News

The endowment marks a milestone for the university as it brings together the former College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences and the S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, two of the institution’s most impactful and historic academic un...

Doctoral scholar Alex DiMonte, with faculty mentors Alexis Ault and Srisharan Shreedharan, and Brown University colleague Greg Hirth, publishes new findings about California's iconic Earth crust fracture in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Interim Dean Grant Cardon introduces the administrative team for the new Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The belief that we can’t survive in today’s economy without credit makes it easy to confuse access with entitlement. The truth is, credit isn’t essential—it’s a financial shortcut.

Two Utah State University Eastern welding students earned top honors at the annual SkillsUSA Utah state competition, demonstrating both technical mastery and creative innovation. Benjamin Cornaby took first place in the welding fabrication category, while...

Math class and SAT prep can be a drag, but not every class needs to be deskbound. At a high school in Clinton, Missouri, students break up their day with hands-on projects in Hannah Lloyd’s woodshop and engineering classes, where creativity, curiosity and...

As the largest program at USU Eastern, the electrical apprenticeship program follows a unique structure: students work as apprentices by day and attend classes two nights a week. Over four years, they gain the knowledge and experience needed to earn their...

Four USU graduate students from Plants, Soils and Climate were selected for the Bayer B4U mentorship program, joining an elite global initiative to foster future scientists.

In a warming world, it's not just heatwaves or cold spells we need to worry about, it's the sudden swings between the two. A new study finds that "rapid temperature flips," where temperatures shift abruptly from extreme heat to extreme cold or vice versa,...

Arctic ecosystems are changing fast — but not in predictable ways. A massive new study published in Nature shows that while warming is certainly reshaping vegetation across the polar North, its impacts vary widely.

Utah State University has announced that Grant Cardon, professor in the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate, has been named as the interim dean of the newly merged College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences and Quinney College of Natural Resources.

Two teams that brought together the skills of Utah State University Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning (LAEP) and Jon M. Huntsman School of Business (USU Huntsman) students showcased their talent and ingenuity in the 2025 Utah Real Estate C...

The Student Nutrition Access Center at Utah State University’s Logan campus recently received a donation of 1,000 pounds of ground beef from the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation, the charitable arm of the Utah Farm Bureau, in partnership with the Utah De...

When Jeremy Case decided to leave his home in Twin Falls, Idaho, for Utah State University, his plan was to major in molecular biology. Now he’s graduating as the College of Agriculture Applied Sciences’ Class of 2025 valedictorian with a bachelor’s degre...

Izzy Wappett, QCNR's valedictorian, offered these words at the 2025 commencement: Yes. A brief word we barely notice in conversation. Yet, in the right moments, it becomes the dividing line between who we are and who we might become.

As a senior at Utah State University studying agricultural communications, Kaitlyn Lunt hopes to pursue a career in marketing or public relations in the agricultural industry after graduating in the spring.

Wildfire patterns in the West are changing, but according to new research, the trend in the Great Basin hasn’t necessarily been a simple increase. Exploring differences between current wildfire patterns and those from the past can help researchers pinpoi...

In the GSA journal Geology, Srisharan Shreedharan, Alexis Ault and Jordan Jensen combine varied disciplinary perspectives to explain why properties of fault rocks and geologic events that occurred more than a billion years ago portend worrisome seismic ac...

Mechanical engineering student Ryan Lewis and geosciences student Michelle Norman were both selected for the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program, one of the nation’s most distinguished research fellowships.

Chloe Seeborg was merging college programs before merging was even a thing at USU. Seeborg, who is set to graduate this spring, chose a rather unusual program of study when she launched four years ago as a Quinney Scholar at USU. She decided to blend ski...

The program prepares teachers to incorporate key elements of agricultural literacy into core subjects including science, social studies, economics and history in grades K-12. It also helps teachers understand emerging trends in precision and sustainable a...

The National Collegiate Landscape Competition brought together 54 universities and over 700 student competitors from across the nation, providing valuable hands-on experience, networking opportunities with future colleagues, and direct connections to indu...

Addison Stoddard thrives on connection and curiosity—traits that have shaped both her academic path and career aspirations. A double major in agricultural communications and journalism, she’s set to graduate this spring with plans to stay in Utah and purs...

USU’s annual Student Teaching Greenhouse Sale kicks off on Monday, April 14! Doors open at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and the sale will run through graduation. After that, the hours will shift, so stop by early for the best selecti...

For Tony Villalobos, the best single day of work from his latest field season began with down-and-dirty plant ID, and ended with a collective cold plunge. And none of it necessarily felt like work, he said, which is one way this graduating senior from Qui...

“We’ve had companies from Utah and elsewhere that come to recruit and identify future talent,” Anderson said. “Companies fly in specifically to look at certain projects, and we’ve had a number of students get jobs from those contacts.”

Katie Kraus is a long-time proponent of undergraduate research. As an undergraduate student at USU she was an undergraduate research fellow, and was awarded the CAAS Undergraduate Researcher of the Year in 2006. Through her own experience, she learned fir...

To beat an enemy you have to know it — but cheatgrass makes that tough. “Cheatgrass is a formidable enemy because it is remarkably adaptable,” said Peter Adler, ecologist from the Quinney College of Natural Resources and director of the USU Ecology Cente...

