Utah State University Office of Research

Congratulations to the Empowering Financial Wellness (EFW) program, a collaboration between Utah State University Extension and the Department of Workforce Services, for receiving first-place recognition from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences! This prestigious award highlights EFW’s outstanding impact on financial literacy and its role in empowering Utah residents to make informed financial decisions.? Since its creation in 2020, EFW has reached over 21,000 residents across Utah, offering essential resources on budgeting, debt management, homeownership, and more. Through partnerships with community organizations, the program has helped participants increase savings, reduce debt, and improve financial resilience.? Kudos to USU Extension professors Amanda Christensen, AFC, Andrea Schmutz, and Melanie D. Jewkes for their leadership and commitment to strengthening communities through financial education.? Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/gb2223aS

Biological soil crusts (biocrust) are vital to the red-rock landscapes of southern Utah, but they face growing threats from climate change. USU researcher Brooke Osborne and her team are studying how biocrust communities adapt to shifting temperatures and precipitation, with a 20-year experiment near Moab.? ? These tiny ecosystems play a big role in preventing erosion, supporting plant fertility, and stabilizing drylands—which cover nearly half of Earth’s surface.? Learn how USU is tackling pressing environmental challenges: [usu.edu] To see the full story, visit: https://lnkd.in/gjYK2Us9

How do we make good decisions when the future is unclear? At the Nov. 14 Research Landscapes event, USU researchers Brennan Bean and Wei Zhang shared their innovative approach to integrating climate and data science. Their work informs the first U.S. initiative to incorporate climate change into building design standards—ensuring structures can withstand future challenges.? Learn more about Research Landscapes and upcoming events: [researchlandscapes.usu.edu]. https://lnkd.in/gkPeG9nY #USUResearch #USU #Researchlandscapes #datascience #Goaggies

Join us! Thursday, October 24 for our upcoming Blue Plate Research Presenter Series event featuring Mateja Savoie Roskos, Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Service, and Director of the Masters of Public Health Program. Dr. Savoie Roskos?researches a wide variety of topics in public health/community nutrition including: farmers' market incentives, SNAP-Ed nutrition education, gardening interventions, motivational interviewing, and food insecurity. To RSVP for this event, please follow the link below. Gourmandise Catering will provide a personal lunch for everyone who RSVPs. https://lnkd.in/gRcptnEJ

Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services Endowed Dean Al Smith recently announced the inaugural Dean’s Scholars: Stephanie Borrie (left) and Colby Tofel-Grehl (right). This honor recognizes mid-career scholars with outstanding research and growth potential. Tofel-Grehl’s research advances rural education, while Borrie’s work focuses on improving communication for people with speech disorders. Each will receive $45,000 over three years to support their innovative scholarship and enhance their impact on their fields and communities. To continue reading about the Dean's Scholars recipients, follow this link! ? https://lnkd.in/ejW-Xe3F

Sagebrush ecosystems and sage grouse populations are under threat from wildfires, pinyon-juniper encroachment, and land development. To better understand these changes, Utah State University researchers Dave Dahlgren and Eric Thacker are using bird dogs to track and monitor sage grouse populations. The grouse serve as indicators of the overall health of the ecosystem. Through the Home Range Lab, they aim to provide crucial data to land managers and policymakers, helping inform decisions that impact these vital landscapes. To learn more, continue reading via the link below! https://lnkd.in/eJp3qUm5

Utah State University Extension has been awarded a $350,000 three-year grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to address the opioid crisis in northeast Utah. The TriCounty Overdose Prevention Program (TOPP) will provide overdose prevention, harm reduction education, and outreach in Duchesne, Uintah, and Daggett counties. The program, led by Aaron Hunt, USU Extension health and wellness specialist, will focus on high-risk occupations and underserved populations, such as Hispanics and Native Americans. Training will include the use of Narcan and recognizing the signs of overdose to reduce opioid-related deaths. To learn more about the grant, follow the link below! https://lnkd.in/eGgW4DCj

Drone delivery is becoming an active part of transportation systems, but they can only go so far before running out of power. What happens when you need vaccines or snake anti-venom on-site, and you need them fast? A NIST-funded project brought together North Carolina State University, Utah Water Research Laboratory at Utah State University, and Navajo Technical University to develop cutting-edge drone technology for pandemic preparedness. The project focuses on autonomous drones capable of delivering medical supplies across long distances, equipped with wireless charging and thermal regulation systems. #drones #vertiport #dronedelivery

It's here and it's a beauty! The one-of-a-kind Kenworth Truck Co. Falcon 1 has just arrived at the ASPIRE Research Center and is getting ready to make its debut at the exclusive Technology Showcase on Monday, Sept. 23rd, marking the start of ASPIRE's 4th Annual Meeting. 300 guests will take part in ASPIRE's event of the year comprising contributing faculty, students, and staff members from across our 10-university partners consortium, representatives of ASPIRE's 60+ Industry & Innovation Board members, and a distinguished delegation from the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Engineering Research Center (ERC) program. Alongside the Falcon 1 there will be numerous other technology demonstrations for innovations paving the future of #electrifiedtransportation. And it's all happening right here at the newly expanded Electric Vechicle & Roadway (EVR) testing center on the Utah State University Innovation Campus where ASPIRE is headquartered. #ASPIREerc #electrifiedroadways #ets #electrifiedtransportationsystems

Dams are hard on rivers. They change the flow and shape of riverbeds and the chemistry of the water. They also block fish from upstream habitat and limit floods critical for building downstream wetlands. But mandated releases from dams, intended to replicate aspects of natural flows, often don’t benefit coldwater-loving fish when summer temperatures warm the surface of the water. New research in the journal Nature from a team led by Sarah Null from the QCNR says that ecosystems could benefit from holding ecosystem-allotted water in dams for when the environment needs it most. https://lnkd.in/g7Md8tXx