Utah State University
AC-9: Research and Scholarship

Award Number Title Additional information, if needed Principal Investigators Department College
200629-00001 Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Assessment Sage grouse is a historically endangered species that received protection through conservation partnerships across the west. Populations have rebounded due to conservation efforts. Becky Lynn Williams Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
201160-00001 Economic and environmental sustainability of heifer development strategies in pasture-based organic dairy systems Other publications include: "Who are Organic Wheat Consumers?" and "Utah Farm-Chef-Fork: Building Sustainable Local Food Connections" Stephen Clay Isom Animal Dairy & Veterinary Sciences College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
201187-00001 Expanding Farming, System, and Marketing Opportunities for Refugee and Native American Farmers in the Mountain West Kynda Curtis Applied Economics College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
201483-00001 Sustainable management of petroleum-associated products: from petroleum refinery wastewater to bioplastics Charles D Miller Biological Engineering College of Engineering
130497-00001 Effects of Metals from Flue Gas on Microalgae Biofuels and Co-products: Sustainability and Scalability David W Britt Biological Engineering College of Engineering
201201-00001 Reuse/Recycling of Produced Water using Halophytic Algae from the Great Salt Lake Ronald C Sims Biological Engineering College of Engineering
150188-00001 Influence of Biotic and Abiotic Factors on non-Apis Pollinator Health, Sustainability, and Conservation in the United States Alan H. Savitzky Biology College of Science
201652-00001 Assessing success of weed biocontrol in Utah Edward W Evans Biology College of Science
200839-00001 K20 Crop Protection. Towards Commercialization """With the recent announcement that scientists have unlocked the wheat genome sequence, research being conducted by Utah State University (USU) Professor Jon Takemoto, Ph.D.—and funded in part by the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR)—holds promising new potential for addressing food production challenges across the globe.

In August, the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium—a collaboration of more than 200 scientists from 47 research institutions in 20 countries—released the research on the wheat genome sequence in the international journal Science.

Wheat is a food staple in more than a third of the human population globally. As a result, cracking the wheat code could mean more efficient production of bread wheat varieties that better withstand climate challenges, produce higher yields, have higher nutritional quality, and are more environmentally sustainable.""" Jon Y Takemoto Biology College of Science
201137-00001 Bandelier National Monument Native Bee Survey Joseph Scott Wilson Biology College of Science
201111-00001 Invasive Pest Outreach Lori Rena Spears Biology College of Science
200920-00001 Utah Tree Fruit IPM Practices Evaluation Since 2006, Marion has managed the Utah Extension Integrated Pest Management Program. Her primary mission is to deliver high quality and relevant outreach and research in sustainable plant pest management for growing fruits, vegetables, and landscape ornamentals. Marion S Murray Biology College of Science
201695-00001 Collaborative Research: Rivers and the Carbon Cycle: A Mechanistic Basis for Dissolved Organic Carbon Removal Dr. Michelle Baker holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Lafayette College and a Ph.D. in biology with a hydrogeology minor from the University of New Mexico. She is an ecosystem ecologist, whose research program focuses on processes that control nutrient transport and retention in streams and rivers, including the effects of land use on these processes. Michelle A Baker Biology College of Science
201627-00001 Developing innovative IPM tactics for billbug control in urban environments through early detection and non-chemical approaches Ricardo A Ramirez Biology College of Science
201262-00001 A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK AT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS RESPONSE OF SOUTHERN BEAUFORT SEA POLAR BEARS Dr. French studies the physiology of animals in their natural environment, from lizards to polar bears. Her main line of research focuses on reptiles in Utah, The Bahamas, and the Galapagos Islands, to better understand how animals respond to anthropogenic disturbances. By using a variety of methods in the laboratory and the field, she is working to understand how species respond and hopefully adapt to environmental changes. Susannah French Biology College of Science
201701-00001 Evaluation of metrics and analytical approaches for using macroinvertebrates data to draw inference about condition of stream reaches "As wildfires continue to rage across the American West and the resulting smoky haze obscures mountain views outside his office window, Utah State University scientist Will Pearse ponders preventive steps land managers could have taken, if they’d had a glimpse into the future.

“If we’d been able, years ago, to predict the spread of invasive species like cheatgrass, we might be dealing with a very different situation,” says Pearse, assistant professor in USU’s Department of Biology and the USU Ecology Center.

