar was named

Outstanding Museum

Educator of the Year 2007-08 and 2008-09 by

the Utah Art Education Association at its annual

conference.

“Many public school teachers are frightened and

intimidated or even ill-prepared to incorporate

the arts into the curriculum,” Haffar said.

“Through my work at the museum, I feel it is my

role to help with the process.”

At Utah State, Haffar works at all levels in the

educational world and with a variety of groups that

visit the museum, ranging from children to adults.

“The curator of education is responsible for

developing and supervising the docent program,

planning educational events and public activities

for the museum,” said Victoria Rowe, the

museum’s director and chief curator.

ALL PATHS LEAD TO ART

Nadra Haffar was named Utah’s Art Educator of the Year for 2007-08 and 2008-09. She is the education curator at USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art.

44 45

During the

academic

year 2006-

07, more

than 7,000

students

came to the

museum.

Of those,

950 were

public school

students in

35 different

groups.

Among those

groups was

a second-

grade class

from Edith Bowen Laboratory School and its

teacher Marianne Christian. An educator with

more than 13 years experience, Christian said she

takes full advantage of the resources offered at

USU. She brings her students to campus four to

five times a year for a multitude of experiences.

Her class visited the new Performance Hall during

a session on zone tools. The students used the

Performance Hall’s sculpture “Passacaglia” to

study repeating patterns.

“The idea is to give the students a broader

experience,” Christian said. “The classroom is

small, and I like getting the students out. It’s just like

adults who travel. The more you travel, the more

open you are to new ideas and new experiences.

Our field trips provide these experiences.”

Building educational partnerships is important at

the museum.

“We want to help make the connection between

what they are studying and art,” Haffar said.

“We get to build strong relationships with the

teachers at all levels.”

Christian feels especially connected to Haffar

and the museum via the new ArtsBridge program

and its USU director, Laurie Baefsky.

In fall 2007, Utah State became the 23rd university

in the United States to host an ArtsBridge America

program. Through the Caine School of the Arts

and the College of Humanities, Arts and Social

Sciences, USU ArtsBridge provides service-based

instructional scholarships to qualified university

students and hands-on, long-term arts residencies

in classrooms for K-12 students.

With its proximity to campus, the museum has a

close relationship with Edith Bowen Laboratory

School, as well as associations with the Logan

City and Cache County school districts. It also

works with nontraditional groups, including

disabled adults, at risk youth and residential

treatment facilities.

“These hands-on experiences really impact the

students,” Christian said. “Nadra is very involved

with what the children are doing. She is very

professional and is clearly excited about what

she does.”

At USU’s museum, tours arranged and scripted

by Haffar include hands-on activities that

connect the experience to the theme or the

artist the group is studying. However, it is most

important that the students experience this in the

atmosphere of the museum — not the classroom

at their individual schools.

Haffar notes that the pendulum of including

the arts in the curriculum — no matter how you

define the arts — will continue to swing.

“But I think it is coming back,” she said. “Math

and science are included in the arts, we just have

to show how they are included in a creative way.

As an art educator, I need to find the keys to

let students discover how other disciplines are

involved or related. I always enjoy hearing young

students on tours say, ‘I’m so glad I got to come

today. I’m missing math,’ and I get to say, ‘Oh no

you’re not, you are doing math right now,’ and

explain or show how.”

“I appreciate Nadra’s engagement with our

young guests,” Rowe said. “She is dedicated

to reaching these moldable, young minds —

trying to inspire them about the world around

them and the fuzziness of the divisions between

art, science and all learning. Her philosophy is

dynamic. Many things lead to paths of learning

— but all paths lead to art.”

Writer: Patrick Williams, 435-797-1354,

patrick.williams@usu.edu

May 2008

Nadra Haffar, USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art education curator, uses the Performance Hall’s sculpture “Passacaglia” in an outreach session with elementary students.

44 45

MR. SEPTEMBERcustomers world-wide. The Siemens Calendar

competition started in 1997 and has become

an annual tradition with entrants from leading

global companies, including Adams Golf, FMC

Technologies and Hill-Rom. Every year, a panel

of industry professionals from around the world

selects the images that appear in the printed

calendar. People from more than 20 countries

entered the 2008 competition.

John DeVitry, a mechanical and aerospace

engineering professor and SDL researcher,

assigned his class with the task of creating an

artistic rendering of the AIM-SOFIE satellite

using Siemen’s Solid Edge software. He told

the students that the best renderings would be

submitted to the contest.

When Utah State University

mechanical and aerospace engineering student

Dennis Olsen sat down in the Engineering

Graphics class in fall 2007, he had no idea that

he was about to create a piece of art that would

be distributed around the world.

Olsen’s graphic rendering of USU’s Space

Dynamics Laboratory’s AIM-SOFIE (Aeronomy

of Ice in the

Mesosphere —

Solar Occultation

for Ice Experiment)

satellite, earned

him Best of

Show in the 2008

Seimens PLM

Software Calendar

competition. The

winning artwork

is featured on the

September page

of the Americas

edition of the

calendar.

“I was so

surprised when

my professor told

me I had won Best

of Show in the

competition — I

didn’t even know that my artwork was one of the

entries that USU submitted,” said Olsen. “Being

featured in the calendar is an honor and it will

look great on my resume.”

Siemens is a leading global provider of product

lifecycle management software with 51,000

USU Engineering Student Takes Home Best of Show

Dennis Olsen’s graphic rendering of USU’s Space Dynamics Laboratory’s AIM-SOFIE satellite, earned him Best of Show in the 2008 Seimens PLM Software Calendar competition.

46 47

“Dennis has a keen eye for being able to see

exactly what needs to be done and doing it,”

said DeVitry. “His ability to visualize and present

a complicated 3D CAD model in the simplest

and most effective manner made him stand

out as a student. I am proud of Dennis, he was

competing against professional engineers from

around the world, quite an accomplishment for a

USU student.”

When Olsen sat down to design the rendering,

he imagined the satellite and what it would look

like in its natural atmosphere. He noticed that the

2007 calendar featured artwork with attention

to detail, including emphasis on lighting and

reflection. Olsen focused his efforts on these

details, and thinks it helped to earn him a place

in the calendar.

“Dennis joins a select group of people from

around the world recognized for delivering

absolute excellence in their work,” said Betty

Hill, manager of the 2008 Siemens PLM Calendar

Program. “The selection process is difficult

to pick the best of the best based on overall

dramatic impact and aesthetics, complexity of the

image, image innovation, image

clarity and resolution and how

much the image represents

maximum usage of Siemens

PLM Software products. Dennis

did a wonderful job in all of

these areas.”

Having a good knowledge of 3D

modeling software is an important

skill for engineers today.

“Companies are creating 3D

models of everything so that

the client can visualize the end

product and if you have the skills

to create the 3D models, you are

more marketable,” said Olsen.

And while the Solid Edge

software was new to Olsen,

he took advantage of the opportunity to learn a

new program.

“USU is a great school,” Olsen said. “It has a

great engineering program and I have enjoyed

the classes and professors.”

Olsen said the engineering program at USU is

a lot of hard work, but has already realized the

pay-off with the honor and notoriety of having

his rendering featured in the Siemens calendar.

Taking home a new digital camera and secure

digital card weren’t too bad either, he said.

To view Olsen’s prize-winning image titled Space

Dynamics Lab, USA, AIM — SOFIE Aeronomy

of Ice in the Mesosphere — Solar Occultation

for Ice Experiment, visit www.siemens.com/plm/

calendar2008.

To learn more about the USU College of

Engineering and the program’s it offers, visit

engineering.usu.edu.

Writer: Maren Cartwright, 435-797-1355,

maren.cartwright@usu.edu

May 2008

Dennis’s winning artwork is featured on the September 2008 page of the Americas edition of the Siemens calendar.

46 47

USU Engineering Student GETS SMART WITH PRESTIGIOUS$75,000 SCHOLARSHIP

Hanks is finishing his junior year at USU and

has focused his studies in the area of aerospace

engineering. The scholarship will allow him to

complete his undergraduate work and then finish

his graduate work at USU. He said he believes

he received the scholarship because of two main

things — hard work and networking.

“No doubt my application, resume and transcript

played a key role in securing the scholarship,”

Utah State University mechanical and

aerospace engineering student Luke Hanks

received a prestigious scholarship from the

Science, Mathematics and Research for

Transformation Program. The scholarship

will total slightly more than $75,000 and be

distributed over a three-year period.

Hanks will receive an annual

stipend of $25,000 per year, full

tuition and related educational

fees, a book allowance of up to

$1,000 per year, health insurance

and a paid internship and post-

graduation employment with

Ogden Air Logistics, located on Hill

Air Force Base.

The SMART Program is managed

by the U.S. Naval Postgraduate

School on behalf of the Office

of the Secretary of Defense. The

American Society for Engineering

Education works with the school to

administer the program.

“This award will provide me with

sufficient funds to concentrate

entirely on my studies in aerospace

engineering,” Hanks said. “This

program will pay for my schooling

until I complete my master’s

degree, while simultaneously

jump-starting my career. I have

secured my future in the career of

my dreams.”USU mechanical and aerospace engineering student Luke Hanks received a scholarship from the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation Program.

48 49

said Hanks. “Perhaps even more important is

networking. I would advise all students to take

advantage of the mentoring offered by their

professors. In my experience, they have always

been willing to answer any of my questions,

whether academic or concerning careers. The

letters of recommendation that my professors wrote

for me were no doubt crucial to my being chosen.”

Hanks is actively involved in the student chapter

of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers

and has coordinated several activities for the

group. He personally invited employers to give

presentations on campus, whether to recruit

or just publicize their programs. One of the

employers he invited was the civilian engineer

group Ogden Air Logistics at Hill Air Force Base.

After Hanks applied for a summer internship

with the company, it was so impressed with his

resume, it recommended he apply for the SMART

scholarship. From a competitive field of more

than 2,000 applicants, Hanks received one of

only 200 awards.

During his time at USU, Hanks has been involved

in undergraduate research with mechanical and

aerospace engineering professor David Geller.

Other engineering professors he credits for his

success include mentors Barton Smith, Thomas

Fronk and Chris Hailey. He also said USU Career

Services, especially Melissa Scheaffer, has been

invaluable in helping him choose a career path.

“Luke’s analytical skills are outstanding,” Geller

said. “He uses these skills to develop a deeper

understanding of the problems he works on,

and he often goes beyond what is required in

his coursework. He has a desire to learn and

this is reflected in his academic achievements.

His maturity is also evident in how he prepares

for his classes, in his work ethic and how he

conducts himself in all aspects of campus life.”

Ogden Air Logistics specializes in aircraft integrity

— meaning it designs, redesigns and refurbishes

aircrafts. Hanks’s placement with the company

depends primarily on his interests. During his

internship, he will be able to explore his options

and then structure his coursework accordingly.

“The reputation of USU’s engineering program

is a huge advantage to students when it comes

time to apply for scholarships, fellowships and

post-graduation employment,” Hanks said. “The

research opportunities are like nowhere else in

the state, especially in aerospace.”

“The USU Undergraduate Research Program

provides many opportunities for students in any

field of study,” said Joyce Kinkead, associated

vice president for research. “The strength of

our program rests, in part, on the excellent

faculty that enjoys working with and mentoring

undergraduates. Our students are engaged in

important, cutting-edge research that can make

a difference in people’s lives.”

Hanks said the USU faculty is fantastic and that

he particularly enjoys the honors program.

“We are very proud of Luke, who is an exemplary

student with laudable goals,” said Christie Fox,

USU Honors Program director. “The SMART award

demonstrates the kind of scholarships we hope all

Honors students aspire to and which, as Luke has

shown, are attainable. This award is a testament to

Luke’s hard work and the academic mentorship he

has received at Utah State University.”

“USU is a great place to be,” Hanks said. “The

atmosphere is ideal for education. The campus

is beautiful, the culture is tranquil but fun and

there’s even plenty of art and culture. In my

opinion, it’s a great university where a student

can gain a well-rounded education.”

For more information about USU’s College of

Engineering and its many study options, visit

www.engineering.usu.edu/. For more information

about the SMART Program, visit www.asee.org/smart.

Writer: Maren Cartwright, 435-797.1355,

maren.cartwright@usu.edu

May 2008

48 49

The Landscape of Success—LEGENDARY TEACHING

The fund will provide resources to extend the learning experience for USU’s landscape architecture students. The endowed fund will bring experts to campus for lectures and workshops in the areas of professor Johnson’s expertise.

Johnson joined USU’s Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning faculty in 1966, fresh out of graduate school where he’d just earned a master’s of landscape architecture at the University of Illinois. Earlier he’d earned his bachelor’s in landscape architecture from Michigan State University. His journey into the realm of landscape architecture and design was serendipitous, he said.

“I grew up in a small town in Minnesota that had what was called a lyceum series — noted speakers on a variety of subjects would come to town and present lectures,” Johnson said. “My mother, always interested in education and learning about as many subjects as possible, attended a lecture by the director of the Minnesota Arboretum. He used the term ‘landscape architecture,’ and mother came home and repeated it. I had never heard it before, but I was intrigued. I started to explore. Before you knew it, I was on the campus at Michigan State and into the landscape architecture program there.”

