WINTER 2012
Message from the Director For many, this time of year is great for taking a deep breath, reflecting on the past year, and looking to the future. That is also true for EPSCoR in Idaho. In August, a team of EPSCoR RII project leaders joined me for a Reverse Site Visit Peter Goodwin, (RSV) at the National Science Foundation. This review is required for all NSF EPSCoR RII Project Director projects. It’s an opportunity to summarize our recent activities and accomplishments and to describe plans for the final two years of the current award for Water Resources in a Changing Climate. The panel, made up of nearly 15 experts in all aspects of RII programs, from within the NSF and external to it, provided very constructive feedback. It has challenged us to think big. Our leadership team, with representatives from all three of Idaho’s public universities, has been working on strategies to follow their advice. Priorities include: data sharing, diversity, collaborations with agencies, and refinement of research niche areas. These strategies are also being discussed with our external Project Advisory Board (PAB), an independent group of experts who visit Idaho each year to review the RII progress and provide us with their guidance. The PAB meeting, which took place this December, 2011, is also another step in our work to update Innovation for Idaho, our strategic plan for the EPSCoR RII Track 1 program. Additional strategic planning meetings will be scheduled early in 2012 to gather additional input from across the State. At the same time, and in keeping with the plan, a statewide Cyberinfrastructure (CI)-specific strategic planning process is underway to help build on the Memorandum of Understanding for CI cooperation that was signed earlier this year by Boise State University, Idaho State University, and the University of Idaho. After many months of organization and preparation, the National NSF EPSCoR Conference was also held in late October in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. More than 400 people attended the event, far exceeding our original expectations. In fact, thanks to the hard work of the EPSCoR Community, the Conference Organizing Committee, the invited speakers, and the Idaho
EPSCoR staff, the conference itself received an overwhelming positive response. Many of the presentations, as well as video coverage of keynote talks, are available at the conference website: nsfepscor2011.org. This conference was a great opportunity for the EPSCoR Community, but it also showcased some of the amazing resources we have in Idaho. Prior to the Conference, Idaho launched what we believe may be the first award of its kind in the Nation – the Jean’ne M. Shreeve NSF EPSCoR Research Excellence Award. This award was established by the Idaho EPSCoR Committee with support from all of Idaho’s public Universities to honor Dr. Shreeve. Dr. Shreeve received the inaugural award on October 23, 2011, with colleagues from Idaho and around the nation attending the event. Future recipients will be selected from Idaho faculty and recognized for their significant contributions to the research community within Idaho and the world and furthering the ideals of EPSCoR. While many other activities are highlighted in our Newsletters, I want to specifically mention Idaho’s effort to develop a competitive proposal for the next round of the RII competition in Fall 2012. New RII awards are likely to be for five years and $20 million. Planning for the development of that project is well underway. The competition will be intense, as we expect a majority of the proposals to be declined on first continued on page 2
• 1 •
Message from the Director continued from page 1 submission. This coming year represents Idaho’s opportunity to enhance partnerships and more fully develop a program to transform the research and education competitiveness of the Idaho research community. I look forward to working across
disciplinary and institutional boundaries this coming year to realize how much we can do together as part of our ONEIdaho initiative.
Idaho EPSCoR Hosts 22nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference Idaho EPSCoR recently hosted the 22nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference, October 24-28, 2011 at The Coeur d’Alene. The conference presentations focused on themes including Energy, Water and Environment, and Workforce Development. Cyberinfrastructure (CI) was also an integrative and pervasive theme throughout the entire meeting, reflecting the value that the National Science Foundation places on CI for accelerating knowledge discovery, building scientific communities, and engaging K-12 students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities.
•
The Role of Information Technology in Sustaining the World’s Water Systems
•
Science, Policy, Planning and Competing Goals in River Management
•
Opportunities in Watershed Research Made Possible by Emerging Technologies and Approaches
•
Getting to Water and Environment Solutions Through Sustainability Science
•
Collective Impact in Addressing STEM Workforce Pipeline
The conference provided a forum for members of EPSCoR Governing Committees, state legislators and governors to explore the federal and private sector links with State programs and exchange ideas on how synergies can be developed to better leverage state investments with federal opportunities. The program included speakers from the National Science Foundation, Apple, IBM, and Department of Energy as well as students, faculty and some of the nation’s leading experts on STEM education and engagement of under-represented minorities. Plenary videos and presentation slides, which are available on the conference website www.nsfepscor2011.org, cover topics such as:
•
How Community Colleges are Widening Access to the STEM Pipeline through Partnership
•
Educational Tools and Technologies for Curriculum Delivery and Research
•
Creating a Technical Workforce
•
Unleashing the Entrepreneurial Forces for Job Creation
•
Nanotechnology for Renewable Energy
•
Developing Interdisciplinary Research Programs
•
Using Philanthropy Strategically to Support STEM
22nd National EPSCoR Conference Highlights
Henry Blount, Office Head, EPSCoR, National Science Foundation provides opening remarks to over 400 attendees at the 22nd National EPSCoR Conference.
