The magazine for the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences •
connections • minds • innovations
Spring/Summer 2021
LETTER FROM THE DEAN
Kenneth L. White Dean, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences; Vice President, Extension and Agriculture
Like many things in the past 18 months, spring semester and commencement looked and felt different this year. There were pandemic-size challenges and also opportunities to rethink how we accomplish vital parts of our mission. Working together our students, faculty, and staff did far more than just make the best of difficult and unusual situations. We never stopped exploring and learning in classrooms and on computer monitors, and at laboratories, shops, airfields, design studios, greenhouses, and farms. Individually and collectively, we accomplished great things and celebrated our 2021 graduates around the state. Responding to COVID-19 hasn’t distracted us from trying to understand and work out solutions to economic, social, and environmental challenges or from teaching students to be problem solvers and lifelong learners. We are moving forward, expanding programs, and creating new ones to fill important needs whether that means hands-on training for a certificate or associate’s degree, a new minor, or a new graduate degree opportunity. We will continue to prepare students in new as well as time-tested ways. We look forward to productive summer days of field research and classes and to welcoming students who will enter and complete technical programs on their own schedules. We’ll prepare for the fall semester in locations statewide and plan for the return of some favorite traditions that had to be canceled last year. I hope to see many of you at Homecoming events and at our 2021 Utah Agricultural Products BBQ in the fall and expect that being together will be even sweeter this year…and not just because of the Aggie Ice Cream and chocolate. �
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ON THE COVER: Early morning on the Logan campus. Photo by Bronson Teichert.
Featured
12 Healthcare Professionals for Utah’s Rural Communities Programs at USU statewide campuses train students who become vital assets to their communities as they use their skills to provide healthcare in remote locations in Utah and throughout the Four Corners region.
14 A Monument at the USU Van Crash Site
Rusten Thornley was just a year old when an accident resulted in the deaths of eight USU students and their instructor. Thanks to Rusten’s efforts, and those who rallied to support his Eagle Scout project, a monument now marks the spot where everything changed for countless people on Sept. 26, 2005.
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16 USU/UofU Team Wins 2021 Utah Real Estate Challenge
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Hours of creative collaboration among three USU landscape architecture and environmental planning students and two University of Utah business students produced this year’s top entry in the 2021 Utah Real Estate Challenge.
20 Dairy Science to Publishing Success
Leon Leavitt didn’t earn a degree in dairy science to launch a career in agricultural communication, but Progressive Publishing now produces six magazines in multiple languages for readers in farming communities in the U.S. and Canada.
24 The Past and Present of Technical Education Without Limits
Teaching technical skills to prepare graduates for “industrial vocations” wasn’t just a good idea in 1862 when state land-grant schools were established. Technical education certificates can now lead directly to careers and be “stacked and tracked” into college degrees.
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PLUS 4 The Aggie Creamery and Aggie Chocolate Factory are Best of State
10 Professor Jennifer MacAdam Named a Fellow of Two Professional Societies
5 Heloisa Rutigliano is USU’s Teacher of the Year
11 2019-2020 College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Award Honorees
6 Aggie Chocolate Factory + Outdoor Product Design + Beaver Mountain = A Sweet Collaboration 7 Lacie Peterson Named a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 8 Serving Students, Animal Owners, and Utah Veterinarians 9 Professor Silvana Martini Named a Fellow of the American Oil Chemists’ Society
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18 Prioritize During the Drought 19 A Farmer’s Wife and Remarkable Life 22 Alumni Hall of Honor - Randy Parker 23 Dr. A.A. Heravi Atrium Dedicated
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Dean:
Kenneth L. White
Executive Director of Development: Brandon Monson
Director of Marketing: Mike Whitesides
Editor:
Lynnette Harris
Graphic Designer: Mike Wernert
Copy Editors:
Aubree Thomas Julene Reese Donna Falkenborg
SEE CULTIVATE ONLINE caas.usu.edu/cultivate
Cultivate is published by the dean’s office of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences and distributed free of charge to its alumni and friends. Submit story ideas, comments, and unsubscribe requests to Jean.Edwards@usu.edu or 4800 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-4800. In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law. The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies: Executive Director of the Office of Equity, Alison Adams-Perlac, alison. adams-perlac@usu.edu, Title IX Coordinator, Hilary Renshaw, hilary.renshaw@usu.edu, Old Main Rm. 161, 435-797-1266. For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit equity.usu.edu,or contact: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, ocr@ed.gov or U.S. Department of Education, Denver Regional Office, 303-8445695 ocr.denver@ed.gov.
Commencement 2021 looked different with physically distanced graduates and guests. Top: CAAS Associate Dean Brian Warnick welcomed everyone to the college’s two ceremonies. Left: Osvaldo Gonzalez, now a proud ADVS alumnus, was the CAAS Undergraduate Researcher of the Year.
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The Aggie Creamery and Aggie Chocolate Factory are
BEST OF STATE The most delicious results of research and teaching at Utah State are now Utah’s Best of State ice cream, specialty cheeses, and culinary chocolate. Aggie Ice Cream and cheeses from the Aggie Creamery have been favorites of students, alumni, and campus visitors for generations and relative newcomer, Aggie Chocolate, has won over artisan chocolate lovers. Utah’s Best of State Awards recognize organizations and businesses that are outstanding in their field of work. Over 100 judges review nominations before casting their votes and evaluate each candidate organization or product on: achievements in each field of endeavor; innovation or creativity in their approaches, techniques, methods, or processes; and the contribution their business makes to the quality of life in Utah. The Aggie Creamery is a unique processing facility, teaching and research center, and storefront all wrapped in one package that produces award-winning cheese and ice cream. Milk sourced from USU’s Caine Dairy (which has won dairy industry accolades of its own as a top-ranked college dairy) is processed
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By Madison Leak
and packaged in the Anthon Ernstrom Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences Building by students and staff — every step of process at the hands of Aggies. The Aggie Creamery is home to 25 beloved ice cream flavors, and is also a successful cheese-making establishment, with its hard Parmesan-style Aggiano cheese and Old Juniper, an aged cheddar, earning gold status at the Utah Cheese Awards. Aggiano is now the most award-winning cheese in the state, earning the gold status every year of this contest. The Aggie Chocolate Factory is the only beanto-bar facility operated by an academic institution. It primarily produces unique chocolate with only two ingredients: sustainably produced, fair trade cocoa and sugar. The results are chocolates with flavor profiles unique to their cacao’s country of origin. The factory has allowed hundreds of USU students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to experiences with chocolate and state-of-the-art equipment. In addition to teaching and mentoring USU students, faculty and staff share their expertise with industry and small food operations in Utah and around the world. �
Heloisa Rutigliano is USU’s Teacher of the Year By Marcus Jensen and Lynnette Harris
