Idaho State University Magazine, Fall 2013 by Idaho State University

Idaho State U n i v e r si t y Volume 43 | Number 2 | Fall 2013

Bengal POWER ISU’s winning women are crashing the top of the Big Sky Conference

• Seeking safer nuclear fuel • Bristol, the tee-fetchin’ dog • Anthropology students land prestigious internships

Idaho State University Magazine

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www.isu.edu 921 South 8th Ave., Stop 8265 Pocatello, Idaho 83209-8265 (208) 282-3620 Arthur C. Vailas, Ph.D. University President Kent M. Tingey, D.A. ’97 Vice President, University Advancement Andrew Taylor taylandy@isu.edu Interim Director, Marketing and Communications K.C. Felt, B.B.A. ’71 feltkc@isu.edu Director, Alumni Relations Idaho State University Magazine welcomes letters, comments and story ideas. Direct them to the postal address below, or send an e-mail to franemil@isu.edu. Idaho State University Magazine staff Editor Emily Frandsen Contributors Teresa Borrenpohl Chris Gabettas Kortny Rolston Steve Schaack Andrew Taylor Casey Thompson, ’86, ’12 Jarek Wolcott Designer Joey Gifford, ’03 Photo Services Susan Duncan, ’95 Bethany Baker Office of Alumni Relations Idaho State University 921 S. 8th Avenue, Stop 8033 Pocatello, Idaho 83209-8033 (208) 282-3755 or (800) 933-4781 or e-mail: alumni@isu.edu

Bengals Excelling in Class, on Field, at Work and in Life As a former student-athlete, I have a special appreciation for the work it entails. In the past two years, I have been impressed by our student-athletes, who are excelling both on the court and in the classroom. On page 22 of the magazine, you will find a list of the accomplishments of Idaho State University’s women athletes. The womens’ basketball, softball and soccer teams all garnered Big Sky Championship titles in 2012. Idaho State University’s women’s rodeo club President Arthur Vailas claimed a national championship title. Their athleticism is impressive, but even more impressive is their work off of the court and field. In the past academic year, 183 student-athletes achieved Academic All-Conference status. I am proud and honored to say that Idaho State University was not only named the Big Sky Conference Academic All-Conference title winner, but was named one of the top 11 universities in the nation for academic performance among student athletes. At Idaho State University, our students, faculty and staff have a drive to succeed, and a strong work ethic, that manifests itself in new discoveries and incredible opportunities. Two of our students spent the summer at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., doing research that will actually make a difference in the historical record of our country. Michelle Carpenter studied the remains of early residents of Jamestown Colony, and Jennifer Hernandez studied artifacts at the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian that were previously uncategorized. The two were not strangers to museum work — both worked at the Idaho Museum of Natural History through ISU’s unique Career Path Internship program. The CPI program allows students to gain paid work experience in their future careers, and the program, now in its third year, is already showing great success. In a recent survey, 90 percent of students said their participation in the program has enhanced their chances of finding employment after graduation. Our students work hard in all aspects of life, and it is apparent in the success stories of our alumni. In this issue, we feature Bill Drake, who used his drive and work ethic to turn a small business into a major, well-renowned advertising firm that was recently named one of Outside Magazine’s best places in America to work. We are proud of Drake, and the thousands of other alumni who are making a difference in the world today. During our 2013 Homecoming activities, we will honor our alumni and friends as we celebrate 50 years as a university. I would invite all to join us in the celebration, relive old memories and see the exciting changes to our campus. I look forward to seeing you. Go Bengals! Arthur C. Vailas, Ph.D. President, Idaho State University

Freelance journalists are encouraged to submit queries for topical stories with an Idaho State University connection. Please send queries by email to Emily Frandsen at franemil@isu.edu, or call (208) 282-3164.

Postmaster

ISU Magazine is published twice a year by the Office of Marketing and Communications at Idaho State University. Send address changes to the Office of Alumni Relations at 921 S. 8th Ave., Stop 8033, Pocatello, ID 83209-8033 or send an e-mail to alumni@isu.edu.

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Have you received a promotion, started a new job, relocated to a new city, joined a new organization, been appointed to a board? Share the good news with ISU. If you know of other ISU alumni who need to be lauded for their efforts, share that as well. You can send any information to alumni@isu.edu or post it on the ISU Alumni Facebook page.

Idaho State University Magazine

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Invasion of non-native species in local watersheds

Boise ad man has earned his success

COVER STORY: Successful women’s athletic programs at ISU

President’s Message Seeking safer fuel for nuclear reactors Fulbright scholar studies Chilean rivers Woodworth-Ney named vice president for academic affairs and provost; 2013 Distinguished Faculty Award winners College of Technology offers a new START for students Biomedical lab enhances research opportunities in the Treasure Valley; Anatomy and Physiology lab coming soon Bristol, the tee-fetchin’ dog Two students get internships with Smithsonian Museums Archeology field school digs into the Sawtooth National Forest Dental Hygiene celebrates 50 years Professor emeritus’ lifelong love of birds Sci-fi guru breaks down the genre Alumna leading the way for women’s hoops at Navy Why I Teach, Brightest and Best Alumni News: Homeoming 2013; new members; Sports Hall of Fame; 2013 Award recipients Trackings

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On The Cover: Vicky Galasso (softball), Amanda Ellsworth (soccer) and Kara Jenkins (basketball) helped out ISU Magazine with this cover shot inside Holt Arena. ISU Photographic Services/Bethany Baker

Joyful Sounds: The 2013 Idaho International

Choral Festival hosted choir groups from around the world. For this performance they joined together on the stage of the Jensen Grand Concert Hall in the Stephens Performing Arts Center. For more a slide show of more images, visits isu.edu/magazine.

ISU Photographic Services/Bethany Baker

Advertising: Idaho State University Magazine is sent to more than 60,000 people in Idaho and around the United States. If you would like to advertise in the next issue, call Rozan Miller at (208) 237-4528, or the ISU Marketing and Communications office at (208) 282-3620.

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

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Seeking Safer Fuel for Nuclear Reactors M

crystallites randomly mixed together and whose microstructural makeup can vary from batch to batch. That variance makes studying it and predicting what happens to it in a reactor difficult. “About 95 percent of the crystals that make up the uranium oxide are randomly oriented. There is no order,” Burgett said. “How can you accurately model and simulate a fuel pellet crystal with randomness? With the crystals we are growing, you can. We will be able to examine a single uranium or uranium oxide crystal and how heat moves through it. That gives us a baseline to understand what happens to the material as it gets more complex and the crystal structure changes.” To make the crystals, Burgett and his team crush nuclear fuel pellets donated by INL and then heat them in a furnace at the RISE complex. Once the crystals grow, they are removed, inspected, and then polished. The multiday process results in a crystal with atoms precisely aligned. The crystal can be studied to understand how heat moves through it. “The goal is to build a safer fuel for a safer reactor,” Burgett said. INL researchers are excited about Burgett’s work and are planning to acquire uranium and uranium oxide crystals. INL researchers and other scientists will subject the crystals to a variety of tests to better understand how the material behaves, said INL’s Rory Kennedy, technical lead for metallic fuel technology development in DOE’s Fuel Cycle Research and Development program.

Such understanding is a key part of producing better fuel. “The more you understand a material, the better you can design a material,” Kennedy said. “These single crystals will allow us to study and understand uranium and uranium oxide in its simplest form.” Kennedy said few people are growing crystals of this type to study, which makes Burgett’s research exceptional. Kortny Rolston Idaho National Laboratory Photo courtesy of INL

ention the word “crystals” and few people think of nuclear fuel. Unless you are Eric Burgett. The Idaho State University professor is on a quest to create pure, single crystals of uranium and uranium oxide so researchers at Idaho National Laboratory and elsewhere can better understand the material and design higher performance fuels to power nuclear reactors. Burgett and his team of graduate students have successfully manufactured cerium oxide crystals as a practice run (cerium can be a non-radioactive surrogate for uranium or plutonium). The team produced its first uranium oxide crystal in June at ISU’s Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) facility in Pocatello. “A single crystal allows researchers to test and study a material in its simplest form,” said Burgett, who is also a Center for Advanced Energy Studies affiliate. Burgett first became interested in crystals and their potential to advance nuclear energy research as a doctoral student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He grew zinc oxide crystals for use in neutron detectors. From there, he began experimenting with uranium and plutonium oxide crystals. In 2010, he was part of a team that won U.S. Department of Energy funding to create single uranium oxide crystals. Researchers have long studied the physical characteristics of uranium oxide – the primary fuel for the nation’s nuclear reactor fleet. They examine uranium oxide fuel pellets, which are composed of multiple

Idaho State University researcher Eric Burgett works at the Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) facility in Pocatello.

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

Fulbright Scholar Studies Chilean Rivers I

daho State University geosciences Associate Professor Benjamin Crosby has headed about 6,000 miles south to Concepción, Chile, where he is serving as a Fulbright Scholar at the Universidad de Concepción and conduct research to assess the impact of hydroelectric dams in Chile. During his one-year sabbatical from ISU, including six months serving as a Fulbright Scholar, Crosby will be responsible for teaching and research among diverse Universidad de Concepción faculty members in engineering, geosciences and geography. He is teaching the first geomorphology course in that university’s history. Geomorphology is a branch of geology focusing on the processes that sculpt the topographic texture of the earth’s Crosby is chronicling his experiences surface. He will leave his as a Fulbright Scholar in a blog, course and crosbyfulbright.blogspot.com. laboratory materials with a faculty member who will continue to teach the course after Crosby leaves. “They have never had a geomorphology class taught at the university,” Crosby said. “This will be the first time that students are exposed to the dynamic interactions between rivers, hillslopes and glaciers. This class will be of interest to a wide variety of theoretical and applied academic disciplines at the university.” His research will focus on what allows daily cycles in river attributes – such as temperature, discharge and chemical character – to persist through only a portion of a stream’s network. Though

this ‘pulse-like’ behavior is evident in headwater regions, the signal decays downstream. This research emphasis is pertinent to modern Chile. “This work will provide a framework for scientists to both assess the impact of dams on rivers and potentially improve dam management to better mimic natural cycles in rivers,” Crosby Crosby said. Crosby will complete his research traveling between the Concepción, Santiago and Patagonia regions of Chile. He noted that Chile’s economy is growing fast and has ever-increasing demands for power to support urban growth and a large mining industry. “Right now Chile is deciding whether to build seven new hydroelectric dams, with some in Patagonia on some of the most pristine rivers left in the world,” Crosby said. “My hope is that if we better understand the timing and magnitude of the natural pulse of these rivers, dam managers can design water release scenarios that come close to replicating pre-dam conditions (if the dams are built).” Crosby has taken his family to Chile. Accompanying him are his wife Cana, 13-year-old daughter, Dylan, and 11-yearold son, Wells. They flew to Concepción, with a metro population of about 500,000 residents, in early June, where they’ve spent two months becoming familiar with

the country and improving their Spanish before Benjamin begins university instruction and the kids start school. Crosby, however, also will be teaching in English as a requirement of the Fulbright Scholar program. “My family has a nervous excitement about it,” Crosby said. “They’re excited about the opportunity and they know we’re coming back in a year.” Two people in particular inspired Crosby to pursue a Fulbright Scholar award. One was Chikashi Sato, an ISU environmental engineering professor, who was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach and conduct research in Nepal for seven months in 2012. The other person was Peter Goodwin, University of Idaho civil engineering professor at the UI’s Center for Ecohydraulic Research in Boise. “Goodwin has for years encouraged me to participate in research in Chile, but I wasn’t able to do so until this sabbatical,” Crosby said. “He was a Fulbright Scholar in Chile in 2003. Ten years later, I’m following in his footsteps.” The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), under a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of State, administers the Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and professionals. Each year, the core Fulbright Scholar Program sends some 800 U.S. faculty and professionals to 155 countries to lecture, research, or participate in seminars. At the same time, approximately 800 foreign faculty come to the U.S. each year. For more on the Fulbright Scholar program, visit www.cies.org. Andrew Taylor

