Inside the Competitive Edge

This issue examines trial and error as the cornerstone of ultimate achievement.

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Collaborators to stage world's largest earthquake shake test

A seismic test in Japan will help researchers confirm if new design specifications meet safety expectations.

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NASA mission, CSU contribution 'lost in space' for now

The failed $280 million mission was designed to answer important questions about global warming.

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U.S. universities commit to reverse teacher crisis

Presidents of public universities are working to increase the number of qualified math and science teachers through a national initiative.

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CSU's window-cleaning robot nabs third

U.S. engineering students design robots for mobility-impaired homeowners.

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CSU student wins national outdoor-gear design competition

Nationally, university students create innovative concept-to-prototype outdoor winter-wear.

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Will the stimulus plan stimulate?

The U.S. stimulus plan is not a silver bullet, but spending mixed with a large dose of consumer confidence will provide the stimulus we need.

By Vickie Bajtelsmit

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United Nations, CSU develop land-degradation strategy

United Nations officials and scientists from more than 20 universities met in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 26 to discuss the global struggle against land degradation, an issue that affects millions of people worldwide. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, or UNCCD, and Colorado State University are leading an initiative to promote knowledge transfer between the scientific community and those affected by the damage caused by soil erosion, salinization, and overgrazing. The CSU scientists who met in Washington will help lead the international deliberations on land degradation and desertification. "The United States is a severely affected country, but it also has top scientists and world-class universities that have studied the problem since the time of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl," says Luc Gnacadja, executive secretary of UNCCD.

30 million
Americans affected by land degradation

10%
U.S. population affected by land degradation — which equals the population of New York and Ohio combined

20%
Land surface in the United States in varying degrees of degradation — ranked fourth as the country/landmass most severely affected by land degradation worldwide

3
Only other countries or land masses — Russia, African states south of the equator, and Canada — that have more land degradation than the United States, according to the FAO Global Land Degradation Assessment

2%
Increase in desert areas in the United States, where desertification and soil erosion historically have been problems and recent droughts have increased land-degradation vulnerability, particularly in the West

50 million
Acres of arable land worldwide lost every year to desertification and land degradation

1 billion
People worldwide affected by land degradation – particularly in Brazil, West Africa, and India

$40 billion
Cost of land degradation worldwide, which doesn't include such hidden costs as the need for increased fertilization, the loss of biodiversity, poor health, and malnutrition

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Global Land Degradation Assessment; Colorado State University

Shaky

"We're honored to be the first U.S. organization to conduct experiments on their shake table."

—John van de Lindt, CSU civil engineering professor, about an anticipated seismic test this summer in Japan of the largest building ever tested on an earthquake shake table

Dust-bowl degradation

"We need the lessons learnt by the American scientists, and we need to share that knowledge immediately."

—Luc Gnacadja, executive secretary for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, about how the U.S. scientific community can play a critical role in establishing global indicators of land degradation, which affects millions of people worldwide (See "United Nations, CSU develop land-degradation strategy")

Harmonious design

"I think it was the integrated sound system with a textile touch pad that really 'sang' to the judges."

—Ron Rod, Colorado State University design student and winner of the 2009 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market Project OR, about the fully-functioning, sound system he incorporated into his award-winning garment prototype

Best B-schools

BusinessWeek magazine recently ranked the Colorado State University College of Business among the top undergraduate business programs in the country. The magazine surveyed more than 85,000 graduating seniors on such topics as the quality of teaching and overall student satisfaction and interviewed 600 corporate recruiters to assess the best graduates, curricula, and career services. Colorado State moved up to 67th on the list — 30th among public schools. The college is ranked 14th among all colleges and universities in the West and Southwest. The University of Colorado was ranked No. 89. CSU's College of Business includes the departments of accounting, computer information systems, finance and real estate, management, and marketing and houses the Center for Entrepreneurship, Center for Business Ethics and Social Issues, Everitt Real Estate Center, Institute of Transportation Management, and Center for the Study of Global Business.

