Get Involved!

As a student in the COA one of my favorite things is being involved with different clubs.  Most clubs have monthly (or sometimes even weekly) activities that you can go to.  Some clubs even have annual trips to fun or exotic places that you can attend.

My favorite club that I’m a part of is the Dairy Science Club.  This is a newly re-vamped club that started strong again last fall.  Recently eight of us from the club had the opportunity to visit the central valley of California for the Western Regional Dairy Challenge competition.  This year there were 7 different universities there: Utah State University, University of Idaho, Washington State University, Texas A&M University, Fresno State University, California Polytechnic State University, and University of Alberta. 

At the competition we were split into groups of 5, being paired with students from all different universities (not just our own).  Then, over 2 days, we had about 6 hours of computer time and 3 hours of on-farm time to analyze and critic a local dairy.  The dairy we visited was called Double Oak Dairy and was milking around 1200 jersey cows.  It was our responsibility to decide what the dairy was doing well, what the dairy wasn’t doing well, and ways the dairy could change in order to be more profitable.  In the end each group came up with a PowerPoint presentation around 20 minutes long which was presented to a panel of judges that included local nutritionists, veterinarians and other dairy related specialists.  The judges then had 5 minutes to ask us questions about our results and then 10 minutes to give us feedback on our presentation. For more information on what the Dairy Challenge involves, look at this website:  http://www.dairychallenge.org/

This whole process was a learning experience.  Working with people who come from different universities and have different backgrounds allows you to both gain and share lots of different knowledge.  It is also a chance to practice teamwork, leadership, critical thinking and presenting skills.  While in California, our USU group also took the opportunity to visit a local cheese factory and a 500 cow dairy that is using ProCross (a dairy cross-breeding system).  Overall it was a great time and a fun way to spend a weekend. 

Next week, four of us from the club will be heading to the National Dairy Challenge which is being held in Roanoake, VA.  This will be a similar event with the only major difference being that each university has its own team so you are working with people you know.  We are looking forward to another fun experience there!

Overall I would encourage you, whether current or perspective student, to be involved with clubs.  There are so many great opportunities out there for students if you make an effort!  Going places, doing thing, and getting experience are what college is all about and what better way to do that than by hanging out with fun people who have the same interests as you!

-Karmella Dolecheck, Ag Ambassador

The Stories of a Senior in Spring Semester

As I finish out my final spring semester as an undergraduate at Utah State, I am happy to be involved in all the great things around campus. As an Ambassador (which, by the way, I love and will miss dearly), it has been my pleasure to be a part of the new Agricultural Sciences building as it has been completed and opened for business. For more information on that you can read earlier posts, I will simply say that it was a great experience and I look forward to seeing how the building will be used and enjoyed.

Another part of spring semester at Utah State is elections week! I’m not generally super involved with anything political but this year I had a really good friend running for office, and therefore offered to help him with his campaign. This included wearing the same shirt for four days with his face and slogan on it (don’t worry, I washed it), standing outside in the freezing cold to hand out fliers (yes, I am a really good friend), and talking to everyone I know and telling them to vote. And you know what I discovered? It was really fun! It also had some added benefits because I was able to talk to many of the other candidates and become familiar with their platforms, therefore making my vote more educated and allowing me to spread that knowledge to others I talked with.  

Braving the crazy snowstorms, the freezing winds and the random changes of weather that are always part of Cache Valley, but seem to be intensified this winter, has been another interesting part of this semester. During elections week we had some sunny times and some snowy times. During the various events for the Agricultural Sciences Building we would stand inside and watch it go from sunny to cold and blustery and suddenly start snowing. I think Mother Nature has a hard time making up her mind this winter? I’m not going to complain too much, though, because I have really appreciated the lack of snow. But despite the crazy weather, this has been a fabulous semester full of new adventures and wonderful experiences. As excited as I am to move on in my education by completing my student teaching in the fall and graduate (yay!), I am saddened to be leaving campus. But don’t worry, Utah State, I love you so much that I will be back next spring to start my graduate work. You can get rid of me that easily. Go Aggies!!!

Celebrating our Land-Grant Heritage

This year we celebrate the 150^th anniversary of President Lincoln’s signing of the Morrill Act of 1862 that established the land-grant system of public colleges and universities. This act would later influence the founding of the Agricultural College of Utah –now Utah State University– as Utah’s land-grant university. I had heard the phrase “land-grant university” before, but never really understood what it meant. I certainly do not claim to be an expert now, but I feel like I have gained a little better understanding and a great appreciation for this act that created access to public education across the nation. I also take more pride in the mission statement of USU “to be one of the nation’s premier student-centered land-grant and space-grant universities by fostering the principle that academics come first, by cultivating diversity of thought and culture and by serving the public through learning, discovery and engagement”.

In reflecting about recent events within the department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning over the last month or so I am reminded of how the goals of USU and the land-grant system to serve the public through learning, discovery and engagement have shaped my own education.

The LAEP department once again completed its annual Charrette, which is basically an intensive design workshop. Typically a local project or location is selected as the Charrette topic and students are tasked with producing design solutions to address specific problems and needs. During a one-week period, all LAEP students are divided into teams led by a student leader and each team focuses on one aspect. The process includes interaction with local residents, city council members, and mayors in developing solutions for growth, development and planning issues of an area. After a week of intense teamwork the groups present their ideas to each other and the local community.

This year our Charrette focused on the Bear Lake Region. We divided into 15 teams with topics addressing local and regional issues like growth and development of individual cities, parks, trails/trailheads, open space preservation and of course the lake itself. It was an incredible process as everyone in the department devoted their attention to the issues facing the Bear Lake Region. Through discussion and research we addressed specific concerns of communities and regional groups and produced ideas that we feel will help citizens in that region to recognize the potential the Bear Lake Valley has and how they can play a role in shaping its future. We are excited to take those ideas back to the community in a formal presentation in Garden City on March 28!

The Charrette is a greatly anticipated event each year in LAEP because of the real-world experiences it provides and because it gives us a chance to serve the public as a land-grant institution should: through learning, discovery and engagement.

I invite everyone to check out our final 2012 LAEP Charrette posters for the Bear Lake Region which are hanging up in and around FAV Room 221 through mid March, and I would certainly encourage everyone to stop by the photo exhibit describing USU’s history as a land-grant university located in the Merrill Cazier-Library until March 27^th!

--Allan Perry, Ag Ambassador