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Woodworth-Ney Named New Vice President and Provost I

daho State University has announced that Laura Woodworth-Ney is its new provost and vice president for academic affairs. Woodworth-Ney, who has served as ISU associate vice president for academic affairs the past three years, was selected after a national search was carried out. She replaces Barbara Adamcik, who has served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs since June 2010. “In addition to being a scholar of history and the humanities, Dr. Woodworth-Ney has excellent credentials as an administrator,” said ISU President Arthur C. Vailas. “Her experience working as an administrator at a broader level throughout the state and region in the areas of curricular effectiveness, program development and sustainability, and academic partnerships will be especially valuable as ISU continues to grow and meet the needs

of its students and the state.” Woodworth-Ney’s former administrative appointments at ISU include chair of the department of history and co-director of women studies. She also served on the ISU Faculty Senate, both as a senator and as an elected member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. Woodworth-Ney Woodworth-Ney, who has been at ISU since 1999, has authored more than 30 articles, book reviews, and scholarly essays, as well as three books (several co-authored). An award-winning editor, she is the former editor-in-chief of Idaho Yesterdays, the state historical society’s scholarly journal; a founding co-editor of Idaho Landscapes, the Idaho State Histori-

cal Society’s magazine of Idaho history, politics, and culture; the founding editor of the Women’s Western Voices book series at the University of Arizona Press; and is a member of the editorial board for the Pacific Northwest Quarterly. Woodworth-Ney says she is passionate about the potential of higher education to change lives, and is an active public speaker on the topics of culture, history and education. Woodworth-Ney earned a bachelors degree in English from the University of Idaho, and a PhD in American history and public history from Washington State University. Woodworth-Ney, a native of Rupert, is a fourth-generation Idahoan, and lives in Pocatello with her husband, John Ney, and son. John is the ISU College of Business director for professional development. Andrew Taylor

2013 Distinguished Faculty Award Winners

hree Idaho State University faculty members were honored as Distinguished Faculty at an awards ceremony in April and were honored at ISU commencement on May 11. They are Donna Lybecker, associate professor political science, Distinguished Teacher; Scott Anderson, professor of music, Distinguished Service Award; and Bruce Finney, professor of biological sciences, Distinguished Researcher.

Donna Lybecker Distinguished Teacher

ybecker is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science, specializing in international relations, comparative politics, and environmental politics. At ISU, Lybecker has advised the International Affairs Council (2007-2012), served as a founding member of the Sustainability Committee, and serves as political science graduate advisor. She is an associate editor for the Social Science Journal and the International Journal for Sustainable Society. Lybecker earned her Ph.D. in political science at Colorado State University, a master’s degree in political science at Tulane University, and a bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College. She was named ASISU Advisor of the Year in 2009, ASISU Teacher of the Year in 2010, and a Master Teacher in 2011.

Scott Anderson Distinguished Public Service

nderson is a professor of music and has been the director of choral activities in the Department of Music since 1992. Anderson is co-founder, and serves as the artistic director of the Idaho International Choral Festival, where choirs from around the world come to Pocatello for a week of workshops, rehearsals and performances. The seventh festival was held in July on the ISU campus. Over the past 15 years, Anderson has led the ISU Chamber Choir or the Camerata Singers on 11 concert tours to more than 20 countries.

ISU Photographic Services/Susan Duncan

Bruce Finney, Scott Anderson, and Donna Lybecker

Anderson regularly offers clinic sessions to visiting high school and junior high school choral groups, and visits public school programs around the southeastern Idaho region.

Bruce Finney Distinguished Researcher

inney is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, with a joint appointment in geosciences. He is particularly well known for his research on the effects of climate change on Pacific salmon populations. More than 100 of Finney’s publications have been featured in peer-reviewed journals, 40 of which have been published since his arrival at ISU in 2007. His publications have been cited more than 5,000 times in peer-reviewed literature. Finney serves as assistant director for the Center of Archaeological Materials and Applied Spectroscopy (CAMAS), and is the director of the Stable Isotope Laboratory of the Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Elemental and Isotopic Analysis. Finney’s research funding has totaled more than $7 million, much of which has come from a series of competitive grants from the National Science Foundation. Andrew Taylor

Idaho State University Magazine

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A New START for Students T

hree years ago, Brad Kimber was working a dead-end construction job with no clear plan for his future. The high school dropout not only lacked an education, but also felt that he didn’t have the capability to succeed. Fast forward three years to today and Kimber’s story is quite different. In 2011, Kimber was a GED student, who, by his own admission, was not prepared to pursue a higher education. He said, “I was really nervous to come to college and believe in myself that I would succeed.” In May of this year, Kimber graduated with high honors and was heavily recruited to take a job as an instrumentation technician in the energy industry. Kimber’s struggles with education hit a low when he dropped out of high school at 16 To see a video about the years old. START program, visit Following www.youtube.com/idahostateu. that decision, he struggled for many years to find adequate employment and bounced around the construction industry. After the economy took a turn for the worse,

five years ago, he made a life-altering decision. “I was tired of struggling and decided that I needed a career path,” he said. Kimber began with the Successful Transitions and Retention Track, otherwise known as START, which launched in 2011 through the generous support of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation. The foundation awarded the ISU College of Technology with a $1.2 million grant to focus on students—like Kimber—who face barriers to obtaining a higher education. START is a pre-college course that prepares students for success at ISU. The free program specifically focuses on specialized math and English courses, financial planning classes, personal and career counseling, and helps students to develop a positive self-identity. Students who successfully complete the semesterlong training are then admitted into a program at ISU, receive a scholarship, and continue to receive support and counseling until they graduate. Kimber was part of the first cohort in May 2011, and in July of this year,

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START accepted 30 new students into its seventh cohort. A majority of START participants hold a GED, but others are high school graduates who lack the support needed to be successful in college. In just over two years, START has directly worked with more than 150 students in the Pocatello area. “We are helping students to overcome obstacles and barriers that keep them from succeeding in college,” said Amy Christensen, START coordinator. “There’s a misperception that students drop out because of academic inability. We’ve found that life challenges often overwhelm a student, so we focus on helping to successfully overcome obstacles and eventually graduate.” The START program is already performing well above the national average. The program proudly boasts a 75 percent persistence rate for their students in college. Nationally, only about 16 percent of GED students who attempt college will make it through the first year. START has been widely recognized across the country for successfully achieving a a program success rate of more than four times the national average. In addition to a high number of students successfully transitioning to college, START participants have an average cumulative GPA of 3.2. Christensen attributes this achievement to a focus on developing each student’s identity. Christensen said, “This program is successful because we focus on bringing up a participant’s self worth. Yes, we also focus on academics, but we really emphasize and make sure each student feels confident in their ability to succeed.” The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation has also been impressed with the success of the program and are considering awarding additional grant money in January 2014 to ensure the continuation of the START program. Recently, ISU also recognized the importance of the pilot program and provided funding to transition START to a permanent fixture on campus. “Our community gets that much better with each person START helps to find their path and be successful in college,” said Christensen. “We are looking to effectively train our citizens and that begins with providing the tools necessary to graduate from college.” Stuart Summers

FALL 2013

Photo by Chris Gabettas

Biomedical Lab Aids Drug Discoveries at ISU–Meridian S

cientists working in the new pharmacology and biomedical laboratory at the Idaho State University-Meridian Health Science Center are conducting research that may lead to new drugs to fight cancer, dementia and infectious disease. The lab, which became operational in April, is located on the second floor of the L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Complex. Thanks to a $500,000 gift from The ALSAM Foundation, the charitable trust of the late Sam Skaggs and his wife, Aline, ISU recruited pharmacology researchers Todd Talley and Kirk Hevener to work in the lab and provided them with start-up funds to purchase equipment. Both are assistant professors in the College of Pharmacy’s Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “This is huge for ISU. We are hiring people who are doing unique work that isn’t being done anywhere else,” said Robin Dodson, a professor and student services director in the College of Pharmacy. Talley, who joined ISU in March 2012, holds a doctorate in organic and medicinal chemistry from the University of Montana in Missoula. He is a former project scientist at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California in San Diego. Talley has lectured internationally and published numerous articles on biomolecular research. Hevener holds Doctor of Pharmacy and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Before joining ISU in March, he conducted postdoctoral research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and at the Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Both researchers are working on

the frontier of drug discovery—a new approach to developing pharmaceuticals by understanding how disease and infection are controlled at the molecular and physiological level. With that knowledge, scientists are able to target specific enzymes and compounds that cause the disease. Talley is researching how nicotine binds with protein receptors in the human brain, which could one day lead to the discovery of new drugs and therapies to treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and myasthenia gravis. He

notes that nicotine receptors play a role in cognition, inflammation and pain. Hevener’s research focuses on the development of new antibiotics to fight infectious disease. Much of his work is related to the design of small molecule compounds that can inhibit the action of essential enzymes and stop or slow the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Both researchers use a process called x-ray crystallography, which enables them to view the three-dimensional structure of molecules, enzymes, and other proteins. “Think of it as a lock and key. Once we know the shape of the lock, it’s easier to design a key to fit it,” said Hevener. The biomedical lab includes a mammalian tissue culture suite, an area for X-ray crystallography, specialized microscopes, incubators and hoods. Talley and Hevener work closely with ISU-Meridian assistant professor and computational scientist, Dong “Danny” Xu, who uses computers to determine how compounds and drugs interact with disease targets. Several graduate and undergraduate students are also using the lab for their research. ISU officials see the lab as a tool to build relationships with other university and medical researchers in the area and to promote science education at Renaissance High School, which is adjacent to the ISU-Meridian Health Science Center. “The lab brings ISU’s research footprint to the Treasure Valley,” said Talley. Chris Gabettas

Anatomy and Physiology Laboratories to be Built in Meridian

daho State University plans to build an 8,000 square-foot complex on its Meridian campus, to enhance health-science education for students and provide advanced training opportunities for medical professionals. The Treasure Valley Anatomy and Physiology Laboratories, the only facility of its kind in Idaho, will include a multi-station cadaver lab for the study of the human body and a physiology lab equipped with three-dimensional computer software. Thanks to a partnership with the Idaho Education Network, ISU will be able to provide anatomy and physiology presentations to every high school in the state. Lessons could include virtual tours of the human body and

sessions in forensics, sports medicine, nutrition and healthy lifestyles, according to ISU-Meridian Academic Vice President Bessie Katsilometes. Other benefits of the Labs include: • Educating mid-level health practitioners who can help fill the gap in primary care, particularly in rural Idaho communities • Providing specialized training for schools, law enforcement and emergency service agencies • Fostering research and business opportunities in the health-care industry, one of the fastest growing sectors of the Idaho economy The cost of the labs is $3.9 million. ISU has secured $1.9 million from the Idaho Legislature and is securing the remaining amount from private donors. Chris Gabettas