Assistant Professor Heloisa Rutigliano teaches complex subjects in clear and creative ways to students of animal science in the Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences (ADVS), and to future veterinarians in USU’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Her efforts and success as an educator were recognized in 2020 when the college named her the CAAS Teacher of the Year and she was then selected as the recipient of the Eldon J. Gardner Teacher of the Year Award, USU’s top teaching honor. Rutigliano’s teaching is not just reserved for her classroom. She is also an esteemed researcher who welcomes students who are willing to learn and work into her lab group—including those with little or no laboratory experience—and she guides them in making meaningful discoveries and contributions to the field of animal science. It was deep interest in animal science that drew Rutigliano to earning a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Sao Paulo State University in her native Brazil, and then master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of California, Davis. Experiences there as a teaching assistant sparked her interest in teaching. “I thought it was a very fulfilling experience,” she said. “I never thought I would want to be a teacher. But seeing students learn and the excitement of transferring that knowledge to them was inspiring. From that experience, I started thinking about pursuing a teaching career.” Rutigliano came to USU in 2009 in a post-doctoral research position and joined the faculty in 2013. Through her near decade as an instructor, Rutigliano has adjusted and refined her teaching philosophy. As a scientist, she approaches her classroom in a way similar to how she approaches any experiment. “I have an idea, I test it in the classroom,” she said. “I collect and analyze the results. If the results are positive, I will continue using it in future classes. If the results are not positive, I will modify
it or move on to another idea. I see myself as a catalyst of learning and I strive to provide a positive learning environment to my students.” As an instructor, Rutigliano seeks to facilitate an environment that is conductive to learning, is collaborative, creative, transparent and empowering to students, helping them to become competent professionals as well as cultivate a desire for lifelong learning. She currently teaches courses in animal physiology, immunology, endocrinology, and veterinary ethics and professionalism. Her students note that Rutigliano begins each semester stressing her desire for them to succeed and making it clear that she welcomes their questions in and outside of class time. Students appreciate her use of activities such as case studies that let them apply and test their knowledge without negative effects on their grades and praise her interest and concern for each one of them as a whole person and not just their performance in her class. In addition to her understanding of the demanding animal science subjects she teaches, Rutigliano is an avid student of evolving methods of learning and teaching. She established an ADVS Department Learning Circle where faculty come together to improve their teaching practices. In 2020, that included virtual gatherings of faculty who worked to improve their online teaching as changes were rapidly made in response to the pandemic. As part of the nomination process for the award, students were asked to provide letters of recommendation for Rutigliano. As she had the chance to read the letters, she was touched to see what students said about her. Seeing the influence she had on their lives, she found even more motivation to teach and develop. “The things that my students said in those letters, I was so surprised,” Rutigliano said. “I was so inspired because I never thought I had that kind of impact on their lives.” �
For more about Heloisa Rutigliano’s award, visit tinyurl.com/Rutigliano.
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in brief
Aggie Chocolate Factory + Outdoor Product Design + Beaver Mountain
= A SWEET COLLABORATION By Madison Leak and Lynnette Harris In what may seem to be an unlikely alliance, the Aggie Chocolate Factory (ACF) and the Outdoor Product Design and Development (OPDD) program worked with Beaver Mountain Ski Resort to produce the Beaver Bar – Aggie Chocolate shaped into delicious, edible versions of Beaver Mountain’s logo using molds created by OPDD students. Food science student and Aggie Chocolate Factory employee Mary Kellems said among the things she learned during the process was how important
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clear communication is in creative projects and how small businesses can collaborate to help all partners be successful. Through this process, OPDD and the chocolate factory were able to get finished chocolate bars to Beaver Mountain during the 2020-21 ski season. OPDD student McKenzie Farley explained that it made sense for the Aggie Chocolate Factory to work within the college to have specialty molds designed and 3D printed, rather than sourcing them from overseas manufacturers. Though
there was plenty for students to learn, communication to get the molds made was simpler and turnaround time was much shorter. It’s also difficult to put a price on the experience students gained working on a real-world design and manufacturing project. Although OPDD students typically work with materials meant for durability, functionality, and appeal to outdoors and sports enthusiasts, the path from concept to printing the final molds was not new to them.
Lacie Peterson Named a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
By Madison Leak
Lacie Peterson, clinical associate professor in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences has been named a fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Fellowship status from the academy is achieved by a culmination of education, research, preceptorship, collaboration and service. Recipients must live the academy’s values of customer focus, integrity, innovation and
social responsibility. “It’s always a pleasure to have hard work recognized and appreciated,” Peterson said. “I strive to be a role model to my students as they are beginning their careers and I believe that active service in professional organizations provides opportunities and benefits that bring more engagement and satisfaction to the work we do.” Peterson graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and health and a master’s degree in nutrition. She came to USU as a student preceptor for NDFS dietetics interns while also working as a clinician and loved working with students.
“The dietetic internship program is the largest of its kind in the Western United States,” Peterson said. “When a position in the program opened, I decided that I should apply, and the rest is history!” Peterson joined USU’s faculty in 2013, and now directs the dietetic internship program, working with students to gain the handson training necessary to be eligible to take the National Registration Examination for Dietitians. In 2014, Peterson was named an Emerging Dietetic Leader by the Utah Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The American Association of Diabetes Educators named Peterson the Diabetes Educator of the Year in 2015 and awarded her Fellowship Status in 2018. Last year, Peterson won the Teaching Award of Merit from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. “After working with Lacie for the past five years, it isn’t surprising that she has achieved fellowship status from the AND,” said Nikki Kendrick, clinical assistant professor of the dietetic internship. “She gives her best to her students, the dietetic internship and her colleagues. Lacie is an outstanding example, and I have personally benefitted from her drive to succeed. The USU dietetic internship is fortunate to have someone so dedicated to the success of the program.” Peterson is currently working on integrating the dietetic internship and the Master of Dietetics Administration to allow students to complete both their supervised practice and master’s degree in one program. �
“At the end of the day a chocolate bar is a product,” Farley said, “It’s just like designing and manufacturing other things. This one’s just made of chocolate.” “This project is a perfect example of how various departments with the college can collaborate and translate that collaboration into a product that involves a local company,” said Professor Silvana Martini, director of the ACF. “The factory staff and students also collaborate with other departments and organizations on campus and with other local businesses.” Farley added that she has spent many seasons enjoying the terrain at Beaver Mountain and it was exciting to see something she helped create being sold at the resort. Beaver Mountain is just 27 miles through beautiful Logan Canyon from USU’s Logan campus and is the country’s oldest continuously family-owned resort. �
Take a look online at the new candy, the process, and Beaver Mountain at tinyurl.com/BeaverBar.