You can’t escape it, dust is everywhere. It covers Utah communities with a fine layer of grit. It gets whipped in the wind to snow-covered peaks where it absorbs heat and melts the snowpack. It settles onto rivers and reservoirs and peppers farm fields. I...

It may seem that a forecast that accurately predicts whether precipitation will fall as rain or snow isn’t very important unless your plans include skiing, snowboarding or driving through a canyon. In reality, when scientists develop forecasts or provide ...

LOGAN, Utah - Four years ago, the fates were well aligned for Izzy Wappett to choose a major in the Quinney College of Natural Resources (QCNR). She’d been warming up for outdoor adventure by climbing the cliffs of Logan Canyon and running rivers like the...

David Anderson, a faculty member in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, was recently honored with the 2025 CAAS Faculty University Service Award for his many contributions to Utah State University. Anderson chairs USU’s Co...

Assistant Professor Lacee Boschetto leads the Family and Consumer Sciences Education program with a philosophy that reflects her passion for teaching: "Make it Known. Make it Real. Make it Matter."

Assistant Professor Daniella Hirschfeld, in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, was recently recognized as the 2025 CAAS Early Career Researcher of the Year for her contributions to urban ecology and environmental planning...

Professional Practice Assistant Professor Alyssa Reidhead creates opportunities for students to take action and learn in the process. Her outstanding work providing students with meaningful and memorable learning opportunities in the Department of Nutriti...

Assistant Professor Feuz makes complex economic concepts accessible and engaging through case studies, hands-on experiences, and interactive discussions. His focus on teaching about the real-world applications and impacts of economics prepares his student...

Associate Professor Matt Yost, in the Department of Plants, Soils, and Climate and who serves at interim associate dean for research in the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, has been named the 2025 CAAS Researcher of the Year for his exceptiona...

Katie Kraus was once a student researcher in the dietetics bachelor’s program at Utah State University. She pursued her studies with zeal even then and was named Undergraduate Researcher of the Year in 2006. It turned out that her work then was merely the...

Research professor John Morrey in the Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, and former director of USU’s Institute for Antiviral Research, has been named the 2025 College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Distinguished Professor of the Y...

Associate Professor Kara Thornton-Kurth has played a pivotal role in graduate student success during her nearly 10 years at USU. The outstanding animal scientist was recently named the 2025 CAAS Graduate Research Mentor of the Year.

Not everyone gets popular when it looks like society might be collapsing, but Joseph Tainter does. His phone rings, emails pour into his inbox, and people from around the world track down this Utah State University expert to ask the same question: Is this...

It takes an armada of sentries to keep contaminants out of your drinking water. When storms stir up sediments and push them downstream, water managers have to be ready to shut off one source of water and pivot to others. This creates major inefficiencies ...

Dustin’s curiosity, passion for sports and dedication to learning have propelled her outstanding work in classes and as a student research assistant, both of which gained her recognition as the 2024-2025 College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Scholar...

Thanks to a grant from Islamic Relief USA, Utah State University’s Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC) offers boxes of shelf-stable halal foods to Muslim students looking to both practice their faith and maintain the sort of healthy diet needed to perf...

An internship in the Dixie National Forest helped this landscape architecture family play a role in documenting and preserving beautiful Utah landscapes. By retracing her parents’ footsteps and continuing the project they began as USU students, Callie saw...

In the journal Geology, Presidential Doctoral Research Fellow Jordan Jensen and Department of Geosciences faculty mentor Alexis Ault describe a new forensic tool to help geoscientists understand the creation of unconformities by tracking natural "rusting"...

“Dr. Gannaway Dalton is an absolute rock star,” said Doug Miller, chief campus administrator at USU Eastern. “While this recognition is specific to her skill as an educator, her expertise in our region is valued beyond the classroom. We are incredibly for...

USU graduate Natalie Tanski & others looked at two reaches of the Colorado River to determine how and why incision varied during the Pleistocene

VERNAL, Utah — Utah State University Uintah Basin associate professor Mark Chynoweth has been named the honoree for Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year in the Quinney College of Natural Resources. Chynoweth, who teaches courses in wildlife ecology

Students from Utah State University’s Quinney College of Natural Resources were given an inside look at how natural resources and environmental policy is created during a field trip to the Utah State Capitol last month. Hosted by the Janet Quinney Lawson ...

USU ecologists Sara Weinstein, Department of Biology, and Eric LaMalfa, Department of Wildland Resources, lead multi-disciplinary, experiential learning trips to countries of eastern Africa to study human-wildlife interactions.

Apples are a “temperate” crop, meaning that they are adapted to temperate zones. In North America, the ideal areas are those that have the right blend of temperatures (not too hot in the summer, not too cold in the winter, and a long enough growing season...

The Spiral Jetty is one of the most written about, least known historic works of art in the United States. Built by Robert Smithson in 1970, Spiral Jetty is generally regarded as the most famous example of land art. The Utah landmark was only recently lis...

Despite the name, it’s actually rust-and-cream colored water that flows between the banks of the Green River in southeastern Utah. As a flotilla of canoes meanders down the narrow sandstone stretches and around the gooseneck bends of Labyrinth Canyon, eve...