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

Bristol, Fetch the Tee! I

t’s a brisk fall evening as fans file into Holt Arena on the campus of Idaho State University. The crowd’s cheers grow louder and louder until they become almost deafening as the bright lights glare down onto the field. The game has begun. Minutes later, the announcer cries, “First down, Bengals!” and the crowd goes wild, but some aren’t entirely sure whether the wild cheers are for the Bengals’ first down, or for the agile black and white border collie sprinting onto the field from the sidelines to fetch the tee— or maybe a bit of both. People who regularly attend ISU football games have most likely seen Bristol the border collie hard at work. Bristol the football-tee fetchin’ dog attends all ISU home football games and fetches the tees. He also does work for local high schools and makes appearances at events as requested. Bristol’s “parents,” Caroline and Brent Fauré, are both huge football fans and athletic trainers for local high schools. Both are affiliated with ISU, where Caroline is an associate professor. “I kind of feel like a parent who has a kid playing soccer,” said Caroline Fauré. “We have to travel because the dog has a game. It’s really fun for us.”

totally focused on the game, he knows what his job is and he takes his job very seriously.” Fauré said Bristol knows which team he’s rooting for because he cheers by barking really loudly when ISU does something well. When Bristol fetches for high school games, Fauré said he is an “equal-opportunity dog” and barks for both teams. Fauré said Bristol gets “a little bit of extra swagger” when he goes out on the field and people are cheering for him. According to Fauré, Bristol is a sports-junkie. “Anything with a ball or sportsrelated, he loves,” said Fauré. “When we leave the house everyday, he watches ESPN all day.” Bristol is actually named after ESPN, based in Bristol, Conn. and Fauré’s immediate goal is to get Bristol featured on ESPN. “The athletes love him, the students seem to like him. He even has his own little Facebook fan base,” said Fauré. “The way I see it is it’s not about my dog,” explained Fauré. “It’s about creating a cool environment for ISU athletics because those kids play hard out there and maybe our football team doesn’t win every game that they play, but they play just as hard as anyone else does in a uniform.” Fauré continued, “I am such a diehard ISU Bengal fan and supporter that I just want to do anything that can be done to create that environment and I think Bristol has helped to do that. He makes it fun and it’s just one more tiny piece of the puzzle that makes ISU athletics such a positive thing.” To follow Bristol on Facebook and to see a video of his basketball skills, visit him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ FetchTheTee. Samantha Chaffin The Bengal Newspaper

Benny and Bristol wait for go time.

ISU Photographic Services/Dustin Nicholas

Fauré recalls growing up watching the New Orleans Saints who had a dog fetch the tees during games. “I was always thinking ‘Oh, some day I want a dog who can go get the tee at football games.” Fauré said Bristol has been an incredibly intelligent dog since he was a puppy. “He had, you know, 50 different toys and he knew them all by name as a puppy,” said Fauré. “We’d say ‘Bristol, go get this’ and he’d bring back the right toy.” One day, Fauré and her husband were at little league football and decided to try to teach Bristol to fetch a tee. “We just taught him ‘Bristol, this is a tee,’ and we told him to stay, and I put the tee on the field and came back and said ‘Go get the tee’ and that was literally all it took,” recalled Fauré. Three days later, Fauré and her husband took Bristol to a practice at Highland High School where the varsity team was scrimmaging. The coach agreed to let Bristol fetch the tee. It went well and Fauré said that in four days, Bristol went from being a regular dog to a college athlete. “The next day he did the freshman game at Highland, the day after that he did the JV game at Highland, the day after that he did the varsity game at Highland and the day after that he did the ISU game,” recalled Fauré. “Everybody really embraced it, I think, at ISU and within the school district. It was a fun thing to do and it’s stayed fun,” said Fauré. “[Bristol] has a good time, it stimulates him, he’s

FALL 2013

Anthropology Students Land Internships with Smithsonian Museums I

ISU Photographic Services/Susan Duncan

daho State University’s Michelle Carpenter headed to the Washington, D.C., area this summer where she met Jane, who unfortunately was a victim of cannibalism. Speaking of 14-year-old Jane, Carpenter said, “Cut marks are evident on the frontal bone (forehead) of the skull and the occipital bone (back of the head), which suggest unsuccessful attempts to open the skull.” The Jane that Carpenter met was a resident of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia in the 1600s. She met her while working as an intern for the Smithsonian. Carpenter, a Marsh Valley resident and senior anthropology major with an emphasis in forensic anthropology, was one of two ISU Idaho Museum of Natural History Career Path Interns who landed internships with the Smithsonian museums this summer. The other IMNH CPI student was Jennifer Hernandez, from Idaho Falls, who is a senior anthropology major with an emphasis in archeology. Jennifer Hernandez, left, and Michelle Carpenter, IMNH interns shown here with some Carpenter spent her time analyzing the lead content in bones artifacts from the IMNH, headed to Washington, D.C., for Smithsonian internships. from a number of human remains from Jamestown (including Jane’s), from other places in Virginia, and from Texas, including those thought to be from Texas Ranger James Coryell. Smithsonian,” Hernandez, said. “I still can’t believe that I received Jane’s remains were especially interesting because her an internship with a stipend to go work there this summer.” remains offered some of the first tangible evidence in the archae“It was nice for me to transfer all that I’ve learned working at ological record of cannibalism occurring in Jamestown. the Idaho Museum of Natural History as a CPI intern to a bigger Her internship was funded by the National Science Foundascale and use it while at the Smithsonian,” Carpenter said. “I tion and she was working at the Smithsonian Museum Conserva- think I brought some value to them and I hope that I represented tion Institute. the Idaho Museum of Natural History well.” During her internship, her goal was to measure the levels of The ISU interns also said it probably helped that they had lead found in bone with the inductively coupled plasma-massworked with Smithsonian databases and collections during their spectrometer, an instrument that can detect metals in a sample as time at the Idaho Museum of Natural History. small as one part per trillion. “I am very proud of these students,” said Herb Maschner, “I was trying to identify if Jane was a maidservant, or if she director of the IMNH. “They are an example of the best of ISU was an upper class woman,” Carpenter said. “The spectromand have contributed greatly to the IMNH. This is also a shining eter we used has the capability to analyze the heavy metals in success of the Career Path Internship program, which is intended human remains such as lead, to be a bridge to greater oppormercury, and arsenic. Numerous tunities in a student’s career – a tests and accounts have lead summer at the Smithsonian is researchers to believe that when one of the greatest opportunia large amount of lead accumuties available.” lates in the human body, it can – Jennifer hernandez The Idaho Museum of potentially be an example of Natural History at Idaho State an upper-class individual. Those of upper-class status could typiUniversity began a new affiliation and new cooperative research cally afford to have the luxury of lead glazed pottery. Those of ventures with the Smithsonian Affiliations program during the lower status would typically eat from wooden bowls and utensils, summer of 2012. The IMNH is the only museum in Idaho with a minimizing exposure to lead.” Smithsonian Affiliation, and one of the few in the Intermountain Carpenter emphasized that the type of analysis she was doing West. can measure the amount or quantity of heavy metal, but there “The (IMNH) museum has really helped me spur my career,” are different ways the data can be interpreted. Carpenter said. “Everyone here has been extremely supportive Hernandez worked at the Smithsonian National Museum of and I probably wouldn’t have even applied for the internship if I the American Indian. had not be encouraged by a (IMNH) collections manager.” “My work with the NMAI registration department involved Smithsonian Affiliations offers museums, educational and the inventory of what is commonly referred to as the ‘problem cultural organizations across the country the opportunity to have collection,’” Hernandez said. greater access to Smithsonian collections and resources. Through The problem collection refers to uncatalogued material held the Smithsonian Affiliations program, the Smithsonian shares in collections under temporary numbers: The problem inventory its artifacts, programs, and expertise across America. The Idaho aims to identify, catalog, and document all uncatalogued mateMuseum of Natural History will now be able to host Smithsonian rial held in collections. This requires verification of current object Institution exhibits. information and locations, as well as complete cataloging using ISU’s CPI program offers students paid internships. The newly implemented standards for data entry. purpose of this program is to provide opportunities for the Both students expressed their appreciation for the experience University to employ students on campus in positions related to and support they have received from the IMNH. their academic and professional interests. “I would have lived in a cardboard box if I could work at the Andrew Taylor

“I would have lived in a cardboard box if I could go work at the Smithsonian.”

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

“The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!” Spread of invasive Russian Olive may cause nutrient pollution and non-native species “meltdown” in western streams

ait—they’re already here and are present in astounding numbers throughout the western United States posing vexing questions for researchers, land users and resource managers. The Russians referred to here are Russian Olive trees – so prevalent in Western States that many people do not realize they are a non-native, invasive species. Over the last 50 years they have escaped from their use as an ornamental tree and in plantings aimed at control of erosion. They have become the second most abundant tree on western streamside areas, second only to another non-native, invasive tree, the Tamarisk or Saltcedar, which is more common in the southwestern states. Researchers at the Idaho State University Stream Ecology Center, with support from the National Science Foundation and cooperation from the U.S. Forest Service, are investigating the ecological effects. In the coming year, this team will also begin studying the potential benefits

and risks associated with Russian Olive removal, an action that is increasingly being implemented as part of as part of watershed management. “Russian Olives spread along streams, and whereas other scientists have shown they may affect native plants and wildlife, our studies have begun to document unforeseen consequences of this terrestrial invasive species within aquatic ecosystems,” said Colden Baxter, associate professor of biological sciences and director of the ISU Stream Ecology Center. Studies led by Baxter and former ISU Ph.D. student Madeleine Mineau, now a faculty member at the University of New Hampshire, demonstrated effects Russian Olive may have on the flows of energy and nutrients in stream ecosystems. They took advantage of Russian Olive invasion at ISU’s long-term study site at Deep Creek, on the Curlew National Grassland in Southeast Idaho, where ISU researchers have worked since Baxter’s predecessor Wayne Minshall began

ecosystem investigations there in the early 1970s. Since then, there has been a dramatic invasion of Russian olive at one site, whereas another has remained free of the tree, affording a unique opportunity for a multigenerational (as an emeritus professor, Minshall has been a participant as well) before-after comparison of the stream ecosystem. Paired photos of the invaded site from the 1970s versus the present show a stark contrast, with an almost complete takeover of the streamside landscape by the invasive tree. Russian Olive trees contribute large amounts of leaf litter and olives to streams. They also fix nitrogen similar to the way legumes do, converting nitrogen from the air into forms of nitrogen that end up in soils, but also in streams. The ISU studies, published recently in the journals Ecology and Ecosystems, show that streams invaded by the tree carry increased levels of nitrogen and they also accumulate and export the Russian Olive organic matter, probably because the leaf