Participants explore 3-D Visualization Research Technology (IQ Station) at the National Conference. The IQ Station is a 3-D data modeling tool that converts large complex datasets into interactive images. The user has a hand-held device that lets him or her manipulate the 3-D images to see them from different perspectives. IQ Stations were donated to the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, and Boise State University, by the Idaho National Laboratory and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES).
• 2 •
Sharon Nunes, Vice President of IBM’s Smarter Cities Strategy & Solutions, discusses the role of information technology in sustaining the world’s water systems. According to Nunes, “water system decisions impact the local, state, national and federal government of every country IBM operates in, and this puts tremendous stress on infrastructure because water is at the core of all this - the availability of energy and food. This is really about managing water systems in order to monitor and know what’s going on in order to make a change.”
Graduate student Spencer Meyer from the University of Maine (center), received the grand prize (an iPad) for Student Networking, an activity designed to increase interactions among students, attendees, and invited speakers. The award was presented by Denise Barnes, National Science Foundation (right), and Rick Schumaker, Idaho EPSCoR (left).
Native American Dancers from the Northwest performed during one of the evening events titled, “A Cultural Learning Experience” which featured a video focusing on broadening participation of Native American students in STEM as well as a keynote from Chief Allen, Chairman of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.
Desmond Madera, a member of the Spokane Tribe, does a solo performance during the Native American dance exhibition at the 22nd National EPSCoR Conference.
EPSCoR Program colleagues from East and West, Rick Nemeth, University of the Virgin Islands, David Lovell, University of Hawaii, and Nicolas Drayton, University of the Virgin Islands, take time to network during conference activities.
National EPSCoR Conference Poster winners pictured L-R: Karen Hutchens (Maine – “judges pick”), Alfred Tcherbi-Narteh (Alabama – “1st place-other”), Nicole Shamitko-Klingensmith (West Virginia – “Grand Prize-other”), Elizabeth Burakowski (New Hampshire-“2nd place-Water”), Leslie Piper (Montana-“1st place-Water”), Ayomi Perera (Kansas- “Grand Prize-Energy”), Andrew McGowan (Kansas-“Grand Prize-Water”), Chinedu Ekuma (Louisiana, “2nd Place-Energy), Joya Cooley (South Carolina “2nd place-other”), and Walter Acosta (Arkansas – “1st place-Energy”). Not pictured: Sammy Matsaw Jr. (Idaho “Grand Prize-Workforce Development). Awards were presented by NSF EPSCoR representative, Henry Blount, and Clifford Gabriel, Acting Director, NSF Office of Integrative Activities (right).
• 3 •
THE PEOPLE OF IDAHO EPSCOR Janet Callahan Janet Callahan is a professor of materials science and engineering and is associate dean for academic affairs at Boise State University’s College of Engineering. As part of Idaho EPSCoR programs, Callahan contributes her knowledge and experience with engineering outreach programs and outreach to under-represented students. She oversees the E-Day and E-Camp programs in which students participate in hands-on activities aimed at helping them explore and gain interest in engineering and technical careers.
Shawn Benner Shawn Benner is a professor in the Geosciences Department at Boise State University. Shawn received his Ph.D. from University of Waterloo, where he conducted research on reactive barriers to remediate mine drainage. Prior to joining the faculty at Boise State he was a postdoc at Stanford University and a research scientist at the Desert Research Institute. He conducts research related to surface-groundwater interaction, characterization and treatment of acid mine drainage, nutrient and carbon cycling, biogeochemical transformation of minerals, and subsurface and surface contaminant characterization and global climate. He recently replaced Sian Mooney as Boise State University’s Liaison for the Idaho NSF EPSCoR RII program and serves as a member of the RII leadership team.