The Quinney College of Natural Resources (QCNR) has named Larissa Yocom executive director of the new Utah Forest Restoration Institute (UFRI), a recently established institute focused on improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk across the state...

As we see the devastation in the Los Angeles Basin, many wonder if Utah could experience a similar wildfire event. My experiences as a wildland firefighter and work with Utah State University Extension could provide a few insights.

Outdoor Product Design and Development student Brenna Utley is among the first students who transferred credits and experience from the Salt Lake Community College Fashion Institute and is well on the way to a career in the growing outdoor products indust...

More akin to the sludge you find in the bottom of a wet-dry vac than a college research project, fish puke isn’t high on the list of study topics for most students. But that grey muck — similar in consistency to grits — was just the ticket for Manny May. ...

The management of wild horses is a topic that arouses keen interest, triggers passionate debate and fuels considerable misinformation. For managers trying to protect the welfare of horses, share space on public lands, conserve a landscape and manage their...

While pursuing a college degree in her native country, India, Amita Kaundal didn’t have a chance to participate in research as an undergraduate student. But after coming to the United States and spending two years as a postdoctoral research fellow at the ...

The group came together with two main objectives: to experience firsthand the complex ecological and social dilemmas facing the Colorado River watershed at an especially pivotal point in history, and to launch a research project to monitor ubiquitous and ...

Ty Wilson’s undergraduate research prepared him to be well ahead of his peers during an internship he attended at Michigan State. The 24-year-old Rupert, Idaho native has spent the past two years working in Dr. Amita Kaundal’s lab researching plant-microb...

The battle against weeds in your yard can be a frustrating one, especially if you feel like you’re losing. Often, if your lawn is all or mostly weeds, there’s an underlying problem that’s allowing nuisance plants to take over your turfgrass. You need to g...

Science and journalism might be considered sibling fields — each is the pursuit of knowledge through discovery with an emphasis on objectivity, the collection of evidence, and the reporting of verifiable conclusions. Yet scientists do not often engage in ...

In December, Dr. Man-Keun Kim (Applied Economics) visited National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) under the iPACE program, advancing Utah State University’s global academic collaborations.

Utah State University soil scientists are uncovering how fire severity affects soil erodibility and the likelihood of flooding, using drone mapping and ground analysis on burn scars like those in Spanish Fork Canyon near Price. Their findings reveal how p...

At the time of year when people haul their favorite tree indoors to adorn with lights and garlands, a certain Colorado blue spruce is keeping a low profile — at least as low as its 457 years of growth will allow. A team from the Quinney College of Natural...

Eddington’s journey took him through USU’s animal science program, but his ultimate goal, becoming a veterinarian, proved challenging. “My senior year of undergrad, I was applying to vet schools, and I just wasn’t getting any acceptance,” he said. Seeking...

When Parker Rollins began his journey to becoming a pilot, he didn’t initially plan on staying in Price, Utah. However, what began as a temporary move to expedite his flight training turned into a transformative experience. Now an alumnus of Utah State Un...

Growing up on an Idaho dairy farm, Tyson Sorensen learned early on about the hard work and satisfaction of a life in agriculture. But it wasn’t until he began working with students as a high school teacher that he discovered his true calling: sharing his ...

Bailey Guinn, a master’s student in landscape architecture at Utah State University, has been awarded the prestigious JSR Foundation Scholarship and BLT Built Design Award for her "Waking Water" project. Her design aims to heal the Warm Springs and North ...

Beginning Fall 2025, incoming first-year first-bachelors students or transfer students in natural resources majors can automatically qualify to receive a $500 scholarship from the Quinney College of Natural Resources. Any new student with a major in QCNR ...

Ag Communications Student, Kyndie Jorgensen, Interns with Land O’Lakes One of Kyndie Jorgensen’s long-term goals is to work with individual farmers and ranchers, handling their public relations, marketing, and communications. Her experiences as an intern ...

Utah State University is launching a food drive to support the Student Nutrition Access Center, or SNAC, on the Logan campus. The drive will run through Dec. 20. SNAC provides food assistance to USU students, faculty and staff experiencing food insecurity...

Professor Michael Pate is making a real difference in the world of agricultural safety, especially for young people. His research has been instrumental in creating safety protocols that help protect youth from the unique hazards found in agricultural work...

Utah State University geochemist Dennis Newell’s academic and professional path has never followed a straight line. But it’s a path that’s taken him across continents and into the world’s great mountain ranges: The Himalayas, the Andes and the Alaska Rang...

Join Utah State University’s Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences for the 2024 Reindeer Express on Friday, Dec. 6, in Wellsville. The event takes place at the USU Equestrian Center on the Animal Science Farm (South Farm), located at 3580 S...

If you’ve spent any time hiking or biking in the red-rock landscapes of southern Utah, you probably already know not to ‘Bust the Crust.’ Biological soil crusts (biocrust) may not look like it, but they are alive. They are also exceptionally vulnerable an...

Ecologists in Utah are trying to figure out how to get native plants growing there quickly, to prevent phragmites from taking hold once again. "It's a pretty new endeavor in many wetland systems and the methods are not tried and true," says Karin Kettenri...

Geological Society of America Fellow Carol Dehler is part of an NSF-funded, multi-institution team using advanced technology and time-tested knowledge to offer innovative, updated perspectives of an iconic sedimentary record.