Johnson said the discipline combines many of his interests — art, wildlife, the landscape and conservation.

“The profession said something to me,” he said.

Did it ever. Over the years Johnson shared his passion, experience and expertise with countless students. An estimate provided by USU’s LAEP department said he has touched the lives of nearly 1,400 program graduates. His work in habitat restoration and sustainable landscape design had a profound impact in communities, but also through the students who have

Utah State University has a tradition of caring, sharing faculty. Across campus the personal touch influences the lives of students every day. Over the years, a few — let’s call them legendary teachers — rise to the top. They inspire students from the past, present and well into the future.

So strong is the feeling about landscape architecture and environmental planning professor Craig Johnson that when he announced his retirement, plans were laid to continue his educational influence for students to come. As a department promotional piece said, “the department wants to keep Craig going … and going … and going.”

With that intent, the Craig Johnson Fund for Excellence was established.

“Even if we can’t have his smiling presence, insights and string of one-liners with us, we want Craig’s contributions to LAEP to live in perpetuity,” a brochure announcing Johnson’s retirement said. “The Craig Johnson Fund for Excellence was established to make sure that happens.”

After a 40-plus year career at USU, LAEP faculty member Craig Johnson is retiring. His educational impact continues thanks to the Craig Johnson Fund for Excellence.

50 51

spread his valuable teaching throughout the country and around the world.

Never one to stop learning, Johnson returned to graduate school, and in 1984 he earned a master’s of science in fisheries and wildlife biology from South Dakota State University.

“It was something I always wanted to know more about,” Johnson said. “Adding a background in fisheries and wildlife biology opened opportunities to collaborate with other resource professionals on campus, opportunities to work on a variety of resource related projects.”

He combined his several loves and traditional foundation in planning and design into what he called a “hybrid” career.

“Our discipline is practical and applied,” he said. “We put things into practice. We need a lot of information — the best and most useful, often generated by other disciplines — then combine everything into real-world applications.”

USU’s LAEP program began in 1939 with a defection. A department history reports that at the end of spring term 1939, four students and an assistant professor of landscape architecture packed their bags and equipment and moved the only program in landscape architecture in the Intermountain West from BYU to Utah State Agricultural College. The relocated department opened its doors for business in Logan fall term 1939 and fielded its first graduating class — 50 percent male and 50 percent female (there were two graduates) — in June 1940.

That’s the early history. Today, the program is vigorous, and alumni work around the world in public, private and academic practice.

Johnson, as noted, has worked with thousands of students. With a 40-plus year career and with that many students, project upon project stack up. Among his favorites? The early work on the Jordan River Parkway in Salt Lake County.

“We were on the ground floor with the planning process,” Johnson said. “You can go there today and see what the students proposed and suggested in the design, layout and use. I’m really proud of the students’ work. Today, the Jordan River Parkway is a reality. We restored habitat for wildlife and created a memorable place for people.”

Other project highlights for Johnson include an open space plan for the City of Bluffdale and a habitat conservation study at the southern end of Cache County.

The key to Johnson’s teaching success?

“It’s best to teach by example,” he said. “Stay current, get out in the field and work in the profession. Bring ideas back to the classroom. Successful teaching is a combination of applied research, staying current using solid ‘people’ skills” and being passionate about your subject.”

Oh, and it has to be fun. “Enjoy what you are doing. That is key.”

So, it’s goodbye and congratulations to Craig Johnson, but his influence will continue through the Craig Johnson Fund for Excellence.

“I’ve been able to see former students doing amazing things, making a difference in the world, creating better, more sustainable environments,” Johnson said. “After all, we’ve got to be responsible citizens and stewards of the amazing landscape gift we’ve been given.”

That’s teaching by example.

For information on the Craig Johnson Fund for Excellence, contact USU’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, (435) 797-0501, or write: USU/LAEP, 4005 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-4005.

Writer: Patrick Williams, 435-797-1354,Patrick.williams@usu.eduMay 2008

And what have the students said about Johnson and his teaching?

• “Craig showed me that landscape architecture was a field of study, a profession, a way of life where culture, society and the reality and romance of nature do converge.” Charles S. Carter

• “I salute Craig for his steadfast commitment to informing design with conservation and passing it on to the next generation. Applying conservation principles to the human environment is one of the most important things we can do as landscape architects, and thanks to Craig, this has been part of the LAEP curriculum for … well, decades.” Susan Marsh

• “Craig’s gift to his students went well beyond his course curriculum. Craig taught us by example how to be patient, caring and understanding. His passion for his work, his commitment to his students and his strong environmental ethics inspired us all to be better people. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study under such a great teacher and, more importantly, such a great person.” Todd Sherman

And, as one anonymous student wrote in a recent evaluation, “Download Craig’s entire brain into a database so we can have his insight and expertise after he’s gone.”

50 51

A PICTURE’S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Once upon a time there was a man

named Scott who loved to paint pictures. He loved

it so much that he decided to paint for a living.

Well, something like that.

Scott Wakefield is a master’s student studying

art at Utah State University. While going to

school and working as the director of the

Alliance for the Varied Arts in Cache Valley, he is

also preparing to self-publish a children’s book

he illustrated called Woodchuck Chuck.

The concept for the book came from the

well-known tongue twister “How Much

Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck if a

Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood?”

“My dad used to say that rhyme really

fast when I was a kid,” Wakefield said.

“I thought it would be fun to take that

concept and turn it into a storybook.”

While attending the Art Center College

of Design in Pasadena, Calif., where

he received his bachelor’s degree in

illustration, Wakefield’s idea started to

become a reality.

He had the unique opportunity to

meet with Arthur Levine, the editor

at Scholastic Corp. who edited the

Harry Potter series. Wakefield told him

about the idea, and Levine named the

woodchuck “Chuck.”

This meeting gave Wakefield the

confidence to pursue his venture. He

teamed up with his friend Richard

McDermott who had a talent for writing

rhymes and was a dental student at the

University of Southern California at the time.

“When Scott told me he needed help creating a

story based on the woodchuck tongue twister,

I was ecstatic,” McDermott said. “I had always

watched Scott work from the sidelines because

I have no art talent in me. When I got involved

in the project with him, it was like I had been a

bench warmer who was suddenly promoted to the

quarterback position with my best friend as the

receiver. The best part about the process was the

synergy we created as the rhyme came together.”

McDermott’s story has the same rhyme and

rhythm as the original tongue twister. Their story

The artwork from Wakefield’s thesis will be on display at the Alliance for the Varied Arts gallery in Logan, spring 2009. His book is scheduled for release summer 2009.

52 53

is about a little

woodchuck who

starts chucking

all of his friends

because the

woodchuck

rulebook deems

him too young

to chuck wood

with the grown

woodchucks.

“I always loved

children’s

books,”

Wakefield said. “My mom teases me that I

stopped reading when the pictures disappeared.”

Creating a book is a more laborious process

than people might think. The book has gone

through more than four revisions since its start

in 2003. Wakefield has also worked on several

illustrations for the book, starting with black-and-

white sketches and progressing to 12 inch by 16

inch full-color paintings.

Despite all the work that has already gone into

the book, there is still more to be done.

With the help of Robert Winward, USU art

professor and his faculty advisor, Wakefield

has decided to focus his master’s thesis on

exploring and developing style.

It is important to develop a distinct style in order

to be competitive as a children’s book illustrator,

Wakefield said.

“I’m going to take eight scenes from the book

and redo each one using a completely different

style and different mediums,” he said. “For

example, I’ll do one in a Dr. Seuss style with oil

paint and another in a Bill Watterson style using

linoleum cut and Photoshop.”

Once he has completed all eight styles, he will

choose his favorite and illustrate the entire book

using that style.

Through his experience working to self-publish

a children’s book, Wakefield has developed an

online company called Illustratemybook.com.

The site serves to connect writers with illustrators

and helps both parties set up a contract and

administers all monetary transactions. It also

helps self-publishers find printers and distributors

for their books.

In January 2008, David Herrmann, lecturer in the

Management and Human Resources Department

at USU, encouraged Wakefield to enter his

Web-based company into a competition called

“Opportunity Quest” sponsored by the Jon M.

Huntsman School of Business.

The contestants wrote business plans, and a

panel of judges from community leadership

positions judged them. Wakefield’s team won

first place among contestants from USU and was

given $3,000 to put toward the business. He went

on to compete with contestants throughout Utah

and was one of 27 semifinalists out of 180 teams.

With the prize money, he was able to get the site

designed and hosted.

Wakefield plans to teach art at the college level once

he has finished his master’s degree and continue to

freelance as an illustrator for children’s books. As

a master’s student, Wakefield had the opportunity

to teach Illustration Studio and work as a teaching

assistant for other classes in the Art Department.

“Because of Scott’s unique teaching methods,

I now take into consideration why I create

and don’t simply focus on what I create,” said

Michelle Zundel, a senior studying graphic design

and student in Wakefield’s spring 2008 Illustration

Studio class. “While taking his class, he briefly

discussed the creative process of Woodchuck

Chuck and even used one of his scenes as

a technical demonstration on how to more

effectively use and manipulate acrylic paint.”

While she only got a glimpse of his project during

class, Zundel has become one of his biggest fans.

“When the book is completed, I’ll be the first

to reserve a copy,” Zundel said. “Not only is

the artwork stunning, but the story is fresh and

original. I am definitely excited about this book.”

Thanks to the support from his fans, the artist

lived happily ever after.

The End.

Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429,annalisa.fox@usu.edu

June 2008

Woodchuck Chuck chucks his mole friend up to the sky.

52 53

USU Students Lift Off WITH GRAND PRIZE ROCKET LAUNCH WIN FROM NASA

“The competition was a great experience

because we got to interact with other universities

and see what ideas they had for their rockets,”

said John Parrish, a USU rocket team member.

The drag device the USU team designed drew a

lot of attention from NASA and the other teams

involved in the competition.

“Our drag device was the only payload at the

competition that would actually ensure that the

rocket would reach a mile above ground level,”

Parrish said. “NASA paid us a high complement

with our reports, saying they were far above what

they expected at a university level.”

Utah State University engineering

students received lift-off from NASA after taking

home the grand prize at the annual University

Student Launch Initiative in Alabama April 19.

The team took home five awards out of seven at

the competition, including “Grand Prize,” “Best

Manufacturing and Quality Control,” “Most

Innovative Payload Design,” “Best Design

Documentation and Presentation” and “Best

Team Spirit.” As winners, the team received

$5,000 from Alliant Techsystems Launch

Systems to attend a space shuttle launch at the

Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The USU team

had until May

12 to submit

a final report

that included

conclusions

from its science

experiment and

the overall flight

performance. The

preliminary design

review, critical

design review and

flight readiness

review were

conducted by a

panel of scientists

and engineers

from NASA and

from NASA

contactors and

external partners.

USU Engineering students take home grand prize at the NASA rocket competition. Winners are, front (l to r): Bowen Masco, Jeff St. Clair and Jacob Haderlie. Middle (l to r): Michael Phillips, Jed Peters, Shannon Eilers and Dennis Lazaga. Back (l to r): John Parrish, Spencer Chandler, David Winget, Dustin Braithwaite, Nathan Lodder, Tyler Despain, Professor Stephen (Tony) Whitmore, Matthew Fifield, Michael Lewis and Shane Robinson.

54 55

The competition challenged students to design,

build and fly a reusable rocket with a scientific

payload to exactly one mile in altitude. The USU

team submitted a proposal in fall 2007 to the

NASA contest judges, and after being selected to

participate in the challenge, began designing the

rocket and payload under the direction of USU

mechanical and aerospace engineering professor

Stephen (Tony) Whitmore.

“These students are seeing practical applications

for the whole spectrum of their math, science

and technical classroom work,” said Tammy

Rowan, manager of NASA’s Marshall Space

Center Academic Affairs Office. “They’re

managing complex science and technology

research and conducting aerospace and

engineering projects from drawing board

to launch pad. They get to be mechanical

engineers, rocket scientists and theoretical

researchers all at the same time.”

USU’s group decided to incorporate a unique

air brake system on its rocket. As the required

payload, the air brake system allowed the

rocket to reach the required one-mile altitude by

deploying a drag device that slowed the ascent

of the rocket until it reached the desired position.

The USU team was the only school who used

this unique approach.

USU rocket team members include Dustin

Braithwaite, Tyler DeSpain, Shannon Eilers,

Matthew Fifield, Jacob Haderlie, James Kelsey,

Dennis Lazaga, Mike Lewis, Nathan Lodder,

Bowen Masco, John Parrish, Jed Peters,

Michael Phillips, Jeff St. Clair, David Winget and

Shane Robinson.

“I’d like to congratulate all the teams that

participated in this year’s rocketry challenge,”

said Mike Rudolphi, vice president of ATK

Launch Systems Site Operations and Integration

in Huntsville. “These students are without a

doubt America’s next generation of rocket

scientists. I applaud each team for its efforts.”

Other teams competing in the 2008 event were

Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.; Alabama A&M

University in Huntsville, Ala.; the University of

Alabama in Huntsville, Ala.; Harding University in

Searcy, Ark; Missouri University of Science and

Technology in Rolla, Mo.; the University of North

Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D.; Fisk University

in Nashville, Tenn.; Vanderbilt University in

Nashville, Tenn.; and the College of Menominee

Nation in Green Bay, Wis.

