Employee N e ws l e tte r
SEPT EMBER 2017
The phases of the total solar eclipse taken from campus.
Solar eclipse draws visitors to campus Last month, BYU-Idaho welcomed thousands of visitors from around the world to enjoy the Great American Eclipse on campus. Brett Sampson, BYU-Idaho director of public affairs, said that, overall, the event went extremely well. “From a university standpoint, the eclipse went off flawlessly,” Sampson said. “We were, for the most part, over prepared,
which isn’t a disappointment to us. The event itself was incredible, but to host people from all over the world, so many of them of other faiths, I can’t think of an event that has happened like this on campus ever. It was a huge success.” Based on images captured by drones, the university estimates about 3,000 visitors continued on page 6
Visitors view the eclipse from the west side of the Spori Building.
BYU-Idaho prepares for upcoming inauguration The formal installation of Henry J. Eyring as Brigham Young University-Idaho’s seventeenth president will take place on Tuesday, September 19.
said brainstorming for the inauguration began in February, right after Elder Dallin H. Oaks announced Henry J. Eyring as the next president.
Trish Gannaway, guest hosting and institutional events coordinator, helps oversee the planning for the inauguration, which will be comprised of three events that day.
“As soon as we received word that we were getting a new president, we started thinking about what things we needed to be doing,” Gannaway explained.
“There’s an inaugural art exhibit and a luncheon for invited guests, and then the ceremony, which is open to all students and employees,” Gannaway said. Months of planning culminate to these three events, the fruition of hard work made manifest in one day. Gannaway
The planning became more in-depth in May, once a date was established and a timeline could be crafted. Meticulous planning is requisite for an event as significant as an inauguration. “An inauguration is the chance for a president to share his vision for the university,” Gannaway said. “That is really
what it is for. It also enables the university to understand how it is guided by the continued on page 3
In This Issue education week re view.........2 students place third with biology research...................4 Mentored student psychology research...........4 SUmmer session enrollment grows.........................................5 University recognized for efficient power usage..........7 SEPTEMBER 2017
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Education Week 2017 In July, more than 2,400 individuals participated in the university’s annual Education Week. Included in that number are almost 800 participants who registered for the event’s Youth Program. Total attendance increased by 20 percent from 2016. Youth Program attendance increased by 35 percent from 2016. Education Week featured classes taught by more than 50 instructors. Class topics ranged from financial
well-being to communicating with others in a Christlike way. Education Week offered a wide variety of activities to participate in and topics to explore, with over 150 classes to choose from. It also presented what many saw as an energizing opportunity to strengthen testimonies for all who attended. &
Education Week Insights Thoughts from BYU-Idaho employees who presented at Education Week: “There is always something out there that can be of interest to someone else. We just have to take the time to go find it and teach it to someone else... To change someone’s life by what they may have learned or heard is part, I think, of why we have Education Week.” —Ina Rodino, Librarian “Preparing for Education Week is lots of work that often is well worth blood, sweat, and tears... I always try to bring the Lord into the process because He knows the people I teach better than me and He knows what they need and how best to reach them... it’s an arduous process speaking to an astute group like Ed Week attendees but worth it if the quality of one person’s life has been made better that day.” —Curtis Castillow, Faculty, Department of Religious Education
Stan Kivett teaches “Ways to Find Ancestors Who Need Ordinances.”
Participants walk across campus to classes during BYU-Idaho’s annual Education Week.
“The preparation helps me to feel the spirit a lot, which I enjoy. I always end up benefitting more than those I teach, and I think a teacher in anything gospel-related always gets more out of it than the students might.” —Daris Howard, Faculty, Department of Mathematics Youth Program participants engage in a faith walk, where they learn to rely on those around them for help and guidance. The Youth Program is specifically designed for each age group to engage its participants.
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Continued: Inauguration preparation mindset. We want quality over speed.”
leaders of the Church and how much interest they have in student success.” Though not all of the formalities of a traditional inauguration have been carried on at BYU-Idaho, elements of tradition remain. Six speakers will have a chance to make remarks during the inauguration, three of which are traditional welcomes to the new president. These will be heard from the Faculty Association, the Student Representative Council, and the Alumni Association. Some of the most fundamental and ceremonious aspects of the inauguration are the formal installation and charge, and the inaugural response. The charge will be given by the presiding authority, President Henry B. Eyring. Once this charge is given, the new president speaks.