He views the National Science Foundation’s massive National Ecological Observatory Network, known as “NEON,” as an opportunity to provide better information for future generations." William David Pearse Biology College of Science
201202-00001 Solar Rechargeable Redox Flow Batteries for Direct Integration of Solar Energy Tianbiao Liu Chemistry & Biochemistry College of Science
201607-00001 Developing Competent and Low-Cost Hydrogen Fuel Cells Yi Rao Chemistry & Biochemistry College of Science
200777-00001 Electrocatalytic Valorization of Biomass Intermediates via 1st-Row Transition Metal Electrocatalysts The world’s current reliance on fossil fuel energy, which is finite and a major source of pollution, begs for new, greener energy solutions. Electrochemical water catalysis or “water splitting,” the chemical reaction by which water is separated into oxygen and hydrogen, is one means of tapping energy from such renewable energy sources as solar and wind. But development of efficient and cost-effective methods to achieve commercial-scale water splitting remains a holy grail of science, says Utah State University chemist Yujie Sun. Yujie Sun Chemistry & Biochemistry College of Science
201707-00001 Documenting Current and Projected Water Reuse for Irrigation in Utah Lee Niel Allen Civil & Environmental Engineering College of Engineering
200227-00001 "JER-2016: Assistance to the State Water Resources Research Institute Program for the 104(b) Program.