For more information about USU’s mechanical

and aerospace engineering program, visit www.

mae.usu.edu. For more information about NASA

education programs, go to education.nasa.gov.

Writer: Maren Cartwright, 435-797-1355,

maren.cartwright@usu.edu

June 2008

54 55

TEACHING FROM

EXPERIENCEThe string faculty at Utah State University

takes on more than usual in 2008. Besides working

as teachers, the members are also a professional

string quartet and are preparing to present Utah’s

first complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle.

A Beethoven Cycle is a performance of all 17 of

Beethoven’s quartets, which are representative

of his most innovative and creative works and

span the breadth of his career as a composer. A

typical quartet might perform the series over the

course of a year, but USU’s Fry Street Quartet

will perform them all in just two weeks, from

Oct. 2-11, 2008, in the Manon Caine Russell

Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall.

“We’re taking on this challenge because that’s

how we would want to experience it,” said

Rebecca McFaul, FSQ second violinist. “When

it’s done in such a short time, the listener can

experience a different kind of connection with

William Fedkenheuer, first violin Anne Francis, cello

Rebecca McFaul, second violin Russell Fallstad, viola

56 57

Beethoven and with his music and can sense the

scope of his extremes.”

Doing it this way also allowed the Department of

Music to invite Beethoven expert and renowned

scholar/pianist/media author Robert Winter to be

a guest lecturer before each performance.

In addition to Winters’ pre-concert lectures, the

FSQ secured a grant from the Marie Eccles Caine

Foundation that will fund a companion USU Honors

course, “The Arts in Cultural Context: Beethoven

and Cultural Heritage.” The fall 2008 class will

explore the music, life and legacy of Beethoven

in a broad cultural context. It will initially focus on

the string quartets and then consider Beethoven’s

influence by studying trends in various disciplines,

including music, history and politics, philosophy,

literature, art and film.

“Not only will the audience be able to hear all 17

quartets in less than two weeks, it will also be able

to gain knowledge to understand and appreciate

the works of a man who has been a pivotal figure

in music and who is still influencing us today —

more than 200 years later,” McFaul said. “All these

added dimensions to the cycle have really shaped

it into an event with a festival atmosphere.”

The FSQ came to USU in 2002 and has had an

impressive impact on the string program and the

Cache Valley community.

Shortly after its arrival, the members saw the

need for a pedagogy, or teaching, program

that would benefit USU students and younger

musicians in the community. They have been

instrumental in setting up USU’s String Academy,

a program that allows students to teach younger

children how to play string instruments. Today

there are approximately 80 String Academy

students from 3 to 18 years old.

“While some students will go on to pursue higher

education in musical performance or become

members of a professional quartet, many will likely

become private teachers and will need to know

how to teach,” said William Fedkenheuer, FSQ first

violinist. “When we graduated, none of us had any

teaching experience, and it can be a challenge to

figure out how to teach a 3-year-old something

you’ve taken for granted for so many years.”

This program is unique in the state of Utah

and gives the young people of Cache Valley an

opportunity that isn’t readily available to them

due to the lack of full-time, certified music

specialists working in the school districts.

“Because the USU String Academy is linked

with the USU Music Department, it gives the

children access to theory classes,” said Nina

Jorgensen, parent of two String Academy

students. “It also offers group lessons, which

gives them opportunities to see other children,

to play together, review pieces and it just makes

it more fun. I really value the Fry Street Quartet’s

involvement in the community and the chance

they give us to inspire our kids.”

The FSQ was born in 1997 in Chicago when

McFaul and violist Russell Fallstad decided to

pursue a professional quartet career. After finding

two more members, they traveled to Israel as

one of two groups from the United States to

participate in Isaac Stern’s Encounters Chamber

Music Seminar. There, they studied with Stern as

well as with luminaries such as Leon Fleischer

and members of the Emerson and Juilliard

quartets. As a result of that experience, the

group was invited to give its Carnegie Hall debut

and participate in the Carnegie Fellows program.

While it is unusual for a community the size of

Logan to have a string quartet residency, Logan

is unique in its great support for the arts. When

the university was first established, many local

newspapers referred to the area as the “Athens

of the West.”

“The kind of impact you can have on a

community this size versus a place like Chicago

is amazing,” Fedkenheuer said. “The Cache

Valley audience is sophisticated, made up of

astute listeners who are really ready to go to the

next level — to experience a Beethoven Cycle.”

Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429,

annalisa.fox@usu.edu

June 2008

56 57

USU HOME TO ‘GOLDEN SCHOLARS’

Utah State University students

Tamara Jeppson and Jodie Barker-Tvedtnes

were named 2008 Goldwater Scholars

by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Aggies Sydney Chamberlin and Cody Tramp

were awarded honorable mentions in the

prestigious competition.

“For the first time in the university’s history, all

of the candidates we submitted were accepted

for awards,” says Joyce Kinkead, USU associate

vice president for research. “We’re very proud of

these outstanding students.”

USU’s 2008 Goldwater Honorees. (left to right) Jodie Barker-Tvedtnes (scholarship recipient), Sydney Chamberlin (honorable mention), Cody Tramp (honorable mention) and Tamara Jeppson (scholarship recipient).

In addition to this year’s award recipients, Utah

State boasts nine Goldwater Scholars and two

honorable mention recipients from previous

years. The award includes a two-year scholarship

of up to $7,500 per year.

“This is a testament to the fantastic research

mentorship provided to these students by faculty

at USU,” says Mary S. Hubbard, dean of USU’s

College of Science. “These awards confirm that

our students are prepared to compete with the

best nationwide. I applaud the accomplishments

of these young scholars.”

58 59

Jeppson, a graduate of Bear River High School

in Garland, Utah, is majoring in geology and

physics. With faculty mentor Jim Evans, she is

studying how earthquake energy is partitioned

along the San Andreas Fault.

Jeppson completed a summer internship in

applied geophysics at the Pacific Northwest

National Laboratory in 2007. Following

graduation from USU, she plans to pursue a

doctorate in geophysics, conduct research and

teach at the university level.

Salt Lake City native Barker-Tvedtnes was

named a Goldwater Honorable Mention recipient

in 2007. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in

physics with a minor in classics.

In summer 2007, Barker-Tvedtnes attended the

Polar Aeronomy Radio Science Summer School

in Alaska, where she conducted research on

noctilucent clouds with faculty mentor Mike

Taylor. She received a 2008 Outstanding Student

Award for Undergraduate Research from the

National Society of Physics Students and travels

to the International Conference of Physics

Students in Cracow, Poland in August 2008 to

present her research.

Barker-Tvedtnes plans to continue her studies

at the graduate level and conduct research in

upper atmospheric physics at a government or

academic institution.

Chamberlin, a physics, mathematics and political

science major from South Jordan, Utah, achieved

the rank of cadet colonel in the Civil Air Patrol.

She received the patrol’s highest honor, the

General Carl A. Spaatz Award, in 2007.

While at USU, Chamberlin earned a scholarship

for summer study at Germany’s Friedrich Schiller

University. She plans to pursue a doctorate in

mathematical physics and an academic career.

Lander, Wyo., native Cody Tramp is a sophomore

majoring in molecular biology and biochemistry.

The USU Undergraduate Research Fellow is

pursuing four ongoing research projects. He was

named a 2008 Governor’s Scholar by Gov. Jon

Huntsman, Jr.

Tramp’s goals include earning a doctorate in

both molecular and cellular biology. He plans to

conduct research in stem cell biology and work in

a national research laboratory.

USU’s 2008 honorees are among 321 award

recipients selected from a field of 1,035 math,

science and engineering students nominated by

colleges and universities nationwide.

The Goldwater Scholar program was established

by U.S. Congress in 1986 to foster academic

excellence in science, engineering and

mathematics in the nation’s universities.

Contact: Christie Fox (435) 797-3940,

christie.fox@usu.edu

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517,

maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu

June 2008

2007Jennifer Albretsen, physics

Arthur Mahoney, computer scienceJodie Barker-Tvedtnes

(Honorable Mention), physics

2006Logan McKenna, electrical engineering

Heidi Wheelwright, physicsKeith Warnick (Honorable Mention), physics

2004Stephanie J. Chambers, biology

David Hatch, physics

2002Jamie B. Jorgensen, physics

2001Lara B. Anderson, physics

1998Jeff Jacobs, mechanical engineering

PREVIOUS AGGIE GOLDWATER HONOREES...

58 59

In keeping with Utah State University’s

land-grant mission of service to all people,

the Department of Music sponsors several

community music programs. These programs

provide a wealth of learning and performing

opportunities for young and old alike.

Talented student musicians fill the halls of Utah

State University’s Chase Fine Arts Center and

appear on concert stages on campus year-

round. These students study with some of the

best faculty members in the region. Promising

string musicians can study with professionals

— the members of the Fry Street Quartet. Gary

Amano’s piano students are always at the top

of their game and operate in the rarified realm

of international competition. Guitarists are able

to study in one of the few guitar performance

and education programs in the region with its

nationally known director Mike Christiansen.

And while it is the mission of the Music

Department to train and graduate the best

students possible, it does not forget its roots as a

land-grant institution and its ties to the community.

Here’s a roundup of the programs available to

the community:

Youth Conservatory – The Key to a Musical Future

The conservatory’s tag line is “The key to a

musical future,” and that’s certainly true for

aspiring young pianists. For three decades,

the Youth Conservatory has assisted parents

in providing the best for their children by

fostering the standards of musical excellence

in a learning environment filled with enthusiasm

and enjoyment.

Founded in 1978

by internationally

recognized

pianist and

pedagogue

Gary Amano,

the YC occupies

a central role

among Cache

Valley’s cultural

programs for

young people.

Each week,

more than 300

pianists, ages

4-18, come to

the Chase Fine The Fry Street Quartet, including Russell Fallstad (center), participates in outreach efforts for the Department of Music throughout the year.

TAKING MUSIC TO THE COMMUNITY

60 61

Arts Center for piano lessons and musicianship

classes. Activities, recitals and fun-filled learning

take place throughout the academic year. Multiple

young pianists got their start to the concert stage

through USU’s Youth Conservatory.

Cache Chamber Orchestra

If you haven’t picked up that fiddle since

graduating from high school or college, don’t

worry. The Cache Chamber Orchestra is perfect

for you. This all-volunteer, college-community

ensemble gathers musicians from all walks of

life to perform in the chamber music tradition.

The orchestra gets together once a week to

rehearse, then presents three concerts during

the academic year. Several summer concert

appearances have just been added. The

orchestra is under the direction of composer

and retired educator Robert Frost. The Music

Department’s outreach efforts make this Cache

Valley’s only community-based orchestra.

Cache Children’s Choir

The fine tradition of children’s choirs is a part of

Cache Valley’s musical heritage thanks to the efforts

of those who established the Cache Children’s

Choir, an organization whose members have

performed internationally. A goal of the choir is to

prepare children for a lifetime of singing through

quality musical training. Children, ages 3-15, can

join one of four choirs and a preschool class. From

the beginning level Caprice Choir, to the advanced,

auditioned Cantate Choir, young singers develop

talent and self-esteem through guided musical

experiences thanks to the choir’s trained and

professional staff. The Cache Children’s Choir was

founded by Bonnie Slade in 1988.

String Academy

Young string players are not forgotten thanks to

the USU String Academy, an organization that

serves a dual purpose — providing instruction

on string instruments to young musicians while

providing a laboratory teaching program for

USU’s string music majors. The USU students

receive teacher training courses provided

by master teachers, several who have been

nationally recognized Suzuki pedagogues, then

take these techniques directly to the young string

musicians in the community. Private instruction,

from beginning to artist level, in violin, viola and

cello, is offered. In addition, there are group

classes, chamber music, instruction in music

theory and plenty of performance opportunities.

American Festival Chorus

The Music Department doesn’t forget the adult

singers in the community, and the American

Festival Chorus fills the bill. The choir replaces

the Northern Utah Choral Society, a group

with a long and distinguished history in the

community and the Music Department. The new

choir is open to community residents and USU

students alike. It is an auditioned group that

meets once a week and plans to present choral

masterworks twice a year. Music Department

Head Craig Jessop, former music director and

conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir,

leads the American Festival Chorus, teaming with

the group’s General Manager Jay Richards, a

professional composer, musician and member of

the Cache Valley community.

Alumni Band

While membership is only open to those who

performed with the department’s concert bands

over the years, this flagship organization shares

its musical talents with the community every

summer. Established in 1963 by long-time music

educator and former Department Head Max

Dalby — a legend in the state’s band history —

the band and its members share the music-in-

the-park tradition five times during the summer.

Concerts are a popular treat for everyone.

More information about the Department of Music

is available at its Web site (music.usu.edu).

Writer: Patrick Williams, 435-797-1354,

patrick.williams@usu.edu

June 2008

60 61

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS, FEET ON THE GROUND

Cirrus clouds, stratus clouds, cumulus

clouds – since ancient times, people have gazed

skyward and pondered fluffy wisps of white and

angry, gray thunderheads.