The most recent inauguration was held just two years ago, which has enabled all of those involved in the planning to move forward with this year’s preparation with readiness and enthusiasm. “The announcement of BYU-Pathway Worldwide is so fantastic, but like everyone else on campus, I was sad to find out the Gilberts would be leaving BYU-Idaho so soon,” Gannaway explained. “However, I was absolutely thrilled to be working with the Eyrings, so instead of being burdened and overwhelmed to be planning another inauguration again, I was excited. President Gilbert’s inauguration was in 2015, so it was recent enough that
Inauguration Timeline
“Henry J. Eyring will then speak and that is the inaugural response. That is where he has the opportunity to respond to the charge that he will be given,” Gannaway explained.
Doors open for employees...........12:45 p.m. Doors open to students and the public.............1:00 p.m.
To ensure that every aspect of the inauguration is carried out smoothly, a mindset of perfection is established. “The biggest step is to just do everything flawlessly,” Gannaway said. “Everything that goes out from my team has to be perfect, which is a really tall order, but we try to get in that
Reserved seating is released...................1:40 p.m. Inauguration ceremony begins.........2:00 p.m.
many of the things are the same. We have the same facilities, we have the same setup, and basically the same players. We can remember what things worked well and what didn’t work.” Gannaway hopes students and employees will fill the auditorium on the day of the inauguration. “It is the biggest event that happens at the university, and really an awesome opportunity for those who attend,” she said. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, as seats cannot be saved past 1:40 p.m. The doors will be opened for those who arrive late, and overflow seating in the Hart Auditorium will accommodate all other attendees once the I-Center has reached capacity. In conjunction with the Inauguration, a special Inaugural Art Exhibit will run for one month, from September 19 to October 20 in the Jacob Spori Art Gallery. The exhibit will feature the artwork of President Henry B. Eyring. Over the past 60 years, President Eyring has created hundreds of watercolor paintings and drawings. For the first time, some of the pieces will be on public display. Admission is free, but tickets are required. Visit www.byui.edu/tickets or call 208-496-3170 to reserve tickets. &
DEVOTIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
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Students place third at biology research conference Recent research efforts by students in the Department of Biology resulted in a third place finish at the 2017 Idaho Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence Summer Research Conference in Moscow, Idaho.
the mechanisms involved in fertility. We use cells as our model and manipulate conditions and try to create the best conditions for the growth of an embryo.”
Mario Escobar, Dianna Cheney and Ryan Granger are the three students who presented the research they continued on page 6
The project, which examined certain conditions optimal for fertility in cells, is one of many student-mentored research projects taking place in biology labs at BYU-Idaho. “The big overarching term is ‘fertility’,” said Jason Hunt, the faculty mentor who has overseen more than 50 student researchers since the lab started running. “We are trying to understand
From left to right: Jason Hunt, Dianna Cheney, Ryan Granger, and Mario Escobar present their research on fertility at the Idaho INBRE conference. The team placed 3rd in the faculty choice category.
Psychology students gain professional experience Students majoring in psychology with an emphasis in health psychology are participating in applied research alongside faculty members—research that will help them prepare for the professional world. This research, conducted by faculty member Rob Wright and several of his students each semester, has focused on projects intended to increase the attention individuals pay to their health. “I select about five to six students each semester, generally the ones who have performed well in previous classes, and invite them to participate in mentored student research with me
“This research opens their eyes to the practical side of psychology, not just the theoretical.” —Rob wright, faculty
each semester,” Wright said. “We have them come in and learn what it’s like to do professional grade research.” For one of the projects, Wright has students in one of his classes choose a health practice they want to improve
and implement changes for a month. Student research assistants then help in the data collection and recording of their findings throughout the process. Another project, which is based in consumer psychology, examines whether the thought that eating fruits and vegetables as part of a daily diet is as expensive as people believe. Students research this by regularly visiting local grocery stores and calculating the price per serving of fresh fruits and vegetables. These research projects, along with others Wright and his students are involved in, take students from theoretical to practical application of their classroom learning. That application plays a pivotal role in students’ education and professional life. “I have noticed that those students who get involved in research get into graduate schools—they get job offers,” Wright said. “This research opens their eyes to the practical side of psychology, not just the theoretical.” For students like Madison Egli, a recent BYU-Idaho graduate who participated in the program, experiences like this
Rob Wright, Lara Anderson, and Madison Egli present their research on health behavior.
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continued on page 8
Summer session sees enrollment growth Official 2017 Summer Session enrollment numbers for both on-campus and online students at BYU-Idaho show more students are taking advantage of summer course offerings. A total of 3,013 students enrolled in at least one course this summer. Statistics released for the 2017 Summer Session show that 409 students took classes on campus, which is an increase of 11.4 percent over last summer’s campus enrollment of 367 students. Online courses have enabled enrollment growth without requiring students to be on campus. During the 2017 Summer Session, 1,152 campus-based students
took online courses or fulfilled internships. In addition, 1,452 online students took at least one course, an increase of 37.6 percent over last summer’s online student enrollment of 1,055. The variety of courses offered caters to a larger audience, as students can complete foundations credits or others specific to their major. This year’s summer session offered 85 courses, this number including a variety of internships and expeditions. The course list is fluid every summer session, as sections related to internships, externships, and expeditions can be added based on student or tour needs.