Becki Lawver, Micheal Pate, and collaborators from, Montana State University and Iowa State University have been exploring what makes multi-year professional development programs in ag machinery safety so impactful.

Abby Porter, a Utah State University plant science major, has been awarded the Outstanding Undergraduate Horticulture Student Award from the American Society for Horticultural Science. She is one of just two students in the country to receive the scholars...

In a new article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USU Geoscience’s Dr. Don Penman and colleague Dr. Emily Stewart from Florida State University propose that carbon dioxide degassing during rock metamorphism may have been signi...

An international design firm recently assisted Utah State University students in a zoo charrette: a gathering of stakeholders in a project to discuss and develop creative solutions.The charrette was led by LAEP associate professor Benjamin George and stud...

Assistant Professor Srisharan Shreedharan leads collaborative effort to gain knowledge of processes that could improve seismic hazard forecasting.

Wildlife biologist and animal ecologist Julie Young has been named as director of the Berryman Institute of Wildlife Damage Management, a 30-year-old organization based at USU that works to minimize conflicts between wildlife and people across the U.S.

Landlocked Utah may seem like an unexpected destination for studying marine science, but a new partnership signed last week between USU and the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium means that both marine life, and the people who study it, get to call the state...

USU launched a new hands-on engineering technology program for students in Fall 2024. This degree is a part of the College of Agriculture and Applied Science College. “This program is a very practical hands-on type of program for teaching engineering tech...

The 2024 Basecamp Conference and Workshops, held in Southeastern Utah, was attended by over 130 attendees, including outdoor recreation managers, gateway community leaders, federal, state, and local officials, and others dedicated to the stewardship and s...

If the future health of the planet weighs heavy on your mind, you aren’t alone. A new study finds widespread distress among young Americans about climate change across the political spectrum, as well as a strong desire for action toward change.

Thomas Hicken leads this new program, bringing with him 16 years of plumbing education experience. Hicken originally planned to become a teacher until his neighbor offered him a job in plumbing. He enjoyed the hands-on nature of the work and decided to pu...

Here at Utah State, researchers in the Crop Physiology Lab and in Plants, Soils and Climate are developing a new way to grow plants in orbit. They’re building a new high-tech planter box that, if selected, will be installed in the ISS and act as a self-co...

We welcome applications from scientists, scholars or policy-makers with a Ph.D. in any relevant biological, physical, or social science or engineering field, or with a J.D. degree, who possess a strong record of funded research or policy experience releva...

Chris Landon won’t graduate with his bachelor’s degree in horticulture until this December, but he’s already putting his education to good use. Despite having only served in the position for one year, Landon was named the Assistant Superintendent of the Y...

At just 19 years old, Rachel works for the Mosquito Abatement District-Davis. She and a co-worker travel to mosquito-infested regions, using drones to efficiently apply larvicide and prevent mosquito outbreaks. Their work plays a crucial role in ensuring ...

Climate and crop scientist and USU alumnus Avik Mukerjee is using his skills to help farmers as a new assistant agronomy agent with University of Arizona Extension. Mukerjee earned his Ph.D. at Utah State University with faculty mentor Simon Wang, profess...

Students from the Quinney College of Natural Resources worked alongside professionals this summer in paid internships to build skills and experience in their chosen field. Some of these, including undergraduates Michael MacDonald and Eyston Kunz, perfo

Brinley Rhodes has turned her love of agriculture, design and marketing into a degree that she'll finish in just her second year at USU.

Wyatt Hansen, a USU Eastern student, won a bronze medal in welding at the 2024 WorldSkills competition in Lyon, France. Competing against 42 of the world’s top welders, Hansen's achievement highlights the excellence of USU Eastern's welding program, which...

USU researchers, led by Professor Zhongde Wang, have secured over $4 million in NIH funding to improve understanding of Chikungunya and Hepatitis B viruses.

Sagebrush and sage grouse are under threat from a few different factors: Cheatgrass-encouraged wildfires through the habitat, pinyon-juniper encroachment into the ecosystem, and general land development. To help understand what’s happening with sage grous...

Cheeses like mozzarella and cheddar melt smoothly due to their high-fat content and protein structure, which allows them to stretch and flow when heated. In contrast, cheeses like ricotta don’t melt the same way because they contain more moisture and lowe...

From a view deep beneath the surface of the ocean to one from atop a sun-baked sandstone turret, this year’s Field Season Photo Contest offered an extraordinary range of scenic submissions — the most in the contest’s three-year run. The assignment: to sho...

In an effort to provide greater accessibility, the Department of Geosciences will open its Logan campus facility, featuring local rocks and fossils, to the public the first weekend each month, in addition to weekday hours.

Elexis Bernstein, forestry club president, organized a club event to update the forestry club scrapbook in the spring semester of 2022. Bernstein and another student, Ellie Tenbrink, discovered Forestry Camp while looking through historical photos to put ...

Utah researchers are working to restore Green River tributaries with a host of strategies including reintroducing beavers and removing invasive plants. There have been significant changes to ecosystems in recent years, in large part due to human activitie...

Associate Professor Matt Yost received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to study how other parts of the country are managing drought.

Idowu Atoloye, a research postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Plants, Soils, and Climate, recently received a $225,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study biochar, a charcoal-like materi...