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Serving Students, Animal Owners, and Utah Veterinarians By Riata Cummings and Lynnette Harris Two Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory leaders and Utah State University School of Veterinary Medicine faculty members have been honored by the Utah Veterinary Medical Association (UVMA). Jane Kelly was chosen as the president-elect of the UVMA and Thomas Baldwin was named the Utah Veterinarian of the Year. Baldwin is director of the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which serves veterinarians, animal owners, public health agencies and animal health researchers in Utah and the region. He is also a professor of veterinary diagnostic pathology in the School of Veterinary Medicine at USU. He was nominated by his peers and fellow UVMA members, and his work and service were reviewed by a selection committee. According to the UVMA website, the Veterinarian of the Year is chosen for their exceptional service within the association and the community. “I was completely surprised, which rapidly transitioned into being humbled,” Baldwin said. “We have so many great veterinarians in our state that are deserving of such an award.” Dirk Vanderwall, head of USU’s Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences and associate dean of USU’s School of Veterinary Medicine, said, “Through his role as director of the UVDL and a founding faculty member of the USU School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Baldwin epitomizes the type dedicated service to the UVMA, the veterinary profession and the citizens of Utah this award is designed to recognize. He is extremely deserving of this high honor.” Baldwin said he is grateful for the opportunities his work has provided. He was instrumental in early efforts to established USU’s School of Veterinary Medicine in collaboration with Washington State University. This year, the veterinary diagnostic laboratory became a key resource in USU’s efforts to continue educating students and conducting research in the face of the pandemic. The lab took the steps necessary to use its facilities and staff expertise to process COVID-19 tests, providing results in a timely way and reducing the number of tests going to already-busy facilities. The diagnostic laboratory was also key in diagnosing cases of COVID-19 that emerged in Utah mink populations. “It is wonderful to be part of something that is larger than yourself,” he said. “I have been privileged to contribute to two such larger things: the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the USU School of Veterinary Medicine and I couldn’t be more pleased with either.” Kelly is the director of the Central Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, which serves communities in the central and southern parts of the state, focusing on veterinary diagnostics, public health and microbiology. She is also a clinical professor for USU veterinary medicine students and works with the university’s master of public health degree program in the veterinary public health emphasis.
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“Dr. Kelly’s election as UVMA president-elect speaks to the high esteem with which she is held by her colleagues in the veterinary profession throughout the state, and her commitment to serving them in this capacity,” Vanderwall said. Kelly has served as the Central Utah representative on the UVMA board for several years. Kelly will serve as president-elect through 2021, before taking over as president. Following her term as president, she will serve as the past president for an additional year. “I am absolutely thrilled to be elected; I wasn’t expecting it,” Kelly said. “The UVMA is such a strong advocate for our vets in Utah, it really is an honor to lead the group.” Her duties will include presiding at UVMA meetings, chairing the organization’s executive committee, reporting at the annual convention, communicating with the board of directors and association members, and visiting constituent associations throughout the year. Kelly would like to increase awareness of the UVMA and its work for veterinarians, increase membership, and support her fellow veterinarians. �
Top: Professor Tom Baldwin, faculty member and director of the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, is the Utah Veterinarian of the Year. Above: Professor Jane Kelly, here with her dog, Stark, is president-elect of the Utah Veterinary Medical Association.
in brief
PROFESSOR SILVANA MARTINI Named a Fellow of the American Oil Chemists’ Society By Madison Leak and Lynnette Harris Silvana Martini, professor of food science in Utah State University’s Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences (NDFS) has been named a fellow of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS), an honor achieved by being nominated by colleagues and having made significant scientific and service contributions to the society. Martini’s expertise is in physicochemical and sensory characterization of foods. “As a Ph.D. student I actually came to the U.S. to present research at conferences hosted by AOCS, and little by little I became more and more involved with the society,” Martini said. “It’s really an honor and I’m thrilled to have been recognized by a professional organization that I have been so involved with during my career.” Martini received the society’s Honored Student Award in 2003 and the 2019 Timothy L. Mounts Award—named for a noted chemist who made significant contributions to agricultural technology. She is active in Latin America AOCS conferences, serves as senior associate editor for the Journal of the American Oil
Chemists’ Society, and is a member of the AOCS Governing Board. Martini earned her undergraduate and doctoral degrees in biochemistry from the University of La Plata in Argentina before completing two years of post-doctoral work at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. In 2005, she came to USU as an assistant professor with research, teaching, and service responsibilities. Martini has been recognized as the NDFS Department Faculty Researcher of the Year and the College of Agriculture’s Faculty Researcher of the Year in 2009 and 2016. She was also honored as the university’s Faculty Researcher of the Year in 2017. Martini has published 11 book chapters and more than 110 papers in peer-reviewed journals. She directs USU’s Aggie Chocolate Factory, mentoring students in the art and science of making gourmet chocolate. She developed and teaches an undergraduate course about chocolate that covers topics related to cacao production, trade and economics, social science, chemistry, and sensory science.
Martini was a recent presenter in the Science Unwrapped series, hosted by USU’s College of Science. Her presentation titled “Molecules, Crystals, and Chocolate. Oh, My!” can be viewed at tinyurl.com/ChocolateUnwrapped. “Dr. Martini certainly deserves this prestigious recognition for her distinguished contributions to advancing the science and technology of oils and fats in foods,” said Heidi Wengreen, head of the NDFS department. “We are proud to claim Dr. Martini as a valued member of our faculty.” Martini’s current research focuses on the sonocrystallization of fats. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s removal of partially hydrogenated oils and reduction of saturated fatty acids in the U.S. food supply, scientists have been studying ways to generate healthier fats. Martini has been on the cutting edge of this research, using high-intensity ultrasound to learn about the crystallization properties of fats and their nano-, micro-, and macroscopic structures. �
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in brief
Professor Jennifer MacAdam Named
By Madison Leak
Fellow of Two Professional Societies Jennifer MacAdam, professor of plant physiology and forage production in the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate has in the past few months been named a fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). Fellowship in a scientific society is a remarkable professional achievement that recognizes outstanding contributions in a member’s area of specialization, research, teaching, Extension, service or administration. “Being named a fellow is very significant and it’s a true honor to be recognized by my peers for my contributions to our industry” MacAdam said. MacAdam earned her bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Missouri State University before pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Missouri— Colombia. She continued her research there before accepting a research and teaching position at Utah State University in 1991. Among the highlights on the sizable list of her accomplishments, MacAdam has served as a board representative of the CSSA. In 2009, she published a best-selling book in life sciences: Structure & Function of Plants, an overview of the anatomy and physiology of plants. She has authored 88 refereed book chapters, journal articles, proceedings papers, and Extension bulletins. She chaired CSSA’s Forage
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and Grazinglands Division and was an associate editor of both Crop Science and the Agronomy Journal. Nominating materials said of MacAdam, “It is indeed rare for a plant physiologist to bridge the science between plant function at a basic level and animal function at a practical level, she has done so with her work on non-fibrous carbohydrates.” MacAdam began her career at USU studying the effects of frost on pasture grasses at Utah Agricultural Experiment Station research farms throughout the state and continues to focus on forages today. Some of her notable research includes studying the effects of cooler, higher climates on alfalfa hay quality. MacAdam found that warm days and cool nights in the Intermountain West allow alfalfa to grow with less fiber and lignin, making it easier to digest and providing higher energy levels. Her work has also demonstrated that tannin-containing legumes in cows’ diets increase organic milk production and has benefits for beef finishing as well. She is also involved in research on maximizing forage production and quality while carefully managing water used for irrigation. “We’re working on a study with reduced-lignin, Round-up ready alfalfa,” MacAdam said. “Our goal is to determine if we can graze beef on this strain of alfalfa, which would change the game when it comes to pasture-fed beef.” �
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Student Wins International Research Award By Madison Leak
Animal science Ph.D. candidate Jacob Keim was awarded first place in the International Embryo Technology Society’s Graduate Student Competition for his presentation on the effect of cytokine supplemented maturation medium on bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryo development. Keim came to Utah State University in 2017 after completing his undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University-Idaho, and was interested in cloning research. He joined the Ph.D. program in animal science/reproduction and development
2019-2020 College of Agriculture and
Applied Sciences Award Honorees Distinguished Professor of the Year Gary Straquadine, ASTE/AVTE
Graduate Research Mentor of the Year Kynda Curtis, APEC
International Professor of the Year Scott Jones, PSC
Doctoral Student Researcher of the Year Paul Kusuma, PSC
Researcher of the Year Irina Polejaeva, ADVS
Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year Tyson Sorensen, ASTE
Scholar of the Year Nicolle Ritchie, PSC
Master’s Student Researcher of the Year Ji-Jhong Chen, PSC
Teacher of the Year Heloisa Rutigliano, ADVS
Faculty University Service Denise Stewardson, ASTE
Graduate Student Teacher of the Year Michael Clayton, ADVS
Undergraduate Student Researcher of the Year Osvaldo Gonzalez, ADVS
Undergraduate Mentor of the Year Andreas Wesemann, AVTE
See videos noting each award recipient’s accomplishments on the USU College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences’ YouTube channel.
