UW students research value of satellite images for monitoring Wyoming resources

Orin Hutchinson analyzes Landsat images acquired after a wildfire on the Wyoming side of the Black Hills National Forest.

Students at the University of Wyoming found that aspen had budded earlier in a drought year and that surface area estimates from satellite images matched well with corresponding water levels in Woodruff Narrows Reservoir near Evanston.

Other students used information derived from remotely sensed images to monitor crop growth on a southeast Wyoming wheat farm and the effects of the 2004 Basin Draw fire in northeast Wyoming. The research taught students how to use satellite images and their effectiveness.

Every spring semester, three to five students in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources conduct research using remotely sensed data on a topic of their interest, said Ramesh Sivanpillai, research scientist in the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center. He teaches the digital image processing for natural resources management course in the college.

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UW scientist’s paper will have first-ever primer accompany in GENETICS journal

David Fay

Editors of the scientific journal GENETICS will have a primer accompany a research paper submitted by a University of Wyoming scientist.

Professor David Fay in the Department of Molecular Biology wrote about research using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to study the functions of a tumor suppressor gene that is altered in many human cancers. Fay’s paper, written with graduate student Stanley Polley, will be the first paper in GENETICS to have an accompanying primer.

“To be chosen for this honor, David’s paper had to be cutting-edge as well as written with unusual clarity,” said Mark Stayton, chair of the department in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “In other words, GENETICS has chosen the Fay article as a teaching tool in the field of worm genetics.”

His paper “A Network of Genes Antagonistic to the LIN-35 Retinoblastoma Protein of Caenorhabditis elegans” will be published in August.

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Worland course teaches Wyoming climate, soils, plants

Sandra Frost

Information about Wyoming climate, soils and plants will be taught at a University of Wyoming Extension short course in Worland May 15 open to the public and real estate professionals.

“A Short Course, Wyoming Climate, Soils, and Plants,” is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Worland Community Center and is certified by the Wyoming Real Estate Commission as an elective with six hours of continuing education credit for real estate agents and appraisers.

“The goals of the short course are to provide information about climate, soils and plants, and to promote understanding of the challenges of desert living,” said Sandra Frost, UW Extension educator based in Park County. “Information from the short course will assist landowners in planning development of their acreages.”

Topics are:

First session – “Wyoming Climate.” Geography, precipitation, temperature, snowfall, data collection, climate change and Washakie County weather data.

Second session – “Wyoming Soil.” An introduction to Wyoming soils that includes physical and chemical characteristics of soils in an arid environment.

Third session – “Wyoming Plants.” Scientific information on how plants adapt to Wyoming climate and soils. Students will learn why selecting adapted ornamental or native plants leads to more successful landscaping.

The $20 registration fee is payable at the door. Register by calling the UW Extension office in Powell at 307-754-8836.

For more information, contact Frost at 307-754-8836 or at sfrost1@uwyo.edu.

Head of UW animal science receives stewardship honor

Doug Hixon

A professor who joined the University of Wyoming as a beef cattle specialist and is now head of the Department of Animal Science has received a President’s Faculty Stewardship Award.

Doug Hixon, in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, received the award during the President’s Commencement Dinner. Larry Weatherford, a professor of decision science in the College of Business and the Scarlett Chair in Business Administration, also received the honor.

Each receives $5,000. The college or department will receive $2,500, and the recipient can direct another $2,500 toward a university unit or club. The awards are funded by the University of Wyoming Foundation.

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Extension community development educator serves Converse, Natrona, Niobrara counties

Hannah Swanbom

A University of Wyoming Extension community development educator began April 30 in Natrona County.

Hannah Swanbom, based in Casper, will serve Converse, Natrona and Niobrara counties, said Susan James, federal relations and staff development coordinator with UW Extension.

Swanbom, a Colorado native, will graduate this month with a master’s degree in agricultural extension from Iowa State University. She had received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from ISU in 2009.