In the News

• The Herald Journal Thursday, Jun. 20, 2019

  USU's Nora Eccles Harrison Museum Introduces New Music Event

  Staff at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art are working on new events and activities as a way to encourage the public to visit the recently-remodeled space on the Utah State University campus. One of these programs is Thursday Evening Music at NEHMA. “Music brings magic to every experience. Art is magic, music is magic. So they are just a beautiful combination,” said Terry Guy, the museum’s development and events coordinator. ... Katherine Taylor, the public relations and marketing coordinator for the museum, said it is an ideal time to visit the museum. “The parking in front of the lot is free, where it would otherwise be more enforced. And then you’ve got some time outside of your regular schedule, your workday, to come and appreciate some artwork,” Taylor said. ... Thursday marked the second week of the new event, and music was provided by Holly Conger, a local guitarist who graduated from Utah State University. She said she has always appreciated the art on campus and hoped her music did the museum’s space justice.

• KSL.com Thursday, Jun. 20, 2019

  USU's Outdoor Product Design Students Invited to Outdoor Retailer Show

  Utah State University’s Outdoor Product Design and Development students were invited to the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver this year to make chalk bags, on the spot, out of used textiles. Their textile repurposing station provided students with an opportunity to demonstrate their gear production skills while helping them connect to businesses that can donate used textiles to the school, according to program coordinator Chase Anderson. Convention attendees were able to come to their booth and choose what materials they wanted for their chalk bags, and the Utah State students made them on the spot. ... The Outdoor Product Design and Development program began in the fall of 2015 and yielded its first graduating class of 30 students this past May, according to Anderson. It’s a first-of-its-kind undergraduate program focused on the development and design of outdoor products. ... Students from the program often go into design, technical development, product line management, supply chain management and more, according to the program’s website. Throughout their four years of school, they have access to six labs on campus to help them turn their ideas into reality.

• The Herald Journal Wednesday, Jun. 19, 2019

  USU Computer Science Department Moves Back to College of Science

  After six years of being a part of Utah State University’s College of Engineering, the department of computer science will move back to the College of Science effective July 1. According to an email from USU College of Science Dean Maura Hagan to The Herald Journal, after students, faculty, administrators, state business and government leaders discussed the needs of the state and university, they decided to make the move. ... The College of Science was home to the department until it was moved to the College of Engineering in the Spring of 2012. With the move back to the College of Science, the department faculty continues to prepare classes and and student research opportunities for the fall semester. ... The department will maintain its Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology accreditation. The move will mainly be administrative, according to Hagan.

• The Herald Journal Tuesday, Jun. 18, 2019

  USU's Newly Accredited Nursing Program Prepares for Fall Semester

  After recently being granted accreditation for the Utah State University Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, the department is fine-tuning the programs for the fall semester. According to Nursing and Health Professions Department Head Carma Miller, the department prepared for over a year for the nursing program to be evaluated by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. ... To grant accreditation, the ACEN evaluates the program’s faculty and staff, student policy, curriculum and resources, as well as the graduating nurses’ ability to pass licensing and find a job. The accreditation of the BSN degree is important for the program, because, according to Miller, the Utah Board of Nursing requires that all nursing programs in Utah be accredited by one of the two nursing accrediting programs approved by the U.S. Department of Education.

• Salt Lake Tribune Sunday, Jun. 16, 2019

  Taking a Closer Look at How Utah Uses Water

  This year has been a good water year for Utah, with June snowpack levels in some areas measured at 200-plus percent above average and many of our reservoirs filling to capacity. By many accounts, the state’s years-long drought is officially over, but now is not the time to take our eye off the wise-water-management prize. Our reservoirs might be rising, but our population also is rising along with demands for water — demands that will over time in this arid state test every bit of technology and innovation we can muster. That’s why several years ago the Utah Legislature decided to set aside additional money each year for Utah State University’s Extension Program. Both the Legislature and the university recognized a pressing need to identify and fund research into the most critical water scarcity challenges that Utah faces now and will face in the future. ... To further that effort, Utah State University will bring together policy makers, business leaders and community stakeholders on June 18 in Salt Lake City to talk about water issues in the state. The forum is part of USU series titled Research Landscapes, a series of discussions about research into our most vital natural resources: water, land, and air. ... USU associate dean and professor of biology Michelle Baker will lead the forum and discuss how Utah’s landscapes contribute to the health of cities and their residents, and how our changing population and economy necessitates a closer look into how we use water.