under the direction of Professor Irina Polejaeva, and began work on in vitro research. “I was working at a clinic in Sandy after graduating, and I actually had a co-worker who got his Ph.D. from USU and worked with Dean (Ken) White,” said Keim. “That’s what sparked my interest and led to me pursuing my Ph.D. here.” Coincidently, White won the same competition when he was a student at the University of California, Davis, and the plaque he received hangs in the CAAS dean’s office. In 2018, Keim began research on embryo transfer, seeking to find ways to improve the efficiency of the process which needs improvement. Keim’s research focuses on using cytokines—small proteins or signaling molecules that are important in controlling the activity of other cells—during oocyte maturation. Adding specific cytokines to the oocyte’s in vitro environment allows it to match the natural in vivo environment, giving the success rate of embryo implantation a boost. “This research is not only applicable to agriculture, but to humans as well,” said Polejaeva, professor of developmental biology. “If we can figure it out on the animal side of things, some day we can produce better quality eggs for humans who are using in vitro fertilization as well.” �
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Story and photos by: Bronson Teichert
Utah State University’s Health Professions Director Michele Lyman receives daily calls from rural clinics and hospitals asking for more of the program’s graduates. The need for medical personnel in rural areas in southern and central Utah is often in communities close to one of USU’s statewide campuses where health professions are taught, which is a major reason the programs were established.
strip, which serves close to 174,000 people who need healthcare. The demand for more medical professionals in rural areas is so great in the Four Corners region — surrounding the spot where Utah, Colorado Arizona, and New Mexico meet — Lyman said she often gets requests from as far away as Cortez, Colorado, and Farmington, New Mexico. USU’s statewide campuses offer programs to fill the demand for healthcare
nicians, medical laboratory technicians, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, and surgical technicians. The programs are part of the Department of Aviation and Technical Education’s focus on teaching skills that are needed in communities throughout the state and region. “It’s very important that we are able to train people who want to go back into their communities and serve their people,” said Lyman. “These health professions
“They say the lab work is 70% of the diagnosis of patients. People think we just take the blood, put it on a machine, and click a button. It takes a lot more investigation than most people think.”
According to Lyman, one healthcare system in the Blanding area has five clinics across the Navajo reservation in the Utah
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practitioners with a range of training, including medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, emergency medical tech-
programs are important so our students can come to school and go back into their communities where they really want to be
living with their families and taking care of people in their communities.” USU’s instructors have years of real-world experience in the medical field and have often worked in the rural areas in which they live and teach. Spencer Spotted Elk started out cleaning buildings on the Blanding campus to pay his way through school. He eventually graduated and served his community in the local hospital as a laboratory technician. Spotted Elk now teaches at USU Blanding as a medical laboratory technician instructor and brings his knowledge to the classroom with hands-on learning. “Having those hands-on experiences is part of everything we do here,” Spotted Elk said. “I try to bring in different aspects of how we learn. You have some people who love to learn by reading books and you also have those hands-on learners. When I’m teaching, I try to give those different perspectives.” Spotted Elk said the jobs his students will eventually take are hands-on. While they are students, these future medical professionals can train in a calm, controlled, and educational environment where they will prepare for real-life situations. Jonathan Brewer is a lab technician student being trained by Spotted Elk. He said being a lab tech is the perfect fit for him because he enjoys the behind-thescenes detective work. “They say the lab work is 70% of the diagnosis of patients,” Brewer said. “People think we just take the blood, put it on a machine, and click a button. It takes a lot more investigation than most people think.” Students at USU campuses are trained with state-of-the-art equipment, preparing them to hit the ground running as they enter the workforce. One piece of equipment is an Anatomage table that has a uniquely important role among the learning resources available at the school. The tabletop is a large touch screen with multiple cadaver scans uploaded to its operating system. Each cadaver is scanned one layer at a time from the skin, to the bones, and all the systems in the human body. The image library allows students to view specific medical pathologies, including fractures, joint replacements, and aneurysms.
Health professions students dissect the “cadavers” digitally and study any part of the human anatomy. According to several students, it’s much less intimidating to work on a real patient once you’ve had experience working with the Anatomage table. In addition to its practical uses as an important learning tool, Spotted Elk said using the table has important cultural benefits for USU Blanding’s Native American students. “You’re supposed to allow the dead to go in peace and let them rest,” Spotted Elk said. “There are a lot of taboos that we try to respect. Having that table, you’re able to get hands-on experiences that one would never get with real cadavers. We’re also respecting our culture and our way of life.” A major component of USU’s health professions programs is catering to Utah’s rural communities and the needs of individual students who often have jobs, families, and other responsibilities in addition to attending school. “I’ve been practicing in rural Utah for 30 years,” Lyman said. “I’ve watched
healthcare progress, and it might have been slow at first, but it’s wonderful to see that we have healthcare in the area now. Even though it’s tough. It’s very hard. Now our students are getting healthcare to their communities and that’s a wonderful thing.” �
Left: A student virtually dissects a cadaver at the Blanding campus. Top: Health Professions Director Michele Lyman. Above: Spencer Spotted Elk (left) graduated from the medical laboratory technician program and returned as an instructor after serving the community at a local hospital.
See more about the program at tinyurl.com/USUHealthPros.