How can restoration efforts around Bear Lake in Utah and Idaho support native species? That is what Tyler Coleman, a QCNR master’s student in Ecological Restoration, sought to answer as one of the Bear Lake Grant Recipients awarded in 2023.

Utah State University celebrated the grand opening of its second aviation training facility in northern Utah, welcoming students, faculty and the public to an open house at the Brigham City Regional Airport. The new facility will provide expanded fligh

Water storage is vitally important in the arid West. Reservoirs hold water for irrigation, drinking, hydroelectricity and recreation. But nature needs access to water too, so operational instructions for dams require some of the incoming water to be sent ...

To help cities find intersections with accessibility issues, USU researchers are developing an AI tool that can be trained to identify these problems. Sidewalks and crosswalks can easily be taken for granted. But cities are, sometimes, not as connected fo...

Climate change is expected to impact forests worldwide, according to the EPA — in some ways to the benefit of a forest, in others to its detriment. Regardless, it will likely cause disturbances to, and within, their ecosystems.

QCNR Camp is a weekend-long experience for USU students wishing to learn field skills. This year we are focusing on fundamentals of the field with a variety of sessions taught by faculty, clubs, students, and USU alumni. Join us in Logan Canyon up Frankli...

The College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences is ready to celebrate AGNR Week, Sept. 14-20. and invites students to "Design Your Destination" with the wide variety of degrees and programs in the college.

With a nickname like the Beehive State, it’s fitting that honey-loving bears call Utah home. And lately, they’ve been making more appearances than usual. In June, a black bear attracted gawkers in Salt Lake City’s Marmalade neighborhood. In July, another ...

The S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources is introducing new leadership this fall. Christopher Keyes joins the college as department head of wildland resources, Edd Hammill is interim department head of watershed sciences, and Juan Villa...

In life, big animals create outsized impacts in the places they live. They eat more, live longer, and move further afield than their more compact counterparts. Really big animals — rhinos, hippos, whales, and elephants — are a special class in this revolv...

The Colorado River watershed, a vital source of water for seven U.S. states and Mexico, is in historic crisis. This major river system irrigates vast agricultural lands in the West, supports cities, generates hydroelectricity and is used by 40 million

A recent study conducted by researchers at Utah State University's Department of Applied Economics explores Utah consumers’ perceptions and preferences regarding fresh and packaged fruit products. The research highlights the significant economic contribut...

USU Dr. Don Penman and U of U geologists link rapid climate change 50 million years ago to rising CO2 levels.

Lake Tahoe, California - On a clear day at Lake Tahoe's beaches, visitors to the cobalt waters of North America's largest alpine lake don't see signs of smoke from wildfires raging across much of California in what is shaping up to be one of the worst fir...

Each summer the Quinney College of Natural Resources offers paid internships to undergraduate students who want to get their feet wet in a chosen professional field. One of this year's interns, wildlife management major Grace Johnson, built hands-on ex

Utah State University's iPACE program celebrates the successful research visit of Dr. Chen-Chia Ku, a scholar from National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan.

Beneath almost every aspect of modern life streams a colossal river of data. From tracking weather to collecting satellite images to monitoring air quality, traffic patterns, environmental changes and urban development, a staggering amount of information ...

There is something about being a young high school student who gets a spark that leads to a career. Young people often struggle to find themselves in an increasingly complex world with so many options, unlike decades ago when counselors might just shrug w...

The price of your Easter chocolate shot way up last year, but it has come down since. Utah chocolate makers are riding out the price spike felt around the world. Unfortunately, there are about a half dozen reasons why the price of chocolate isn’t dropping...

Geochemistry professor aims to continue building a welcoming and supportive academic environment with robust research opportunities.

The 2024 Summer Uni+ Program has proven to be a fruitful collaboration between Utah State University (USU) and National Chung Hsing University (NCHU). Dr. Shaw-Yhi Hwang, a representative from NCHU, recently conveyed his gratitude to Dean White for the su...

This summer, Utah State University's distinguished professor, Dr. Man-Keun Kim, engaged in an enriching academic collaboration with National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) as part of the iPACE program. His visit was marked by a series of impactful teaching...

A team led by Jim Lutz, professor in Wildland Resources, is working through sun and storm this summer at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Southern Utah, checking up on trees. Across the West, trees have been dying at higher rates, from things like bark b...

Geoscientists Alexis Ault, Dennis Newell and Srisharan Shreedharan, along with engineer Brady Cox, are among an interdisciplinary, multi-institution team set to probe seismic cycle processes, examine associated human impacts of earthquakes and mentor the ...

Utah State University has announced the expansion of its stackable programs across its Statewide Campus system. USU is introducing new associate degree programs that cater to in-demand industries, providing career-ready education.

The Great Salt Lake released 4.1 million tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in 2020, researchers found -- more evidence that dried-out lakes are a significant source of emissions.

Students got a taste of hands-on creating and building during a recent class project. They met with local business owners who were renovating buildings in downtown Helper, a town near Price. Students used their drafting and design skills to plan storefron...

Sarah Andersen, a Utah State University Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science(ADVS) lecturerand recent graduate of USU’s agricultural extension and education master’s degree program, was recently honored with the Outstanding Manuscript Award by the Americ...