Utah State University Goldwater Scholar Jodie

Barker-Tvedtnes looks beyond the Earth’s visual

atmosphere to the mesosphere, where the

highest clouds, polar mesospheric clouds or

PMCs, form at the edge of space.

“PMCs are ice clouds that form in the summer

months near the extremely cold mesopause

region – some 50 miles above the earth,” says

Barker-Tvedtnes, physics major and Willard L.

Eccles Undergraduate Research Fellow. “From

the ground, these noctilucent or ‘night-shining’

clouds are only visible during twilight hours at

high latitudes.”

In addition to her previous academic accolades,

Barker-Tvedtnes’ was honored with a 2008

Outstanding Student Award for Undergraduate

Research from the Society for Physics

Students. One of just three undergrads in the

nation honored with the award, she receives

an all-expenses-paid trip to the International

Conference of Physics Students in Cracow,

Poland, in August 2008.

“I’m very excited about this honor and the

opportunity to meet with physics students from

around the world,” says Barker-Tvedtnes, who

has been invited to present her research on

noctilucent clouds in Poland and at the national

SPS meeting in spring 2009.

She spent five weeks in Alaska in summer 2007

studying the elusive formations with faculty

mentor Mike Taylor and fellow students. Taylor

is a member of NASA’s science team for the

Aeronomy of Ice in

the Mesosphere or

“AIM” mission.

NASA launched

the AIM satellite

into orbit April 25,

2007, to collect

information on

how and why

PMCs form. During

their summer

trip, Taylor and

his student team

captured data from

two field sites,

located about

30 miles apart

on the tundra of

eastern Alaska and

USU Goldwater Scholar Jodie Barker-Tvedtnes and daughter Kalila marvel at the wonders of the night sky. While juggling studies and family responsibilities, Barker-Tvedtnes revived Utah State’s Society of Physics Students chapter.

62 63

western Canada, to compare with data received

from the AIM satellite.

“We became nocturnal,” Barker-Tvedtnes says,

although, because of the latitude of the areas in

which the team was working, it never became

completely dark.

“Starting at midnight each day, we’d have about

five hours of twilight,” she says. “We’d spend

those hours tracking PMCs across the horizon

and photographing the formations with digital

and video cameras.”

Back in Logan, Barker-Tvedtnes is comparing the

ground-based data with information captured by

the satellite. She has presented her research in

a number of forums, including regional physics

conferences and USU’s 2008 Undergraduate

Research Showcase. Following graduation in

spring 2009, she plans to continue her studies

at the graduate level and conduct research in

upper atmospheric physics at a government or

academic institution.

“Jodie is a ‘power house’ of activity and

capability,” Taylor says. “She’s an excellent

leader, displays exceptional poise and has a

strong experimental aptitude.”

He notes that, while tackling a significant

academic load and research efforts, Barker-

Tvedtnes revived Utah State’s Society of

Physics Students chapter. In addition to offering

gatherings and field trips for students, the

chapter conducts community outreach projects,

including the chapter’s popular stargazing parties

on the USU quad.

“The chapter was essentially dormant when

I arrived on campus,” says Barker-Tvedtnes,

who began her undergrad career at Salt Lake

Community College and entered Utah State after

receiving a Presidential Transfer Scholarship.

“But when I learned about the opportunities

SPS offered – national scholarships, projects,

activities – I worked with faculty and fellow

students to get it going again.”

Barker-Tvedtnes’ dedication is all the more

remarkable considering she’s a single mom,

juggling work, research and study with the care

of her 7-year-old daughter, Kalila.

Balancing responsibilities is a challenge, the

Salt Lake City native admits, but receiving the

Willard L. Eccles fellowship has afforded her the

opportunity to spend time in the lab and have

greater control of her schedule.

“My work allows me the flexibility to conduct

research while my daughter is in school and

keep my evenings free for her,” Barker-Tvedtnes

says. “I’ve also appreciated the support from my

professors. They really make an effort to involve

students in undergraduate research.”

Contacts: Jodie Barker-Tvedtnes, jodie13@

comcast.net; Mike Taylor, 435-797-3919,

mtaylor@cc.usu.edu

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517,

maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu

July 2008

Barker-Tvedtnes, one of just three undergraduates in the nation to receive the Society of Physics Students’ 2008 Outstanding Student Award for Undergraduate Research, studies the mesosphere’s mysterious noctilucent clouds.

AWARDS AND PRESENTATIONS:

Goldwater Scholar, 2008

Outstanding Student Award for Undergraduate Research from the Society of Physics Students, 2008

Goldwater Honorable Mention, 2007

Willard L. Eccles Undergraduate Research Fellowship, 2007-08

USU Presidential Transfer Scholarship, 2005

Presented research at:

Regional physics conferences, 2006, 2007

USU’s Undergraduate Research Showcase, 2008

62 63

Since its inception in 1975, more

than 500 students have conducted research

supported by the Undergraduate Research and

Creative Opportunities (URCO) Grant program.

From metal sculpture to chokecherry seed

propagation and whirling disease in trout, real-

life problems have been explored and solved by

USU undergraduates.

Today, the results of these URCO projects

are generating national recognition for USU’s

student researchers.

Experience Speaks

“URCO grants are designed to give students a

chance to do independent research on a project

of their own design,” said Joyce Kinkead, USU’s

associate vice president for research. “Research

is broadly defined;

it encompasses

creating a sculpture,

composing a piece of

music, doing archival

scholarly work

and working at the

laboratory bench.”

The grants,

given by the Vice

President for

Research Office,

award up to $500

per student and

their academic

department

matches the award.

By providing

financial support to undergraduates for

research or creative projects that are not routine

requirements for a course or degree program,

URCO grants encourage students to engage in

independent projects.

“I soon discovered that my undergraduate

research experience paid dividends I was not

expecting,” said Kyle Tubbs, a former URCO

grant recipient. “My URCO grant helped me

springboard into an exciting part of my life. I

believe the research background I gained at USU

was the key factor in my acceptance to medical

school at the University of Washington.”

Students applying for URCO grants are

required to complete a formal research

proposal, which teaches them the process

of seeking funding, a vital part of graduate

research. Many URCO alumni credit their

undergraduate research experience for helping

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH REIGNS AT USU

Emily Stoker (left) and Forrest Purser present their research about the effects of carbon nanotubes on the human lung at Research on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City.

64 65

them get further funding for their projects, as

well as prestigious scholarships.

“The URCO grant program taught me how to

apply for funding and convey technical material

to a varied audience,” said Stephanie Chambers,

a former URCO grant recipient. “Because of the

USU faculty providing fantastic research and

training opportunities, I received the Barry M.

Goldwater scholarship, which also led to my

acceptance at the University of Utah School of

Medicine.” Chambers also recently received a

National Institutes of Health (NIH) medical student

fellowship to study the genetic causes of infertility.

Past Tells

USU was ahead of its time in implementing

URCO grants in 1975, when few institutions had

organized student-faculty cooperative research

activities. That spring, USU launched an URCO

experiment with 60 student participants through

the College of Agriculture and the College of

Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. The

experiment elicited such positive responses

that a plan was made to launch URCO on a

universitywide basis.

By fall 1975, the USU Office of the Vice President

for Research had allocated a small sum of money

to support student projects, and URCO was

officially made available to all undergraduate

students at USU.

Impact Confirms

Each URCO experience helps students learn how

to learn, develop critical skills, create important

one-on-one connections with professors and

get an academic step ahead of the competition.

Additionally, projects often result in a professional

conference presentation, a scholarly journal

publication or an award.

“Not only did I learn a tremendous amount of

chemistry during those years, I also gained a

profound appreciation for the scientific method,”

Tubbs said. “I saw firsthand how literature

review, hypothesis testing and data analysis all

work together to advance knowledge.”

“The URCO grant made it possible for me to

conduct my senior honors thesis,” said Robert

Wright, former grant recipient. “In large part, due

to my senior paper, I was accepted into Portland

State University’s Applied Social Psychology

doctoral program.”

Wright also presented his senior thesis at the

Rocky Mountain Psychological Conference,

where he was informed that his paper was

accepted for publication by the editor of the Psi

Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research.

Faculty also benefit from mentoring

undergraduates in the research process.

“Few undergraduate researchers realize the

stimulating effect they have on the faculty they

work with,” said Bruce Bugbee, professor of crop

physiology. “Science relies on fresh approaches

and new ways of seeing the world. I have

always preferred the errors of enthusiasm to the

indifference of wisdom.

“For 26 years, my URCO student researchers

have kept me at the lab into the evening hours,”

Bugbee said. “I am gratified to know that

they will carry on an inquisitive, impassioned

approach long after I am retired.”

“As a land-grant and research university, USU

takes pride in the fact that students learn science

by doing science, learn art by producing art and

learn scholarship by writing history,” Kinkead

said. “Hands-on inquiry and study builds on

classroom knowledge and goes beyond what

can be accomplished through lecture. The

application of knowledge is a hallmark of a land-

grant university. URCO is a critical component of

that mission.”

Writer: Mary Sundblom, sundblom@cc.usu.edu

July 2008

64 65

When Marie Veibell graduated from

Utah State University in 1947, the campus had

29 buildings and 4,068 students, up from 920

in 1944 during World War II. During the last 61

years, USU has seen tremendous growth in these

areas. Today there are nearly 200 buildings and

more than 23,000 students, and Ms. Veibell has

enjoyed playing a small part in this growth.

“People need a little help sometimes, and if

you can help one person, then they can help

somebody else, and it’s a great cycle,” she

said. “I started giving just a little bit to Utah

State a few years after I

graduated, once I’d had

time to get established,

and I’ve given every

year since.”

She enjoys reading about

USU in the newspapers

and seeing how it

has grown and all the

research its students and

faculty are doing.

“It is interesting to see

the campus grow and

see all the new buildings

popping up because

that’s the reason I give—

to help the university

build itself up and offer

more to its students and

to the world. It can’t

grow without money,

and it takes donations

from a lot of people to

make a difference.”

The vice president for university advancement,

Ross Peterson, agrees.

“The heart of donating at Utah State is the

consistent annual gifts from alumni and

friends that add up to make a big difference

for individual departments and for students,”

Peterson said. “We appreciate their willingness

to give back to help the university become a

place where students can earn scholarships,

work with renowned professors and learn in

state-of-the-art facilities.”

Ms. Veibell graduated with a degree in chemistry

and worked for 41 years as the laboratory manager

at Logan Regional Hospital until she retired in 1990.

Marie Veibell graduated from Utah State University in 1947 and enjoys playing a small part in the university’s growth through the modest annual donations she has made over the past 50 years.

A LIFELONG GIFT

66 67

The Herald Journal

lauded her hard work

in its 1986 article

“‘Invisible’ Laboratory

Technologists Honored.”

When she first started,

she was the only one in

the lab, it said. Thirty-

seven years later, she

was responsible for a

33-member staff that

performed an average

of 60,000 tests each

month, and Veibell began using an increasingly

technological approach to the painstaking work

she once did by hand.

Before using her degree to manage the lab at the

hospital, Ms. Veibell got her working experience

at the Aggie Dairy.

She was an odds-n-ends girl at the dairy. She

helped make cheese, cut butter into squares and

then wrap it and, of course, made and served

ice cream.

“We had this coffee ice cream in the store and

nobody would buy it,” she said. “So one day,

we decided to change the name to ‘Hawaiian

Delight’ and we sold out in about 20 minutes.

The chief wasn’t too happy though and told me if

I ever tried that again, I was outta there.”

Ms. Veibell paid heed to his warning so she

wouldn’t lose her high-paying job — 75 cents an

hour, up from 50 cents an hour the year before.

Even after she graduated, Ms. Veibell stayed

loyal to her alma mater. She would continue to

attend plays at the outdoor amphitheatre, see

productions at the Caine Lyric Theatre, and her

favorite — watch USU sports.

For her 80th birthday in 2005, her family gave her

a framed picture of the Hall of Fame basketball

players from 1950-2005 that she proudly displays

in her home.

She remembers watching the Homecoming

football game against Idaho State during Merlin

Olsen’s senior year in 1961 when the Aggies

won 69-0.

The next day’s Herald Journal article makes it

easy to see why this game stands out in the mind

of an 83-year-old fan.

“The game featured a little bit of everything,

from a slush-and-snow covered field to three

senior linemen playing in the backfield,”

it said. “The Aggies pushed for their first

touchdown just five minutes into the game …

Aggie defensive tactics were so effective that

during the first quarter the snow was not even

disturbed on the north end of the field … Tommy

Larscheid’s performance made him the most

productive ball carrier in history, as he eclipsed

the record set by Jack Hill.”

This Cornish native has spent her life in

Cache Valley and wants USU students to

know how lucky they are to have a good

place to go to school.

“You can get the same quality education, if

not better, at Utah State as you can anywhere

else,” Ms. Veibell said. “It’s also got a great

location — it’s clean, close to the mountains,

and if you look around, there’s always

something going on somewhere.”

Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429,

annalisa.fox@usu.edu

July 2008

Marie Veibell’s graduation photo from the 1947 USU yearbook, The Buzzer.

66 67

ART ALUM SCULPTS MEMORIES INTO

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE

Sculptor Mark DeGraffenried developed

a passion for art at an early age. Today, that

passion is easily seen and is translated directly

into a recent project — a memorial sculpture that

honors eight Utah State University agriculture

students and their professor who died in a tragic

van accident in 2005.