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By Trent Toone, excerpt printed with permission from The Deseret News Robert “Robbie” Petersen and Rusten Thornley had never met before, yet they shook hands like old friends. The handshake and unique meeting between the 36-year-old Petersen, sporting a black Western Seeds Utah hat, and the 16-year-old Eagle Scout, dressed in his tan uniform with green merit badge sash, took place a few feet from a new 8-foot granite monument, located a few miles north of Tremonton and just off the eastbound side of Interstate 84. What brought the unlikely pair together was 15 years in the making, beginning with a tragic accident and culminating with a fitting tribute. “This site will always have significance for me,” Petersen said. “Every time I come past here I’m reminded of that day.”
THE ACCIDENT
On the sunny fall afternoon of Sept. 26, 2005, a 1994 Dodge passenger van with 10 Utah State University agriculture students was returning from a field trip to see farm equipment
Petersen, who recalled conversations on various topics as they rode along. “As part of the field trip there was a worksheet to fill out, so guys were asking each other questions.” Peterson said. “Being a bunch of farmers and ranchers, there was talk about Ag stuff. We also talked about the College of Ag activities on campus to celebrate Ag week.” Just before 4 p.m., Parker lost control of the van when the left rear tire blew out, causing the van to roll and ejecting all 11 occupants. The Utah Highway Patrol estimated the van traveled from the interstate over about 300 yards of sagebrush before coming to rest on the edge of a deep ravine. Nine of the 11 died as a result of the accident, including Steven Bair, 24, of Moses Lake, Washington; Dusty Fuhriman, 22, of Tremonton; Justin Gunnell, 24, of Providence; Justin Huggins, 21, of Bear River; Jonathan Jorgensen, 22, of Hyrum; Curtis Madsen, 23, of Payson; Ryan McEntire, 22, of West Point; Bradley Wilcox, 26, of Salt Lake City; and Parker, 45, of Hooper.
“There are certain moments when you know exactly where you were when you heard something, and that’s one for me. This hit the college hard. I think everybody realized in some sense how fragile life can be.”
in Box Elder County. Evan Parker, a USU Ag instructor, was the driver. The students were underclassmen, mostly freshmen, including
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Two students survived. Jared Nelson suffered a traumatic brain injury and broke some bones. His wife, Amy, is his full-time
caretaker and they live near his family’s farm in Woodburn, Oregon. Petersen suffered two broken femurs, a broken nose, a deep gash in his chin, a broken foot and two broken ribs. He continues to have knee problems 15 years later. He and his wife have two children and live in the Tremonton area where he is the manager of Western Seeds Utah.
REFLECTIONS
USU President Noelle E. Cockett was the interim provost at the time of the accident but had previously served for several years as dean of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. She remembers Sept. 26, 2005, started out as a beautiful fall day. She was working in USU’s Old Main building when the accident report came in. In a short time Old Main be-
Eagle Scout Rusten Thornley and Robbie Petersen at the monument dedicated to eight Utah State University agriculture students and their instructor who were killed in a 2005 van crash near Bothwell, Box Elder County. Petersen survived the crash, and Thornley raised the money for the monument. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred.
came emergency command headquarters and everyone stayed together late into the night, gathering reports, responding to media requests and trying to support the classmates and the families of the victims. “There are certain moments when you know exactly where you were when you heard something, and that’s one for me,” Cockett said. “This hit the college (of Agriculture) hard. I think everybody realized in some sense how fragile life can be. It makes me kind of weepy even now. These were strong, good young men. ... We still hear from some of the families and that means a lot to me. I will always remember.”
THE MONUMENT
Rusten Thornley was only a year or so old when the USU van crash happened, but he’s known about it most of his life. His
mother, Katie Thornley, was a relative and close friend of Justin Huggins. On several occasions in recent years the Thornley family has passed the crash site and thought how nice it would be to see a monument of some kind built there. At one point, Russell Thornley suggested it would make for an “awesome” Eagle Scout project. His son was listening. When the time came to choose a project in 2019, Rusten decided to go for it. Originally, the Thornley family discussed spending $500 for a nice sign, but Scoutmaster Reed Summers suggested the community might rally around a fundraising campaign. He was right.
On the 14th anniversary of the crash — Sept. 26, 2019 — Rusten launched a social media fundraising campaign in which more than 200 donors raised $10,000. As word of the project spread, donations poured in. Sweet old ladies even approached Rusten with white envelopes at church. The young man was almost overwhelmed by the staggering response and didn’t want to let anybody down. Standing together by the tall monument — 15 years to the month of the accident — Petersen and Rusten Thornley discussed some of the details of the project. “He did an awesome job, a home run,” Petersen said. “This pays tribute to the people who died and it’s going to ensure that they are not forgotten.” �
Reat Trent Toone’s full story online at tinyurl.com/VanAccidentMemorial.
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By Lynnette Harris Following weeks of creative collaboration and countless hours of work in the design studio, three Utah State University Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning students and their two teammates at the University of Utah were selected as winners of the 2021 Utah Real Estate Challenge and claimed the contest’s $20,000 grand prize. Students Jonathon Brown, Hannah Anderson, and Taylor Olson, and U of U students Sam McConkie and Ryan Thomas, in
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the U’s master of real estate development program, created the winning proposal for their project, The Foundry. Annually, Utah Real Estate Challenge organizers select a location with development potential for the intercollegiate competition. Students create proposals and present them to expert judges followed by intense question and answer sessions. This year’s challenge site was in The Granary District, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Salt Lake City. The spot, at
the southeast corner of 900 South and 500 West, has always had commercial and industrial use but has recently become an attractive area for new restaurants and other community gathering spots. Students on the winning team met during the competition’s initial site visit and decided to combine their collective skills even though they were at different schools. “I was exposed to elements of design and planning that I have never done before and this made my abilities as a designer
Left: The Foundry Group is (left to right) Taylor Olson, Sam McConkie, Jonathon Bowen, Hannah Anderson, Ryan Thomas. Team photo by TWIG Media Lab. Top: A rendering of The Foundry virtually placed in a Google Earth view of the proposed development site.
stretch and become stronger,” Anderson said. “We had a pretty seamless experience working with the U students.” Anderson, Bowen, and Olson agree that working in a cross-disciplinary team with real estate development students was an outstanding learning experience. “I learned a lot about working with teammates from diverse career backgrounds, and I was able to greatly advance my 3D rendering and visualization skills,” Bowen said. The Foundry Group ultimately designed a development with commercial, retail, and residential spaces—including much-needed affordable housing— pocket parks, restaurants, and co-working spaces. “We had help from mentors scattered across several states who gave us insights into how this process works in the real world,” Olson said. “The timetable this project put us on made us push ourselves while also being patient with the members of our team as they found the balance that we could work with… This competition was like being given a bunch of cloth and string, then being told to build a parachute as you were pushed off an extremely high cliff. In the end, it was an amazing experience and we couldn’t have done it with our professors, Todd Johnson and Caroline Lavoie, and our mentors.” The Utah Real Estate Challenge is sponsored by numerous Utah companies and organized by the IvoryBoyer Real Estate Center in the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business. This year’s virtual awards ceremony, including the top teams’ video presentations, and more about the competition can be viewed at tinyurl.com/UtahRealEstateChallenge. �
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Prioritize During
THE DROUGHT
By Kelly Kopp, Professor, Extension Water Conservation and Turfgrass Specialist Due to drought conditions throughout Utah, Governor Spencer Cox issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency for Utah. To date, 100% of Utah is in the moderate drought category, and 90% of the state is experiencing extreme drought as are other western states. To help home and business owners conserve water in the landscape, experts suggest considering these tips to help prioritize which plants to water first.