A hydrothermal explosion July 23 at Yellowstone National Park sent visitors running for cover, as steam shot into the air and rocks rained down on a popular viewing area.

In anticipation of National Ice Cream Day, join in a "Cow to Cone" celebration hosted by Utah State University's Aggie Creamery on from 3-5 p.m. Friday, July 19, at the Aggie Ice Cream shop at Aggie Blue Square, 1111 N. 800 East, Logan, across the street ...

A researcher at Utah State University and her team discovered that old seeds from a coastal marsh plant can be brought back to life. The resurrected plants can offer clues about how quickly coastal wetlands are adapting to environmental changes.

During the dog days of summer, a threat lurks in Utah’s dry fields and lawns — one that can harm pets, particularly dogs, and potentially lead to serious complications. It’s known as “foxtail” grass. “If the foxtail grass gets embedded, it can become quit...

A new study by scientists at Utah State University shows that a shrinking Great Salt Lake may exacerbate drought conditions along the entire Wasatch Front. "As the Great Salt Lake water body is shrinking, that local precipitation caused by a storm event i...

Lakes and rivers in North America are subject to various types of pollution, from toxic metal runoff to microplastics. But in the age of human-caused climate change, a certain type of contaminant is now raising concern among scientists who study natural b...

Science Moab speaks with Kari Veblen, Utah State University professor of rangeland ecology. The Veblen lab at USU includes a diverse group of field-based ecologists who work on both public and private lands that are managed for both wildlife conservation ...

MISSOULA, Mont. — A study by Utah State University research professor Julie Young, Ph.D., in collaboration with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear biologist Wesley Sarmento found livestock guardian dogs could be effective at deterring grizzly bears.

Dyer’s Woad, an invasive plant on Utah’s noxious weeds list, is flourishing in Cache Valley this spring. The weed, identifiable by its bright yellow flower, spreads quickly and grows thickly, displacing native plants. According to Cache County Noxious Wee...

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Carbon County Aviation Campus was celebrated on the morning of June 5, with Jade Powell of the Southeastern Regional Development Agency (SERDA) welcoming all to the Carbon County Airport.

Megan Vahsen is this year’s winner of the George Mercer award from the Ecological Society of America, a notable recognition for “outstanding contributions to ecology by an early-career author.” Vahsen led the team that published research on how rapid plan...

The bright yellow flowers blooming in northern Utah may look pretty to those strolling around the state, but they worry weed scientists. Ransom says the weed uses the water and nutrients from other plants. Dyer's Woad was brought from Russia to Utah by s...

Increasingly, U.S. colleges are creating climate change programs to meet demand from students who want to apply their firsthand experience to what they do after high school, and help find solutions.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Great Salt Lake Commissioner's Office will gather scientists and state officials this week to discuss the problem of potentially toxic dust that blows off an exposed lake bed and into communities.

Utah State University’s Dairy Science Team placed third among the 30 teams from 24 schools competing in the 2024 National Dairy Challenge, in Visalia, CA. The challenge tests the team members’ knowledge of multiple aspects of the dairy industry.

Journalists, researchers, and Colorado River experts gathered at the Utah State University Moab campus in late April to launch the Colorado River Collaborative, a statewide media group to help train, inform, and support news organizations in telling solut...

Eight students in the Utah State University Eastern diesel technology program recently competed in the Skills USA Leadership Conference. Matt Nunez, Lance Prows, and Danner O’Neil performed exceptionally well at the competition and received medals for th...

Megan Terry is graduating with a degree in dietetics and a minor in mathematics. She is from Hooper, Utah, and graduated from Fremont High School where she excelled in orchestra, track and field, and cross country, earning First Team All-State and Fremont...

Utah is a place of outdoor wonders with iconic arches mountains framing picturesque communities, otherworldly salt flats, birding hotspots, and some of the greatest snow on earth. And yet, the state has another, less appreciated outdoor treasure of world-...

Spanning two days, the competition was marked by intense rivalry and impressive displays of knowledge and skill. As the final rounds approached, tensions rose, and spectators eagerly awaited the outcome. Ultimately, USU's team placed first.

Standing knee-deep in the glinting current of the Weber River with fly rod in hand, this year’s valedictorian from the Quinney College of Natural Resources felt a sudden tug on the line. Austin Garner wrestled a good-sized fish into his net and took what ...

Roots of Peace funds the safe removal of landmines and other unexploded tools of war, then trains local people in vital agricultural techniques to improve land for food production. The organization provides growers with native and well-adapted plant mater...

A team from Utah State University’s aviation program had an impressive showing at the recent National Aviation Maintenance Competition in Chicago, which included other school teams and industry professionals.

Bruce Bugbee and Lance Seefeldt are principal investigators for a multi-institution, NASA-funded team awarded a prestigious honor for foundational research efforts toward sustaining human exploration on Mars.

It was a moment of definite triumph, but it didn’t look like one. Somewhere on the periphery of a Montana wilderness splayed near the parking lot of a rural gas station lay an exhausted Anaís Barrientos, alongside her equally-spent colleagues. Empty candy...

In academia, the ability to articulate complex research in a concise and engaging way is a coveted skill. An annual competition held at more than 200 universities worldwide, it is open to graduate students who are challenged to present their research in j...