DeGraffenried, a 1993 USU art graduate, is

working in a collaborative effort with Monument

Arts of Sandy, Utah, to create the commissioned

tribute to the accident victims.

The memorial is composed of black granite,

bronze and steel. DeGraffenried is first sculpting

clay panels that will be cast in bronze. These

nine panels, 3 feet by 3 feet, represent an

agricultural interest of each of the nine men.

Two half-circles, above and below the panels,

include the men’s names. At the lower left of

the installation is a bronze rubbing element that

allows visitors to make a paper rubbing as a

personal memento of the memorial.

To create the panels, DeGraffenried set up a

temporary studio on the USU campus in the

Chase Fine Arts Center/Fine Arts Visual sculpture

area. It’s there, working on the panels, that

DeGraffenried’s passion shines brightly. Whether

working alone or sharing the experience with the

accident victims’ families, he brings an intimate,

human touch to the work.

“These panels not only represent the students

and their teacher, they also represent the people

whose lives were changed so drastically,” he

said. “I want the panels to be visually stimulating,

but they are also tributes to the accident victims

and a tribute to agriculture.”

DeGraffenried has a private studio in Clarkston,

Utah, and works fulltime as an artist.

“As a resident of Cache Valley and a USU graduate,

it is a great honor to sculpt this monument,” he

said. “I hope those affected by the loss will receive

comfort and inspiration from this memorial.”

The artist brings a human touch and connection

to his work in several ways. He wanted his studio

space open to all — he encouraged visitors to

Mark DeGraffenried, a USU alum, works on a clay panel prior to casting in bronze for the memorial.

About the USU Memorial:

• Artist Dan Cummings, owner of

Spectrum Studio, Salt Lake City,

will create the granite elements.

• Chief designer for Monument

Arts Perry Van Schelt designed

the memorial.

• Mark DeGraffenried sculpted

the bonze elements.

• The memorial project received

financial support from

alumni and friends, the Utah

Farm Bureau, USU student

government, USU Student

Services, departments in the

College of Agriculture, the

Agriculture Experiment Station

and others.

68 69

stop at the lab and participate in the creative

process to offer feedback about the sculpture

and the students and professor it honors.

“I spent a great deal of time as a student in this

very lab,” DeGraffenried said. “Because USU

students provided the initial request for the

memorial, I welcome having an open studio that

is accessible to them.”

DeGraffenried also opened his studio and his

heart to the families of those being memorialized.

He felt it important to not only listen to feedback

from family members, but to allow them to

contribute — actually touch and carve areas in

the clay panels before they were cast.

In a story for KSL television in Salt Lake City, arts

reporter Carol Mikita met with the sculptor and

family members of the victims.

“Each tear and each stroke of the sculptor’s tool

helps Merlynn Gunnell remember her son Justin,”

Mikita reported.

“His favotie saying was,

‘plow to the end of the

furrow,’ Gunnell told

Mikita. “He loved what

he did … I feel it such an

honor to be his mom.”

A plowed furrow was

incorporated into the

panel memorializing

Justin, and that’s a

personal touch the

artist appreciates.

“I want the families to be

happy,” DeGraffenried

said. “That is why I can

re-work and adjust, even

let them add a personal

touch. This is a memorial

to their loved ones.”

When complete, the

memorial will find a

temporary home in the

Taggart Student Center,

where it will be unveiled

in fall 2008. When the

planned College of

Agriculture research

and teaching building is

completed on the USU campus, the memorial will

be permanently located in the building’s foyer.

“We are pleased to recognize these students and

their professor who were such vital parts of our

college,” said Noelle E. Cockett, vice president

and dean for USU Extension and Agriculture.

“In the end, this monument will be an incredibly

fitting part of our new agriculture building.”

The memorial commemorates the lives of

Steven D. Bair, 22, Moses Lake, Wash.; Dusty

Dean Fuhriman, 22, Tremonton, Utah; Justin W.

Gunnell, 24, Wellsville, Utah; Justin Huggins,

22, Bear River City, Utah; Jonathan Dennis

Jorgensen, 22, Peoa, Utah; Curt A. Madsen, 23,

Payson, Utah; Ryan Wayne McEntire, 22, West

Point, Utah; Bradley G. Wilcox, 26, Salt Lake

City, Utah; and instructor Evan Parel Parker, 45,

Hooper, Utah. All of the students were studying

in the College of Agriculture.

Writer: Patrick Williams 435-797-1354,patrick.williams@usu.eduJuly 2008

Artist Mark DeGraffenried has worked on a number of impressive

projects. Among his favorites are:

• 2008 “Marriner S. Eccles” commissioned by Utah State Capitol

Preservation Board and Mariner S. Eccles Commission to sculpt an 8’

bronze statue for the Utah State Capitol and a 6’ statue for the Federal

Reserve Building in Washington, D.C.

• 1994 “Sea Farer” life-size bronze memorial to those who lost lives at sea,

Homer, Ala.

• 2001 “The Crossing” commission awarded by Seatrek Foundation. Four,

life-size emigrant families (each family includes a mother, father and two

children), cast in bronze to commemorate Utah’s pioneer heritage from

Europe. Permanent locations at Mersey Side Dock Maritime Museum,

Liverpool, England; Broad Street, Portsmouth, England; and Albert Dock,

Hull, England. One life-size bronze on loan at Utah Cultural Celebration

Center; Salt Lake City, Utah. The artist sculpted each piece and assisted

with the bronze casting and installation of the finished sculptures.

68 69

A team of Utah State University

chemists, led by Professor Alex Boldyrev, is at

the forefront of a discussion that’s causing the

scientific community to rethink long-held ideas

about the nature of inorganic compounds. In

the process, Boldyrev is priming his student

team members for challenging and successful

research careers.

“Dr. Boldyrev is absolutely passionate about

science and training his students,” says Dmitry

Zubarev, who recently earned his doctorate

in chemistry from USU and is headed to a

coveted postdoctoral position at the University

of California-Berkeley. “For him, instilling

independent thinking and scientific expertise in his

students is as important as the research itself.”

Boldyrev, Zubarev and colleagues Boris

Averkiev and Alina Sergeeva, both doctoral

students in USU’s Department of Chemistry

and Biochemistry, are investigating chemical

bonding properties of metallic systems. The team

asserts that characteristics believed to apply

only to organic compounds can be extended to

some metallic compounds. It’s an idea that, until

recently, was thought to be impossible.

“Our studies make people argue with us

constantly as we defend our point of view,”

Zubarev says. “What we’re discovering about

certain metals is unexpected.”

With colleagues at Washington State University

and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

the USU researchers have published their

findings in a number of academic journals

including Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics,

the American

Chemical

Society’s

Journal of

Physical

Chemistry,

Inorganic

Chemistry,

the Journal

of Chemical

Physics and

the Journal of

the American

Chemical

Society. Team

members have

also presented

their findings

at national and

international

conferences.

Chemistry professor Alex Boldyrev, second from right, and his doctoral students, from left, Dmitry Zubarev, Boris Averkiev and Alina Sergeeva, are challenging long-held ideas about the chemical bonding properties of metallic systems.

CHALLENGING SCIENCE, CHALLENGING STUDENTS

70 71

To understand the Aggie team’s research requires

a brief history lesson. Since the 19th century,

chemists have used the term “aromaticity” to

describe the chemical bonding properties of

organic compounds. The term is a bit misleading to

the lay person, as the concept has little to do with

the “aroma” associated with varied compounds.

In a nutshell, aromaticity refers to a chemical

property in which atoms bond in rings to form

stable organic compounds. By developing

chemical-bonding models capable of explaining

and predicting the structures of metallic clusters,

the USU researchers are revealing that metals,

too, exhibit aromaticity.

“It’s a big step,” Boldyrev says. “What we’re

discovering is that metal systems have properties

that allow them to bond in ways that mimic

organic materials.”

Ascertaining the existence of this type of bonding

is important, Boldyrev says, as it could improve

scientists’ understanding of the nature of catalytic

activity and lead to the design of new catalysts.

“The development of chemical bonding models

that display this process could have a significant

impact on rational design of nanocatalysts,

nanomaterials with tailored properties, nano-

scale electronic devices and more,” he says.

“That’s our goal.”

Beyond his scientific aims, Boldyrev is mentoring

a new generation of scientists confidently poised

to tackle new levels of thought.

“The atmosphere you work in is one of the most

important keys for success,” Sergeeva says. “Dr.

Boldyrev inspires us to work hard every day. He’s

a shining example of the professor I am eager to

become one day.”

Averkiev says Boldyrev’s support and

encouragement helped him publish more than

nine papers in three years and afforded him the

opportunity to present his research and make

career-building contacts in academic forums

throughout the country.

And his support goes beyond the lab, says

Averkiev, a native of Moscow, Russia.

“Dr. Boldyrev met me at the Salt Lake airport

when I first arrived in Utah and helped me get

settled in my new home.”

“What I admire most about Dr. Boldyrev is that he

treats our research team as if we were his own

family,” Sergeeva says. “He’s concerned about

us. He feels responsible for us. He stays in touch

with former team members who have graduated

to offer his support.”

Zubarev credits his professor with guiding and

motivating him toward significant academic and

research achievements during his years at Utah

State. Zubarev was named USU’s 2008 Graduate

Student Researcher of the Year; he says the

award is recognition of Boldyrev’s mentoring

talent and dedication.

“Dr. Boldyrev invested a lot of time in me,” he

says. “If I ever happen to associate myself with a

school of scientific thought, it will be the ‘School

of Professor Boldyrev.’”

Contact: Alexander Boldyrev, 435-797-1630

a.i.boldyrev@usu.edu

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto 435-797-3517,

maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu

August 2008

“Dr. Boldyrev inspires us to work hard every day,” Alina Sergeeva says. “He’s a shining example of the professor I am eager to become one day.”

70 71

Clint McKee’s

unconventional path to

medical school included

several unplanned

detours, a flat tire or two

and more than a few

potholes. Before earning

his undergraduate

biology degree in 2005

at Utah State University’s

Uintah Basin Campus, he

nearly shelved his dream

of becoming a physician.

But encouragement

from his professors,

coupled with McKee’s

gritty tenacity and a few

bane-turned-blessing

moments, fueled his

passion toward what he

considers his true calling.

“I decided at age 14 that I wanted to become a

doctor,” says McKee, one of 12 children raised

on a family dairy farm in eastern Utah. “But I’d

never met anyone who went to med school and

had no idea what it took to get there.”

Now in his second year of medical school at the

University of Utah, the 30-year-old husband and

father of five revels in opportunities to immerse

himself in the study of the intricacies and

nuances of the human body.

“Despite the academic demands, it feels like

a luxury,” McKee says. “I wasn’t sure what to

expect when I entered med school but I feel I

was exceptionally well prepared and I’ve done

very well in my classes.”

His undergraduate career began less favorably.

Just a year or so into his studies at an urban

campus in Utah, McKee, newly married and

eager to start a family, struggled to balance the

demands of work, school and home. Something

had to give, and that something was school.

“Most of the classes I needed were offered during

the daytime and it was hard to find a job with the

flexibility to accommodate school,” he says.

During a visit home to his parents’ farm, McKee

spied a class schedule his sister was reading

Study at USU Uintah Basin propelled farmer Clint McKee toward his dream of entering medical school.

REGIONAL CAMPUS OPENS PATH TO MED SCHOOL

72 73

about USU’s Uintah Basin Campus. “I noticed

that a number of courses in biology, chemistry

and calculus were offered in the evenings.”

The timing was auspicious. McKee’s father,

Mike, was elected to serve on the Uintah County

Commission and needed help with the family

farm. Managing the farm by day and studying by

night seemed like a good fit for McKee.

“The advisors at USU were great,” he says.

“They looked at my fractured transcripts and

helped me get back on an academic track.”

The scheduling worked but the workload

wasn’t easy.

“I remember Clint occasionally being late because

a tractor got stuck or he had to handle some other

incident on the farm,” says Lianna Etchberger,

assistant professor of biology at USU Uintah

Basin. “Yet he was a bright and dedicated student

– eager to learn and full of perceptive questions.”

“I’d show up for class straight off the farm –

filthy, tired,” McKee says. “But the professors

were phenomenal. I loved the small classes, one-

on-one instruction and flexibility.”

Upon graduation, McKee still wanted to pursue

medicine but wondered if a less arduous

academic path might be better suited to his

growing family. His planning was interrupted

when he and his wife, Kathryn, learned that

their unborn child had serious heart problems.

Delivered by emergency caesarean section,

baby Sarah was rushed to Salt Lake’s Primary

Children’s Medical Center for treatment.

The outcome was joyous, and McKee marveled

at the physicians’ skills. “It dawned on me that,

if not for doctors, my daughter, my wife, and my

twin sons – who also faced a medical crisis at

birth – would not be here,” he says. “It was an

epiphany and reinforced my determination to

become a doctor.”

McKee embarked on the detailed medical school

application process, including studying for the

medical school entrance exam or ‘MCAT.’ “I had

about a year’s worth of preparation to complete

and realized that I needed more research

experience,” he says.