JER-2016:.3: A42294" For more than 10,000 years, humans have developed water systems to foster economic growth and cultural advancement. Throughout this time, the largest expenditures of public wealth–aside from those involved with warfare and national defense–have been for development and management of water resources. These critical activities rest on our ability as a society to measure the state of our water systems and to forecast how they will behave in the future. For the past 50 years, researchers at the Utah Water Research Laboratory have worked to advance our understanding of the behavior of water resources systems so that they can be efficiently and effectually managed. Dr. McKee will reflect on the 50-year history of the lab, in light of 10,000 years of water management history and the challenges that Utah faces in its water supply future. Mac McKee Civil & Environmental Engineering College of Engineering
201033-00001 WF-2315 Impacts of organosilicone spray adjuvants and pesticides on honey bee health. USDA-ARS William J Doucette Civil & Environmental Engineering College of Engineering
200908-00001 WestSmartEV: Western Smart Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Partnership Ziqi Song Civil & Environmental Engineering College of Engineering
201362-00001 Proactive Energy Management using Weather and Market Forecasts to Enhance Efficiency and Enable Renewables on the Grid Stephen W Clyde Computer Science College of Engineering
140343-00001 Secure and Resilient Vehicular Platooning Chris J Winstead Electrical & Computer Engineering College of Engineering
200998-00001 Automated Monitoring and Control of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Regan Zane Electrical & Computer Engineering College of Engineering
140389-00001 CSR:Small:DARP:Promoting Energy Efficient System Design Through a Dynamically Adaptable and Resilient Pipeline Design Sanghamitra Roy Electrical & Computer Engineering College of Engineering
200620-00001 Energy Management System for Battery Powered Mobility Devices Based on Wireless Power Transfer Concept to Promote Communi Zeljko Pantic Electrical & Computer Engineering College of Engineering
150124-00001 Global connetions and changing resource use systems in the Arctic Christopher A. Monz Environment & Society Quinney College of Natural Resources
201415-00001 Rethinking payments for ecosystem services: The effects of conditionality on environmental conservation and social disparities Claudia A Radel Environment & Society Quinney College of Natural Resources
201578-00001 Identifying and Meeting Salt Lake City's Landscape Water Conservation Potential Joanna Lynne Endter-Wada Environment & Society Quinney College of Natural Resources
200313-00001 Annual Information Exchange for U.S. State Park Systems From small streams and tributaries, whose flow-rates have been altered, to large forested landscapes, impacted by increasingly frequent outbreaks of invasive pests, climate change is affecting natural systems at multiple spatial scales. As a result, the human benefits provided by those natural systems are changing as well. These benefits include everything from the psychological and physiological benefits that can come from recreating outdoors, to the provisioning of clean air and water. Our research focuses on understanding how human behavior changes in response to landscapes impacted by climate change. All of our work is interdisciplinary, blending data and methods the fields of economics, sociology, and geospatial analytics. Recently, our work has focused on quantifying and modeling the linkages between hydroclimatic systems and contingent human behavior. Jordan William Smith Environment & Society Quinney College of Natural Resources
151066-00001 RMCESU: Preparing Natural Resource Condition Assessments (NRCAs) for Seven Intermountain Region Park Units Dr. Brunson, Professor in the Environment & Society Dept. His research and teaching focuses on the dynamics of coupled human-natural systems, especially in deserts and rangelands. He is interested in the causes and consequences of human behaviors in natural environments, and how those behaviors may be influenced by people's perceptions of the ecological conditions that result from human impacts.  His current research focuses on relationships between human activities and invasive species in the Great Basin and Hawaii, effects of recreation use and recreation management on Colorado Plateau ecosystems, and management decision processes after rangeland wildfires.  A member of the USU faculty since 1992, Dr. Brunson holds MS and PhD degrees from Oregon State University. Mark William Brunson Environment & Society Quinney College of Natural Resources
201223-00001 Advancing high-resolution multilevel regression and post-stratification models of American climate opinion Peter David Howe Environment & Society Quinney College of Natural Resources
201247-00001 Public Transportation System Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities Keith's research is at the intersection of landscape architecture and disability studies. This blending is based on understanding disability through a social constructivist perspective as the limiting of opportunities to take part in community life because of physical and social barriers. Keith's research emphasizes inclusive design and planning practices which support participation in community through the removal of environmental barriers to social access, rather than the regulatory aspects of site specific design. As such, his scholarly efforts stress macro-level environmental factors and spatial processes (i.e. suburbanization, transportation patterns, segregate planning strategies, recreation amenities, etc.) which contribute to social disparities among individuals with disabilities and other disadvantaged populations. Keith M Christensen Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
201565-00001 BUMBLE BEE FORAGING AND COLONY DYNAMICS IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES "Bees provide important pollination services that contribute to nearly one third of our food supply. Honey bees in particular provide the majority of pollination to crops; however, due to their declines, it is imperative to understand native bee ecology to provide them with suitable habitat and reduce potential pollination deficits caused by fewer honey bees. Furthermore, many agroecosystems become a food desert for bees after crop bloom. Bumble bees are important native pollinators in a variety of pollination dependent crops due to their abundance and ability to buzz pollinate. The commercial availability of bumble bees (Bombus impatiens and Bombus huntii) in the United States offers an alternative to honey bees in many crop systems. Unfortunately, their foraging ecology is poorly understood, especially in regards to foraging range and nesting density. Illuminating basic questions such as foraging range can shed light on unknown factors plaguing native bee populations such as realistic forage availability and rate of pathogen spread, which can help us better inform conservation practices in agroecosystems." Brynja R Kohler Mathematics & Statistics College of Science
201435-00001 Test of UV Degradation of Solar Arrays and Cover Glass John Robert Dennison Physics College of Science
140087-00001 Quantifying plant-soil feedback effects in classic diversity-productivity experiments Life on earth is dominated by the poorly understood organisms that live in the plant-soil continuum. I examine the mechanisms through which large scale human activities affect plant-soil interactions. Within this context I explore two different themes: plant-soil feedbacks and plant water use. In both lines of research it is my expectation that results will improve natural resource management. For example, I have examined the potential for calcium addition, soil compaction, and activated carbon addition to ameliorate the effects of anthropogenic nitrogen deposition, soil disturbance, and exotic plant growth, respectively. My research, therefore, is expected to have applications in range management, agriculture and silviculture (read more). Andrew Kulmatiski Plants Soils & Climate College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
100196-00001 DIGITAL SOIL MAPPING AND VALUE-ADDED SOIL SURVEY INFORMATION FOR UTAH PUBLIC LANDS Existing soil surveys did not meet National Park Service (NPS) needs:•NPS paid for update•NPS concerned with:Biological soil crustImproved ecological site conceptsImproved ecological site-soil correlations Janis L Boettinger Plants Soils & Climate College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
200257-00001 Linking nitrification to microbial community in agroecosystems under changing climate Jeanette M Norton Plants Soils & Climate College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
201663-00001 Utilizing Tannin-Containing Forages and Holos Software for Sustainable Beef Production in the Intermountain West. Jennifer Rose Reeve Plants Soils & Climate College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
130799-00001 Central Utah Water Conservancy District 2013 Water Check Program "Urban agriculture and small farm water use: Case studies and trends from Cache Valley, Utah
Mar 2019