Showing up to campus packing four-and-a-half years’ experience from the U.S. Coast Guard, Jacob Lancaster didn’t necessarily anticipate a “typical” undergraduate experience in the Quinney College of Natural Resources. But now, set to graduate with a degre...

You can typically find Jenna Mills scribbling away in a notebook, filling nearly every inch of page with schematics, depiction of stream flow, geological cross section, and doodles of critters and scenery. Understanding of the earth’s processes pushes her...

In a warming world, new research has found something unexpected at iconic Yellowstone Lake, North America’s largest high-elevation lake. The time the lake is covered by ice each winter is holding steady — the same as it has been for the last century —

Utah State University’s Quinney College of Natural Resources hosted a special seminar this month featuring Dr. Mamie Parker, a professional fish and wildlife biologist, success coach, and consultant. Dr. Parker described the ‘secret sauce’ that she uses w...

On the prairies of north central Montana, farmers must sometimes contend with a worrisome visitor: the grizzly bear. Hungry bears, attracted by grain that has spilled from storage bins, will wander close to worksites and homes, leading to potentially dang...

Alexis Ault, associate professor in USU’s Department of Geosciences, will discuss the energy transformation phenomenon at USU’s Science Unwrapped public outreach program. She will present at 7 p.m. Friday, April 12.

Whether you’re solving sudoku, crushing candy or flinging furious fowl, interactive games have become a default part of many people’s lives. Where some see a chance to zone out, Department of Watershed Sciences faculty Janice Brahney sees an opportunity t...

People depend on natural ecosystems of trees, grasses and shrubs to capture carbon from the atmosphere and pull it underground to slow the decline toward climate-change disaster. Ironically, these same protected spaces also tend to be highly photogenic ho...

The USU Logan campus celebrated the Quinney College of Natural Resources this week with events, awards, contests and plenty of good food. See photos of the events at the link! Students joined us for daily events: Yoga, Tamales & Trivia, The "You Belong i...

We are proud to announce that Dr. Karen Beard is the recipient of this year's USU Faculty Award for Researcher of the Year! Dr. Karen Beard is a Professor in the Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center. She has been at USU for 22 years, wh...

As temperatures continue to stay low, a cozy solution is on the horizon for staff and faculty at Utah State University. The "Make a Blanket Statement" campaign is led by USU Facilities and two students — Abby Baggs and Keeley Livingstone — in ENVS 4700: C...

Modern dust contains fertilizers, pesticides and tiny plastics, said Janice Brahney, an associate professor with Utah State University’s Department of Watershed Sciences.

For a city or suburban coyote, having a dash more boldness than that of its rural counterparts might be an important personality trait if the animal wants to make it among humans, says Julie Young, an animal behaviorist in QCNR in this article on sharing ...

Linda Nagel came to USU in 2022 to lead the Quinney College of Natural Resources after seven years as professor and head in the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship at Colorado State University. Nagel has 24 years of experience as a university p...

The Editorial Board of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) selected six papers published in 2023 to receive the prestigious Cozzarelli Prize, and among them is T. J. Clark-Wolf, assistant professor in the department of Wildland Reso...

For the first time, Wasatch County cities are joining in the Utah Wellbeing Project, a survey conducted by Utah State University. Dr. Courtney Flint is a professor in the Department of Environment and Society at USU. She said she’s been administering the ...

The world’s freshwater systems are in a sort of a climate-change cocktail — rising temperatures, fluctuating levels of environmental acidity and shifting concentrations of dissolved nutrients that settle into the lakes, ponds and wetlands of the world are...

Sightings of mountain lions in cities are not frequent, but they do happen, said David Stoner. As deer and elk migrate from the mountains to browse on leftovers from lawns and gardens in late winter, predators sometimes follow, he said. But humans likely ...

A U.S. manufacturing and mining boom launched under President Biden is just getting started, and most of it is heading to Republican-leaning communities, according to metrics developed by Peter Howe in the department of Environment and Society.

The impact of climate change on arid land is the focus of cutting-edge research at the Nature Conservancy’s Canyonlands Research Center (CRC) at the Dugout Ranch. The center hosted an open house on a beautiful September day to discuss the research. Preli...

Why, exactly, aren’t universities better at moving the needle on climate change, even on their own campuses? Carrying a mandate to serve the public good and designed for innovation, one would think that institutions of higher education would be leaders in...

Utah’s first ever Outdoor Recreation Strategic Plan was released Friday at the Utah State Capitol, offering state leaders, land managers and outdoor enthusiasts an insider’s look at how recreation access and infrastructure will evolve over the next 20 yea...

Vanessa enjoys her studies within the FCSE program, and her ultimate career goal is to become a mother. She stated, “Having all this knowledge behind me from this major is huge because I can use it in my own home and in my own life.”

There may, as they say, be plenty of fish in the sea — but angling opportunities on Utah’s streams, rivers and lakes are getting more crowded. The number of anglers trying their luck on Utah waters has consistently increased over the years, meanwhile i

Dr. Dehler and grad student Hannah Cothren use trilobite fossils and C-isotopes to confirm the Cambrian SPICE climate event

Winners of the 2024 Utah High School Clean Air Marketing Contest will be announced at Utah State University’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art Community Art Day on Saturday, Feb. 10. Clean air public service announcements created by this year’s 57 final...

