Highlights from BYU colleges

College of Family, Home and Social Sciences

• Social work student Chase Morgan was named a Fulton winner after conducting a study on substance abuse treatment for The Fulton Conference, sponsored by the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences at BYU. Using data from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Chase found more affordable treatment was a significant factor in the amount of time a patient stayed in treatment; whereas having health insurance was not a significant factor. He said he hopes to use this information to help treatment facilities in Utah successfully treat their clients and understand the risk factors substance abuse patients may face.

  

Marriott School of Management

• The Ballard Center announced their YouTube Channel this month, which will feature TEDxBYU talks from this year. Talks address questions such as “How do I find purpose?”, “How do we cure cancer?”, and “How can I best learn from my mistakes?” A few speakers on these topics include American pop artist Jann Haworth, Studio C’s James Perry, Executive Director of Precision Medicine Dr. Lincoln Nadauld and others.

David O. McKay School of Education

• Taylor Bouton, a BYU student who works in computer support at the David O. McKay School of Education, overcame a flesh-eating bacteria in order to compete on NBC’s television show, “American Ninja Warrior.” In 2013, he was diagnosed with a rare antibiotic-resistant, flesh-eating bacteria, which led to a decline in his health. Within two weeks of a fecal matter transplant from his brother, Bouton was back to his old self and submitted a video to participate in “American Ninja Warrior” — which ultimately he appeared on, successfully tackling the obstacle course.

  

College of Life Sciences

• USA Track and Field consultant Iain Hunter and U.S. Olympian Jared Ward worked together to perform a study that found the stride length people naturally choose is the best for them and shouldn’t be altered. The study examined 33 runners — 19 experienced, 14 inexperienced — and measured their energy use during various strides throughout a 20-minute run. The research showed runners, both experienced and inexperienced, were most efficient when they were using their preferred stride.

College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

• Robert B. Gramacy, Virginia Tech professor of statistics, recently spoke at the 42nd Annual Summer Institute of Applied Statistics for BYU’s Department of Statistics. Gramacy said modern statistical techniques are faster and more economical to implement and apply in today’s world. He also presented ways statisticians can efficiently evaluate data with newer methods.

  

College of Nursing

• BYU College of Nursing graduate Susan Kochevar is making an impact as a flight nurse. Kochevar graduated in 1987 and has worked as a nurse ever since — starting in the ER and working her way into the sky. Kochevar trained various government groups for 10 years and found other ways to teach and serve those in Bolivia, Ghana and Ecuador. Kochevar said compassionately serving those in need is the most rewarding part of her job.