News and Highlights

iUTAH undergraduate student researchers Phillip André Valle from Weber State University and Zack Oldroyd from Utah State University, along with sociology professor Courtney Flint and colleagues from USU, featured their work with the Utah Water Voices survey conducted in summer 2015 in a recently released paper. A summary analysis of the study has been published in the Journal of Rural Social Science.

Both Valle and Oldroyd were part of the iFellows program, a research experience for undergraduates focused on iUTAH water projects in the state. The paper and project highlighted public water perspectives in parks in two Utah cities using an interactive form on iPad tablets to guide paperless interviews, which were also audio recorded. More information and audio samples can be found at Utah Water Voices.

The abstract of the paper states that the “undergraduate research assistants played key roles in carrying out this intercept survey project, highlighting potential for future application of this method with students, community groups, or citizen scientists.”

In addition to this paper on “Public Intercept Interviews And Surveys For Gathering Place-Based Perceptions: Observations From Community Water Research In Utah,” the publication includes Carla Trentelman’s research on “The Case for Personal Interaction: Drop-Off/Pick-Up Methodology for Survey Research,” and “Effectiveness of the Drop-Off/Pick-Up Survey Methodology in Different Neighborhood Types,” by Doug Jackson-Smith, Courtney Flint, Carla Trentelman, Grant Holyoak and others.

Journal Reference: Journal of Rural Social Science

 

Left: Zack Olyroyd collecting interviews and audio recordings on the Logan River in Utah. Right: André Valle conducting public water surveys at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City, UT

Melissa Haeffner, a post-doctoral sociologist at Utah State University and iUTAH researcher, returned from an Antarctica science expedition in early January 2017. She was one of 76 women from 15 countries chosen to take part in the 'Homeward Bound' expedition - a new initiative aiming to boost the impact of female scientists.

The expedition’s purpose was to facilitate research collaboration and leadership development for women in science. Scientists came from a variety of backgrounds, including astronomers, engineers, physicists, and doctors. Haeffner’s goal was to study the human participants. She returned with interviews, pictures, and insight from her participation in the largest ever all-female expedition to Antarctica.

“As a social scientist who is more interested in the strange species of scientists than penguins, I relished the opportunity to study some of the top specimens in their fields" said Haeffner.

Since returning to Utah, she has been preparing reports and presenting her findings to students of all ages, scientists, and the community. Most recently, she presented to high school sophomores in Wisconsin via Skype, and to students and faculty at Utah State University.

When not traveling to far away places, Haeffner is part of iUTAH EPSCoR, a National Science Foundation funded interdisciplinary project where she uses a variety of social science methods to examine how people’s views shape what we know relating to water resources in Utah.

Press: KUSU Radio | The Herald Journal

NSF CAREER Award recipient Sarah Null, an assistant professor in the Department of Watershed Sciences and the USU Ecology Center. Credit: Mary-Ann Muffoletto/Utah State University

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has named Utah State University junior faculty member Sarah Null winner of an Early CAREER award. Sarah is one of four faculty members at USU to be chosen to receive the prestigious CAREER Award this year. Null’s award provides a five-year grant of $510,000.

An excerpt from a USU press release said “ ‘Most water resources models consider flow volume and timing, but I want to look further,’ says Null, who serves with the statewide iUTAH water project and USU’s newly formed Climate Adaptation Science graduate program. ‘My research aim is to explore water management effects on ecosystems and ways to improve aquatic ecosystem representation in water resources models.’

Using water resources systems analysis and physical geography, Null is developing mathematical models to explore processes and interactions of both built and natural water systems. Her research also includes field studies.

‘With undergraduates and graduate students, our team will collect data on multiple aquatic habitat parameters, including temperature, dissolved oxygen, gradients and stream flow on the Intermountain West’s Weber and Bear Rivers,’ she says. ‘We’ll develop mathematical models to estimate processes and interactions of human and environmental water resources objectives and test them with field data.’