PRIORITY #1 — TREES
Trees provide shade, help cool your home and produce oxygen. They are the most valuable plants in your landscape and should be at the top of your priority list for irrigation.
PRIORITY #2 — SHRUBS
Shrubs in your landscape filter dust and pollution from the air and help dampen traffic noise. They should be your second priority for irrigation.
PRIORITY #3 — PERENNIALS
Over time, perennial plant roots help improve the soil in your landscape. Irrigate them after trees and shrubs.
PRIORITY #4 — ANNUALS
Annuals provide pollen for bees and other pollinators as well as food for hummingbirds. They also add bright colors and interest to your landscape and should be your fourth priority for irrigation this year.
PRIORITY #5 — TURFGRASS
Of all the plants in your landscape, grasses are the toughest. They will enter dormancy during times of drought and high temperatures and recover when conditions improve. Grasses should be your lowest priority for irrigation during drought conditions. �
USU Extension provides multiple resources to assist home and business owners, agricultural producers and others with water conservation. A website with drought-related information is at drought.usu.edu. Also available is the Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping website at cwel.usu.edu, which contains specific information on water-wise and native plants, sustainable turfgrass research, urban water conservation and water use and drought.
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A Farmer’s Wife
&
Remarkable Life By Lynnette Harris
As a dairy scientist, inventor, and 28-year veteran of Utah State University’s Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences’ faculty, Gary Richardson is well aware that successes in science and life are often built on the encouragement and work of others. As a member of the Society of Sons of Utah Pioneers, Richardson with his wife, USU alumna Fran Richardson, organized a recognition of the work of early Cache Valley settlers who created irrigation systems that made agriculture possible throughout the valley. A sign telling some of that story now stands at Canyon Park at the mouth of Logan Canyon near First Dam. Local society members urged Richardson next to create a tribute to Ezra Taft Benson, who grew up just north of the Utah/Idaho border in Whitney, Idaho, and whose life and career took him far beyond Cache Valley. Richardson determined that several sites already exist lauding Benson’s government and religious leadership and service. What he found lacking is a tribute to Flora Amussen Benson who was a pivotal presence in her husband’s life and public accomplishments as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the Eisenhower administration and as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985-1994. At a time when a young woman’s future was largely shaped by her husband’s career, Flora Amussen might have wished to marry someone with obvious financial and social advantages or grand aspirations. She was, after all, accustomed to wealth and a comfortable life, Richardson said.
Flora’s father, Carl Christian Amussen, apprenticed as a watchmaker and jeweler in his native Denmark and was an acclaimed jeweler in Europe and later in New Zealand. When he immigrated to Utah, he built a jewelry store on Salt Lake City’s main street and continued to prosper. Amussen and his third wife, Barbara Smith, later moved to Logan. Flora was an infant when her father died, and she was devoted to her mother. According to sources written primarily about her husband, including Ezra Taft Benson; A Biography by Sheri Dew, Flora’s wish was to marry a hard-working and spiritual man who was not wealthy so they could “get what we get together,” and, she told her mother and reprised the story later to her children and grandchildren, “I’d like to marry a farmer.” Flora was a busy and popular student at the Utah Agricultural College. She was an excellent tennis player and president of the Girls Athletic Club. She was involved in theater and student government and was easy to spot around town and on campus because she had her own car, a rarity at the time. The first time Ezra Taft Benson—“T” to his friends and family—saw Flora, she was driving her red convertible on campus. Their courtship took some detours as Ezra was called to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and when he returned, Flora announced she too would be leaving to serve a mission. While she taught elementary school as a missionary in Hawaii, he continued work on his bachelor’s degree. Agricultural science was rapidly changing at the time due to greater scientific understanding and mechanization. When Ezra and Flora married in 1926, their wedding trip was driving and camping from Utah to Iowa so he could earn a master’s degree at the Iowa State University. That humble start likely didn’t seem like a step toward a future shaping agriculture
policy in the nation’s capital. Even in Washington, Flora remained a woman who lived her values even if they defied cultural norms. Though she was the wife of a cabinet secretary and entertained the wives of other top administrators, she and her daughters did the cooking and serving without hired help. She also, somewhat famously, declined an invitation to an event with dignitaries to attend her daughter’s school choir concert. The Benson’s son, Reed, noted that when his father was frustrated with politics and discouraged, Flora was quick to reassure and encourage him. She also used her natural leadership and people skills to hone her husband’s speeches and together they left their marks on the world. Flora realized her aspirations of marrying a farmer who was a spiritual man. Now Richardson is the one with the dream, and he continues to work at securing a fitting tribute to the woman who supported her husband’s efforts to benefit farmers and later their church, far beyond the familiar land and people of Cache Valley. �
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DAIRY SCIENCE TO PUBLISHING SUCCESS
Leon Leavitt, Traditional Values, and Progressive Publishing By Bronson Teichert and Lynnette Harris Progressive Publishing is well-known in the realm of agricultural producers for its personal stories and useful, innovative information. Primarily focused on dairy, beef, and forage, Progressive publishes six magazines in multiple languages for readers in farming communities in the United States and Canada. These publications came to fruition over years of labor and innovation by Leon Leavitt, his family, and his team. Leon was raised on a dairy farm in western Idaho and graduated in dairy science from Utah State University. While a student in Logan, he met his wife Jane, a fellow Idahoan who had grown up in Blackfoot and was studying speech pathology at USU. The two Aggies married in 1966 in Idaho Falls. After graduation, they stayed in Cache Valley and Leon worked out of Richmond as a field man for the Pet Milk Company. After three years of learning the business and getting to know area farmers, Leon returned to USU for graduate school. Just three months later, he accepted a position as head field man for Carnation de Mexico, S.A., which had two evaporated milk plants and ten receiving stations in Mexico. He worked doing dairy farm inspections, balancing dairy rations, improving management practices, and teaching artificial insemination. “Over the next few years I made my way back to the United States,” he said. “I added experience to my resumé which included working with family on an expanded dairy operation, becoming a dairy equipment dealer, a sales representative for Carnation Genetics, and even designing and installing cabinets.” In March 1985, Leon opened Idaho for Advo Systems, a direct-mail marketing company, where he learned sales and ad design.
