Utah State University

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Utah State University
Motto:	Research, Service, Teaching
Established:	1888
Type:	Public Land-grant Space-grant
Endowment:	US $110.3 million
President:	Stan L. Albrecht
Faculty:	870
Staff:	1,800
Undergraduates:	13,179
Postgraduates:	3,848
Location:	Logan, Utah, USA
Campus:	Suburban
Colors:	Aggie Blue and Fighting White
Nickname:	Utah State Aggies
Mascot:	Big Blue
Website:	www.usu.edu

Utah State University (USU) is a public land-grant university whose main campus is located in Logan, Utah.

It was established in 1888, after Anthon H. Lund introduced a bill for its creation. Originally known as the Agricultural College of Utah, its name was subsequently changed to Utah State Agricultural College, and in 1957 it became Utah State University. USU has 870 faculty, and over 23,000 students that were enrolled in autumn 2006. USU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. USU has longstanding ties with the Department of Defense and NASA, and conducts extensive aerospace research.

Contents 1 Academics 1.1 Engineering 1.2 Agriculture 1.3 Natural Resources 1.4 Humanities 1.5 Business 2 Space Research 3 Science Breakthroughs 4 NASA's Great Moonbuggy Race 5 Atmospheric LIDAR Observatory 6 GEGA Program 7 OpenCourseWare 8 Environmentalism at Utah State 9 Humanitarian Efforts 9.1 Humanitarian Efforts in Africa 9.2 Humanitarian Efforts in Thailand 10 Athletics 11 Trivia 12 Media 13 Speech and debate 14 Notable alumni 15 See also 16 References 17 External links

[edit] Academics

As Utah's land-grant university, USU conducts research into many agricultural and natural resource disciplines. USU contains seven academic colleges and 47 individual departments, and offers degrees in more than 200 majors.

Beyond its Logan campus, Utah State's Extension community provides academic resources and support for the state as a whole, including a Continuing Education program. Created in 1907, Extension now includes USU Regional Campuses at Brigham City, Tooele, and the Uintah Basin, as well as USU Centers at Moab, Ogden, Price, and Salt Lake City. USU also operates Extension locations in each of Utah's 29 counties.

[edit] Engineering

USU is known for its Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL). The SDL is a research facility focusing on military and science applications. It frequently submits projects to the Department of Defense and NASA. According to the most recent National Science Foundation statistics, USU ranked first among all universities in the U.S. in funding for aerospace research. Other USU research centers include the Center for Persons with Disabilities, the USU Ecology Center, the Utah Agriculture Experiment Station, and the Utah Water Research Laboratory. The Intermountain Herbarium, operated by the Department of Biology, contains more than 245,000 specimens of native and introduced flora, fauna, and fungi from Utah and the American West. USU also operates research facilities beyond its main campus in Logan, including the Utah Botanical Center in Kaysville, north of Salt Lake City.

[edit] Agriculture

The College of Agriculture was the first college at Utah State University, organized with the university in 1888. The college is known for Nutrition and Food Science research, as well as significant breakthroughs and global outreach in plants and soil science, animal science, veterinary science and economics. College researchers were instrumental in the creation of the first cloned equines (horses), in a project collaboration with researchers at the University of Idaho. The college is also a leader in the international project to classify and research the sheep genome. The departments of the College of Agriculture include the Plants, Soils and Climate Department, the Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Science Department, the Nutrition and Food Science Department, the Agricultural Systems & Technology Department, and the Economics Department, jointly managed with the College of Business.

[edit] Natural Resources

The College of Natural Resources includes the departments of Watershed Sciences, Environment and Society, and Wildland Resources. USU has a long history in the sciences and management of forests, rangeland, wildlife, and fisheries and watersheds. Many graduates of the College of Natural Resources have gone on to careers in the National Forest Service, National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. The College of Natural Resources also operates the Quinney Library, with collections relevant for natural resources education, management, and research.

[edit] Humanities

In the Humanities, USU has long history in the study of the American West. The university, through its departments of English and History, is the host institution for the scholarly journals Western American Literature and the Western Historical Quarterly, the official publications of the Western Literature Association and the Western History Association. The Mountain West Center for Regional Studies, a Humanities outreach center at USU, sponsors public events and research focusing on the cultures and history of the Interior West and larger American West. University Special Collections and Archives, located at the Merrill-Cazier Library, has extensive archival holdings documenting the histories of Utah, the Intermountain West, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as collections pertaining to American folklore and the lives and works of western authors such as Jack London and poet May Swenson, a Logan native.