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ISU Photographic Services/Susan Duncan

material is tough, laced with defensive chemicals, and may be difficult for most native stream animals to use as food. Many of the streams along which Russian Olive trees are spreading already face degraded water quality, and the export of more nutrients and carbon to downstream rivers and reservoirs may exacerbate such problems in those environments as well. The ISU team is also exploring the possibility that the spread of Russian Olive trees may be facilitating increases in other nonnatives, creating wholesale ecological changes via what has been termed an “invasional meltdown.” In particular, current ISU doctoral student Kaleb Heinrich is working with Baxter to determine if Russian Olive may be contributing to the corresponding spread of another nonnative species, the common carp. “We’re studying how carp interact with Russian Olive,” Baxter said. “Carp may be subsidized and their numbers increased by the presence of Russian Olive.” It’s known, for instance, that carp, which can flourish in degraded waters where native species such as cutthroat trout cannot, will gorge themselves on the fruit of Russian Olive trees, and they, unlike most of the native fishes remaining in these streams, have large “pharyngeal” teeth that allow them to crush and derive energy from them, Baxter said. In turn, increases in carp might further degrade water quality due to their disturbance of streambed sediment while feeding and recycling of nutrients into the water, and may add to negative pressures on native species by serving as prey for nonnative predators like bass and perch. “We’re not just studying one invasive species and its effects on the ecosystem,” Heinrich said. “We’re studying a whole

Idaho State University’s Deep Creek study site before (1970, top) and after (2006, bottom) invasion by Russian Olive. Photo credits: G. Wayne Minshall (1970), Colden Baxter (2006). Opposite page: From left, doctoral student Kaleb Heinrich, Associate Professor Colden Baxter and recent ISU biological sciences graduate Alex Bell are shown electro-shocking fish in Deep Creek, gathering data for new studies.

suite of invasive species and their effects on native species and each other.” U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and private land managers have begun recognizing Russian Olive trees as a nuisance species and have begun some small- and large-

For more information on the ISU Stream Ecology Center, visit www.isu.edu/departments/strmecol/. scale Russian Olive removal projects. However, noted Baxter, the effects of removing large stands of Russian Olives are not understood. In the next year, Baxter said ISU researchers hope to

e n i l n o a mb www.isu.edu/cob • 208.282.2966

cooperate with the U.S. Forest Service to conduct an experimental Russian Olive removal project at the ISU Deep Creek study site. “Russian Olives are increasingly recognized as undesirable, and some removal efforts are already ongoing,” Baxter said. “But we don’t know what the consequences of these efforts might be. There may be pros but also unexpected cons associated with removal, and we need to evaluate those. Experiments on a smaller scale may help inform plans to do largescale removals across our region.” Andrew Taylor

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

At the Trowel’s Edge of Discovery

Front row: Jef f Castro, Lilly Lafort Tracy, Amy Coughlin, Michel una, Jake Olson, Maegan e Ru Back row: Matt Shugert, Cha nyan, David Peterson rlotte Wells, Adam Clegg, Jerry Saville, Brad Paige

ISU Archaeology Field School Makes Significant Archaeological Finds in the Sawtooth National Forest

lously sifting and searching through piles of dirt in the Sawtooth National Forest southwest of Rockland in the Sublett Mountains, about an hour and 15 minute drive from Pocatello. The students found the first three arrowhead points while doing a preliminary survey of the three sites they were directed to by Sawtooth National Forest archaeologist Brett Guisto. Those obsidian arrowheads were identified as Rose Spring points, which can be as old as 300 A.D. Others they found are probably much older.

The discoveries kept coming, some almost jumping out at the students. “One day I was giving a demonstration on how to dig efficiently with a trowel,” Peterson said. “I was saying ‘here’s how you do it’ and while I was demonstrating, an Elko (a projectile point made of chalcedony of a type that can be hundreds, even thousands of years old) popped up like a coin being flipped from the edge of the trowel.” Other finds included varieties of obsidian and stone projectile points of types ranging from 400 to 6,000 years ISU Photographic Services/Dustin Nicholas

he easy part was finding artifacts; the hard part was digging so deep. “Exciting things happened right away,” said David Peterson, Idaho State University assistant professor of anthropology, research scientist and director of the 2013 ISU Archaeology Field School. “Within 10 minutes at the first site we examined, we found three arrowheads that we could identify by their type, the first identifiable points ever found at the site.” The group’s adopted, semi-tongue-incheek slogan provided by Peterson was “at the trowel’s edge of discovery.” But Peterson, a veteran of numerous archaeological digs and other research in North America and as far away as Kazakhstan in Central Asia, was not prepared for how many artifacts his archaeologists in training would find on the edge of their trowels. “I’ve never been on a testing project where we’ve dug this deep before,” Peterson said. “Generally you dig down to a level that shows no previous occupation, maybe three feet or so, and it ends there. It seemed like the deeper we went, the more we found so we kept on going. Usually in archaeological testing you’re lucky if you find something 10 percent of the time, but we’ve found things throughout the field school.” For four weeks this summer, the field school’s 10 ISU undergraduate and two master’s-level students kept finding artifacts while they dug deeper, meticu-

Amy Coughlin, bottom, and Jeff Castro excavate one of the test pits.

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old, a knife or dart point made from petrified wood, obsidian and stone tools such as knives and scrapers, and ancient debris such as animal bones, some of which showed marks from being worked on with stone tools. Curiously, no ancient ceramics were encountered, which may mean that the site was host to many temporary camps over hundreds or even thousands of years, rather than permanent villages. More recent items included barbed wire, rivets and glazed ceramics. The crew also collected charcoal and bone samples that will be used to date the artifacts by using accelerator mass spectrometry, a method of radiocarbon dating. “It’s like fishing,” said student Matt Shugert. “Sometimes you catch some and sometimes you don’t. But overall we did pretty well.” The site is located near a spring at an intermediate elevation and was obviously well used by ancient Native Americans. It is also located along the California Trail, which thousands of emigrants to the West traveled on during the 1800s. The Sublett Troughs site that the ISU students and professor surveyed has the potential of being officially designated as a protected site on the National Register of Historic Places. Peterson said teaching site protection and conservation is a key element of the class. “One of my objectives is to get the students trained and familiar with methods of Cultural Resource Management that are practiced by government agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, and private companies, that can help them get jobs in the future” Peterson said. “We emphasized conservation and preservation of the site, and the artifacts we collected, rather than full-blown excavation that is most often part of research rather than site protection.” Students were taught how to do initial surveys of sites by walking them and completing transects, to map using GPS equipment, to perform subsurface testing, and how to excavate, as well as proper methods of field collection and labeling of artifacts and radiocarbon samples. “The best part of the class was just getting the hands-on experience,” Shugert said. “It’s one thing reading about it, it’s another thing doing it. The overall experience was great. The high point for me was finding a point at a depth of about 160 centimeters (a little over 5 feet).” The field school’s archaeological sites invite further study. “Potentially, there could be years and years of research at these spring sites,” Peterson said. Andrew Taylor

Dental Hygiene Celebrates 50 Years C

oinciding with Idaho State University’s celebration of 50 years as a university is the dental hygiene department’s celebration of 50 years of graduates. All alumni, former faculty and staff are invited and encouraged to attend. The weekend includes continuing education, campus tours, an evening celebration event, ISU Homecoming activities, a dental hygiene tailgate party at the Homecoming football game, class gatherings, and even a brunch at Buddy’s restaurant. Information and registration for the event can be found at www.isu.edu/dentalhy/fifty. shtml or by calling (208) 282-2482. The celebration offers an easy way to reconnect with friends and classmates, make contact with colleagues from around the country, and meet today’s students and faculty. ISU is one of the few universities in the U.S. that offers a bachelor’s degree program and an online master’s degree in dental hygiene. Currently the program has more than 100 students enrolled. Students from several states

in the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan are prepared to become leaders in dental hygiene practice and education through their learning experiences in these internationally recognized programs. The on-campus clinic services the oral health needs of approximately 1,400 patients per year and has been in operation since 1963.

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Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

5,000 Reasons to Love Birds … and Buy Binoculars In the 1940s, many 11- or 12-yearold boys used their saved-up allowances to buy model airplanes or trains, a BB gun (perhaps with the passion of the kid in the movie “A Christmas Story”?) or maybe an erector set. At that age in that time period, however, Chuck Trost, 79, Idaho State University professor emeritus of biological sciences, used his precious savings to buy a pair of binoculars. He’s been a hardcore birder since that purchase. Trost, who started life living on a ranch in Colorado before moving to Pennsylvania when he was 12, picked up his passion in Harrisburg, mentored by his biology teacher, Mr. Knorr. “He knew I was kind of introverted and would never do sports, so he suggested I do a bird list of a city park and that’s when I used my allowance to buy binoculars,” Trost said. “Once you buy binoculars, you’re committed.” Exactly 4,770 bird species later (but who’s counting?) Trost’s commitment and passion towards birding remains intact

and has been a constant throughout his existence. Trost was passionate about birds during the three years he was in the Army and was stationed in Germany from 1953-56. He birded wherever and whenever he could in Europe during this period without the benefit of having any kind of field guide. “There were no bird books,” Trost said. “I had to write down pages and

“Birds just happen to be the hook that lets me see these fascinating fields of science,” Trost said. At ISU, he transferred his love of birds, and probably his second greatest intellectual passion – the teachings of Charles Darwin and Darwin’s contemporary Alfred Russell Wallace – to his undergraduate and graduate students at ISU during his 32 years teaching at the university. “It was a fantastic job,” Trost said. “My god, think about it, I got to babble about birds all the time and teach about evolution. I taught about evolution in my Comparative Anatomy class to a bunch of people who might not have been exposed to – Chuck Trost it otherwise.” During his time at ISU he mentored 35 master’s students and seven pages of notes about the birds I was Ph.D. students who earned their degrees, seeing to figure out how to identify and several more who didn’t. them.” “It was a wonderful experience,” he Using the GI Bill, Trost kept learning added. “They (the graduate students and about birds and biology, earning a bachsome of his undergraduate students, too) elor’s degree in biology from Penn State are like family. I’m still traveling with a University, a master’s at the University of lot of them.” Florida and a doctorate from the UniverAnother part of Trost’s legacy in sity of California Los Angeles before Pocatello is his involvement with the landing a job at ISU.

“I used my allowance to buy binoculars. Once you buy binoculars, you’re committed.”

‘Cheeky’ Magpies Do Funerals, Other Reasons to Love them Of the more than 10,000 bird species worldwide and the nearly 5,000 that Chuck Trost has identified on his life list, the ISU Professor Emeritus has one clear favorite: magpies. “I studied them for 20 years and I had several students do their thesis work on them,” Trost said. “They belong to the same family that crows do, the Corvids, and are highly intelligent. They do weird things.” Here are some weird things magpies do: 1. They have funerals. “I don’t know why, but magpies will have a funeral over a dead magpie,” Trost said. “I suspect they’re trying to see what killed the magpie.” 2. Having funerals is innate for them. “I hand-reared some magpies taking them from their nest. My black and white baseball cap fell off my head when I was in their cage and they had a funeral for it. They couldn’t have learned that behavior.” This characteristic has also since been

tested by other experiments in the wild. 3. Magpies are really “cheeky,” according to Trost. He said male magpies have a linear hierarchy based on when they’ve hatched, the earlier, the more dominant. The dominant males display and engage in acts that Trost described as “macho” or “showing off” to prove their status. An example of this is when a Cooper’s Hawk landed on the roof of the cage of a flock of seven wild young male magpies. While most of the magpies bounced off the walls and squawked, fleeing as far from their natural predator on their cage as they could, the dominate male flew up and pulled a tail feather from his mortal enemy. Many similar actions have also been documented in the wild. Chuck saw a magpie also pull a tail feather off a Great Horned Owl. “They’re fun to watch to figure out what they’re up to,” said Trost, who can recount many more weird things that magpies do that are not listed here. Andrew Taylor

FALL 2013

Chuck Trost and his dog, Claire, on a walk and bird watch along the Portneuf River greenbelt in Pocatello this summer.