  
  
   

• The Herald Journal Saturday, Jun. 15, 2019

  USU Students Organize Suffrage March Enactment as Part of Conference

  A few dozen community members and Utah State University students gathered on the steps of the Logan Tabernacle on Friday morning for a voting rights march. Some people carried signs with quotes from early voting rights activists. Many of the participants wore purple, gold and white — the colors past suffragists used to represent their movement. ... This voting rights march was part of the annual Bennion Teachers’ Workshop at Utah State University. The theme this year was “Forward Out of Darkness: Gender, Media, and Suffrage in the United States.” ... As part of the workshop, the students drafted a modern Declaration of Sentiments on voting rights, similar to the one shared during the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls in 1848. Their declaration focused on voting issues related to privacy and accessibility, including eliminating closed primaries, keeping voter records private and instituting a 24-hour on-site polling period. During a short program after the march, workshop participants read their declaration and invited local elected officials to speak and sign the declaration.

• The Herald Journal Wednesday, Jun. 12, 2019

  USU Hosts Resilience Through Caring Connections Conference

  Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox encouraged audience members to focus on individual-level solutions and building a sense of community while speaking at the Resilience through Caring Connections conference on Wednesday afternoon. “The only way that we are going to fix what is wrong in our society is to work directly with the individual,” Cox said. The conference was hosted at Utah State University by the Resilience through Caring Connections coalition. This group is focused on improving the well-being of families and individuals by providing resources for addressing trauma. In addition to Cox’s presentation, the conference included other workshops and speakers on different areas of resiliency. ...  During the conference, former USU basketball player Gary Wilkinson spoke about his personal experiences with resiliency in overcoming life challenges. Wilkinson said learning to care about one’s self is an important first step in resiliency because it is harder to help others when you are struggling.

• The Herald Journal Friday, Jun. 07, 2019

  Bridgerland Literacy to Stay Open with Aid of USU Center

  A new relationship between Bridgerland Literacy and the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University will help the literacy program continue to offer services to members of the community. “We are a very small nonprofit and that limits kind of what we can do. There are not a lot of financial resources. There are not a lot of person resources and those kinds of things. Being able to access those is incredibly helpful to us,” said Alice Shepard, the program director at Bridgerland Literacy. Bridgerland Literacy began in 1987 in an effort to help improve adult literacy rates in Cache Valley. Services at the center help patrons accomplish goals such as passing the GED, learning the content language of a specific field or gaining a better understanding of English as a non-native speaker. Matt Wappett, the executive director of the Center for Persons with Disabilities, said he began working with Shepard to bring Bridgerland Literacy under the umbrella of the center in January when he learned the center was planning on shutting their doors because of a lack of funds. ... According to Shepard, this new relationship will help her connect with an already established volunteer network, such as professors that include volunteer work in their curriculums.
   

• The Herald Journal Thursday, Jun. 06, 2019

  Latinx Boot Camp returns to Utah State for Second Year

  Over 300 Latinx middle and high school students attended the second annual Latino Youth Leadership Conference at Utah State University this week. After a successful pilot program last year, USU Extension partnered with Latinos In Action once again to organize the conference to provide Latinx students across Utah and Idaho with tools to become leaders in their communities, according to USU Extension Assistant Professor Celina Wille. ... LIA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower Latinx youth to become leaders in their community, be civically engaged and prepare for the future. The organization offers a curriculum taught in middle and high school elective courses. The conference provided workshops, team-building activities and mentors to help guide the LIA students attending. Students participated in mock interviews, a career exploration fair, an etiquette dinner, outdoor recreational activities, a dance and a movie night. One of the major changes from the conference last year is rather than having professors teach and run the workshops, the professors mentored eight college students who prepared and presented the workshops.

• Deseret News Tuesday, Jun. 04, 2019

  Ex-Intelligence Agency Director Named to Space Dynamics Lab Council

  Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory has tapped the former director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to its guidance council. As a member of the council, Robert Cardillo helps guide the organization strategically and tactically, support customer relationships and provide industry insight and networking. The council, which is made up of government and industry veterans, serves to compliment the work of more than 850 engineers, technicians and business professionals who design, build, test, and manage software and hardware including small satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles for data gathering, synthesis and analysis for all branches of the military and intelligence community. ... Last year the lab, one of 14 university-affiliated research centers, was awarded more than $100 million for research.