Tyler Pratt
L. Niel Allen
David E. Rosenberg[...]
Kelly Kopp

The landscape of water in Utah is changing due to population growth, conversion of agricultural land to urban development, and increasing awareness of water scarcity. At the same time, Utah is experiencing a growing number of urban and small farms, but knowledge of water use in this sector is limited. Better understanding of what occurs at the fiel...
" Kelly L Kopp Plants Soils & Climate College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
201283-00001 Implementing Water Conservation Strategies in Eagle Mountain City Larry A Rupp Plants Soils & Climate College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
200905-00001 Useful Prediction of Climate Extreme Risk for Texas-Oklahoma at 4-6 Years ShihYu Wang Plants Soils & Climate College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
201530-00001 An integrated weed management approach for controlling kochia in wheat using physical and cultural tactics Stephen Young Plants Soils & Climate College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
201538-00001 A quantitative assessment of historic impacts to redwood forest health by the construction of Freeway 101 through Humboldt Redwoods State Park Steven L Voelker Plants Soils & Climate College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
201447-00001 Cover Crop Effects on Leachate in Tiled Field Drains, Box Elder County, Utah "Rhonda Miller learned the importance of sustainable agriculture on the farm where she grew up, long before she made agriculture the focus of her research and career. Miller now brings her experience and training to her new post as coordinator of Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, based at Utah State University." Rhonda L Miller School of Applied Science Technology & Education College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences
201409-00001 Support of Greenpower Electric Car Challenge James T Dorward School of Teacher Education & Leadership Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services
201464-00001 Creation of Predictive Model using GIS for Grazing Allotments and Archaeological Field School in Dinosaur National Monument My current research uses dendrochronology to examine the adoption of maize horticulture at the northern margins of the Fremont archaeological culture area in northeastern Utah’s Uinta Basin from approximately AD 500-1500. Dendrochronology provides a multi-decadal climate reconstruction that allows us to consider the conditions under which native people began cultivating maize in marginal environmental conditions, ultimately allowing mobile foragers to settle into semi-permanent villages with more complex social organization. This coupled environmental-archaeological research provides insight into the shift from foraging to farming economies that is important in a global archaeological context. Judson B. Finley Sociology Social Work & Anthropology College of Humanities & Social Sciences
201089-00001 WORKING WITH NON-OPERATING LANDOWNERS & THEIR LESSEES TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY IN THE GREAT LAKES Peggy Petrzelka Sociology Social Work & Anthropology College of Humanities & Social Sciences
201615-00001 Non Point Source Grant: Stream Restoration and Monitoring on Swaner Preserve Danielle Brant Wirth Larson Swaner EcoCenter Extension
201367-00001 Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Safety and Service Training and Certification Travis Todd Richardson USU-Eastern Division of Professional/Technical Education USU-Eastern Vice Chancellor-Academics & Student Services
140855-00001 WS-2238: Development of Manuals of Best Practice for On-Site Wastewater Treatment Judith Larabee Sims Utah Water Research Laboratory College of Engineering
200752-00001 Long-term methane emissions rate quantification Huy NQ Tran Vernal Air Quality Regional Campuses
201424-00001 2017-18 Uintah Basin Winter Ozone and Air Quality Study Seth Lyman Vernal Air Quality Regional Campuses
200930-00001 Understanding atmospheric transport of phosphorus to high mountain lake systems "The availability and quality of water is arguably one of the most important issues facing our ever- expanding human population. Beyond our own needs, sustainable water resources are essential to the proper functioning of nearly every ecosystem on the planet. In Kluane Lake, we examined the historical role of glaciers and changing catchment drainage patterns on Kluane Lake level, turnover, and potential ecosystem effects. In the Columbia Basin Headwaters, we are evaluating the role of climate on various ecosystem services such as, water supply, habitat, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity.
" Janice Brahney Watershed Sciences Quinney College of Natural Resources
201335-00001 Improved Modeling of the Coupled Dynamics of Terrestrial Water, Ecosystem, and Climate for the Contiguous U.S. using NU_WRF/Noah-MP Jiming Jin Watershed Sciences Quinney College of Natural Resources
150498-00001 Motivations for and effects of intensive water management on Great Salt Lake wetlands, Phase III Karin Marie Kettenring Watershed Sciences Quinney College of Natural Resources
201175-00001 Utah Nonpoint Source Program Monitoring Equipment FY2018 Yang,Bo, N. Mesner, M Drew, D. Durfee. 2018. Integrated teaching and practice: Green infrastructure planning and green roof performance in a semi-arid campus environment, USA. Landscape Architecture Frontiers 6: 44 -59. Nancy O Mesner Watershed Sciences Quinney College of Natural Resources