USU has expanded its Arts programs and facilities in recent years with the creation of the Caine School of the Arts, a division of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Performance facilities include the Kent Concert Hall and the Manon Caine Russell-Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall,^[1] completed in 2006. The 400-seat Performance Hall, designed by the architectural firm Sasaki Associates, has been praised as one of the best acoustic performance spaces in the American West, and received an Honor Award from the Utah Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes and opened in 1982, contains one of the largest art collections in the Intermountain Region. Its holdings include nationally-significant collections of ceramics, Native American art, and especially artworks produced in the American West since 1945. Notable departments within the Caine School of the Arts include Art, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Music, and Theatre Arts.

[edit] Business

In 2007, Utah State's College of Business became the Jon. M. Huntsman School of Business, after a $26 million donation by the billionaire. The School hopes to model itself after Huntsman's alma mater and prestigious business school, Wharton, located at the University of Pennsylvania. ^[2]

The School of Business offers a number of graduate and undergraduate degrees in fields including management, accounting, economics and finance, and management information systems (MIS).

[edit] Space Research

• The Floating Potential Measurement Unit, designed and built by Mike Gaughran, will gauge electrical charges that build up on the outside of the orbiting station. It will also measure the space environment to help scientists better understand how the charges accumulate. The Utah State University-built instrument is going to be installed on the outside of the International Space Station.[2]
• The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) program is part of NASA's New Millennium Program, which has its roots in only 6 six universities, one of the first being Utah State University. GIFTS is the first step toward incorporating technological breakthroughs into the next generation of operational weather observing systems. GIFTS will include advanced technologies in imaging spectrometry, active cooling, fast data processing, pointing and control, radiation protection, and lightweight materials. Testing and validation of the technological breakthroughs need to be conducted in space. The space demonstration will use GIFTS' new techniques to gather water vapor, temperature, and cloud data. At the same time, measurements will be taken on the ground and from aircraft (for comparison) to confirm the accuracy of GIFTS measurements. [3]
• Lada, a "space age pot holder", allows astronauts to create gardens in space giving them food providing much needed nutrition. The chamber waters, measures, and even photographs the plant inside. The technology was developed between 1999 and 2001 at the Space Dynamics Lab (SDL) with Gail Bingham serving as project manager. Utah State's SDL has built four units, one of which is currently aboard the International Space Station and was launched in September 2002. Lada can be used as a plant incubator used to transfer plants from the astronaut's habitat into other soils, including those of the environments astronauts will one day visit.[4]

[edit] Science Breakthroughs

• In 2005, a Utah State University researcher discovered inorganic aromaticity, a property in chemistry that was initially thought to occur only in organic material. Researcher Alexander Boldyrev, along with his colleague Lai-Sheng Wang, a professor at Washington State University and a researcher at the Pacific Northwest Lab, made a breakthrough by discovering aromaticity in inorganic material such as metals. Today, Boldyrev and Wang have made another breakthrough and discovered antiaromaticity, a property that makes materials weak. The study, "All-Metal Antiaromatic Molecule," is featured in the April 24 issue of "Science" magazine. Boldyrev's new findings dealing with antiaromaticity will help chemists understand why certain materials are weaker than others and why they are very reactive to foreign substances. The research gives Boldyrev, an associate professor in the chemistry and biochemistry department, a conceptual breakthrough in understanding chemical bonding in metal clusters. [5]

• Dr. Robert Gillies, faculty member in the aquatic, watershed and earth resources department, and his co-author Nathaniel A. Brunsell are second-place recipients of the 2003 Leica Geosystems Award for Best Scientific Paper in Remote Sensing. Their paper is titled "Incorporating Surface Emissivity into a Thermal Atmospheric Correction." (Published in PE&RS; 68-12 pp.1263–1269)

• A team of Utah State University researchers and University of Idaho researchers have been the first in the world to successfully clone an equine. The baby mule, Idaho Gem, was born May 4, 2003. It is the first clone of a hybrid animal. A mule results from a cross between a female horse, a mare, and a male donkey, a jack. As hybrids, mules are sterile, except in extremely rare cases. As scientifically and commercially significant as their accomplishment is for the horse industry, the project provides a new animal model, the horse, to advance understanding of human cancer. Woods believes the breakthrough understanding of cellular biology necessary for horse cloning to proceed may offer new insights into cancer development in humans. [6]

• Research is being done at Utah State University that shows that plants may be performing computations in unison to solve problems with the plant. If successful, this will be the first research done that shows the reality of natural computation in living systems. The biological data collected is being translated to make a mathematical model to mimic the patterns and behavior of the patches on the leaf created by the opening and closing of the stomata. The research could have an impact not just on plants, but in the study of many other biological systems as well. Emergent computation, which is what the plant does when the stomata communicate with each other could be a new way in biology for studying how cells interact with one another in the absence of a neural network.