IF YOU WERE WANDERING THE wilds of the Wasatch National Forest in Utah in September 2023, you might have encountered a strange sight: a line of slowly marching horses, with beavers saddled on their backs. Unfortunately, the rodents were not wearing tiny c...

A new event on the USU campus, Dialogues on Economic Growth and Sustainability, is set to explore these issues and other tensions at the interface of economic growth and sustainability. The symposium, organized through a partnership between the Department...

There is a kind of magic that happens when students apply their knowledge in a tangible, research-driven setting On Jan. 18, Utah’s two Carnegie-classified R1 public research universities showed off the best work of their undergraduate researchers duri

Utah has a unique mix of scrub brush, desert and forest landscapes that makes it different from most other western states. That means wildfires don’t act the same way here as they do elsewhere, said Utah State University wildland resources professor Ji

Can the simple beauty of an organism be enough to want to restore and preserve it? If so, Aspen would be at the top of that list. So much more than a beautiful tree, a stand or group of aspen trees is considered a singular organism with the main life fo

A major study led by Trisha Atwood fhas found that bottom trawling — dragging heavy fishing nets across the ocean floor — can trigger significant atmospheric carbon pollution. The new research shows that bottom trawling is responsible for releasing up to ...

PRICE, Utah — What does the fox say? Or to use research from students at Utah State University Eastern, where do they stay? Three USU Eastern students in the Wildland Resource Techniques course presented research to the local Bureau of Land Management (BL...

Study of stratigraphy and geochronology led by Emeritus professors reveals the deeper Pleistocene history of Cache Valley.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Great Salt Lake Strike Team, which brings together the technical expertise of Utah state government agencies and research universities, shared data and insights to help decision-makers during the 2024 General Legislative Session on We...

You can lead a horse to water, but across Utah’s deserts, they’ll probably find it without your help. Wild horses in Utah share resources with cattle and wildlife, including temporary water sources (like canals) during the driest times of year. Creating a...

For many years, Joe and Jessie Quinney demonstrated their support for the natural environment through their actions and resources. In their memory, the members of the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation have provided a grant to ensure the Quinney's life...

MS Student April Phinney researches if tiny bits of quartz record the intensity of fires from hundreds or even thousands of years ago, potentially offering new ways to study historic fires and how heat affects soil.

Ph.D. candidate Natalie Tanski has a new paper in Geology deciphering and luminescence-dating the complex record of Colorado River terraces in Canyonlands

Dr. Brenda McComb and Dr. Dianna Fisher discussed advancing representation in natural resources and visibility in academics during a recent seminar in the Quinney College of Natural Resources on incorporating diversity and inclusion in natural resources....

USU graduate student Jordan Jensen explores whether hematite thermochronology can help date the secondary magnetism of rocks along Colorado fault.

QCNR is celebrating Black History Month by highlighting contributions from activists, managers and scholars in natural spaces.

Tony Lowry and students highlight the correspondence of cool lower crust with high elevation in the West -- describing upper mantle hydration as the cause, as it drives alteration up through the lithosphere.

Grad student Hannah Cothren and Dr. Carol Dehler provide the first numerical age constraint for the global SPICE isotopic event through study of the fabulous Cambrian section preserved in the Bear River Range.

Gas-rich hot springs throughout the Peruvian Andes contain a surprising contribution of mantle and crustal volatiles (CO2 and N2) despite being located along a volcanic gap associated with modern flat-slab subduction.

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is recognized by a major negative carbon isotope (δ13C) excursion (CIE) signifying an injection of isotopically light carbon into exogenic reservoirs, the mass, source, and tempo of which continue to be debated....

Understanding the dynamics of the greater Yellowstone region requires constraints on deformation spanning million year to decadal timescales, but intermediate-scale (Quaternary) records of erosion and deformation are lacking.

The material properties and distribution of faults above the seismogenic zone promote or inhibit earthquake rupture propagation.

Unraveling complex slip histories in fault damage zones to understand relations among deformation, hydrothermal alteration, and surface uplift remains a challenge....

The transfer of large volumes of fluid to the overriding lithosphere during flat-slab subduction should drastically alter the physical and chemical properties of continental margins. However, this process is poorly understood and without active...

New research from Soren Brothers, assistant professor Utah State University Department of Watershed Sciences and Ecology Center, details how lakes in Nunavut could have a big impact on carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, and it’s not all bad news.

Eight Utah State University scholars are honorees of the prestigious 2020 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship search. The Aggies, whose awards are collectively valued at about $828,000, are among nearly...

Learn about USU Geosciences and Cache Valley with the new USU Department of Geosciences YouTube Channel.

What happens when you mix a biologist who studies beetle horns with scientists who spend their time exploring predator-prey dynamics? You get a better understanding of why elk shed their antlers much later than males of any other North American species

Dr. Ku's data is crucial for understanding species changes and mortality under climate change.

Exposure to greenspace, as scientists call it, is linked to reduced stress and anxiety, lower rates of allergies and diabetes, better pregnancy outcomes, and even shortened recovery times from surgery, among other benefits. However, this relationship brin...

Utah State University’s Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC) on the Logan campus is collaborating with the Utah Food Bank and Cache Community Food Pantry to launch a mobile food pantry available to both students and the broader public. The mobile pantry...