The courses offered over the sevenweek academic term allow students to further their education at a faster pace, as well as enable lighter course loads for the following semesters as students complete credits. “Taking summer session classes allows me to finish my degree in a timelier manner. It also allows me to take classes I would not have time for during the rest of the year,” said Josh Liddle, a sophomore from Friendswood, Texas. “It’s also a great way for incoming freshmen to acclimatize to the workload and time schedule of college.”&
Students leave a summer session devotional held in the MC Ballroom.
A summer session student studies in the David O. McKay Library. SEPTEMBER 2017
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Make Note BYU-Idaho employees share their experiences and ideas To inspire sharing and learning among employees at BYU-Idaho, employees are asked a question in the Employee Advisory each month. A selection of your responses are featured in this employee newsletter. If you have ideas to share, please respond to the Qualtrics survey link found in the Employee Advisory. This month’s question: What have you done over the seven-week break to increase your knowledge in your field of study? “I have prepared a course on a topic I am familiar with, learning more in the process. I have watched a number of TED talks on topics within my field and I have researched for and written most of a book on another topic within my field.” —Ben Williams, Adjunct faculty, Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
“I read two books on English grammar and contemporary American usage. I also did one last revision of a book to be published in 2018.” —Jack Harrell, Faculty, Department of English
“I was able to catch up reading the last several issues of the journal ‘Research in Higher Education’ specific to issues of retention, completion, learning outcomes, finance, innovation, etc.” —Jacob Adams, Student Outcome and Planning Analyst
“Our research suggests that metabolites of estrogen are very important for uterine glucose homeostasis,” Hunt said. “We hypothesize that these metabolites of estrogen will prove to be essential for implantation and embryonic growth. We have shown that the enzymes associated with the metabolites are regulated differently in response to various conditions in the uterus. This suggests that the enzymes are regulated in a reproductive manner.”
“It’s been interesting; it’s been a real hands-on experience,” Escobar said. “Its not a cut and dry process. Instead, we come together and discuss the objectives we want to achieve, which gives us a direction for our projects.”
Continued: Biology research conducted over the summer as part of the INBRE fellowship program. Escobar shared his experience about how the research process impacted his formal education at BYU-Idaho. “It’s been an extremely fertile environment for my passion to grow into something bigger,” Escobar said. “I have had faculty to get me motivated to do something, we have an environment that nurtures those who seek it.” The research Hunt and his students are conducting shed light on techniques and methods to increase fertility.
Along with this research, Escobar also recently published a paper on a new technique to isolate RNA—a technique he developed.
Hunt emphasized how he helps students grow through the research they’re conducting. “Our students are able to realize that research is so important to good science,” Hunt said. “When you really do the science and research, you gain more of a respect for what it is. You are a little more critical and careful with how you read and understand things.” &
Continued: Solar eclipse draws visitors viewed the eclipse on campus. Along with visitors, BYU-Idaho welcomed groups like NASA and MIT who conducted research during the eclipse. BYU-Idaho’s Department of Physics also conducted research, and oversaw at least seven projects related to the eclipse. Of the seven, most had successful results.
high-altitude balloon launches, highdefinition photography and videography, and sky polarization measurements. One of the projects studied animal behavior during the eclipse and found that bees reacted to the phenomenon by becoming quiet and somewhat disoriented. Findings from these projects are still under analysis.
These projects involved a variety of means by which to study the eclipse, including
Instrument malfunctions presented challenges to a few of the projects,
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and either delayed project efficiency or impeded anticipated success. Whether project leaders attained a unique perspective into the science of the eclipse or potentially discovered a way to not conduct an experiment, novel insight was a shared success among the students that participated. &
Rocky Mountain Power recognizes BYU-Idaho In the last year, BYU-Idaho’s efforts to be more energy efficient yielded a savings of over 1.24 million kilowatthours – equivalent to the energy used by 140 homes in a year. On July 19, Rocky Mountain Power recognized that achievement with the 2017 wattsmart Business Idaho Partner of the Year Award. “The university has been working in partnership with Rocky Mountain power to continuously identify new opportunities to improve efficiency on campus,” said Tim Solomon, Rocky Mountain Power regional business manager. “They have been a standout organization in their work to save energy and protect the environment.” Rocky Mountain Power provided $144,175 in incentives for LED lighting, heating and cooling, and roofing upgrades. This helped BYU-Idaho complete 18 energy saving projects, which led to around $87,000 in energy cost savings. &
Pictured from left: Bryan Anderson, regional business manager, Rocky Mountain Power; Kyle Williams, facilities management director, BYU-Idaho; and Christopher Kanoff, demand side management project manager, Rocky Mountain Power.