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ISU Photographic Services/Susan Duncan

Portneuf Valley Audubon Society, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2013. Trost founded the local chapter. The PVAS has been one of the area’s most active conservation and educational groups, raising money and volunteering for a variety of causes and projects (more on the PVAS is available at www.pvaudubon.org/). Since retiring in 2000 Trost has been on a birding bash. His goal is to identify 5,000 different species of birds. As of late June 2013 he had 4770. During his lifetime bird chase Trost has visited all the earth’s continents and 40 countries, including 32 since retiring. Post-retirement countries he has visited include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Galapagos (three times), Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras (three times), Mexico (three times), England, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa (three times), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malaysia (Bali, Flores, Komodo and Borneo), Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, N. India, China, Australia (three times) and New Zealand. He also has visited Antarctica. As of this writing, in 2013 Trost had plans to travel to Indonesia to the islands of Sulawesi and Halmahera on a July jaunt, and then to Australia and Tasmania in December. Trost will keep birding as long as he can. “It’s a game and fun to see new birds, and I learn so much by doing it,” Trost said. “You’re looking at the history of the earth by looking at birds.” Andrew Taylor

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

n a hot July afternoon in Boise, it was cool inside the offices of Drake Cooper, Idaho’s largest advertising agency. And it had little to do with the thermostat. The décor in this former warehouse in Boise’s trendy BoDo district is sleek, edgy and sustainable. Metal screens that look like hundreds of amoebas welded together grace the main work area. The letter slots in the mail room are made of recycled PVC pipe. And bicycles serve as “company cars” for quick errands around town. The company vibe is teamwork, respect and collaboration. Don Draper, the ego-driven protagonist on AMC’s “Mad Men,” the hit television series about Madison Avenue’s advertising industry in the 1960s, wouldn’t last a day at Drake Cooper. “We’re definitely a ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ organization,” said Bill Drake, agency founder, chairman and Idaho State University graduate. In 3½ decades, he’s managed to turn a one-man operation into one of the top advertising agencies in the Northwest with close to 30 employees and dozens of advertising awards. For the past two years, Outside magazine has voted Drake Cooper one of the best places to work in America based on company success, work-life balance and commitment to community. Outside ranked the agency 26th in 2012 and 11th this year.

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Go East, Young Man

rake left his hometown of Boise in 1963 to major in economics at ISU. He loved his social science classes so much that he ended up majoring in sociology and taking a minor in economics. “I had a wonderful undergraduate experience,” he said, noting the Pocatello campus was small, but rich in cultural opportunity. He saw the top music acts of the day and enjoyed dozens of foreign films and symphonies that made their way to Bengal Country. Active in student life, Drake served as president of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and chaired the student homecoming committee. After graduation, he considered entering the U.S. Navy, but a medical condition disqualified him for service. So with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in economics, Drake weighed other options. “I could go to work for social services in Compton, Calif., tracing venereal diseases… or work as a field representative for the national office of my fraternity,” he said. He chose the latter. Drake boarded a plane and headed to Richmond, Va., where he worked for Sigma Phi Epsilon for a year. He then took a public relations job with the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Philadelphia. “I loved the East Coast. It was a brand new exciting adventure for me. It was a part of the world I’d never seen,” he recalls. It was also a tumultuous time in American history—with war protests and urban riots playing out in the nation’s largest cities. In 1969, Drake decided it was time to come home.

Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz

e returned to Boise without a job, but an interest in advertising. Drake’s East Coastexperience had exposed him to the so-called Peacock Revolution. Trends in 1960s counterculture and fashion were becoming mainstream. Brands like Alka Seltzer, Virginia Slims and Volkswagen were launching cutting-edge campaigns. Drake soon landed a job as an account executive with one of Boise’s top advertising agencies and would start in three months. “And then I realized, ‘I don’t know doodley-squat about advertising,’” he recalled with a chuckle. It was time to cram. Drake checked out every book he could find on advertising and read it cover to cover. He learned all he could about ad strategy, media buys, messaging and design. His tenacity paid off with assignments for clients J.R. Simplot, the Idaho Potato Commission and Provident Federal Savings. “The business was my mistress without a question. It was my passion. It was my drive. I could see the possibilities,” said Drake. On June 1, 1978, he opened his own agency in downtown Boise after taking out a second mortgage on his home. “I did everything, including the media plans, the market studies, the research,” said Drake. He hired a colleague on a contract basis to do the artwork.

In three years’ time, he had a solid roster of clients and enough money to hire three or four employees. The agency continued to grow, landing big fish, including a couple of big political campaigns and regional accounts for McDonald’s.

New Frontier

he next two decades brought change and challenges: a merger with a Seattle agency (and subsequent split); the emergence of the Internet and Digital Age; and the Great Recession. Drake has survived it all, reinventing his agency to keep up with market trends and technology. He says his creative and management team is the strongest it’s ever been, thanks to the leadership of business partner and chief executive officer Jamie Cooper. Clients include Jacksons Food Stores, St. Luke’s Health System, CBH Homes, Jensen Jewelers, the Idaho Division of Tourism, and the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation. Drake Cooper employees select a pro bono client every year for a branding and advertising makeover—the company’s way of giving back to the community. Past recipients include the Boise Bicycle Project, a volunteer organization that recycles bikes, and Usful Glassworks, a company that re-purposes discarded glass.

Passing the Torch

espite a busy schedule, Drake, an author and university lecturer, frequently mentors young people who want to enter advertising. His advice can apply to college graduates in any field. • Decide what you want out of life. • Do it with passion and gusto. • Find milestones along the way to measure progress • Don’t be afraid to make a change. Drake, 69, says he’ll retire soon, passing the torch to CEO Cooper. He expects the transition to be seamless. “Besides, if they need me, they can call me,” he said. Chris Gabettas

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

Bringin’ Home the Hardware O

n the court and in the classroom, the women of Idaho State University Athletics are excelling. Since 2012, the soccer, softball and women’s basketball teams have all won Big Sky titles, and they are primed for more success.

Soccer I

All photos for this sto ry by ISU Photograph ic Services/Bethany

Baker

n 2012, the Idaho State soccer team won a conference title. The Bengals were picked to finish seventh in the Big Sky, but ISU surprised the rest of the league and tallied a 6-2-1 conference record, tied with Montana and Portland State for the best record in the conference. The Bengals won the right to host the 2012 tournament because of a win over PSU and a tie with UM. In the semifinal match, the Bengals played Weber State to a 1-1 tie but advanced to the championship with a 4-3 shootout win. In the finals, ISU faced Montana who beat Portland State, 3-2, in the semifinal. After 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Bengals defeated the Griz 4-3 in the shootout to claim the Big Sky title. The championship was the fifth in the 15-year history of the Idaho State Soccer Program (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2012). Soccer coach Allison Gibson knows that winning tradition would not be possible without the support of the university and community. “Anytime we have a recruit on campus, people are very helpful and friendly. That goes a long way with the student-athletes we are recruiting and their parents,” Gibson said. “In our program we talk a lot about being good people and striving on a daily basis to make the best choices, no matter the topic. When you commit to being a good person and working hard in all aspects of your life, it will naturally transfer onto the soccer field.”

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Softball

xpectations weren’t high for the Bengals at the start of softball season; the coaches picked Idaho State to finish last in the newly formed Big Sky conference league. The Bengals blew away those predictions early when they scored wins over high caliber teams such as Nevada, Utah, Cal State Northridge, Fresno State and Santa Clara in the nonconference schedule. The Bengals cruised to a 14-4 Big Sky record and earned a share of the regular season Big Sky Championship and the right to host the first ever Big Sky Softball Tournament at Miller Ranch Stadium. Softball is in its second stint as a varsity sport at Idaho State. ISU fielded a team from 1976-83 before discontinuing the sport. It was brought back in 2007 and Head Coach Julie Wright finished her third season in 2013. Wright hopes the 2013 title will help bridge the gap between the two generations of Bengal teams. “The fact that we were able to bring the first ever conference championship to the program really made our current team proud,” Wright said. “We have three softball players in the ISU Hall of Fame and we talk a lot about their successes and how we want to honor them with our own success. In a sense, we hope that all of the turmoil in the past can be put to rest and that our alumni can now look at the program with pride.”

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

Basketball

he softball field isn’t the only arena where Bengals have exceeded expectations. The Bengal women’s basketball team closed out the 2011-12 season with its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2007. ISU went 14-2 in conference play to earn the right to host the tournament and then beat Northern Colorado in front of a packed Reed Gym in the Big Sky Conference Championship game. In 2012-13, the Bengals went 13-7 in the expanded Big Sky to earn a trip to the conference tournament in Missoula, Mont. The Bengals boast an impressive 45-9 mark at Reed Gym in the last four years. Coach Seton Sobolewski believes that Idaho State’s fans have helped to create a top-notch, game day atmosphere at Reed Gym. “Our fan support is what separates us from a lot of the Big Sky Conference,” Sobolewski said. “We have better attendance at Reed Gym than all of the major universities in our region as well as some of the big university names in our country. Our fans are amazing!”

Volleyball and Cross Country

n volleyball, the Bengals were undefeated at home for the first time since 1989, and posted a 23-7 season, led by Big Sky MVP Lori Mendenhall-Lee. Mendenhall-Lee was the second ISU volleyball player to receive the award. Susie Johnson earned the first MVP honor for her 1990 season with the Bengals.

he women’s cross country program had a notable accomplishment in 2010 when Erica Wendt-Richardson won the Big Sky Women’s Individual Cross Country championship. The only other Bengal runner to win the award was on the men’s side when Art Scott won the event in 1964. The success on the field has been matched with success in the classroom. Overall Idaho State ranked No. 1 in the Big Sky for academics for the 2012-13 season. A school record 14 players from the 2012 Big Sky title soccer team were named to the All-Big Sky Academic team. Eleven players from the softball team were also named to the team and six members of the 2012-13 Bengal women’s basketball team were honored. The future looks bright for Idaho State athletics and the amazing studentathletes that carry the banner for this wonderful institution. Jerek Wolcott

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Kimberlyn Fehringer competing in break away roping earlier this year.

Women’s Rodeo Wins National Championship The Idaho State University women’s rodeo team, led by freshman Kimberlyn Fehringer Fitch of American Falls, won the College Nationals Finals Rodeo on June 15 in Casper, Wyo. The ISU women’s team finished first with 520 team points; Northeastern Junior College was second with 490 points; and Tarleton State University was third with 435 points. The College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls finished fifth with 365. Fehringer Fitch won the breakaway roping with 370 points, earned seventh in barrel racing, and won Reserve All-Around (second place in the all-around competition). To top it off, she was CNFR Rookie of the year. “She is one of the best rodeo athletes to represent Idaho State University throughout its history,” said Melisa Moon Giannini, ISU Rodeo Club advisor. As impressive as Fehringer’s efforts were, ISU couldn’t have won the competition without the contributions of other team members. Other ISU women scoring points were Shelby Freed of Pocatello who placed 13th in breakaway roping and

32nd in goat tying and Megan Gunter of McCammon 15th in breakaway roping. Kiara Wanner of Preston also finished 39th in barrel racing. “Although Kimberlyn won the lion’s share of points for our team, it took the entire team to win nationals,” Giannini said. “The girls worked hard and the coaches worked hard. It was great to see their hard work and practice pay off. This is the first national championship for an ISU rodeo team.” The ISU women’s team was favored to win the CNFR and held up under pressure. “The competition was intense. I am so proud of their accomplishment,” Giannini said. “There are no divisions – we compete at the very highest level against the top rodeo teams in the nation.” The ISU men’s team finished 33rd in the nation at the CNFR and was led by Cy Eames of Gooding who finished fifth in tie-down roping. “It was a great year for both the women’s and men’s teams,” Giannini said. “And ISU rodeo would like to thank the community, the coaching staff and ISU Campus Recreation for all of their support.”