• Utah State University professor of chemistry and biochemistry Lance Seefeldt is currently conducting research on algae and plans to produce an algae-biodiesel that is cost-competitive by 2009. Algae, plainly referred to as pond scum, can produce up to 10,000 gallons of oil per acre and can be grown virtually anywhere. Seefeldt, along with several fellow USU professors, formed the Biofuels Program to develop new and emerging technologies that will produce methane, biodiesel, hydrogen and alcohols from renewable, carbon-dioxide-neutral energy sources, such as consumer and agricultural waste and sunlight. [7]

• Along with Stanford University, Unidad de Suelos y Riegos, and Northwest Watershed Research Center USDA-ARS, Utah State University is studying the application of electromagnetic induction sensors for mapping the subsurface in small watersheds. The development of an integrated approach to characterizing small watersheds is crucial to understanding the complex links and feedback mechanisms within them. High spatial resolution soil texture data is well correlated to soil hydraulic properties. We present preliminary work using electromagnetic induction (EMI) to map subsurface properties in small watersheds. In this work we used both the Geonics EM-38 and the Dualem EMI sensors which were integrated with a GPS receiver and handheld computer to obtain geo-referenced bulk electrical conductivity (ECa) measurements. In the vertical orientation the sensors respond to the ECa of the top meter of soil. The ECa depends on the solution EC, soil water content, clay / rock content and soil depth. Data obtained from EMI in the form of ECa maps, can provide supplementary information for assessing flow pathways and locating monitoring instrumentation without soil-specific calibration. With ECa calibration, soil texture maps can be generated. This work may be more suited to semi-arid climates where seasonal wet and dry periods can be exploited in data analysis. Current work is looking at methods of developing the best survey and calibration methodology to interpret the measured ECa response for hydrological application. [8]

[edit] NASA's Great Moonbuggy Race

Utah State University captured victory in the college division of NASA's 12th annual "Great Moonbuggy Race". They created a moonbuggy with a super-light weight aluminum design which helped them win in their second year of competition. Utah State topped 28 other college and university teams from 14 states, Germany and Puerto Rico with a winning time of 3 minutes and 59 seconds. Vehicles powered by two-team members—one male and one female—raced one at a time over a half-mile obstacle course of simulated moonscape terrain at Huntsville's U.S. Space & Rocket Center. In addition to the first place honor, the Utah State team earned a cash award and a trophy-replica of the original lunar roving vehicle.[9]

[edit] Atmospheric LIDAR Observatory

On clear nights one could see a mysterious green beam of light shooting from the Utah State University campus in Logan. The beam is called LIDAR, which stands for "LIght Detection and Ranging". It is like radar except it uses light and it comes from Utah State's own Atmospheric LIDAR Observatory. The observatory, part of the Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences, is in Utah State's Science and Engineering Research building. The LIDAR is also supported by the National Science Foundation. The LIDAR is used in Utah State's study and categorization of atmospheric dynamics. In order to get better data, the observatory is building a bigger telescope. The new lab will be on the third floor of the SER building. When the new system is finished, lenses will be used to send the green beam in other directions besides straight up. The new LIDAR system will be able to measure wind and temperature in the mesosphere.

[edit] GEGA Program

GEGA stands for the (ab initio) Gradient Embedded Genetic Algorithm, a program for finding the global minima of clusters. The Author is Anastassia Alexandrova (later moved to Yale University). GEGA employs geometry-cuts for the Genetic Algorithm procedure, ab initio level of computation for geometry optimization and vibrational frequency analysis (GEGA works with local minima only), and a specific mutational procedure based on the so called "kick technique".

[edit] OpenCourseWare

Utah State University is promoting the OpenCourseWare (OCW) Project (open and free university courses). Utah State is also developing an open content management system for OCW called eduCommons[10]. This open source content management system is one of the important technology projects in the MIT OpenCourseWare Initiative [11]. eduCommons aids in the creation of OCW sites and has already been adopted by several universities for this purpose[12].is a suprem loser

[edit] Environmentalism at Utah State

As a major university in the American West, Utah State University students and faculty are concerned with the environment both locally and globally. In reaction to massive oil spills by Exxon Valdez in particular, and the EPA's creation of the Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure plan (SPCC), USU has created an SPCC with a detailed map of locations, oil types, quantities and containment specifications. They have mapped all possible outfalls from oil storage locations that may impact the waters of the United States. They have developed a plan that utilized engineering controls and emergency spill response to stop all unplanned releases.