140597-00001 Coupled human-biophysical framework to predict conservation effectiveness Patrick Belmont Watershed Sciences Quinney College of Natural Resources
200883-00001 Arctic LTER: Climate Change and Changing Disturbance Regimes in Arctic Landscapes Phaedra Budy Watershed Sciences Quinney College of Natural Resources
200888-00001 Wonders of the Mekong: A foundation for sustainable development and resilience. Sarah Elizabeth Null Watershed Sciences Quinney College of Natural Resources
151003-00001 Study of Food Base Attributeds in the Tailwaters of Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River, Utah The Director of the BLM National Aquatic Monitoring Center (a.k.a. The BugLab) at Utah State University. Before joining the BugLab, Dr. Miller worked as a post-doctoral fellow for the Intermountain Center for River Rehabilitation and Restoration (ICRRR). He received his Ph.D. in aquatic ecology from Oregon State University in 2007. As a community ecologist, his research seeks to understand who lives with whom and why and how natural and anthropogenic disturbances alter species' distributions. The main focus of such studies is aquatic and terrestrial insects, freshwater fishes and riparian vegetation. His current research focuses on understanding responses of stream systems to low flow disturbances, grazing impacts to riparian and aquatic ecosystems, and developing quantitative assessments of restoration effectiveness. Scott William Miller Watershed Sciences Quinney College of Natural Resources
201205-00001 Impacts of Eutrophication on Benthic Invertebrate & Fish Prey of Birds in Farmington and Bear River Bays of Great Salt Lake. Wayne A Wurtsbaugh Watershed Sciences Quinney College of Natural Resources
201692-00001 Understanding the Fate of Wolves, Caribou, and Muskox in Canada's Warming High Arctic Daniel Robert Macnulty Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
201097-00001 Developing decision-support tools that assess and map the effects of anthropogenic sensory stimuli on wildlife habitat and diversity David C. Stoner Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
200610-00001 Cooperative Research Agreement concerning ecology and management of wild carnivores Eric M. Gese Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
200896-00001 RESTORING WATER, TROUT, SAGE GROUSE AND RIPARIAN AREAS ON WORKING LANDS USING BEAVER IN BOX ELDER COUNTY - A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TANNER FAMILY STAGE 2 Eric T Thacker Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
150870-00001 A regional experiment to evaluate effects of fire and fire surrogate treatments in the intermountain west. Eugene W Schupp Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
200160-00001 Legume-Finished Beef: Maintaining Current Production with Greater Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability Juan J Villalba Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
200560-00001 Managing Understories for Climate Change Julia Burton Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
200625-00001 Understanding variability in tree resistance to bark beetle attacks Karen E Mock Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
200053-00001 Interactive effects of soils and browsing on sagebrush: implications for restoration success Kari Veblen Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
201610-00001 Assessing harvest management influences on chronic wasting disease trends in the West My research and professional interests lie at the interface of empirical data and methods and the use of quantitative ecology and population modeling. I am particularly interested in using quantitative tools to evaluate effects of management or conservation actions in the face of temporal and/or spatial environmental variation. Mary M Conner Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
201736-00001 Utah Rare Plant Prioritization Mindy Wheeler works on identification, prioritization, and conservation of rare plant species. This includes inventorying sensitive species Melinda A Wheeler Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
200523-00001 Facilitating sustainable aspen in the Western United States through Science-Management Partnerships Paul C Rogers Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
201662-00001 RANCHING, RANGELANDS, AND RESILIENCE: ensuring adaptive capacity in an increasingly variable climate Peter B Adler Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
201225-00001 Develop Estimates on Carbon Stored in Harvested Wood Products Robert Douglas Ramsey Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
201381-00001 NWTF Research Grant support of "The Effect of Riparian Restoration on Utah Wild Turkey Habitat Use and Recruitment Shandra Nicole Frey Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
200559-00001 Completion of BLM 3rd and 4th Order HAF for Utah Sage-grouse Management Areas, BLM Priority and General Habitat Areas Terry A Messmer Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources
130373-00001 Habitat Modeling of Rare Plants Species on the Colorado Plateau Thomas C Edwards Wildland Resources Quinney College of Natural Resources

We requested a list of all research funded in the 2017-2018 financial year from sponsored programs. The list was reviewed to remove grants that did not fund research. Then, sustainability-related research was identified by looking through grant titles and verifying the relationship through faculty publications or webpages. If titles of grants are insufficient, we provided additional information in the spreadsheet.