LEADING IDAHO Educating health professionals

We offer more than 20 graduate and undergraduate programs in the health sciences and provide dental, counseling, and speech language services for underserved populations at our clinics.

Meridian health Science Center (208) 373-1700 www.isu.edu/meridian

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

Time travel, Luke Skywalker, Frankenstein, Bilbo Baggins, Mary Poppins and jazz. H

ISU Photographic Services/Susan Duncan

ow does jazz fit in the list above? In Brian Attebery’s opinion, jazz describes the way the creators of science fiction books, films and computer games build off one another and their genres. Like a jazz bassist influenced by Mingus then Stanley Clark and adding his own licks, these writers re-interpret their genres and improvise to create their own unique angles. “I like to make the comparison to jazz, about the collaborative nature of science fiction,” said Attebery, an ISU professor of English and philosophy since 1982. “Science fiction (and fantasy) develops by writers using the ideas of others and then developing them.” For example, Russian scientists proposed the idea of multigenerational interstellar vessels that travel close to the speed of light in the 1920s. By the 1930s stories were appearing that included generation starships. “Other writers come along such as Robert Heinlein, and provide different angles, new subplots and new developments,” Attebery said. “More recent writers such as Molly Gloss and Gene Wolfe have taken up the generation ship idea and there are still newer novels and short stories being written with different themes and different ways of imagining the setting. The advantage for the writer is that he doesn’t have to make up stuff from scratch and the reader can recognize the story and see what’s new and different.” Travel to the stars is just one of the staples of science fiction. “Another example is the Frankenstein story of making an artificial life form, first invented by Mary Shelley back in 1820. Now you have a new one (story about artificial life) every month.” These improvisations and collaborative works become music to our minds. Thousands of college students nationwide enroll in college courses to get a grip on the richness of science fiction or fantasy literature, and many of

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Brian Attebery, a fourth-generation Idahoan who was raised in Caldwell, earned his bachelor’s degree from The College of Idaho and his doctorate from Brown University. He married Jennifer Attebery, another ISU English and philosophy professor, on New Year’s Eve of 1975 while in graduate school. The couple moved to Pocatello in 1982 when Brian was offered a job. Between the two of them, the Atteberys have earned three Fulbright Awards, two for Jennifer and one for Brian. Brian is also an adjunct instructor in the music department and teaches cello, an instrument he plays in the Idaho State Civic Symphony. those read an anthology that Attebery helped create. Attebery teamed with renowned fantasy/science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin and consultant Karen Joy Fowler to edit the Norton Book of Science Fiction, used in many college science fiction classes since it was created in 1993. More recently, in 2012, Attebery was a contributor to the Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature and the forthcoming Oxford Companion to Science Fiction and his collection of scholarly articles Parabolas of Science Fiction, co-edited with Veronica Hollinger of Trent University, was released this year. He has published widely on his passions of sci-fi and fantasy in a variety of other publications. Since fall of 2006, he has been editor of the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, with graduate students in the ISU English department serving as editorial assistants. He’s also been lauded. Awards he has received include the Distinguished Scholarship Award from the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts and the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies. He was honored as ISU’s Distinguished Researcher in 1997 and was given an award for Outstanding Achievement in the Humanities by the Idaho Humanities Council in 2004. The Science Fiction Research Association honored him with its Pilgrim Award for lifetime achievement in science fiction and fantasy criticism in 2009. Attebery, who got hooked on these genres in about first grade after reading the Oz books, gave some hints on what fuels his interest and accomplishments. “The most engaging stories have always been fantastic myths, fairytales, legends and the like,” he said. “I think people are interested in fantasy because it takes us out of ourselves and allows us to look back and see real life in a new way. “There are so many new story lines with the same basic outline, but once you’ve put in characters, setting and images all drawn from experience, the old storyline becomes something new in each generation,” he added. “ I also think in disturbing times we want the coherence of a fairytale.” As for science fiction, Attebery said its influence is easily recognized. “I think the world we live in has been partly imagined by science fiction writers,” he said, while pointing at a laptop computer and gesturing to someone talking on a cell phone. “People often say we live in a science fiction world now. Just look around and you can see the implications of that.” Andrew Taylor

When pressed by ISU Magazine, ISU English Professor Brian Attebery offered this reading list of his Top 5 classic and contemporary books in both the fantasy and science fiction genres. His separation point between classic and contemporary is about 1980. It is worth noting, too, that Attebery said he thinks some of the most creative and compelling work in fantasy and science fiction is now on display in computer games and other forms of new media.

J. R. R. Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings” C. S. Lewis, “Till We Have Faces” Hope Mirrlees, “Lud-in-the-Mist” George MacDonald, “Lilith” Ursula K. Le Guin, “A Wizard of Earthsea”

John Crowley, “Little, Big” Diana Wynne Jones, “Fire and Hemlock” Terry Pratchett, “Small Gods” Jo Walton, “Tooth and Claw”

H. G. Wells, “The Time Machine” Arthur C. Clarke, “Childhood’s End” Ray Bradbury, “The Martian Chronicles” Catherine L. Moore, “The Best of C. L. Moore” (short fiction) Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Left Hand of Darkness”

Geoff Ryman, “Air” Eleanor Arnason, “Ring of Swords” Kim Stanley Robinson, “Galileo’s Dream” Octavia Butler, “Blood Child” (short fiction) David Mitchell, “Cloud Atlas”

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

ISU grad leads Midshipmen on Quest for Three-peat Former ISU basketball standout Stephanie Pemper, in her fifth season as the head coach of the women’s team at the U.S. Naval Academy, was nearing the end of a practice earlier this season when she called together several upperclassmen. “I pulled the juniors and I had something critical to say of Jade (Geif, a forward) in front of them,” says Pemper, who was inducted into the ISU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. “Alix (Membreno, a guard) matter-of-factly said, ‘Feedback is

good. You are a good coach and you just gave us feedback.’ She took the emotion out of it. It was awesome.” Pemper shared the story as an example of what she appreciates about coaching at Navy, which plays in the academically-challenging Division I Patriot League. “I like how they are so proud here. I love the diversity of our team, personally, geographically, racially, educationally and socioeconomically,” she notes. “That part is really rewarding. I continue to

love how the whole school helps me do my job and train these women. Respecting authority and respecting leadership are among the player traits.” Navy has certainly been successful on the court under Pemper, who led the Midshipmen to Patriot League tournament titles in 2011 and 2012. She began the 2012-13 season with a lifetime mark of 71-55 at Navy after a 10-year run as the head coach at Division III Bowdoin in Maine. Navy had just one winning record in

Photo by Phil Hoffmann, Navy Athletics

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the eight years before Pemper arrived in the spring of 2008. “I heard some really nice things this summer about the program,” says Pemper, who can be seen riding a motorcycle on the Navy campus. “It is really nice. I am very happy for the women. They are incredibly proud of the work they have put in. I don’t think it could be healthier in any way.” So how did someone who grew up in Huntington Beach, California end up at ISU? “I wanted to get out of state, I wanted to play Division I and get a scholarship,” she recalls. “They were the first to offer. I had some really good professors who were really just available and nurturing, to be honest.” On the court she was the only junior in the starting lineup on a team with seven seniors. One of her best memories is beating Boise State and earning a trip to the conference tournament. One of her assistant coaches was Nancy Graziano, now the associate athletic director/senior woman administrator at ISU. She was an all-Big Sky Conference player as a junior and senior and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications in 1992 and later received a Master’s of Physical Education/Athletic Administration in 1997. Pemper began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Alaska-Anchorage in 1992-93, then spent two seasons at ISU as an assistant. She became an assistant at Harvard in 1995 and then was named the head coach at Bowdoin in 1998. In 2004, she led the Maine school to a record of 30-1 and a spot in the Division III title game and was tabbed as the WBCA NCAA Division III coach of the year. While recruiting at Navy can be challenging with its military commitments after graduation, Pemper has discovered side benefits as well. Pemper said several of her players seek out the strength and conditioning staff at the school, not just for basketball but because they want to join the Marines and have to excel on the obstacle course. “At no other school would that happen,” Pemper says. “There is a sense of community: when one of the freshmen messes up, a junior thinks it is her fault. It is pretty cool that they take that responsibility.” David Driver Editor’s note: David Driver is a freelance writer who has covered college basketball for more than 20 years and has contributed to Basketball Times, The Associated Press and The Washington Post. He can be reached at www.davidsdriver.com

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Idaho State University Magazine

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Barbara Mason Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences College of Pharmacy, Division of Health Sciences

What inspired you to be a University professor?

A geriatric certificate program serendipitously opened the door to my teaching career, and I hope that the recent Division of Health Sciences development and offering of a geriatric certificate program will be as life changing for our students as it was for me. I couldn’t decide between a career in social work or pharmacy and feel I am blessed to have found the best of both professions through my faculty position with ISU and practice site at the Boise VA Clinics. Teaching has allowed me to initiate, implement and develop pharmaceutical care services in four different sites. This has been invaluable to me as a professor because I can teach students that they can open doors to pharmacy practice and utilize what they learn in class no matter where their pharmacy career will take them.

Why teach in a university setting?

I never planned on being a university professor and was always the quiet student in the back row of class. I have learned over the years that what I do is more than what I say. I am more of a role model to my students when I learn than when I teach. I see my task as helping students become successful and reach their potential. I am thankful that ISU values the importance of faculty and student involvement in state pharmacy organizations and recognizes the importance of maintaining strong relationships with Idaho’s pharmacy practitioners. Those relationships help ensure we provide our students with the best clinical experience possible.

If you weren’t a university professor what do you think you would be doing?

I have gypsy blood and never intended on teaching at ISU for 26 years plus, but I can’t think of a better place to live and work. If I weren’t teaching I would be working as a traveling pharmacist doing itinerate work across the United States or doing work with the Peace Corps. What has teaching taught you about yourself?

The older and wiser I become, the more I realize that I am just like my students— not always wanting to be taught, but always wanting to learn. Having a teaching mentor— ISU professor emeritus Dr. Sandra Jue— allowed me to grow as a professional and learn to lead by example. Photo by Chris Gabettas

Barbara Mason is based at the Idaho State University-Meridian Health Science Center. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Nebraska in 1982 and completed a primary care residency at the Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 1983. During her tenure at South Dakota State University, she initiated a geriatrics pharmacy curriculum and ambulatory-care pharmacy service at the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center. Mason joined ISU in 1987. Pharmacy students who received ISU’s Outstanding Student Award honors in 2000 and 2013, selected Mason as their Most Influential Professor. In 2007, Mason was the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Services’ Teacher of the Year.

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Photo by Chris Gabettas

What is the most difficult aspect of teaching?