Etchberger urged him to contact biologist

Paul Cliften at USU’s Logan campus, who was

seeking a research technician.

“Clint had only a fraction of the experience of

the other applicants,” Cliften says. “But I was

impressed with his curiosity and knowledge and

hired him. I figured I would likely never have another

opportunity to help train someone of his caliber.”

Months later, glowing recommendations from Cliften

and Etchberger were included in McKee’s successful

medical school application.

“I feel like I received a

great education from

USU,” McKee says. “And

the support I received from

my professors helped me

achieve my dream.”

Contact: Clint McKee,

clint.mckee@gmail.com

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto,

435-797-3517, maryann.

muffoletto@usu.edu

August 2008McKee with his family, from left, wife Kathryn holding baby Miriam, sons David, Joseph and Joshua and daughter Sarah.

72 73

THE PRICE IS RIGHT

Accounting professor Jay Price has

left an impressionable mark on Utah State

University’s Jon M. Huntsman School of

Business. Students call him a “great teacher,”

“mentor” and an “example.” What began as a

part-time retirement pastime has turned into a

full-time commitment for Price, who joined the

USU faculty 20 years ago.

Price worked in the

Chicago office of

Arthur Andersen for

39 years and was

a partner when

he reached

mandatory retirement age of 62 in 1988. If

the firm thought Price was ready to kick back

and relax at 62, it was wrong. Price said other

partners he knew went off to Florida to retire and

play golf, but Price didn’t play golf.

“All my life I’ve always been a person who likes

to keep busy,” he said. “I’ve never been very

good at recreational activities.”

Before Price retired, Utah Power/PacificCorp had

been one of his clients. Orrin Colby, who was, at

the time, the controller for Utah Power, suggested

he consider teaching at USU. That appealed to

Price because he had once thought about going

into teaching. He paid a visit to the USU campus

and met with Larzette Hale, head of the School of

Accountancy, Dean David Stephens and several

other faculty members. He was very impressed

with the quality of the faculty and the program

and decided to teach for a couple of years.

Twenty years later, Price is still teaching USU

accounting students as a volunteer. He hasn’t

received a paycheck since beginning at the

university and volunteers his time because he

enjoys teaching.

The University of Wisconsin, his alma mater,

asked him to teach there as well, and from 1990

to 2000 he taught in Wisconsin in the fall and

at USU in the spring. In 2000, he decided to

“semi-retire,” but he continues to teach at USU

in the spring.

USU accounting professor Jay Price hasn’t picked up a paycheck since he started teaching at USU 20 years ago. The University of Wisconsin alum has been volunteering at the university since he retired from the Chicago office of Arthur Andersen in 1988.

74 75

Price seems a little puzzled when pushed to

explain why he has volunteered his time for 20

years.

“I enjoy it,” he said. “I seem to be doing an

adequate job.”

An “adequate job” is an understatement,

according to his students and those he has

worked with.

He was named accounting teacher of the

year three times. He received the School of

Accountancy Outstanding Service Award in 2001

and was honored with the USU Founders Day

Distinguished Service Award that same year.

He was named the Distinguished Accounting

Alumnus at the University of Wisconsin in 1998.

He got an honorary doctorate from USU in 1993.

Richard Jenson, head of the School of

Accountancy, said it would be difficult to

measure the many benefits that have come from

having Price as a faculty member.

“What an amazing gift Jay has been to our

students,” he said. “When you take the

experience and expertise Jay has and combine

that with the way he cares about our students,

we all benefit immensely from his contributions.”

Jenson said that Price was once in the hospital

for a few days and that he went to visit him. Price

was being given a unit of blood.

“I noticed that spread out on the bedside table

was one of the exams for the intermediate

accounting class,” Jenson said. “It impressed

me that he did not want to let his students down.

On the schedule it showed that there was an

exam, and he wanted to make sure it took place.

He didn’t want to impose on another faculty

member to make up that exam. He wanted to do

it himself.”

Price has contributed more than his time. He

helped establish the Arthur Andersen Alumni

Professorship in accounting and funded the

largest scholarship endowment in the School of

Accountancy, the Jay H. Price Scholarship. He

has also funded scholarships at the University

of Wisconsin. Students receiving scholarships

are required to commit to giving back to their

university after graduation.

The importance of volunteering your time and

contributing to a worthy cause is something

Price said he teaches his students.

“The chances are that you are going to be asked

to serve on not-for-profit boards,” he tells them.

“Many employers encourage that, and it’s a fine

thing to do anyway.”

He said once drafted to serve on such boards,

the first thing that will happen to an accountant

is that he or she will be asked to be the treasurer.

Price has been a volunteer overseer of finances

at St. Peter’s church in Chicago since 1959 and

now serves on the Board of Trustees of a small

college in Chicago.

Price thinks accountants should be willing

to share their understanding of important

financial issues that are often in the news but

misunderstood.

Price said he doesn’t have any plans to retire

from the School of Accountancy unless he

eventually has to do so for health reasons.

Writer: Steve Eaton, 435-797-8640

steve.eaton@usu.edu

September 2008

74 75

TAKING AGGIE ATHLETICS TO

NEW HEIGHTS

While often looked at as one of the

little guys in a conference, Utah State University

can boast one area in which it can compete with

the “big boys” of college athletics.

The completion of the new Jim and Carol Laub

Athletics-Academics Complex, at the south end

of Romney Stadium, gives USU student athletes

and coaches access to top-notch training

equipment, locker rooms, digital technology and

academic resources.

Although the facility has been in full use for less

than a month, its effects have already been felt.

“It’s such a great teaching tool in all facets

because we have the ability to teach football in

our classrooms,” said head football coach Brent

Guy. “Every room is enhanced by a computer

and has digital capabilities, allowing the players

to break down film just like coaches break it

down – by down and distance, by personnel,

by the type of blitz or anything they want to do.

Even our snappers and kickers have a room they

can go in and watch plays every day, which is

something we’ve never had the ability to do.”

The three-story complex has a number of

features that benefit USU student athletes of all

sports. The first floor is home to locker rooms for

the football, women’s track and field, softball and

women’s soccer teams. It also hosts the Steve

Mothersell Hall of Fame, named after the former

The completion of the new Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex, at the south end of Romney Stadium, gives USU student athletes and coaches access to top-notch training equipment, locker rooms, digital technology and academic resources.

76 77

Aggie tight end who made a sizeable donation to

the project.

Spacious offices and conference rooms are

located on the second floor, which Guy said have

helped prepare his team this season.

“Being right above the locker room is

convenient,” he said. “It gives me the ability to

have a team meeting every day where I can talk

and show film and then meet individually with

them in different rooms.”

The third floor contains the academic center,

which is equipped with classrooms, computer

labs and tutoring areas that help student athletes

perform well in the classroom.

“The added bonus is having the academic center

on the third level so athletes can go up and study

and get their work done during the day,” Guy

said. “In the past, we didn’t have a study hall

area. We now have it all during the day, which is

more convenient for not just football, but for all

of our athletes.”

The facility also hosts the 11,000-square-foot

Dale Mildenberger Sports Medicine Complex,

the Dr. John Worley Sports Medicine Research

Center and a 7,000-square-foot equipment room.

For athletes such as senior

offensive lineman Derek

Hoke, who experienced the

outdated facilities at the

school for most of his career,

the new building has been a

night-and-day difference.

“It’s extremely nice, even

just for morale,” Hoke said.

“It helps you to feel a little

more important, that things

are going the right way and

that things are improving.

It’s been a great help, and

it’s made football a lot easier

and a lot more fun at times.”

On top of helping athletes reach their full

potential on the field and in the classroom, the

facility is also a way to attract and recruit top

student athletes to the school. Guy said with

the new facility in place, he’s excited to walk

students through and show them what the school

has to offer.

“It’s a great recruiting tool,” he said. “We’ll walk

parents and recruits through and set them in the

classroom they’re going to be in, set them in the

meeting rooms, the coaching offices and show

them the academic center. It’s going to be an

added bonus this year.”

Completion of the facility was boosted by

donations from more than 400 Aggie alumni

and friends of the program, including 120

former student athletes. These donors reflect

a commitment to USU athletics that manifests

itself today in a structure that will benefit athletes

for seasons to come. It’s a place where Aggie

student athletes will be able to take advantage

of the state-of-the-art facilities and take Aggie

athletics to new heights.

Writer: Dave Archer, 435-797-3714,

newspaper@citlink.net

October 2008

The Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex features the 11,000-square-foot Dale Mildenberger Sports Medicine Complex.

76 77

IGNORING LIMITS

Utah State University undergraduate

biochemist Bradley Hintze is not only excelling

in his studies, he’s a 2007 finisher of the nation’s

longest one-day bicycle race sanctioned by the

United States Cycling Federation.

Impressive, yes. But even more remarkable is

Hintze’s perseverance in the face of significant

physical obstacles. He has difficulty holding his

head upright and walks with a limp. Lack of fine

motor skills makes writing difficult and precision

lab techniques impossible.

“I’d be a disaster at the lab bench,” says Hintze,

revealing his characteristically subtle sense of humor.

Born with mild cerebral palsy, Hintze’s physical

disabilities initially seemed minor. But at puberty,

he developed cervical dystonia that became

progressively worse. The neurological movement

disorder of the neck, for which there is no known

cure, causes Hintze’s head to involuntarily twist

and turn to one side.

“Brad has a great enthusiasm

for science and I love having him

in our lab,” says Sean Johnson,

Hintze’s faculty mentor and R.

Gaurth Hansen Assistant Professor

of Biochemistry. “I am constantly

amazed at his abilities and drive.

I have never heard a word of

complaint or frustration regarding

his physical challenges. He doesn’t

seem to let anything prevent him

from succeeding in whatever it is he

wants to do.”

In spring 2008, USU honored the

Aggie senior with the university’s

Legacy of Utah State Award. The

honor was created in memory

of the agricultural students and

instructor involved in the 2005 USU

van accident. It is given annually to

a student who embodies the true

spirit, heart and soul of Utah State

and demonstrates love and support

for the university family, while leading

with a vision of hope for the future.

“Brad’s dedication to science is clear,” says

Johnson. “He is one of the most inquisitive

students I have ever met, and his influence is

felt throughout our department. One of the top

performing students in our departmental courses,

Brad is constantly sought out by other students

who are struggling to understand the coursework.”

Undergrad Brad Hintze (left) and USU mathematics lecturer, Bryan Bornholdt, competed in the 206-mile, 2007 LOTOJA bike race.

78 79

Hintze, a Willard L. Eccles Undergraduate

Research Fellow, has carved his niche in

computer-based biochemistry research in

Johnson’s x-ray crystallography lab. Along the

way he’s proven to himself and others that, with

determination and persistence, individual strengths

and talents can emerge in spite of physical limits.

Despite a busy academic schedule Hintze found

time to squeeze in nearly 4,000 training miles

with USU mathematics lecturer and tandem bike

partner Bryan Bornholdt in preparation for the

grueling LOTOJA. The 206-mile bike race starts

in Logan, Utah and finishes in Jackson Hole,

Wyoming. Participants climb and descend three

mountain passes in the race’s first 110 miles in

unpredictable September weather that can range

from scorching heat to sudden snow squalls.

“Our Logan to Jackson ride was remarkable,”

Bornholdt says. “Yes, we prepared for it but it still

demanded a great deal of heart and determination.

Bradley has these traits in spades.”

Bornholdt recounts that, at the LOTOJA awards

ceremony, a race participant walked up to Hintze

and thanked the Aggie student for his inspiration.

“The man told Bradley that, when we passed him, he was about ready to give up,” Bornholdt says. “But he decided if Bradley was still riding, he would keep riding. He moved in behind us and rode with our group the last 11 miles. He was in tears as he spoke to Bradley.”

In Johnson’s lab, Hintze uses x-ray crystallography techniques in combination with biochemical analysis to understand the structure and mechanism of proteins.

“Our goal is to get a picture of the protein

based on x-ray diffraction,” he says.

During USU’s 2008 Research Week, Hintze

presented his lab’s efforts in determining the

crystal structure of a protein complex called

TRAMP, found in brewer’s yeast.

“TRAMP is a protein complex that’s involved

in RNA degradation in the nucleus,” he says.

“It identifies RNA substrates that need to

be degraded and labels them – much like a

lumberjack identifies and tags trees in a forest

that need to be cut down.”

The project gives scientists a structural view

of cell components that play a central role in

nuclear RNA surveillance, Hintze says. “RNA

surveillance is a widespread cellular process that

is critical for cell function and viability.”

A 2001 graduate of Utah’s Alta High School,

Hintze was initially timid about pursuing

university studies. “I thought college wasn’t an

option for me; that it would be way too difficult.”

With encouragement from a Salt Lake vocational

rehabilitation center, he entered USU in fall 2003.

Testing the waters with 10 credits, he earned a 4.0

GPA during his first semester. A general biology

course his second year, taught by professors Keith

Mott and Greg Podgorski, captured his interest

but, at first, shook his confidence.

“I was nervous but my advisor, Cathy Myers-Roche,

encouraged me to keep trying,” Hintze says.

After his first big test, he emerged with a nearly

perfect score. “That, right there, gave me more

confidence in my collegiate career than anything

else,” he says.