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Two years later, Leavitt came across a new publication with subject matter that was very familiar to him. He related, “One day in March 1987, I stopped in to see my friend and neighbor Dr. Bruce Bradley at Northwest Labs in Jerome, Idaho. We had participated together with our boys in various scouting activities and had talked about working together to expand his company’s exposure. When I opened the door to his office he had the first issue of The Progressive Dairyman, an eight-page flyer, in his hand that was ready to be circulated to his clientele. He had just received the copies from the printer and felt like it needed improvement.” Leon quickly contracted to improve the project along with Bradley’s wife, JoAnn, who was the editor of the original
publication. Dr. Bradley’s business partner, Bob Whitchurch, was a well-known dairy nutritionist, and Whitchurch’s wife, Sharon, kept the books for the publication and was responsible for circulation. “Together with those two gals, we met our monthly printing deadlines,” Leon said. “I started contacting potential advertisers, several of which are still with us, and our next two issues were 16 pages in length.” In July 1987, he made the transition from a typewriter by selling a few calves to purchase an early model Apple computer, a 9-inch Macintosh SE. By 1990, the publication had grown to two versions, 40-pages in length, and had a circulation that reached people in 10 western states. The next year, Leon put funds together and through a mutually accepted and congenial agreement,
A family friendly company culture at Progressive Publishing has helped build a team of long-time employees.
bought out both his business partners and moved the equipment from Northwest Labs into the basement of his home. Leon’s wife, Jane, became the editor, teenage daughters Laura and Carolyn managed circulation lists, and younger son Bryan became a proficient ad designer. Over time, Leon and his team expanded the company with new employees including his sons Alan and Glen, graduates of Utah State University and Brigham Young University, respectively. They invested in an imagesetter, which allowed them to make printer-ready negative film that met printer specifications. “A colleague in the printing industry counseled me to always get the best equipment you can to do the job because, in the end, it will make you money, not cost you,” Leon said. “Our first digital camera cost us $995 in 1991. It only had black and white capability with a pixel density of 1.5 megapixels, but it certainly was an improvement over the conventional film cameras. We didn’t need color back then because it wasn’t required.”
ue the timely information we provide them either in print or digitally (or both), and they are a loyal group. Trying to treat them and everyone in the industry as we want to be treated (the Golden Rule) has served us well. It is a win-win-win-win relationship between our readers, advertisers, the industry in general, and ourselves when we focus on that.” In 2005, the company moved into its current facility in Jerome, Idaho. Two years later, Leon became publisher emeritus, officially retired from the company, and sold the business to Alan and Glen, who learned a lot about running the company from their dad and his leadership style. “Leon’s leadership style is one of humility, compassion, trust, leading by example, and not being afraid to do things differently or to think outside the box,” Alan said. “Fostering a family- and faith-focused working atmosphere and hiring exceptional people who excel in their own fields has led to very little turnover and long-tenured employees.” Progressive Publishing employs over 40 people—many are Aggies—publishes six
“Time is our most precious commodity, and farmers are extremely busy. They highly value the timely information we provide them, and they are a loyal group. Trying to treat them as we want to be treated has served us well.”
Leon was always looking for ways to innovate and make the creation and publication process more efficient. In October 2004, when few companies had seen the potential of the internet, Progressive Publishing created a website for its publications (progressivepublish.com). Of course, now a flood of information is available to people everywhere, so what is it that continues to make Progressive’s offerings a recognizable and important voice in the agriculture industry? Alan Leavitt explained, “One of the business models we follow is to provide readers with real-life, bottom-line-enhancing information, that is unbiased and not sales-driven. Time is our most precious commodity, and farmers are extremely busy. They highly val-
agriculture magazines with a monthly circulation of more than 93,000 readers, and covers all of the United States and Canada. Alan said expanding Progressive Dairy into Canada happened naturally, as there are many commonalities between the two countries as far as milk production goes. Since the province of Quebec is primarily French-speaking, providing a publication in French also seemed like a good business decision. Leon said he feels blessed to be associated with agriculture and the dairy industry and that the key ingredients to his success are basic principles of absolute honesty, adhering to the Golden Rule, serving customers well, and advises surrounding yourself with
Top: Leon Leavitt during construction of the company’s current home. Above: The founding team, (left to right) Sharon Whitchurch, Leon Leavitt, and JoAnn Bradley.
people who are more qualified at their jobs than you are. “I give credit to God, my family, great employees, faith-based values, hard work, and being blessed to live in such a great country. We’ve been doing this for many years and it’s been an incredible journey. I have been in awe of how rapidly it has grown. I could not have done any of this without the support of our children and my wife, Jane. She’s the backbone of it all. Alan and Glen have taken the business to new heights by surrounding themselves with highly motivated and dedicated people.” Since Leon took on emeritus status, he and Jane have been on three missions for their church—once in Chile and twice in the Dominican Republic—even though it meant being away from their six children and 28 grandchildren. They are now enjoying what they refer to as their fourth mission, the “Leavitt Family Mission,” and spending as much time as they can with their family. �
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Alumni Hall of Honor Randy Parker
By Madison Leak
Randy N. Parker’s life has been devoted to Utah agriculture whether on his family’s sheep operation, earning degrees in agribusiness and economics, leading the Utah Farm Bureau Federation, working with legislators, or advocating for rural Utah interests with the United States Department of Agriculture. Parker was born in Richfield, Utah, but grew up on a small farm his family moved to in Pleasant Grove. He quickly learned the value of hard work as the family built their registered Suffolk operation, “Parker Suffolks,” a provider of high-quality sheep genetics. He graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness in 1976 and a master’s degree in agricultural economics in 1978. He served for more than 12 years as the marketing and conservation director of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, developing markets for the state’s agricultural products
worldwide. Randy was the chief executive officer of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation from 2002 to 2017 and the organization’s vice president for national government affairs. He has always been a supportive voice for USU and CAAS initiatives as they are presented to legislators. Most recently, Parker was the USDA’s State of Utah Director of Rural Development, a position he was appointed to by President Donald Trump. The job allowed Parker to continue serving the people of Utah with his outstanding accrued knowledge, political, and administrative skills. Throughout Parker’s career he has made time to be involved with Utah State University and the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. Parker served for more than a decade on the college’s alumni council and has always been a supporter and friend to the College of Agriculture and
Randy Parker (right) with former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
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Applied Sciences. Under his leadership, the Utah Farm Bureau began sponsoring the CAAS Senior Luncheon each spring for students about to graduate. The organization also annually provides three scholarships for CAAS students. Parker and his wife, Shelly, personally support an annual scholarship for an agriculture student. Parker was a founding committee member of the annual Utah Agricultural Products BBQ, a beloved tradition that showcases Utah products and funds CAAS scholarships. Parker currently co-chairs the event’s organizing committee. For his outstanding and steadfast service to all facets of Utah agriculture, the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences is pleased to induct Randy Parker into its Alumni Hall of Honor. �
why i give Dr. A.A. Heravi Atrium A space central to the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate in the Agricultural Sciences building has been named to honor Professor A.A. Heravi, a pioneer of scientific farming in Iran. The atrium’s naming recognizes just one of the many generous gifts Mehdi Heravi has given across many programs at Utah State University and honors his father’s legacy of learning and teaching. A.A. Heravi made remarkable contributions to the science of agriculture, especially in his native Iran. He pursued his own higher education in Europe, and returned to Iran as a professor of agriculture at the University of Tehran in 1934– the university’s inaugural year–and was the youngest member of the new school’s faculty. Professor Heravi was the first to teach agriculture there and became the father of scientific agriculture in Iran. In 1939, he wrote the first book on Iranian agriculture, Family Farming, which was widely used throughout the country. Professor Heravi was beloved by the students who came through his classroom. He gave as much time to his students as he could, often saying, “My time is the students’ time.” The Heravi family was prosperous and greatly valued education. A.A. Heravi was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris, and at age 9, Mehdi Heravi and his older brother began attending a respected school in England. But young Mehdi dreamed of going to the United States. England was familiar to A.A. Heravi. The U.S. was not. He was, understandably, deeply concerned about sending his teenage son there, but Mehdi was persistent. In the 1950s, faculty from the Utah Agricultural College, especially those in engineering and agriculture, often collaborated with university and government scientists in the Middle East. Professor
By Lynnette Harris
Heravi asked visiting colleagues in Tehran where he might send his son to school, which proved to be the step that led to Mehdi traveling alone at age 18 from Tehran to Logan, Utah. “The very first photo I took when I came to Utah State was not of Logan Canyon, Old Main or Bear Lake but rather it was a photo of me standing in front of the old College of Agriculture building,” he said. “I thought I would send that photo to my father because it would make him happy to see his son in front of a beloved college of agriculture. However, I must confess, I did have an ulterior motive too. I thought this happiness might spill over and lead to an increase in my allowance…and it worked.” Mehdi quickly made friends in Cache Valley, graduated from Logan High School, and enrolled at Utah State. “My adult formative years were not only influenced but were developed here,” he told guests at the atrium’s dedication. “When I first came to Logan I didn’t know anyone, but within a few days, I had several good friends who remain my friends to this day. That circle of friends got bigger and bigger until finally, I ended up having three couples claiming me as their own son. So I think I am qualified to be in the Guinness Book of Records for having four fathers and four mothers. One of those couples was Milton and Bessie Merrill for whom the library was named.” Mehdi Heravi earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science at Utah State and worked as a teaching assistant. In 1967, he went on to earn his Ph.D. at American University’s School of International Service in Washington, D.C. and later became vice president of the National University of Iran. He is truly a citizen of the world, and since the late 1970’s regime change in Iran forced him from his leadership role at the university, a commitment to philanthropy has been Mehdi Heravi’s focus. “When the dictionary defines the word ‘philanthropist,’ the description should include the name Dr. Mehdi Heravi,” College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences’ Dean Ken White said. “Dr. Heravi is the epitome of a true philanthropist. His liberality is above and beyond many donors who contribute generous support to Utah State University’s students.” “I was very happy that I could do this for the college in my father’s name,” he said. “My father and Milton Merrill are no longer with us. When a loved one becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure and they will always be treasured as long as I live.” �
(Left to right) CAAS Dean Ken White, USU Vice President Matthew White, alumnus Mehdi Heravi, USU President Noelle Cockett.
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By Gary Straquadine, USU Associate Vice President for Career and Technical Education Technical education is part of Utah State University’s land-grant mission to offer public education without limits. According to Justin Morrill, namesake of the Morrill Land-grant College Act that was signed by President Lincoln in 1862, this new kind of college in the U.S. was founded on the idea that “a higher education and broader education should be placed in every State within the reach of those whose destiny assigned them to, or maybe the courage to choose industrial vocations where the wealth of nations is produced.”1
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Teaching technical skills that prepare graduates for “industrial vocations” wasn’t just a good idea in 1862. A recent report on the country’s job growth and education requirements concluded that 30% of job openings require some college or an associate’s degree (tinyurl.com/Recovery2020jobs). Preparing people for many sectors of the workforce is part of our history, present, and future in the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences and we are committed to a range of academic accomplishments and recognitions — from industry credentials and certificates of completion to associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. More than 100 years ago, Utah State initiated training programs for technical education instructors in agriculture, family and consumer sciences, and engineering. Teacher preparation at Utah State University has included vocation education for decades with the overwhelming majority of Utah’s high school and middle school technical education teachers trained in Logan.
Almost 60 years ago, the Vocational Education Act of 1963 codified technical education programs at public universities. In Utah, the 1963 Act was implemented at USU with new vocational programs in agriculture, making technical education a part of our college long before we added “Applied Sciences” to our name in 2013. The original CAAS technical education program dates to 1965 and was the agricultural machinery technology program under the leadership of Von Jarrett, Keith Hatch, and Darwin Jolley. That program continued into the 21st century with Evan Parker, Scott Wangsgaard, Daryl Reece, and today Royce Hatch – the son of one of our founding instructors, Keith Hatch. The 2010 merger of Utah State University with the College of Eastern Utah (CEU) brought greater opportunities for technical education at a land-grant university. CEU was always known as a technical college with a focus on workforce development. In joining with Utah State, about two dozen of CEU’s technical education programs were refined and aligned with existing and emerging degrees in the college. In concert with the original intentions of historic acts of congress, technical education from the USU and CEU merger became an entry ramp for learners, traditional and non-traditional, who were focused on careers that did not require baccalaureate degrees. With Utah System of Higher Education support, technical education certificates can now be “stacked and tracked” into associates of applied science and bachelor’s degrees in CAAS. With precision planning, stackable technical education certificates are now offered as off-ramps to jobs and opportunities to return with earned credits and re-enter school with career development goals – a remodel of traditional post-secondary education that has focused on the bachelor’s degree as the earliest completion award. Our goal is to empower learners to navigate their individual career journeys. USU is in a better position than ever before to route secondary students in technical education pathways into post-secondary certificates and AAS degrees offered by the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. USU offers more than 30 distinct industry certificates and credential programs — ranging from automated manufacturing and welding to medical fields and ornamental horticulture — that prepare students for better than entry-level employment and continued academic achievement (See the full list online at tinyurl.com/USUcertificates). The College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences has implemented and refined the land-grant mission and is more innovative than ever before in responding to needs for particular workforce skills and partnering with industry to build technical education programs without limits. � A broad and growing number of career and technical education programs expands opportunities for people throughout the state. Above: Gary Straquadine, USU’s associate vice president for career and technical education.
References 1. A.C Truce, A History of Agricultural Education in the United States, 1785-1925. United States Department of Agriculture, Miscellaneous Publication No. 36. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1929, p. 108.
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NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
Of f i c e of the Dea n 4 8 0 0 Old M ain Hill L o g a n, UT 84322- 48 00