I was never really taught to teach, and in my mind, I started my career as a pharmacist faculty member, not an academician. The growth of ISU–Meridian has allowed me to come full circle in my career, and I see myself more as a university professor than as a pharmacist. Interprofessional education was the philosophy of the curriculum when I was a student, and it has resurged front and center today. Yet, there are still day-to-day barriers to making it happen. Is there an identifying moment where you knew you had a pronounced positive impact upon a student?

I am thankful and take pride in a student who told me after class that I had forever changed the way he thinks of pharmacy. I am happier imparting attitudes over knowledge and skills any day. What do you want students to take from their ISU experience?

Recent past pharmacy residents— Courtenay Gilmore Wilson and Jamie Klucken— developed a teaching certificate program for ISU. The growth, evolution and impact of that program continue to enlighten me as a professor every year. This desire to teach, be a lifelong learner and give back to the pharmacy profession are what I want students to take from their ISU experience.

What career/life messages do you try to impart upon your students?

I remind students that leadership stems not from a designated administrative title but from within and should be a part of their everyday personal and professional life. I always want my students to learn as much from their patients as the patients learn from them and that interaction will keep them motivated in their career.

Kristin Moore HOMETOWN: Joliet, Montana HIGH SCHOOL: Joliet High School, 2003 Higher Education: University of Montana, Missoula Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, 2007 ISU Class Year: Graduate Student, May 2014 Major: Master of Public Health HOBBIES: Some of my favorite hobbies are cooking/baking, reading, and knitting. I also enjoy outdoor activities, especially boating or hiking. Career Goals: My career goal(s) are constantly changing and evolving because I am interested in so many different areas of public health. At this point, I would just like to make it through school! Though specifics are still in the works, after graduation my general goal is to work in health promotion and prevention. Why ISU–Meridian Health Science Center? Honestly, the deciding factor for me was a very personal one: my family. After I finished my undergrad, I moved to New York City to do a yearlong AmeriCorps program but fell in love with the city and ended up living there for three more years. I finally decided half way through living there that I wanted to go back to school to get my Master of Public Health degree and started researching programs throughout the United States. I found that ISU’s program was very comparable to all the other schools I was looking into. Ultimately, I decided that ISU-Meridian was the best choice for me because I knew I would receive just as good an education as the larger, more expensive schools but with the added bonus of being near my sisters and their families. ISU EXPERIENCE: So far my ISU experience has exceeded all my expectations. The MPH program is a small community run by great faculty and my classmates are amazing. I have also been incredibly fortunate to have a Career Path Internship with the Institute of Rural Health. Through the internship, I work directly with two faculty to help plan, organize, and execute six interdisciplinary Community Health Screening (CHS) Events that are offered throughout the school year. The CHS are free events for anyone 18 or older and focus on providing preventative health screening tests and to connect the uninsured and the under-insured to free and low cost health care facilities. This experience has allowed me to interact with faculty from just about every department on the ISU-Meridian campus, as well as the many students that volunteer at each screening. Advice to future students: Make sure you are taking the time to experience a diverse life. Had I not taken time off between my degrees, or lived in a different area than the one I grew up in, I know that I would not be getting nearly as much out of my graduate education. Never be afraid to explore all of your options.

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

It’s A Healthy Collaboration Our main mission at Portneuf is to provide superb healthcare to the residents of southeast Idaho. As a 187 bed trauma center that’s no small responsibility. However, we know that in the field of healthcare there is always more to be done. That’s why for over 50 years we’ve had a very rewarding partnership with Idaho State University’s School of Nursing, and more recently with ISU’s Family Residency program. Portneuf provides the perfect healthcare environment where tomorrow’s much needed young physicians and nurses can receive real world experiences. In addition, Portneuf has recently expanded our longstanding history of commitment to sports medicine. Advanced treatment of our community’s young student athletes will be greatly enhanced through the creation of a new sports medicine clinic. This very special collaboration with ISU enables the university to maintain a leadership position as the state’s premier healthcare educator, while we continue to meet the needs of patients throughout the region. It’s a partnership we’re proud to be a part of and one we see expanding in the years ahead.

239-1000 • 777 Hospital Way, Pocatello

PortMed.org

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Don Hall EDUCATION: Bachelors of Science, Human Resource Training and Development, 2007 Advanced Occupational Specialist in Law Enforcement PROFESSION: Director of the Law Enforcement Program at the College of Southern Idaho

CAES

HOBBIES: Hunting, fishing, four-wheeling, guns, Jiu Jitsu, and traveling with my family. LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: While I was mayor of the city of Twin Falls, 2010-2012, we hired a new city manager and we were able to attract Chobani Yogurt Factory to our community. This is the largest yogurt factory in the world at just less than a million square feet. This will provide hundreds of jobs for our community. Currently, I serve as the vice-mayor and after this year I will have served eight years on the city council. WHY I DO WHAT I DO: Most of my professional life I have been in the public sector. A few years back I went into the private sector for a few years which was a great experience. What I found during that time is that I am hard-wired to work for the public. I must work with the community in one capacity or the other. ISU RECOLLECTION: The path to ISU was formed by my experience with CSI. I remember how supportive both

Lesa Wagner, ISU assistant director and Chris Vaage, ISU director at CSI for ISU, were to me as I ventured into uncharted waters. They always were encouraging and with Lesa also continuing her experience I had the opportunity to get to know her better in classes that we attended together. ISU EXPERIENCE: Higher education was not a priority with my family growing up, so I was the first to go on and receive any post-secondary education. My experience with ISU was positive and has opened doors to different career paths that I have taken in my life. The ability to go on with your education, locally, cannot be overemphasized. I would never have been able to go to Pocatello or Boise to continue my education because of my local obligations. The partnership that CSI and ISU have formed has made local education a reality for many in our area. WORDS OF WISDOM: In our world today I see so many people living in the past or so worried about the future that they live in it. My philosophy is to learn from the past, plan for the future, but live in the present.

At the Center for Advanced Energy Studies,weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting into

hot water THE GEOTHERMAL KIND. Our researchers are exploring new technologies and techniques to help Idaho and the region turn the Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heat into a reliable, renewable source of energy. www.caesenergy.org

A research collaboration between Boise State University, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho State University and University of Idaho.

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

Homecoming 2013: 50 Years of Celebrating ‘U’ Idaho State College became Idaho State University in 1963. Students all over campus celebrated while the official signing ceremony, in Boise, was witnessed by ISU Student Body President Judi Day and ISU President Donald E. Walker. After years of struggling to be raised to university status, Gov. Robert Smylie made it official after passage of the “ISU Bill” by the legislature in February, 1963. To celebrate 50 years as a fouryear university, the 2013 Homecoming celebration for Idaho State University alumni, friends and students is scheduled for September 30 through October 5,

2013. The annual Kickoff Celebration is Thursday, October 3, at Pinehurst Nursery and Floral. The Alumni Board of Directors will hold their fall meeting on Friday, October 4, and the President’s Alumni Recognition Dinner, hosted by President Arthur C. Vailas and Dr. Laura I. Vailas, will be Friday evening, October 4. Alumni being recognized at the President’s Alumni Recognition Dinner are Douglas R. Pitman, Distinguished Alumnus; Dr. Karen Appleby, ISU Achievement Award; George Casper, ISU Distinguished Service Award; Gail and Nannette Siemen, William J. Bartz Award;

Bobbi Wilhelm, Young Alumni Award; President’s Medallion recipients are Sen. Edgar Malepeai, Phil and Bekki Meador and the ISU Federal Credit Union. The 2013 Parade Marshal is Judge Peter D. McDermott. The annual Homecoming parade will take place Saturday, October 5 starting at 9:30 a.m. The football game, ISU against North Dakota, will begin at 2 p.m. at Holt Arena. For questions or specific information contact K.C. Felt, Director of Alumni Relations at (208) 282-4735 or feltkc@ isu.edu. Additional information can be found on the Alumni website at www.isu. edu/alumni/homecoming.shtml.

Tag yourself You may have noticed us snapping a lot of photos. That’s because we are proud of our ISU alumni and friends. Many photos from our events are posted on Facebook. You are invited to look through them and tag yourself when you see your smiling face. /idahostatealumni

FALL 2013

ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors welcomes new members, board president The ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors will see significant changes at its annual Homecoming board meeting. Seven new directors will be welcomed, replacing board members whose terms are expiring. New members are Jamie L. Bell, Pocatello, Idaho; Gregory N. Bosen, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Craig D. Hobdey, Gooding, Idaho; Dustin Mortimer, Boise, Idaho; Ryan J. Sargent, Pocatello, Idaho; Debbie L. Thompson, Pocatello, Idaho; and Joshua C. Whitworth, Boise, Idaho. Retiring members being recognized for their years of service to Idaho State University and the ISU Alumni Association are Ron Bolinger, Anntara

2013 Sports Hall of Fame The 2013 Sports Hall of Fame induction will take place November 9, 2013. The 2013 Class of Inductees is: • • • • •

Ed Smith Baseball (70-72) Telly Lockette Football (95-97) Nancy Espeseth Women’s Basketball (’85) Jackie Poulson* Track & Field (99-03) James “Byrd” Yizar Lifetime Achievement Award

The award ceremony will be conducted on Saturday, November 9, 2013, at noon in the Bistline Thrust Theatre in the Stephens Performing Arts Center. The honorees will be guests in the President’s Box at the ISU vs. Portland State football game and will be introduced on the field at half-time. All alumni and friends are welcome to participate in celebrating and acknowledging these fine former Idaho State University athletes.

Clockwise from top left: Telly Lockette; Ed Smith; Nancy Espeseth; James “Byrd” Yizar; Jackie Poulson (deceased).

Smith, Rick Semba, Lynn Winmill, JoAn Dilweg, Lincoln Yamashita and board president, Deb Stone. These board members will also be recognized at the President’s Alumni Recognition Dinner on Friday, October 4, 2013. Continuing as members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors are Kebai Bills, Pocatello, Idaho; Cathy Conley, Pocatello, Idaho; Jim Francfort, Pocatello, Idaho; Josh Gehrke, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Alan Jones, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Becky Kearns, Park City, Utah; Steve Kenyon, Boise, Idaho; Jean Lacy, Buckley, Washington; Jim Liday, Pocatello, Idaho; Dave Lowry, Pocatello, Idaho; Julie Moore, Boise, Idaho; Blaine Nisson, Green Valley,

Arizona; Doug Pendleton, Pocatello, Idaho; Jason Scott, Boise, Idaho; Gail Siemen, Pocatello, Idaho; and Rod Tucker, American Falls, Idaho. Installed at the annual Homecoming board meeting on Friday, October 4, 2013 along with the seven new board members will be new board president, Larry Satterwhite, Boise, Idaho. The president’s term is two years and board members terms are four years. Anyone interested in serving on the Alumni Board of Directors can obtain additional information from any current board member or information can be found on the Alumni website at www.isu.edu/ alumni/board.shtml.

Idaho State University Magazine

FALL 2013

Join the ISU Alumni Associatio n! Legacy

a Bengal for Life!