• The Herald Journal Tuesday, Jun. 04, 2019

  Longtime USU Extension Agent, Ag Columnist Signs Off

  The oft quoted Author Unknown has said, “The best time to start thinking about your retirement is before the boss does.” As such, I’ve decided the time has come for me to step aside so a less experienced — though likely more capable — person can take my place. I’m not sure if retirement means a prolonged holiday, or if it’s the official act of being thrown on the scrap-heap. I must admit I don’t move as quickly as I once did so it’s best I step aside. ... I have really enjoyed 44 years of professional service in beautiful Cache Valley — and especially appreciate association with valued friends in the agricultural community. I readily admit that I have learned more from them than they have learned from me. It was only yesterday that I finished my BS and MS degrees at Utah State University in agricultural education. ... For the past 19 years I have enjoyed working for Utah State University in Cache County as an agricultural Extension agent. Each day is unique and different and it seems well-laid plans often get altered as the crisis of the day becomes the priority. Every phone call and every office or farm visit is challenging and rewarding for me and hopefully for others. ... I will miss daily association with the diversity of people I’ve worked with. I’ll also miss traveling all over the Cache County inspecting fields, animals and farmsteads. I’m sure I’ve been on every road in the county multiple times, and I know where most people live in the rural parts of the county. We really do live in a beautiful place and among wonderfully good people.

  
  
   

• National Geographic Friday, May. 31, 2019

  How Pesticides Can Actually Increase Mosquito Numbers

  Insecticides in at least one area are not only failing to control mosquitoes, new research suggests, they’re actually allowing the blood-sucking pests to thrive—by killing off their predators. The study, published this month in the journal Oecologia, reveals a new wrinkle in how insecticides may be impacting ecosystems. Mosquitoes in the study area in Costa Rica have evolved resistance to common chemicals meant to kill them and other pests. The mosquitoes’ predators, meanwhile, have not kept pace with that evolution—and that has allowed the mosquito population to boom. Edd Hammill, an ecologist at Utah State University and lead author of the study, first got an inkling that insecticides might not be having their intended effect while conducting research in orange plantations in northern Costa Rica. “We felt like we were getting a lot more mosquito bites in plantations than in pristine areas and started to wonder why,” Hammill says.

• The Herald Journal Friday, May. 31, 2019

  Number of Summer Citizens Continues to Grow

  It’s that time of the year again when the majority of Utah State University students leave the valley for a few months and the Summer Citizens come to town. “One of the things that is exciting this year is I think we have record attendance,” said Linda D’Addabbo, the program coordinator for event services at USU. As of Thursday, D’Addabbo said there were more than 830 people registered for the 2019 Summer Citizen program in comparison to 785 people last year. Entering its 43rd year, the Summer Citizen program is designed to provide individuals over age 55 an opportunity to enjoy Logan as a summer destination. Classes, tours, cultural and outdoor activities are offered through the university and other local businesses and organizations.

• Utah Public Radio Friday, May. 31, 2019

  USU Recruits Under-Represented Students Through Mentorship

  Utah State University in Logan is hosting some special guests from their sister campus in Blanding this month. “We arrange different lab experiences for them throughout different departments on campus," said Beth Ogata. She is referring to Native American students that are visiting Logan to learn more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics - STEM for short. The students are visiting through the Native American STEM Mentorship Program, or NASMP. The student body at the Blanding campus, which offers two-year programs, is 70% Native American, while the student body at the Logan campus is only 0.3% Native American. ... This year’s student participants will present the results of their work during their time in Logan at a symposium on June 4 at the USU main campus. The event is open to the public.

• The Herald Journal Tuesday, May. 28, 2019

  USU Appoints New Director of Utah Water Research Lab

  Utah State University announced David Tarboton as the new director of the Utah Water Research Laboratory. Tarboton will begin this position on July 1. ... The lab, located just below First Dam at the mouth of Logan Canyon is one of the largest research laboratories in the state and a leading institution for water research in the country. After a nationwide search, Tarboton, who has a background in civil and environmental engineering at USU, was chosen May 20 to replace Mac McKee, who is retiring after 20 years. ... Tarboton will be in charge of the approximately 200 faculty, staff and students at the lab. Tarboton came to USU in 1990 and worked at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand before moving to Utah.