Lee Vierling Lee Vierling is an assistant professor in the Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management at the University of Idaho where he joined the faculty in 2004. He is a former recipient of NSF’s prestigious CAREER award for junior faculty. Dr. Vierling earned his Ph.D. in environmental biology at the University of Colorado in 1999. His primary research interest is to study global environmental change by understanding the connections that link ecosystem structure with ecological function. He develops and applies remote sensing techniques to study 1) exchanges of trace gases (e.g. carbon dioxide and water vapor) by vegetation canopies, 2) relationships between vegetation structure and wildlife habitat, and 3) the implications of land use and land cover change on ecological structure and function. Vierling also serves as a faculty liaison between Idaho EPSCoR and the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS).
OUTREACH AND EDUCATION ISU Cyberlearning Project Connects Students with STEM Professionals Dr. Rita McNeil, a professor at Idaho State University (ISU) in the Human Resource and Training Development department and Chad Mejeske, a middle school technology education teacher at Idaho Science and Technology Charter School (ISTCS) and graduate student in the Master of Training and Development (MTD) program at ISU, received funding from the Idaho EPSCoR Track 2 grant to integrate cyberlearning into the ISTCS STEM Classroom. STEM Professionals from a variety of fields, including those related to EPSCoR research, are invited to speak to his STEM students to help spark career interests in those fields. Being located in Blackfoot, Idaho poses some obvious restrictions on the availability and variety of guest speakers. The purpose of this project was to expand the accessibility and diversity of presenters by acquiring the cyber-technology for remote classrooms to become linked (in real-time) with professionals throughout the U.S. and beyond in the professionals’ real-world STEM settings. Using WebEx, an online video conferencing tool, students are connected to professionals worldwide and have discussions with the “guest speakers” regarding their professions and their impact on our world. The cyber-technology provides the opportunity for teachers to arrange these cyber-sessions to facilitate discussions between students and STEM professionals on climate change and other topics of interest. These cybersessions are then recorded, catalogued, and shared with the Idaho Education Network (IEN), allowing teachers from schools who did not participate in the live presentations to view them in their classrooms. This gives more Idaho students from rural areas the opportunity to learn from career professionals and to complete student inquiry- and problem-based projects.
STUDENT PROFILES Jeremy L. Greth Jeremy L. Greth, a graduate student from Anchorage Alaska, is currently in the University of Idaho’s Water Resource Management and Science program and has been doing research with Dr. Rick Allen, Professor in Water Resources Engineering, at University of Idaho’s Kimberly Research and Extension Center. Jeremy’s research focuses on hydrologic modeling and energy balance data analysis to better understand the impacts of climate change and energy fluxes on the environment. A primary goal of this research is to contribute to a better understanding and better methods for quantifying the
• 4 •
magnitudes and timing of surface energy and water fluxes for three dominant vegetation ecosystems in Idaho (sagebrush, cheatgrass and lodgepole pine). This research helps further the understanding of the effects of invasive species, burning, water shortages, disease, and many other aspects of system dynamics on the health and behavior of these ecosystems. According to Jeremy, climate change and drought are worldwide problems that affect every country on earth. Understanding the processes and factors that control or affect ecosystem response to climate change and drought is essential to mitigate impacts. Jeremy’s research can be directly used for managing water rights, estimating water consumption by invasive vegetation, ground-water management and mitigation, and estimating ground-water recharge. The wide array of applications that are being enhanced by this research heightens its potential impacts on societies around the world. Jeremy’s future academic goals are to produce two publications from EPSCoR data that show the significant outcomes of his research and to prepare for a Ph.D. program. Working with EPSCoR has been very beneficial for Jeremy and has broadened his horizons. According to Jeremy, “I’ve been working on the EPSCoR Idaho grant for over three years and it has greatly furthered my academic career and personal growth. A great highlight of working with EPSCoR is that the program support a large research team. This enables me to tackle larger than usual problems, making the job very rewarding.”
Gretchen Beebe Gretchen Beebe, a graduate student from Minneapolis, MN majoring in Mathematics, has been working with Boise State University professors, Dr. Kelly Coburn, assistant professor in the Department of Economics and Dr. Alejandro Flores, assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences, on the economic impacts of climate change on agriculture in southwestern Idaho. Gretchen is using various predictive weather models in a crop simulation program to better understand how climate change might affect agricultural producer’s decisions in the future - and the risk associated with their decisions. The motivation for the research is that there are a number of questions that arise when considering how climate change will affect the future of agriculture. Specifically, farmers want to know how it will affect their local climate and farmland. For southwestern Idaho, it is essential to know how climate change might affect how farmers use the water supply for irrigation and how different crops grow under the changing conditions.