Membership cost

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$1,000

Bengals for life

Single Membership Couple Membership Payoff Schedule Payment Total Payment Total

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2013 Award Recipients Professional Achievement Award recipients

Outstanding Student Award recipients

College of Arts and Letters Fine Arts and Humanities Social and Behavioral Sciences

Richard K. Ardinger Col. F. Paul Briggs

College of Arts and Letters Fine Arts and Humanities Social and Behavioral Sciences

Alexa B. Goff Steven R. Boomhower

College of Business

Phil “Jake” Jones

College of Business

Cassidy J. Fernandez

College of Education

Dr. Blaine D. Nisson

College of Education

Kole H. Spaulding

College of Science and Engineering Engineering Natural and Physical Sciences

Dennis Keith Poulton Thomas Ioerger

College of Science and Engineering Engineering Natural and Physical Sciences

Bric Davis Balmforth Kourtney D. Wright

Division of Health Sciences

Anita Severe Herzog

Division of Health Sciences

Ariel J. McKay

College of Pharmacy

Dr. H. Eric Cannon

College of Pharmacy

Danielle Rae Ahlstrom

College of Technology

Robert L. Dunkley

College of Technology

Brandeline Barnes

School of Nursing

LuAnn Storm Howe

School of Nursing

Gregory A. Fenchel

Graduate School Master’s candidate (Dental Hygiene) Doctoral candidate (Biology)

Nancy Lee Sherrill Kinta M. Serve

FALL 2013

Don’t be bashful. We want to hear from you!

Have you received a promotion, gotten a new job, relocated to a new city, been appointed to a board? Share the good news with ISU. If you know of other ISU alumni who need to be lauded for their efforts, share that as well. You can send any information to alumni@isu.edu or post it on our Facebook page. Bob Madden, ‘79, MPE Athletic Administration, has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD). Madden has just completed his 33rd year in athletics development at Boise State University. He has served as the executive director of the Bronco Athletic Association (BAA) through 2012. Currently, as associate AD for fundraising, he focuses on soliciting financial support for capital projects and the scholarship endowment program. Brent Faure, ‘80, BS Physical Education, ‘86 MPE Athletic Administration, was inducted into the Idaho High School Activities Association Hall of Fame. Faure is the owner of Tri Med Sports Medicine, and has been an Athletic Trainer since 1986. He is involved in both the Idaho Athletic Trainers Association and the National Athletic Trainers Association. Faure currently oversees the Gateway Medical Academy in School District 25. Brent W. Warberg, ‘61, BA English, has published his first book. Writing under the pen name Brent W. A. Henderson, his book, “Profile of a Killer” is a murder suspense story involving a serial killer preying on early adolescent females in Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park. Warberg had a 25 year career in the FBI, worked as a therapist for a psychiatrist and also as a polygrapher. He is now retired and writing. He and his wife Mary live in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The book is available on Amazon.com. Bruce Nelson, ‘68, BBA Accounting Information Systems, and his wife LaVaun S. Nelson, ‘68, Division of Health Sciences, Nursing, have established the Nelson Family Charitable Trust Endowed Professorship in Accounting for the Idaho State University College of Business. This is the first ever endowed professorship in Accounting at ISU. The College of Business will use the net income from the $250,000 Nelson endowment to augment the salaries of accounting faculty members at the College of Business at Idaho State University. Dennis Poulton, ‘74, BS College of Engineering, has received a $1.27 billion contract with Walsh/Shea Corridor Constructors to build the Crenshaw/LAX Light-Rail Project in Los Angeles. Poulton is the chief engineer and vice president in charge of the project engineering functions to the Tunnel Construction group for J.F. Shea Construction, Inc. Poulton has 37 years of professional work in the field of engineering and tunneling. He was recognized at ISU commencement in 2013 with the College of Science and Engineering’s Professional Achievement Award.

Helen (Taylor) Davidson reports that Prelude: A Novel, and The 1854 Diary of Adeline Elizabeth Hoe, two related books in a single volume, will be available from Peter E. Randall Publisher in August. Helen and her husband, Dick, researched and annotated the diary of the

daughter of Richard March Hoe, inventor of the rotary printing press and Helen’s direct ancestor. Helen then created the novel Prelude based on Hoe’s life and the evocative omissions in her description of New York society before the Civil War. Details at www.HelenTaylorDavidson.com. Dr. Betsy Goeltz, has been appointed President of Northwest Council for Computer Education’s board of directors, effective July 1, 2013. As a longstanding member and 2008 NCCE Administrator of the Year, Dr. Goeltz has continuously supported NCCE’s members and worked to advance the leadership goals of the organization by providing additional input and service as a board member for the past seven years. Goeltz is currently an elementary school principal with School District 25, where she has served as a principal for more than 14 years. She holds a BA in art history from the College of Notre Dame, MA in education from the University of Maryland and an EdD in educational leadership with an emphasis on technology from Idaho State University. Dr. Dennis Wight, ‘43, BS Pharmacy; ISU Alumni Board President- 1958-59, passed away Friday evening, July 12, 2013 at a local health care center. Wight, 94, was a longtime Pocatello physician. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.cornelisonfh.com. Joshua Whitworth, ‘04, BBA Marketing, has accepted a position in the budget office of Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf. Whitworth, a former Idaho State University football player from an Idaho ranching family, filled the post vacated by former Republican Party director, Jonathan Parker, in July 2012. Whitworth will also be joining the ISU Alumni Association board of directors for a four-year term at the board’s annual meeting in October 2013. Karl L. Miller, ‘73, BBA, Finance, College of Business, has been named executive vice president and chief credit officer at Bank of the Orient. Miller previously served as executive vice president with Union Safe Deposit Bank and Umpqua Bank, and as president of Community Bank of San Joaquin. In addition to his finance degree from Idaho State University, Miller also has a master’s in business administration from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership. Kathy Ellis, ‘81, BBA Management and Organization, has been named deputy director of the Idaho Small Business Development Center, a statewide, university-based organization offering confidential no-cost business consulting and lowcost training to help small

businesses and entrepreneurs start and grow. Ellis has 25 years of non-profit development and management experience. Kedrick Wills, ‘05, BS Human Resourse Training and Development, Corporate Training; ’09, MTD Human Resource Training and Development, has been selected by the director of the Idaho State Police to be the deputy director, and also be promoted to lieutenant colonel and will be responsible for the operational command of the agency. Kimber O. Ricks, ‘65, BBA Accounting Information Systems, has been named the recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award by the Idaho Credit Union League. Kimber is the board director of the Beehive Federal Credit Union. He also serves on a subcommittee of the Idaho Credit Union League Governmental Affairs Committee, and has participated in many trips to Washington DC, to meet with Congressional leaders. Kimber has served as county commissioner for many years, most recently as chair of the Madison County Commission. Molly Swallow, ‘96, BS Biology, College of Science & Engineering, recently became a commercial loan officer at D.L. Evans Bank. Swallow previously worked as the assistant vice president, senior account executive, and branch manager at Key Bank. Rebecca Ristrem, ‘00, BBA Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, has been named the branch manager of the Easter Region facility of the Idaho Food Bank. Ristrem has a passion for making a difference in her community, and has worked in various management roles over the last 21 years. Rich Derie, ‘92, EX Management, has joined the Zions Bank team as a residential construction and mortgage loan officer. He is responsible for business development and customer service for residential construction and mortgage lending in the Pocatello area. Derie has more than 20 years of banking experience, according to a news release. He has spent the last eight years working as manager of Washington Federal’s Pocatello branch. Roger Wheeler, ‘65, BA Elementary Education; `71, MED Elementary Education; `74, EDS Education Administration, was named the new AARP State Coordinator for Idaho, May 2013. He taught in the Tendoy Elementary school before becoming a principal there, and then Jefferson Elementary School in Pocatello. He was also principal at Rulon M. Ellis Elementary

Idaho State University Magazine

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School in Chubbuck, where he retired. Wheeler is very active in the community volunteering for many groups – Habitat for Humanity, Idaho Food Bank, Salvation Army lunch program, and the ISU Alumni Association among others. He is presently on the Board of Directors for AARP Pocatello and served on the AARP Idaho Executive Council for six years. Roger Chase was named one of Pocatello High School Education Foundation 2012-2013 Distinguished Alumni. In 1990, Roger was elected to the Pocatello City Council, served two terms, and was council president for four years. He was elected to the Idaho State Legislature in 1999, reelected twice, and served as the Minority Party Caucus Chair for four years. Tom Evaniew, ’89, BS, Health Care Administration, recently accepted a new position with Crowe Horwath, LLP as their client experience manager. Crowe Horwath, LLP ranks among the nation’s top 10 accounting and financial consulting firms, according to INSIDE Public Accounting. Bill Ryan, former Idaho State University Alumni Director, was named one of the Pocatello High School Education Foundation 2012-2013 Distinguished Alumni. Ryan currently lives in Richardson, Texas, but still writes pieces for the Idaho State Journal. Sandee Moore, ‘03, BS Health Care Administration, has been recognized as one of the women

have excelled as health care leaders before age 40. Moore has served as the COO of Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center since she was 29, and is also serving as the 2012-2015 Idaho Regent for the American College of Healthcare Executives. Moore attended University of Colorado where she earned her master’s degree, and was named the University’s Outstanding MBA Student and winner of the Health Programs Directors Award. She was the recipient of the inaugural ISU Young Alumni Award in 2012 and currently serves on the ISU Foundation Board of Directors. Thomas John Bonerbo, ‘87, MPE, Athletic Administration, was honored at the Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham Park campus at their sports Hall of Fame banquet as a contributor. Bonerbo has been teaching sports management for the past five years at three different universities. He is the coordinator for the Health and Physical Education certification program at Eastern University’s Loeb School of Education in St. Davids, PA. He currently lives in New Jersey with his family. Susan Toner, ‘96, BS Speech Pathology, recently retired after more than 30 years of building cultures of philanthropy on a variety of projects in academia and health care all over the country. Before retiring, she helped spearhead a successful $23 million capital campaign to support Baystate Medical Center’s hospital expansion.

Tony Wasley, ‘95, MNS Biology, has been appointed as the director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Wasley has worked for the NDOW for the last 16 years. He has managed statewide game programs, worked as an area biologist, and participated in research, restoration, enhancement and protection projects for species such as the sage-grouse, mule deer, elk and bighorn sheep. Wasley is a member of The Wildlife Society, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited and Ducks Unlimited. Todd Cooper, ‘89, BBA Finance; ‘93, MBA Business Administration, was the inaugural speaker for a series sponsored by Wells Fargo. Cooper is the senior vice president of Idaho Region Business Banking. He has been working for Wells Fargo for the past 24 years, and has held positions including commercial loan officer, manager of the Consumer Loan Center in Eastern Idaho and manager for retail credit and sales for the Mountain Region Auto Finance Group where he led sales managers in nine western states. Cooper spoke about banking, regional economics, his Idaho State University experience, and career advice. He summed up his advice to students in four points: 1. do your homework; 2. have a plan; 3. be in control; and 4. honor your commitments. He closed with, “be proud to be a Bengal; we need more Bengals.”

You’re Just One Click Away From A New Apple iPad! T

he next time a great photo opportunity catches your eye, turn the moment into a new Apple® iPad® with Farm Bureau’s Reasons To Love Idaho Photo Contest. Now you can access the contest by using most smartphones. Just aim, click and upload your photo with our Reasons To Love Idaho app…you’ll be competing for your share of great prizes, including a new iPad, faster than you can say fish on! For more information visit ReasonsToLoveIdaho.com “Fly Fisherman”–by Dave in Georgetown

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In 2012, the Idaho State University Bengal Callers raised thousands of dollars for student scholarships, research equipment and the Deans’ Excellence Funds. When our students call you this year, please consider a generous gift to Idaho State University.

Rachel Van Orden ‘15 outdoor education Idaho Falls