Such analysis, she says, will enable her team to quantify water supply, hydropower and aquatic habitat trade-offs to support water resource decision-making. ‘Further, we can use models to predict climate change effects on hydrology, water quality and aquatic habitat,’ Null says. ‘Such information helps us identify promising adaptation and management strategies that are robust to change.’ “

Press: EurekAlert! | Utah State Today

Sarah Null, iUTAH researcher and USU faculty member, working on water management effects on ecosystems and ways to improve aquatic ecosystem. Credit: Mary-Ann Muffoletto/Utah State University

Undergraduate students from the University of Utah and Utah State University presented their research for Utah lawmakers in the rotunda of the state Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. Due to weather-related issues, USU did not make it down for the event, and will showcase their work at a later date. Two iUTAH students were selected to present research:

Hyrum Tennant, USU student & iUTAH trainee, (mentor Beth Neilson)
Project title: Groundwater Influences on the Logan River Watershed

Adam Whalen, UU student & 2016 iUTAH iFellow (mentor Sara Yeo)
Project title: A Comparative Analysis of Attitudes Toward Drinking Water Between Utah and the Nation

The iUTAH project involves students in a wide range of academic disciplines all related to water research in the state. While participating in research, students learn valuable skills on poster development and engaging in one-on-one and group presentations. As a double major in Communication and Political Science, Adam Whalen said he was especially “excited about how involvement with research can have real world implications in government, and by extension, society,” adding that “this presentation was a wonderful hybrid of my academic interests."

“Capitol Hill also proved to be a fantastic venue, it had an aura of importance and historicity that made me feel like I was a part of something greater for the state of Utah,” said Whalen. “It one of the best experiences in my undergraduate career. It sparked the same creative drive I had during my time as an iFellow, and reminded me of why I got started in research in the first place.”

More information on the event and participants is available in the articles listed below.

Press: UU News | Utah State Today | Deseret News | Daily Utah Chronicle

Our state faces water issues that have economic, ecological, and human consequences. To sustain Utah’s water resources, we must be prepared to address a highly complex array of environmental processes and social concerns. Since 2012, the researchers, educators, and resource managers in iUTAH have been working together to understand the water issues that have economic, ecological, and human consequences. Our research is contributing to predicting the effects of natural events and human choices on water systems, creating better understanding of threats and measurements of Utah’s water systems, and informing citizens and policy makers about water and the ways we can sustain it for future generations.

With the help of the iUTAH Leadership Team, we have recently put together a 16-page brochure on “Utah’s Water Future.” The brochure features the efforts and successes of the iUTAH project while outlining “how iUTAH is making a difference” in the state. Features in the piece include the concerns, consequences, and contributions that are being made through your research, training, and educational efforts. While printed copies of the brochure are available for distribution, a digital version is available online in the brochures sections of the website, here.

Creating the piece is just the first step in raising awareness of these efforts. We ask that you review this piece, use it in your presentations, and let us know new ways that it should be used to reach key stakeholders in the state. The knowledge we’re gaining and the tools we’re developing will help water professionals and other decision makers make informed choices and take appropriate action to secure Utah's water future.

More information…

iUTAH researcher McKenzie Skiles discusses funding threats for climate research with the Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Valley University and iUTAH researcher McKenzie Skiles was featured in the news. The Salt Lake Tribune recently reported on potential funding threats to NASA’s climate research.

An excerpt from the news story said that Skiles “is worried about her ability to find future funding under Trump's administration. Her current funding doesn't come through NASA, Skiles said, but prior to accepting a position at UVU, she worked as a postdoctoral scholar in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ‘NASA is a place I would look to in the future" for funding, she said. "And if that funding is no longer available, that limits the opportunities.’ Funding from NASA is especially important for young scholars.”

Skiles is a recent recipient of an iUTAH 2017 Research Catalyst Grant which will fund her research looking at the constraining physical controls on snow hydrology along the Wasatch Front. The grant brings together collaborators from each of Utah’s research institutions, including Janice Brahney, Utah State University, Greg Carling, Brigham Young University, and Jim Steenburgh, University of Utah.

Press: Salt Lake Tribune