Sonny Lubick outreach

The Colorado State University College of Business announced that long-time CSU football coach and community leader Sonny Lubick has accepted a new position as director of community leadership outreach for the nationally ranked college, effective April 1. "The College of Business has been in the process of developing a leadership program that would strengthen our connections with K-12, business, and alumni audiences," says CSU Business Dean Ajay Menon. "We needed a credible Ram voice to help lead this initiative." Lubick will represent the business program with school and community groups, offer leadership guidance and mentoring through public presentations and meetings with campus and community audiences, and promote the value of higher education to industries and audiences throughout the state. His salary is funded through a gift from the Fort Collins-based Bohemian Foundation. Lubick was head coach for the Colorado State Rams football team from 1993-2007 and led the team to six conference titles and nine bowl appearances.

Executive M.B.A. coaching

Colorado State University has contracted with Denver-based talent management consulting firm Resnik Partners to provide executive coaching for students in its Denver Executive M.B.A. program. Students will now receive professional coaching to develop world-class leadership skills, says Dave Larsen, executive director of CSU's Denver Executive M.B.A. program. The executive coaches will meet at least three times a year with students to help them assess their leadership strengths and weaknesses and identify work pitfalls and potential conflicts. "This is going to be a huge benefit to CSU," says Helen Resnik, CEO of Resnik Partners. "It's a forward-thinking addition that sets CSU's Executive M.B.A. program apart." Resnik Partners Inc. is a founding member of Career Partners International, one of the largest providers of talent management solutions with more than 200 offices worldwide. CSU's Executive M.B.A. program — the first in Denver to receive accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business — is geared to managers, senior officers, executives, and entrepreneurs.

Presidential visit

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya toured Colorado State University's renewable energy and hydroelectric programs in February as part of a mission to seek U.S. business and educational opportunities. Zelaya visited CSU’s Engineering Research Center and the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory for presentations on turning algae into biodiesel, creating cleaner burning cookstoves for the developing world, and Smart Grid technology. The engines lab and its spinoff companies — Envirofit International and Solix Biofuels — are global leaders in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. CSU officials provided information on the University's Superclusters — focused on clean energy, infectious disease, and cancer research — which are bringing innovations more quickly to the commercial marketplace. The U.S. Department of Commerce, the Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory assisted the delegation.

Apparel industry responsibility

Unsafe factory conditions, long hours, inadequate pay, and use of toxic chemicals are widespread, systemic problems throughout the global apparel industry, say the authors of a new book that examines the labor practices and standards in the business. Social Responsibility in the Global Apparel Industry, co-authored by Molly Eckman, a professor of design merchandising at Colorado State University, Marsha Dickson of the University of Delaware, and Suzanne Loker of Cornell University, examines what manufacturers are doing to improve conditions for thousands of workers around the world and considers social responsibility in the design, production, and sourcing of products by leading apparel and footwear manufacturers. The text is published by the New York-based Fairchild Books.

New plant discovered

A new plant species has been discovered in southwest Colorado's Lone Mesa State Park. Colorado State University botanist Peggy Lyon and volunteer Al Schneider from the Colorado Native Plant Society were compiling a list of plant species for the park when they noticed a small shrub they didn’t recognize. "This plant would have easily been overlooked if we had only focused on surveying for known rare plants rather than identifying all species in the area," Lyon says. A specimen was shipped to the scientific editors of Flora of North America, who confirmed that the plant was indeed a new species. The species is known only from several populations in and around Lone Mesa State Park in Dolores County, Colo., where at least 4,000 snakeweeds have been identified. The plants are low, compact sub-shrubs that flower in late July through early September. Gutierrezia elegans, the name Lyon and Schneider gave the plant, is delicate with masses of brilliant yellow flowers topping arching stems. The common name is the Lone Mesa snakeweed. Lyon will conduct further research in the area this summer.