The course, along with subsequent science

courses, steered him to biochemistry.

“I thought, ‘this is so cool’ and I wanted to do

research,” Hintze says. “The research we’re doing

now, determining the structure of TRAMP, has

never been done before. We’re getting information

that’s never been known. That fascinates me.”

Contact: Bradley Hintze, bradley.h@aggiemail.

usu.edu

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517,

maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu

October 2008

Biochemistry student Brad Hintze, right, and faculty mentor Sean Johnson are deciphering the structure and mechanism of proteins.

78 79

AGGIE BLUE BIKES

Air pollution is caused by many

factors, but with approximately two million miles

driven in Cache County every day, some of the

pollution is inevitably linked to greenhouse gas

emissions from cars.

In 2005, a group of students and faculty

members at Utah State University in the USU

Community Bike Coalition started brainstorming

ways to attack the air quality problem in Cache

Valley. The winning idea was a community bike

program that evolved into Aggie Blue Bikes,

which officially began serving students in

September 2005.

Aggie Blue Bikes is a student-managed and

student-run program that checks bikes out to

students free of charge for up to a

semester at a time. It also offers

free, one-on-one maintenance

counseling and provides bike

tools to help students take

care of their own bikes.

The program started

with nine bikes and one

employee and has grown in

just three years to include

more than 100 bikes and 10

employees annually.

“Our mission is to get more

people on more bikes

more often to promote

health, sustainable communities, reduce vehicle

congestion and to better the air quality in

Cache Valley,” said Adam Christiansen, Aggie

Blue Bikes program coordinator and senior in

mechanical engineering.

In spring 2007, they realized they would not

be able to serve the amount of students they

desired because the demand for Blue Bikes

far exceeded the supply. So they adopted this

mission and have been developing ways to make

this happen ever since.

In an effort to get people on bikes more often,

whether on a Blue Bike or not, Aggie Blue Bikes

has expanded the educational side of its services

to include one-on-one tutorials, community

weekly classes, League of American Bicyclists

classes and the

student tool

board.

Student-Run Organization Benefits the Environment and Promotes Good Health

When Aggie Blue Bikes was established in fall

2005, it had nine bikes. Through generous

donations from students and

community members, the number of bikes

has grown to approximately 120 in

just three years.

80 81

The tool board is a full set of bicycle tools and

stands that students can use any time. If the

student doesn’t know how to use the tools, a

Blue Bikes employee will teach the student how

to use the tools and maintain a bike, but will not

fix the problem.

“By doing this, we take concepts and turn them

into hands-on skills that students will have

throughout their lives,” Christiansen said. “This

teaches students how to take care of themselves

rather than relying on someone else and gives

them the ability to pass their knowledge on to

others. The success of the student tool board

has been phenomenal.”

The lucky students who get to borrow a bike enjoy

the benefits of this sustainable form of transportation.

“I was so excited when I got my Aggie Blue Bike

last summer — I showed it to everyone at work

as soon as I got it,” said Loni Pilcher, senior

graphic design student. “I lived really close to

campus and work so it didn’t make sense to

drive my car. I got great exercise riding up the

hill to work a few times a week, and I loved being

able to ride to my friends’ houses instead of

spending money on gas.”

By fall 2006, just one year after Aggie Blue Bikes was

established, the bike supply had doubled from nine

to 18 bikes. A year later it had more than tripled to

65, and a year later it had about 120 bikes.

The Blue Bikes come from students and

community members who donate their old bikes

to the program. Aggie Blue Bikes employees

restore the bikes or use them for parts and paint

the frames aggie blue. Christiansen has also

been able to coordinate with the USU police to

recycle abandoned bikes around campus. After

an abandoned bike is taken by the police, it’s

held for three months to give the owner ample

time to claim it. After the three months, Aggie

Blue Bikes adds it to its fleet.

“This program is completely original,”

Christiansen said. “We studied different models

used at other schools and in other communities,

but no other program runs at virtually no cost to

the students.”

Aggie Blue Bikes has been able to function

due to generous donations and grants from

AmeriCorps, the Utah Conservation Core,

Provost Raymond Coward, Vice President of

Student Services Gary Chambers and Dean of

the College of Natural Resources and Director of

the Sustainability Council Nat Frazer.

“Aggie Blue Bikes is a fantastic program for

sustainability at USU — not only does it help

lower carbon emissions in Cache Valley, but

the students who use the bikes are sustaining

their own bodies by getting exercise as they

ride them,” Frazer said. “I can think of no

other student-managed initiative that has such

tremendous benefits. I am delighted that the

Sustainability Council has been able to support

its efforts.”

Beginning in 2007, Blue Bikes started a Friends

of Santa program in which its employees collect

donated children’s bikes and refurbish them to give

to needy children in the community. Aggie Blue

Bikes also plans and hosts the Cache Valley bike

festival each spring in an effort to give community

members a chance to learn about bikes, biking

etiquette and local bike businesses, etc.

“We’re so grateful for everyone who has helped us

and everything that’s been given to us,” Christiansen

said. “We are glad we’ve found a way to give back

to the community to show our gratitude.”

Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429, annalisa.fox@usu.edu October 2008

Aggie Blue Bikes employee Dave Griffin fixes the brakes on a bike to get it ready to become an official Blue Bike.

80 81

Ninety percent of USU’s Aggie Shuttles run on natural gas, and the fleet is the only alternative-fuel bus system in higher education in Utah.

“Sustainability is ingrained in our organization, it’s something we continually do,” said Ben Berrett, director of facilities operations. “Aside from the social responsibility aspect, saving energy saves money, and we strive to give taxpayers the highest value for their dollar.”

The chilled water plant, also known as the central cooling plant, was installed in 2003. For this project, facilities staff removed 25 old chillers from individual buildings around campus and replaced them with the most efficient electric chillers available. All the chillers were relocated to a central building where they are under 24-hour efficiency surveillance. The

FacilitiesSince its beginning, the Facilities division at USU has had at least one engineer dedicated to issues impacting energy consumption. Today there is a sustainability coordinator who is supported by a staff of engineers working on projects to make USU more sustainable. Major projects include the chilled water plant, the co-generation/central heating unit and the transition to more efficient lighting.

BLUE GOES GREEN

Google produces more than 33 million results for the word “sustainability”— a word that seems to be popping up everywhere these days.

So what’s all the hype about?

Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. At a time when the world consumes more quickly than the earth can replenish, it is important to do everything possible to become more efficient.

Utah State University formed its Sustainability Council in spring 2007 after President Stan Albrecht was the first in Utah to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, a document that holds the university responsible for developing a plan to work toward climate neutrality.

While this document emphasizes the university’s move toward sustainability, Utah State has been instituting green practices around campus for more than 15 years and continues to implement new practices and utilize new technology to further this cause.

82 83

cool air generated from the coolers is pumped to buildings around campus through existing underground tunnels.

The co-generation/central heating unit is a gas turbine generator that burns natural gas and turns an electric generator that can generate about half of the electricity used on campus.

The waste heat from this process goes through a heat exchanger to make steam used to heat the buildings around campus.

While the facilities staff has been changing light bulbs all over campus to replace existing ones with more efficient T8 bulbs, it has also been updating some rooms on campus with occupancy sensors that automatically shut off the lights when there’s no one in the room. The same concept saves on heating and cooling bills by using electronic sensors to automatically shut off some systems during the night.

Aggie ShuttleIn 1999 USU got its first set of Aggie Shuttles that run on natural gas. Natural gas is an excellent alternative because it only costs 65 to 70 cents per gallon and hardly emits any carbon dioxide, said Alden Erickson, shuttle supervisor. It can be difficult to maintain a fleet of natural gas vehicles because it requires increased mechanical maintenance and better-trained technicians. It can also be difficult to find a natural gas fueling station.

USU overcame both setbacks with its stellar maintenance crew and a grant that made possible the installation of two natural gas fueling stations on campus. Because of this, 90 percent of the Aggie Shuttles now run on natural gas and have become the only alternative-fuel bus system in higher education in Utah.

Besides using eco-friendly fuel, Aggie Shuttles transport up to 6,500 people per day during the school year, totaling 850,000-950,000 people per year. It does all this with just $11 per semester in student fees, which are offset with a charter service and revenue from ad space it provides to local vendors that generate approximately $25,000 each year.

Landscaping In 1993 the landscaping crew at USU began working on ways to use water more efficiently around campus. Pressure regulators were installed on irrigation valves to reduce the droplet size of the water coming out of sprinklers. This

allowed more water to hit the ground instead of getting carried off by the wind.

More sprinkler water at USU is lost to wind

than to evaporation, according to Jim Huppi, USU landscape architect/manager.

Five years later, a computerized central control system for irrigation was installed that allows the landscape crew to shut down the entire system in just five minutes to save water during a rain storm as well as save power for pumps and shorten watering windows. Huppi said that before this upgrade took place, it would take about a day and a half to shut off the approximately 140 clocks around campus and the same amount of time to turn them back on.

The landscaping staff has also worked to organize plants around campus by their water requirements so the central control system can be programmed to water only what needs to be watered. The staff also began planting native plants and dedicated some spots around campus as demonstration gardens that have been planned and built by horticulture students.

“Since these changes were made, USU uses half as much water as it did in 1993, even though the landscape area has increased,” Huppi said. For more information, visit www.sustainability.usu.edu Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429, annalisa.fox@usu.eduOctober 2008

The area in front of the Merrill-Cazier Library features native grasses.

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The Renovation:

Unfortunately, the amphitheater has become

worn down over its 70-year lifespan and was

recently deemed unsafe said Stanley Kane,

director of campus maintenance operations and

USU architect. He said it would cost at least a

half a million to get it into tip-top shape.

Because of the lack of funding to renovate the

amphitheater, Facilities made a few repairs to get

the amphitheater up to code. The concrete wall

was removed and replaced with a guard railing to

make it safer.

Students in a management and human resources class revitalized USU’s historic amphitheater for a benefit concert where proceeds went to the Huntsman School of Business Micro Loan program to finance new businesses in Peru.

STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROJECT WHILE

PRESERVING USU HISTORY

The MHR class took it from there. The

students revitalized the historic site for

the concert, which featured guitarist

Katie Lewis, Grafted and other artists.

The class spent two hours sanding

benches, sweeping walkways

and painting benches to

prepare the amphitheater for

its debut.

It is a Utah State University landmark that is often overlooked. The amphitheater on Old Main Hill

has become dilapidated and underutilized. Students from a Management and Human Resources class

hope to change this.

The amphitheater was reconstructed by the MHR 3110 class in October 2008 so it could be used for

a benefit concert where all proceeds went to aid people in Peru, said Nicole Brown, a junior majoring

in public relations and a member of the class.

The proceeds went to the Huntsman School of Business-sponsored Micro/Small Business-Loan

account program. The micro-loan program provides small loans of $50 to $100 to individuals and

small businesses in Peru while educating them on how to run a business, said David Herrmann,

senior lecturer in the Management and Human Resources Department.

“The recipients of the loans are able to start small businesses to increase their income levels,” he

added. “We believe this project will make a lasting difference in the lives of those who need it most.”

84 85

“We wanted the amphitheater to look good

for the concert,” Brown said. “It’s a beautiful

spot, and we wanted people to be aware of

its existence.”

Brown is not the only one to deem the

amphitheater a beautiful spot on campus. USU

Facilities documented the amphitheater as being

perceived as “one of the most attractive sites in

America with its overlook of Cache Valley” when

it was first built.

The amphitheater’s long-lasting history

stems back to 1924. According to USU

Facilities’ documents, many class gifts

were taken to pay for the materials and

construction of the amphitheater. The

construction was done by students

employed through the Federal Emergency

Relief Administration.

After its completion, the amphitheater was

put to good use, Brown said.

“It has been used over the years for

commencement exercises, summer classes,

music festivals and a major summer theater

program,” she said.

The MHR 3110 class has been able to

preserve a piece of USU history while

helping people across the globe.

“Our project not only benefits USU, but Peru

benefits at the same time,” she said. “I hope it

will make a big impact on many people here in

Logan and in Peru.”

Writer: Chelsie Hansen, chelsie.hansen@

aggiemail.usu.edu

October 2008

“Our project not only benefits USU, but Peru benefits at the same time. I hope it will make a big impact on many people here in Logan and in Peru.”

84 85

AG GYMNAST FOUNDS NONPROFIT TO FIGHT POVERTY IN

A FRICAKatie Rutherford, a former Utah State

University gymnast (2001-05), is reaching for

new heights and pushing above and beyond her

typical routines.

A year after graduating from USU in

anthropology, Rutherford established “Dollars for

Change,” a nonprofit organization with a goal of

reaching out to millions.

“Dollars for Change” raises money by asking each

person to give just $1 to fight poverty in Africa.

“I am not asking you to sign up for anything and

I am not asking for all of your money,” Rutherford

explains on her “Dollars for Change” Web site.

“I’m asking that you do without that can of soda

just once. I’m asking that you find a small piece

of your life where you can save just one dollar

and put it to better use. Prove to your kids, your

siblings, anyone you have ever told, that one

person really can make a difference. You don’t

have to be a millionaire to change the world as

long as we all

work together.”