• The Herald Journal Tuesday, May. 28, 2019

  USU Lecturer Adds Role as Logan City Poet Laureate

  Logan city’s new poet laureate has been writing poetry since she was old enough to hold a pencil. “I love poetry. I know how important it is. Being a teacher at the university, I have seen how transformative poetry can be for my students,” said Shanan Ballam, a senior lecturer at Utah State University. On Tuesday it was announced that Ballam was selected as Logan’s second poet laureate. Ballam said she received the news earlier this month when current poet laureate Star Coulbrooke delivered a letter to her from Mayor Holly Daines. ... Ballam teaches poetry writing, fiction writing and composition at USU. She is the author of several poetry collections, including “Pretty Marrow.” Her newest collection, “Inside the Animal: The Collected Red Riding Hood Poems,” will come out next week. ... As poet laureate, Ballam said she plans to coordinate with the Logan Library to offer free poetry workshops for individuals of all skill levels. “It doesn’t matter if you have ever written a word of poetry or if you have written a lot,” Ballam said. “I’m an experienced teacher so I will be able to help each person individually to write something that they are proud of.”

• The Herald Journal Tuesday, May. 28, 2019

  USU's Queta Declares 'I'm Back'

  Aggie men’s basketball opponents for the upcoming season have been warned. The Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year is returning to play at least one more season with Utah State. That’s right, Neemias Queta is pulling his name out of the NBA draft. Queta made the decision on Saturday and made it official on Tuesday — one day before the deadline to withdraw. He declared on social media platforms that “I’ll be back” and “Aggie nation, I’m back.” The 6-foot-11 center from Barreiro, Portugal, is excited to be back in Logan and rejoin his Aggie teammates. He plans on doing all he can to help USU repeat as Mountain West champs and return to the NCAA Tournament next season.

• Deseret News Monday, May. 27, 2019

  New Utah-based Program Offers a Solution for Rural Police Departments

  Giovanny Black had always planned to go into law enforcement — someday. But the police academy felt far away, both figuratively and literally. Living in rural Blanding in southeastern Utah, an hour and a half away from the nearest Walmart and a full three hours from the nearest academy, joining the force would mean quitting his job and driving hours back and forth on the weekends for months to earn his Peace Officer Standards and Training certification. As it turned out, he didn’t have to do either of those things. Black is one of a handful of graduates of a new Utah State University program that lets aspiring law enforcement officers in rural Utah earn their POST certification through online night classes. The program, which also incorporates hands-on training with local law enforcement, is aimed at helping small, isolated departments hire more people who already live and work in their communities. Across the U.S., law enforcement agencies of all sizes are struggling to recruit and retain qualified candidates. For small, rural police forces, those challenges are worse. ... Black, 21, is now a corrections officer with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. He has no plans to leave his hometown, and hopes to be a patrol deputy someday.

• Deseret News Sunday, May. 26, 2019

  First Wave of Outdoor Gear Design Pros from USU Finding Success

  The outdoor products industry is huge, and Utah has long been a player in stoking the gear needs of the populace as a state with more than its share of natural assets — be it the Mighty Five national parks, some of the best ski terrain on the planet or a geographic portfolio that spans from alpine lakes to ancient red deserts. Now, Utah State University is carving out its own territory as a feeder system for tomorrow's outdoor product professionals and earlier this month, the school's outdoor products design and development program graduated its first class. Program Coordinator Chase Anderson said the effort, launched in 2015, was born of a collaboration with outdoor industry representatives who worked with former USU faculty member Lindsey Shirley to craft the effort's initial curriculum. One of the few undergraduate programs of its kind in the U.S. or the world, the curriculum is aiming to arm graduates with a full set of tools to find success among the burgeoning slate of companies specializing in outdoor gear, or to take their first entrepreneurial steps in becoming the next Yvon Chouinard or Davis Smith. ... Much as the program's title suggests, Anderson said students are immersed in training that guides them through the full spectrum of product creation from design concept through the development stages that lead to manufacturing.

• The Herald Journal Monday, May. 20, 2019

  Board of Regents Appoints USU Regional VP as Interim Commissioner

  The Utah State Board of Regents recently appointed a Utah State University faculty member, David Woolstenhulme, as interim commissioner of higher education. Woolstenhulme, chosen during the board’s meeting at Snow College in Ephraim, will replace David L. Buhler on July 1 as Buhler will go on to teach political science classes at University of Utah. ... Woolstenhulme is currently the vice president of regional campuses at USU, a role he assumed in August 2018. Buhler became Utah’s eighth commissioner in June 2012, after serving for 12 years as associate commissioner. He announced in early 2019 that he would be ending his service in June. ... Woolstenhulme has overseen the nonacademic operations of USU Distance locations, including budget, recruitment and facilities. Woolstenhulme has served as USU’s regional vice provost and president of Uintah Basin Applied Technology College. He has two degrees from USU and a doctorate from the University of Wyoming.