2010 Annual Report
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School of Natural Resource Sciences Entomology Natural Resources Management Range Science Soil Science 2010 Annual Report College of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources Calendar Year January 1‐December 31, 2010 Annual Report School of Natural Resource Sciences January 1, 2010-December 31, 2010 Table of Contents I. Goals/Accomplishments Current Year A. Instruction and Student Success 1. Teaching Initiatives and Innovation .............................................................................. 3 2. Advising Initiatives, and Innovation .............................................................................. 4 3. Curriculum Development Including New Programs, Deletion of Programs, Administrative changes .......................................................................................... 14 4. Accreditation or Other Reviews ................................................................................. 17 5. Activities in Student Recruitment/Retention, Enrollment Management, and Other Student Activities .......................................................................................... 17 6. Distance Education (Including On-Line) Progress ..................................................... 18 7. Assessment ............................................................................................................... 19 B. Research and Creative Activity 1. Research and Creative Activities ............................................................................... 20 2. Grants/Contracts ........................................................................................................ 21 3. Articles/Books/Publications ........................................................................................ 28 4. Presentations ............................................................................................................. 46 5. Technology Transfer .................................................................................................. 50 C. Outreach 1. Professional Service .................................................................................................. 50 2. Alumni Events and Other Community-Related Activities ........................................... 63 3. Fund-raising Accomplishments .................................................................................. 63 4. Other Outreach Activities ........................................................................................... 64 D. Special Initiatives 1. Cooperative Programming/Interinstitutional Activities ................................................ 71 2. International Activities ................................................................................................ 72 3. Interdisciplinary Activities ........................................................................................... 72 4. Economic Development Efforts .................................................................................. 74 5. On-Line Courses and Programming .......................................................................... 74 E. Planning 1. School’s Future Plans, Future Challenges and Program Strengths .......................... 74 2. School Goals for 2011 ............................................................................................... 75 F. Enrollment and FTE Data ........................................................................................ 76 1 G. Other Relevant Data and Materials 1. Impact ........................................................................................................................ 83 2. Awards and Recognition of Faculty/Staff/Students .................................................. 105 3. Personnel in the School of Natural Resource Sciences .......................................... 107 4. Soil Testing Laboratory Annual Report (July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010) ..................... 111 5. 2010 Soil and Water Environmental Laboratory Annual Report .............................. 112 H. Diversity 1. Accomplishments to Create a Respected and Safe Environment ........................... 113 2. Progress to Increase Representation of Historically Underrepresented Groups Among Students, Staff and Faculty ..................................................................... 113 3. Strategical Planning Undertaken to address the NDSU Strategic Plan of Diversity 114 2 Annual Report School of Natural Resource Sciences January 1, 2010-December 31, 2010 I. GOALS/ACCOMPLISHMENTS CURRENT YEAR A. Instruction and Student Success 1. Teaching Initiatives, and Innovation Adnan Akyüz participated in the peer review of teaching workshop in summative evaluation. The purpose of this workshop was to assign a peer evaluator who works with him throughout the semester and attends his classes to evaluate his teaching methodologies in order to improve student learning. In addition, the peer evaluator wrote a formal evaluation to be used in his promotion and tenure portfolio. Adnan developed a website where students enter daily meteorological variables as a part of the required activity for the class. The students taking the course had to purchase a sling psychrometer to measure air temperature and wet bulb temperature. Using formulas, they had to calculate relative humidity and dew point temperature. This way the students exercised the fundamentals of meteorology and climatology observations. Mark Boetel developed and coordinated a graduate-level 1-credit course in Biological Control (insects). Frank Casey was on developmental leave in spring 2010 and his graduate student, Xuelian Bai, taught his Soil 480/680 – Soil and Waste Disposal course. He provided Xuelian with all his lecture notes and visuals and advised and provided her with guidance on a weekly basis via Skype. Dr. Tom DeSutter helped teach the graduate portion of the course by directing and overseeing the graduate projects. Frank taught a one-week short course on Soil-Water Relationships and Basic Soil Physics to researchers and graduate students at the Teagasc Research Centre at Johnstown Castle, Wexford Ireland. Frank is working on developing a laboratory manual for Soil Physics. During his developmental leave he worked on several exercises for soil physics. He is hoping to be able to publish the exercises for soil physics courses throughout English-speaking countries. Larry Cihacek revised and placed class materials into PowerPoint presentations for SOIL 782 – Advanced Soil Fertility. New equipment was purchased for the SOIL 210-Introduction to Soil Science lab sessions, which allowed for improvement of the lab on soil water. Students now measure water contents of soil by three methods (TDR, tensiometer, and gypsum block). The funds from the College to buy this equipment were greatly appreciated. A lab on comparative effects of N and P deficiency on wheat was also developed. Complete documentation of the set-up of every lab, including every student station, was accomplished. This was done so that the content of our labs can be offered to other colleges in the NDUS who offer Soil 210, and to provide a complete documentation of the labs should someone else be assigned to teach the labs in the future. 3 Stephen Foster canvassed Entomology faculty and some graduate students concerning a new course on chemical ecology starting Fall 2011. After discussion he decided to proceed with a temporary 400/600 two-credit course titled “Chemical Ecology of Insects” taught fall each in even-numbered years. Depending upon its initial success, the course may be expanded to a 3- credit course titled “Chemical Ecology” Amy Ganguli conducted a major revision of RNG 336 Introduction to Range Management. A new textbook and supplemental readings were used, new material was added, the range plant identification portion of this course was re-designed, and new forms of assessment were utilized (via. blackboard). She also revised RNG 458/658 Grazing Ecology. New readings and new material were introduced, new assignments were created, and students participated in a group project, which involved developing a management plan for the NDSU sheep facility. Graduate students in David Hopkins’ Soils 644 – Soil Genesis and Survey class were given a choice of a preparing a standard term paper/lecture or a field-based learning project. Several students favored a field-based approach. The class decided to focus on the Nahon series, a widely distributed sodium-affected soil in eastern North Dakota, but one lacking detailed characterization data. Conversations with landowners that farmed the Nahon soil were held in September to locate parcels of these soils proximate to Fargo. A producer near Wheatland gave his permission for students to investigate the morphologic and soil chemical properties of a Nahon delineation, and mentioned that he was considering installing tile drainage. The students were able to investigate and sample soils in the field, which complimented the laboratory field experiences they gained during the formal lab period. In addition, students made GIS maps illustrating pedon sampling sites as well as portraying results of Veris salinity surveys which were conducted in October. All of the graduate students participated in Veris work and calibration sampling. Local experts dealing with drainage were identified on and off campus so that students could assess how soil chemistry patterns were being addressed prior to the installation of tile. Laboratory work was also performed to measure salinity trends