Among other things, Utah State University's Environmental Health & Safety Resource Center provides training or resources in dealing with biotoxins such as Anthrax, extensive battery recycling, hazardous waste, mercury thermometer replacement, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), and much more pertaining to radiation, waste, chemicals, biological, and maintenance. [13]

[edit] Humanitarian Efforts

[edit] Humanitarian Efforts in Africa

The Pastoral Risk Management Project (PARIMA), led by Utah State University and federally funded since 1997, is a consortium of university collaborators from the United States and Kenya, as well as an extensive network of partnerships with East African public and private entities. Coordinated by Layne Coppock, principal investigator and associate professor in the College of Natural Resources’ Department of Environment and Society, the team’s major focus is helping southern Ethiopia’s poor rural households, most of which depend on herding for sustenance, diversify their livelihoods. In addition, the project seeks to bolster residents’ economic security by linking them with livestock export markets.

PARIMA has developed a successful model to facilitate collective action by 60 women’s groups, which now boast more than 2,000 members in southern Ethiopia. The groups provide peer mentoring, instruction and support in helping members develop income-generating ventures to supplement their families’ traditional earning sources. Through the PARIMA groups, women are pooling resources and learning how to set up their own viable cottage businesses. Women participating in the groups have saved significant amounts of money, greatly improved how their households are run, are sending their sons and daughters to school and are creatively engaged in the marketplace.[14]

PARIMA was recently honored by the Oromia State Government, Ethiopia’s largest regional state, for “providing outstanding service to pastoral people.

[edit] Humanitarian Efforts in Thailand

In October 1997, Utah State University began the Skills Development Project in Thailand. A five-year contract was made between USU, the Consortium for International Development(CID) and the Department of Skill Development(DSD) and the Thai Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare. A loan from the Asian Development Bank was given to help fund the $10-million project. In the past, Thailand's economic strength was based on its agriculture but they have undergone a shift to industrial exports over the past 25 years. To stay competitive in the international market, Thailand needed to make some changes to bring it's workforce up to current international standards. Therefore, the CID/DSD project began with the objective to "produce skilled and semiskilled workers and to upgrade the skills of Thai workers as a means of promoting Thailand's competitiveness in the world market."^[3]

The project team from USU was led by engineering dean Bruce Bishop and sociologist Yun Kim. They were joined by 21 international consultants, 42 domestic Thai consultants, and more than 50 DSD staff. Their goals included modernizing the country's vocational training and tripling the number of students served by the DSD's 52 vocational and technical schools. Two groups were targeted: minimum wage earners whose opportunities for advancement are limited by their lack of technical training, and disadvantaged rural people such as farmers, women and uneducated youth. In 1999 the Thai government indicated that the schools targeted by this project were currently training more than 300,000 individuals per year, and that they projected that number to increase to more than a million by the conclusion of the project.^[3][4]

[edit] Athletics

USU's sports teams are known as the Aggies and are a part of the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

[edit] Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (August 2007)

• After World War I, Utah State's ROTC program became involved in training pilots for the military. An airstrip was constructed on the bench near campus to simulate landing on a carrier during World War II.^[5]
• Utah State manufactures a college ice cream known as Aggie Ice Cream, which is sold in 26 flavors. Also, the ice cream is sold internationally and was the first ice cream to be flown on a shuttle mission to space[15].

[edit] Media

Two primary print outlets serve the USU student body: (1) The Utah Statesman is sponsored by the university and is published three times per week. The Statesman won best non-daily student paper for region nine in the SPJ awards last year. (2) The Hard News Cafe news website is operated by USU's Department of Journalism and Communications and has won numerous awards for its student reporting, partially because it is often the only entrant in the categories in which it wins.

Utah Public Radio is heard on KUSU (91.5 FM) and KUSR (89.5 FM) in Logan, and throughout Utah on a system of 26 translators. UPR "broadcasts a mix of information, public affairs, and fine arts programming." KUSU is a National Public Radio member station, and an affiliate of Public Radio International.

Aggie Television (ATV) is a cable service lineup of approximately 110 channels offered free of charge to all on-campus residents. ATV produces Crossroads, a bulletin/announcement channel; and Aggie Advantage, providing local and student video programming.

The Utah State University Press also services the USU student body.^[6]

[edit] Speech and debate

Due to budget constraints, Utah State hasn't had a funded debate team since the late 80's. Utah State University participated in the final conference tournament held at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., the team debated against 25 other universities. The team won 38 trophies and Northwest Forensic Conference Championship. In debate, the team took first, second, third and fourth place. In informative speaking they scored first, second, third, fourth and fifth. In persuasive speaking, first, second, third, and sixth place were won. And in impromptu speaking and after dinner they scored first and second place in both events. Along with those awards they also received the Quality Team Award, presented to the team with the highest number of points per student entry.[16]

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] See also

• List of forestry universities and colleges

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• USU.edu - official university site
• Utah State Aggies.com - official athletics site
• The Shingo Prize - the prize is awarded annually by USU: Shingo Prize.

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Coordinates: 41°44′27″N 111°48′52″W / 41.740810°N 111.814511°W / 41.740810; -111.814511