Through her

involvement

with the Student

Athletic Advisory

Committee, a

community-based

service club

for athletes at

USU, Rutherford

helped the USU

gymnastics team

start fundraising

for children’s

education in Africa.

“When I realized

what a difference

our proceeds

made in a child’s “It’s hard to imagine what one dollar can actually do, but it’s more powerful than people realize,” Rutherford said.

86 87

life, it made

me want to do

something more,”

Rutherford said.

She quit her job

in government

banking and

began to focus

on developing

her own nonprofit

organization.

“I really didn’t

have much,”

said Rutherford.

“It took a while

to become tax-

exempt and go

through all of the

requirements, but

it has proven to be

well worth it.”

After spending three months fundraising, Rutherford

took her first trip to begin her routine in Africa. After

spending more than five months building schools

and helping with irrigation and education, she

realized her potential to make a difference.

“When I saw what a difference my efforts made,

I began to research what more I could do,”

Rutherford said. “I came across a life-changing

statistic. America’s population in the year 2007

reached more than 300 million. If I could get at

least $1 from every American family or student,

funding for schools and projects in Africa would

be possible.”

This is how the philosophy for Rutherford’s

organization, “Dollars for Change”, was created.

“It’s hard to imagine

what one dollar can

actually do, but it’s

more powerful than

people realize,”

Rutherford said. “So

far, I have raised

enough to build one

school through Dollars

for Change.”

Today, Rutherford

flies across the nation

sharing her stories

to inspire students,

communities and

families to join

the cause.

“All donations go

directly toward

the cause,” said

Rutherford. “The

money isn’t used for

anything other than the schools.”

Rutherford’s efforts have made an impression on

members of USU’s current gymnastics team.

“I look up to Katie,” said Lindsey Boone,

sophomore on the gymnastics team majoring

in business, “I hope more athletes and people

come together to donate.”

“Join the challenge to prove that together, we

can make a difference,” said Rutherford.

Writer: Celia Child, c.child@aggiemail.usu.edu

November 2008

Katie Rutherford, former USU gymnast, established “Dollars for Change,” a nonprofit organization that helps develop schools in Africa.

86 87

USU STUDENTS HEAD TO MEXICO AND MAKE A

DIFFERENCEOrphaned children with disabilities in

Manaedero, Mexico, got a new chance to play

and learn, and Utah State University students

who went to the orphanage in May 2008 to help

got a new perspective.

The staff at the Gabriel House orphanage

received training to help them work with the

children, and the orphanage itself got a new

septic system.

The Mexico trip has become an annual tradition

over the past four years for students in the

Department of Communicative Disorders and

Deaf Education, and Department Head Beth

Foley has seen the same story repeat itself.

When students arrive, they are “shell shocked” to

see the needs at the orphanage and the severity

of the children’s disabilities; but when it’s time to

head back to the U.S., the students

don’t want to go.

In 2008, more than 90 students

from three different USU

departments contributed work to

the orphanage. About 20 of them

made the trip to Manaedero with

several faculty members. Gabriel

House is an orphanage for children

who have disabilities or who

are HIV positive. The orphanage

houses about 40 children.

Sonia Manuel-Dupont, a professor

in English, communicative

disorders and civil engineering, has

worked with Gabriel House for two

years. She has involved students

from all three of her disciplines in

projects for the orphanage.

Her English students created

teaching units with books

in Spanish. Students in the

Communicative Disorders and

Deaf Education Department made

toys and communication systems

as part of an assistive technology

course. They added tactile symbols USU students traveled to Manaedero, Mexico, to help make improvements to an orphanage for children with disabilities.

88 89

to books in Spanish for children with visual

impairments and adapted books to stimulate

language development.

Representatives from the USU chapter of

Engineers Without Borders also designed a new

septic system for the orphanage since the old

one was overwhelmed by its massive laundry

demands. They installed the system in May

during their joint visit with other USU students.

Jordan Meek, a junior from Sandy majoring in

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education,

built an indoor jungle gym that included a

detachable swing. Swinging is good for a

child’s development, said Stan Clelland, the

Assistive Technology Lab coordinator at the

USU Center for Persons with Disabilities.

Meek’s play equipment was built as an

independent study project, and it was

among the most ambitious works that

made the trip to Manaedero.

“I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned

out,” he said. Like many other student

contributions, the jungle gym was

assembled in the lab, which specializes in

adapting, repairing and building assistive

technology for people with disabilities.

Foley, one of the professors who teaches

the assistive technology class, began going

to the orphanage five years ago. The next

year and each year after, she began bringing

students with her.

In addition to bringing assistive technology

and toys with them, the students and faculty

members help train the Gabriel House staff on

ways to work with children who have conditions

including autism, muscular dystrophy, cerebral

palsy and Down syndrome. Many of the children

are unable to communicate using speech.

The students stay a week, but more than

once Foley has watched as the children at the

orphanage stand in front of the gate, trying to

keep their visitors from leaving. By then, the

students don’t want to leave either.

Writer: JoLynne Lyon, jlyon@cpd2.usu.edu

November 2008

Jordan Meek, a junior from Sandy majoring in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education, built an indoor jungle gym for the orphanage.

88 89

WRDC AT USU IMPROVING

RURAL AMERICA

The Western Rural

Development Center’s

latest publications — a

series of population

briefs — are one more

effort by the center to

deliver resources to

improve the quality of

life in the rural West.

Located at Utah State

University, the WRDC

is one of four regional

centers nationwide

designed to strengthen

the capacity of local

citizens to guide the

future of their rural communities. Each of the four

centers links the research and Extension capacity

of regional land-grant universities with local

decision makers to address a wide range of rural

development issues.

“We try to provide whatever is necessary to improve

the lives of people in rural America,” said Don

Albrecht, director of the Western Center. “Better

information will lead to better decision making,

so it is our job to be the source of complete and

accurate information about their communities.”

Albrecht said the center has a multi-dimensional

focus. It initiates projects by bringing resources

and people together to jump-start innovative

concepts. It also brings eclectic groups of people

together to explore issues, learn about one

another’s values and goals and think creatively

about how to shape the rural West. The center

also supports the creation of businesses and

the development of desirable assets using a

sustainable approach, supporting local cultures

and creating the ability to seize emerging

opportunities and solve problems.

That means communities can come to the WRDC

for the latest information about issues such as

economic development, energy development,

public policy, rural health, sustainable

development, natural resources and more.

The “population briefs” summarize population

trends and how those trends might affect health,

employment, poverty, minorities, education and

land use.

The series was developed in response to

requests from researchers and nonprofits

throughout the 13 Western states that were in

Don Albrecht is the director of the Western Rural Development Center, which aims to deliver resources to improve the quality of life in the rural West.

90 91

need of demographic

data pertaining to

the rapidly changing

populations in the

region. The series

includes regional

overviews about

“The Changing

West,” “Employment,

Income and Poverty,”

“Education,” “Health

and Longevity,”

and “Land Use and

Resources” and one

brief for each of the 13

Western states.

“The size and composition of the population in

the Western states is rapidly changing,” Albrecht

said. “Accurate and timely information is

essential to our stakeholders. These population

briefs provide this information in a readily

accessible and easy-to-read format.”

Albrecht served as the researcher and author for

the briefs. His goal is to make this information

available to researchers, community leaders and

nonprofits that otherwise may not have access to

this important demographic data.

“Rural community developers throughout the

West face many challenges, and before they

begin to shape their communities for future

success, they must have an understanding of

their current populations and conditions,” he

said. “These population briefs provide them with

that baseline information.”

Statistics pertaining to health insurance coverage

among residents of the Western states are of

particular concern at the moment, he said. The

Health and Longevity brief, for example, said

the residents of Western states are much more

likely to be without health insurance than the

average American. Only in Hawaii (9.6 percent)

do a smaller percentage of people lack health

insurance than the national average. Four

Western states (New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona

and Montana) and several Southern states

(Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi,

Oklahoma and Texas), are among the 10 states

with the highest rates of uninsured individuals in

the nation.

The Western Rural Development Center links the

research and extension capacity of land-grant

universities in 13 Western states and four U.S.

territories. The WRDC is funded by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State

Research, Education and Extension Services. It

also receives substantial support from several

USU units, including Cooperative Extension, the

Agricultural Experiment Station and the College

of Natural Resources.

Writer: Tim Vitale, 435-797-1356,

tim.vitale@usu.edu

November 2008

Hispanic

9,080,131; 50.0%

Asian

3,015,343; 16.6%

Black

686,368; 3.8%

Native American

374,040; 2.1%

White

5,008,524; 27.6%

Population Changes from 1980-2000 for the Western Region

A sample of the information found in the population briefs.

90 91

CHANGING THE WORLD

ONE DROP AT A TIME

Utah State University’s Utah Water Research Laboratory has projects and training efforts in all of Utah’s 29 counties and has conducted water resources projects and training programs in nearly 70 countries throughout the world.

Before the building was even dedicated in 1965, faculty at the Water Lab were already working on international projects.

“These international projects have helped establish a close relationship between the UWRL and water agencies and universities in many parts of the world,” said Mac McKee, director of the Water Lab. “Through these relationships, USU has recruited students from around the world, many of whom now work as the world’s water leaders. Today, international students make up approximately 75 percent of the graduate students working at the Water Lab.”

In the 1990s the UWRL began working with An Najah National University in Nablus, West Bank, Palestine. Because few doctoral degrees are offered in Palestine, many ANNU students come to USU to obtain a doctoral degree, and they frequently return to work as professors and experts in their fields.

In summer 2007, associate professor in Environmental Engineering Laurie McNeill began her sabbatical at ANNU, where she taught and researched water problems the area currently faces. The city of Nablus has a population of nearly 200,000 people, and during much of the year there isn’t enough drinking water available to the Palestinian people.

Due to the shortage, the city can only provide drinking water every few days, and residents have to stock up on water by storing it in large tanks on their roofs to use during the in-between days. While she was there, the time between water days increased from three to five to 10 days by the time she left in July 2008.

This system, in which water runs through pipes only once every few days, is called “intermittent pumping,” and many developing countries use this system instead of continuous pumping, which is used in America. Intermittent pumping can cause a

Associate professor in Environmental Engineering Laurie McNeill spent a year at An Najah National University in Nablus, West Bank, Palestine, where she taught and researched water problems the area currently faces.

variety of water problems that do not occur with continuous pumping.

McNeill and her students at ANNU worked to develop a model for intermittent pumping so they can understand how it influences water quality and predict future problems. They are also working to develop a model to analyze water quality in the storage tanks.

Not only does intermittent pumping pose potential hazards to the water quality, but the area is also susceptible to water contamination and potential cancer-causing agents.

Just as many water treatment plants in the United States add a small amount of chlorine to water to kill pathogens, chlorine is also added to the drinking water in Nablus. However, in less-than-ideal hygienic circumstances, this chlorine can pose a potential hazard.

When chlorine reacts with organic matter (such as raw sewage), it forms a disinfection by-product, or DBP, which can cause cancer. This is a real concern because some clean-water pipes in Nablus are submerged in flows of raw sewage.

McNeill and her students are trying to model this scenario as well so they can track how the chlorine changes in this system. Then they can determine when and how much chlorine to add.

“It’s a balancing act,” she said. “You need to add chlorine to keep the water clean and safe, but you don’t want to add too much in case organic matter comes into contact with the water and forms cancer-causing disinfection by-products.”

Nabeel Hamdan worked most closely with McNeill on this project. He is working toward a master’s degree and currently works as head of the engineering department in Beita, a town of about 10,000 people located south of Nablus.

“I’ve always been interested in everything related to water quality, and presently there is no information to help identify or quantify the location and extent of DBPs in the Nablus system,” he said. “I hope this research will help decision makers improve water quality here and benefit people around the world.”

The final projects McNeill worked on during her sabbatical dealt with wastewater treatment. One project tested a pilot-scale wastewater treatment process for removing contaminants.

The second project looked into how to run a sewage collection system where none existed previously, the logistics of installing a full-scale treatment plant and what opportunities were available for reusing the treated wastewater for irrigation. This is important because it is not uncommon for Palestinians to have cesspits,

allowing sewage to seep into the ground and contaminate the ground water.

“This is just one example of what our faculty does daily,” said McKee. “Our mission involves helping solve water-related problems at the state, national and global levels, and our dedicated faculty make this goal a reality.”

Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429 annalisa.fox@usu.eduNovember 2008

• The Logan River can be diverted directly through the Utah Water

Research Laboratory’s hydraulics lab.

• The lab works on more than 300 water-related projects each year, and

its annual research expenditures equal $9 million.

• In 2005, National Geographic visited the UWRL to film its faculty and

lab resources for a documentary it produced about flooding.

• The UWRL is home to one of the nation’s few large-rainfall simulators.

With approximately 66,000 droppers, this machine can recreate the

rainfall conditions of a specific storm.

• A new hydraulics modeling laboratory is under construction at the

UWRL that will have approximately 10,000-square-feet of floor space. It

will be completed January 2009 and will allow researchers at the UWRL

to more effectively compete for large physical modeling projects.

Utah Water Research Laboratory

Due to the water shortage in Nablus, the city can only provide drinking water every few days. Residents have to stock up on water by storing it in large tanks on their roofs to use during the in-between days.

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