According to Gretchen, “My research assistantship has allowed me to apply everything I’ve learned in graduate school to something important and meaningful, the real-world problem of how climate change will affect farmers, their families, and in turn, us.”
Sammy L. Matsaw Jr. Sammy L. Matsaw Jr. is a graduate student in the Idaho State University (ISU) Biological Sciences program specializing in conservation genetics. Sammy, who comes from the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in Southern Idaho, has been working with ISU faculty, Drs. Ernest Keeley, professor of Biological Sciences and Janet Loxterman, assistant professor of Biological Sciences for his thesis, and Dr. Colden Baxter, associate professor of Ecology, in an EPSCoRsupported internship focused on building programs which foster success for Native American students in the STEM fields. The internship utilizes Native people’s identity to empower individual learning experiences for success. Sammy was invited by Dr. Baxter to participate in creating an environment that wasn’t just an internship, but rather a way to interweave Native people’s way of life with life sciences. The vision is to create transitions between plant gatherers and salmon eaters to botanists and fish ecologists. According to Matsaw, “It assists in reinforcing how traditional knowledge and ceremonial teachings are the foundation that grounds us as Native peoples to deal with Indian and nonIndian problems, be it an exam in calculus, organic chemistry, or emotional loss, mental stress or spiritual healing. From my own experience and those of others, I have witnessed how our problem solving methods, when applied, can and do provide guidance, purpose, self-confidence, and vision.” The ultimate goal is to see legacies created due to the connection between life scientists and cultural practices evolving to be one and the same. In the short term we have hopeful undergraduates that are inspired to follow the path of botanists while incorporating culturally significant plants and how to gather them. Although Sammy is uncertain about his long term goals, his current focus is on completing his master’s thesis and working for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. He has also been invited to apply for Ph.D. programs. His most recent accomplishment has been his participation in the National EPSCoR Conference where he received the grand prize in the Workforce Development category for his poster, “Using Science to Explore our Paths: Western Science with Native Perspective.”
In general, climate change will impact agricultural regions by increasing the variability in yield, and thus returns. Using downscaled climate models and predictive crop modeling, researchers can estimate general trends for popular crops in specific regions to better prepare for the future.
• 5 •
RESULTS FROM PRIOR EPSCoR SUPPORT
Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) Provides 3D Insight for Idaho Scientists
COLLABORATIONS
A Comparison of Two Open Source LiDAR Surface Filtering Algorithms
With funding from the Idaho NSF EPSCoR RII instrumentation program (EPS-0814387), Dr. Lee Vierling, Harold Heady Associate Professor in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho, led a group of faculty in 2009 to purchase a Terrestrial Laser Scanner. At first look the scanner is a small, but high-tech, piece of equipment that mounts on top of a tri-pod – similar to what one might see a land surveyor using. According to Dr. Vierling, “This instrument allows us to collect 3D information about objects across the landscape similar to how a doctor might do an MRI of a patient. The data allows us to gather new insight as incredibly high amounts of detail to better characterize biological, ecological, geological, and other processes in the environment.” The terrestrial laser scanner is being used by faculty and students in a wide variety of projects, from characterizing geological features, to understanding erosion processes, to measuring the architecture and chemistry of plants, to studying stream geomorphology. The research, which connects to the EPSCoR RII grant, focuses on characterizing aspects relating to water and carbon from the plot to the landscape scale. In addition, because the data is easy and powerful to visualize, Dr. Vierling and his team are using the instrument as an outreach tool to connect with students and teachers. To date several faculty have been involved with using this instrument, including Matt Germino and Nancy Glenn (ISU—for study of wind soil erosion), Alex Fremier (UI-for stream geomorphology study), Jerry Fairley (UI-for geological studies), Jan Eitel and Lee Vierling (UI- for erosion, plant architecture, and biochemical studies). It is a great tool that fosters collaboration. Graduate students are also involved with all phases of instrument operation and use, and in designing studies for applying the technology to various research questions. Three significant capabilities result from ready access to this technology include: 1) Prediction of fine scale erosional patterns, 2) Characterization of highly detailed structure of forest and shrub canopies for carbon pool estimation, and 3) Determination of plant biochemistry using remote laser measurement. The findings from this research can be used to target areas where soil is most likely to erode, and may help foresters and farmers to better manage their lands through development of related technologies.