University Operations cuts costs and increases efficiency In July, Rocky Mountain Power recognized BYU-Idaho with the 2017 wattsmart Business Idaho Partner of the Year Award. BYU-Idaho received the award for its efforts in energy conservation—efforts that have saved 1.24 million kilowatt hours over the past year—enough energy to power 140 homes over the same time period. University Operations is taking steps to reduce the energy demand on campus, saving the university, and ultimately the students money. “We are taking out old florescent technology and putting in LED lighting, which has more control, and is also better light as far as lumens,” Williams said. “We are then able to de-lamp— where we replace the three lighting tubes with two—and get better lighting.” Along with replacing older lights with newer, more efficient bulbs in buildings around campus, crews are also replacing sensors that control the lights more efficiently.
“In the classrooms and offices we are installing occupancy sensors, which senses when someone is in the room and turns the lights on,” Williams said. “The lights will also turn off when it recognizes there is no one in the room.” Projects to replace bulbs in street lamps around campus are also underway, as well as efforts to make those street lamps more energy efficient.
“We are projecting about a 20 percent savings for the cost of running these high-efficiency lights,” Williams said. All of these efforts allow Williams and his team to reduce their budget and, subsequently, reduce the cost for students attending BYU-Idaho.
“One of the goals of the university is to lower the overall cost of education. When you look at the facilities department, a large part of our budget “Not only do we get a better quality is providing utilities to classrooms light and high efficiency, but we also and other spaces around campus,” get a longer life,” Williams said. “Now Williams said. “Any time we can we don’t have to go back to that light lower those utility costs means that pole and replace the bulb every two we can give that money back and or three years, we can get up to 10 allow that money to be used on other years of life on that bulb instead.” things like education, scholarships, Street lamps around campus are also being and those types of things that help controlled to turn on and off based on students get here. That is our goal—to sunrise and sunset times. That way, the meet the university’s goal of lowering university is not using street lamps unless the overall cost of education.” & it is dark enough to warrant their use. These efforts, as well as other projects around campus, deliver significant cost savings to the university. SEPTEMBER 2017
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Health & Wellness Getting ready for another semester involves more than just stocking up on school supplies and clothes. It also gives us a chance to consider our healthy or unhealthy habits. Here are four tips to ensure that you are beginning the new semester with a healthy start:* 1. Get into a healthy sleep pattern. Try to get about eight hours of sleep each night to ensure your mind is ready to take on the new day.
3. Manage stress. We all deal with stress in one form or another. Prepare yourself now with ways to relax or unwind when the stressful times come your way. Start a journal, exercise, get a day planner, find a friend to talk to, etc.
2. Stock up on healthy foods. Prepare healthy and easy snacks that will be convenient and accessible. That way, once your semester starts to get busy, you will have the means to fuel your body with the nutrition it needs.
4. Set goals. Goals are an important tool in motivating us each day to be our very best. To avoid overwhelming yourself, just choose one or two goals that you would like to focus on this semester. *Information provided by Human Resources
Continued: Psychology research develop a deep appreciation for the role research plays in psychology. “As a student, working in the mentored student research program has helped me gain both an appreciation for the work that goes into research as well as a solid foundation with which to apply for graduate school,” Egli said. “This program has helped me to excel in my work and helped to strengthen my academic skills.”
on challenging tasks because he believed I could excel when I didn’t quite believe in myself.”
Throughout the program, Egli also recognized that her mentors helped her reach for her potential.
The efforts of Wright and his students paid off in additional ways, including having some of their research published in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. The two recent publications— which presented the student’s research on interpersonal conflict in the workplace and health behavior change— helped prepare students for their studies after leaving BYU-Idaho, which, for many, include graduate school.
“The best part about this program was being able to see my own potential through the eyes of others,” Egli said. “My mentor pushed me to take
“Because of this program, I now have a well-developed resume, a full year of mentored research experience, as well as a publication on the way” Egli said. “I
am also now aware of my potential and I am more confident taking on more challenging tasks in the workplace.” &
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News & Notes A monthly publication of University Relations A D V I S O R Brett Crandall W ri t e rs Dain Knudson & Noelle Helm Ph oto g raphers Michael Lewis, Emily Gottfredson, Courtney Thomas & Garrett Blanchard
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