Timothy Erickson, an M.S. student in the University of Idaho Forest Resources program, works as part of the research team collecting field data to compare to remotely sensed LiDAR data
Developing accurate Digital Terrain Models (DTM) has been a long stated goal of both researchers and resource managers interested in quantifying land surface elevations. Prior to the introduction of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), traditional methods such as photogrammetry and field surveys were conducted to produce DTMs. While those methods can generate DTMs with acceptable levels of accuracy for certain applications, both methods are time and labor intensive. Research has demonstrated that LiDAR DTM generation is more efficient and accurate compared to traditional methods. With the progression of LiDAR towards a mainstream resource management tool, it has become necessary to understand how best to process and analyze the data. Wade Tinkham, a doctoral student in the Natural Resources program at the University of Idaho (UI) supported by the NSF EPSCoR RII grant, recently led a collaborative research project to assess the suitability of several algorithms for processing LiDAR (laser altimetry) data. The research team included Dr. Alistair Smith, UI Assistant Professor of Forest Measurements, and Dr. Tim Link, UI Associate Professor of Forest Hydrology. Former M.S. student in Forest Resources, Hongyu (Harry) Huang, who also worked with Smith and Link, originally began the study and was closely involved as well. Another key collaborator on the project was Dr. Rupesh Shrestha, an Idaho State University postdoctoral research associate also supported by the EPSCoR RII in the department of Geosciences. This team’s research, which was published in the Remote Sensing journal in March, 2011, can have broad societal
• 6 •
impacts. This is because it will make processing LiDAR data easier and more accurate, which will in turn help improve physical models (e.g. surface energy balance, hydrologic, vegetation) used by scientists and land managers.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
More specifically, their goal is to determine methods and techniques to best apply processing algorithms for determining bare ground elevations that are used as input into physical models. Three significant outcomes that can be expected from this collaboration include: •
Description of improved methods to process LiDAR data
•
Description of better algorithms and thresholds to use with the algorithms
•
Demonstration of cutting-edge LiDAR capabilities of researchers in Idaho
Idaho EPSCoR Online Resources Available! The Idaho EPSCoR website has new online resources available for students, staff and faculty. Please visit the www.idahoepscor.org to access the following: •
22nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference videos, presentations, and virtual poster session
•
Proposal development resources
•
Faculty under-represented minority (URM) handbook
•
Virtual National Conference poster session
•
Student professional development videos
•
CI resources/data policy
•
New HOIST website with online application
* For more information please contact Althea Flegel, at altheaf@uidaho.edu.
UPCOMING EVENTS The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), University of Idaho chapter, presents the 5th Annual Dynamic Engineers Lecture Series at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at the Best Western University Inn in Moscow, Idaho. The distinguished speaker for this year’s event is Trish Millines Dziko founder and Director of Technology Access Foundation. For more information on the lecture series contact Aaron Kitchen, UI NSBE President, at kitc7611@vandals.uidaho.edu.
Dr. Jean’ne M. Shreeve (second from left), University Distinguished Professor, pictured at a dinner to establish an award in honor of her research excellence and 20+ years of EPSCoR leadership.
Jean’ne M. Shreeve NSF EPSCoR Research Excellence Award Established Distinguished Professor Jean’ne M. Shreeve was honored on Sunday, October 23, 2011 in Hayden Lake, Idaho in recognition of her accomplishments during her more than 20 years of service as the Idaho EPSCoR/IDeA Project Director. The Jean’ne M. Shreeve NSF EPSCoR Research Excellence Award has been established with the purpose of recognizing the accomplishments of faculty members at Boise State University, Idaho State University or the University of Idaho whose research career has been propelled by the National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The Idaho EPSCoR community was inspired to establish this program because of the enormous respect and affection that it has for University Distinguished Professor Jean’ne M. Shreeve and its admiration for her imaginative leadership of EPSCoR in Idaho for more than 20 years. Financial contributions can be made to the Jean’ne M. Shreeve NSF EPSCoR Research Excellence Award by sending a request for a donation card to altheaf@uidaho.edu.
KUDOS Congratulations to Althea Flegel, Idaho EPSCoR Program Coordinator, for her recognition received from the National Science Foundation and the EPSCoR Community for leading the organization of the 22nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference. Althea’s hard work and dedication is appreciated by all!
• 7 •
Idaho EPSCoR PO Box 443029 Moscow, ID 83844-3029
*KBK865*
Idaho EPSCoR Hosts 22nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference Conference attendees were able to combine work with pleasure by taking part in an educational tour of Lake Coeur d’Alene, which featured speakers from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe to explain ongoing research programs. See page 2-3 for more.
• 8 •