What's Happening in CoSE

A group photo of participants at the 2025 International RELAP5 User Group Meeting.

📷: Idaho National Laboratory

Amir Ali, associate professor of nuclear engineering, and Scott Wahlquist, doctoral candidate, were among the instructors and presenters at the 2025 International RELAP5 User Group Meeting.

Hosted by Idaho National Laboratory, the meeting brought together participants from around the world to talk about how they're using RELAP5-3D, a computer code that helps engineer nuclear reactor systems.

Amir was an instructor of the RELAP5 code training for beginners. He focused on how to use RELAP5 to model nuclear fuel components for more than 20 participants from academic institutions, national laboratories, and the international nuclear community.

Meanwhile, Scott presented his and Amir's latest research, Investigation of Oval-Twisted Tube Heat Exchanger Dynamic Performance Using RELAP5-3D, which delves into the performance of an advanced heat exchanger for nuclear applications.

Sarah Godsey, professor of geosciences, recently hosted a pair of visitors from Japan.

Kenta Iwasaki, postdoctoral researcher, and Shodai "Sho" Iwagami, senior researcher, with the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, stopped by to see if a method they developed to find springs throughout stream networks in Japan could also be applied to stream networks in Idaho.

Working with Godsey, as well as Anna Sniadach, graduate student, and Kent Merrill, undergraduate student, they headed to the Gibson Jack watershed near Pocatello to test their method out. When they were done, they identified over 20 springs that had never been mapped before, and plan to detail their work in an upcoming paper. They also visited well-known spring areas in southeastern Idaho, including Hooper Springs and Formation Springs Cave near Soda Springs.

Kenta Iwasaki Shodai Sho Iwagami Anna Sniadach and Kent Merrill pose for a photo in a creek.

Kenta Iwasaki Sarah Godsey and Shodai Sho Iwagami pose for a photo at Hooper Springs.

Minhaz Zibran professor Arifa Islam Champa and Md Fazle Rabbi look over code at Idaho State Universityâs Department of Computer Science.

Congrats to Minhaz Zibran, PhD, professor of computer science, on being named one of this year's recipients of an Idaho NASA EPSCoR Summer Faculty Fellowship!

During the fellowship, Zibran will explore how his research in software engineering and cybersecurity can align with NASA's mission. He'll also be meeting with the Idaho NASA EPSCoR team to learn more about the resources available through NASA.

Want to know more about how Idaho’s wildlife handles the summer heat?

Ernest Keeley, professor in the biological sciences department, was one of the experts who recently spoke with KPVI's Maclane Westbrook for a story about how these critters get by when temperatures are at their highest.

A screenshot of Ernest Keeleyâs interview with KPVI.

ISU Students Travel to Japan to Study Nuclear Disaster Response on the Ground

The next generation of nuclear operations and emergency management professionals are entering the workforce with unmatched, hands-on experiences through Idaho State University.

This summer, students from across campus traveled to Fukushima, Japan as part of a groundbreaking interdisciplinary course exploring nuclear accident management and emergency response. The course is titled Case Study in Nuclear Emergency Response and Management: Fukushima.

You're Invited! Welcome Reception for Dean Widmann Sept. 10

Faculty and staff are invited to stop by and chat with new CoSE Dean Jim Widmann on Wednesday, September 10, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Goody's Deli, 905 S 5th Avenue. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Attendees can purchase alcoholic beverages from the pub.

Please Notify the Admissions Office of Your Outreach Activities in High Schools

At a recent Leadership Council Meeting, Admissions requested that the Colleges and the Departments notify the Admissions Office of any visits that are planned to high schools.

This is to ensure that the unit outreach activities are not interfering or overlapping with University-level efforts. If you or someone in your department is planning to visit a high school, please contact Nicole Joseph, Director of Admissions, at nicolejoseph@isu.edu.

Presidential Pop-Up Planned for Oct. 6 in LEL 111

President Wagner is excited to continue his Bold Path Forward initiative this academic year by hosting a series of Presidential Pop-Ups around campus.

Faculty and staff from the College of Science and Engineering are invited to attend this casual gathering on October 6 at 3 PM in Lillibridge Engineering Laboratory 111. Refreshments will be provided by the President's Office.

Proposals for 2026-27 Catalog Changes Sought

The Undergraduate Curriculum Council is currently accepting proposals for catalog changes for the 2026-27 academic year. All proposals are due by October 20. Those requiring State Board of Education approval must be submitted by September 5, 2025.

If you have any questions about the proposal process, email CoSE's UCC representatives, Randa Kress and Sherry Adams.

Only complete proposals, with all impact responses entered and concerns resolved, will be accepted and processed for UCC's consideration.

Dean's Excellence Fund Accepting Requests from Students

The College of Science and Engineering Dean's Excellence Fund is intended to support students in their journey through ISU. The Dean's Office is particularly interested in providing financial assistance to students who might not be able to enroll in or complete the semester because of short-term financial hardships. Students seeking such support should be in good academic standing.

If you know of a student who is in need of short-term support, please have them complete this form.

CoSE Chairs and Directors Meeting Minutes

From Around ISU

License Plate Recognition Technology Will Enhance Parking Permit Process

ISU Parking and Transportation Services is pleased to announce a simple and more convenient process for obtaining parking permits on campus. Beginning with a gradual rollout this fall, and with an official launch date in January 2026, employees and students will see new patrol vehicles on campus that are equipped with license plate recognition technology.

The new virtual permitting system will store up to four license plate numbers for each individual who obtains a parking permit, eliminating the need for hang tags and other physical permits.

ISU’s Recipe for Success Program Offers Free Culinary Program for Job Seekers

This fall, the ISU Tech Cafe, located in the Roy F. Christensen building, will come to life. It will once again roar with the sounds of cooking and the chatter of chefs-in-the-making. These culinary craftsmen will take part in Recipe for Success, a pilot culinary and resume-building program offered by ISU’s Continuing Education and Workforce Training Department.

Canvas Transition FAQs for Faculty

Got Canvas Questions? You’re Not Alone.

As ISU transitions to Canvas, ISU’s Instructional Technology Resource Center is here to help. They’ve gathered the most common questions we’re hearing from your colleagues and compiled them into a quick-reference FAQ. From course setup and publishing to Moodle backups and quizzes, this guide is designed to get you the answers you need—fast.

Dates to Remember

August 25	Fall classes begin
September 1	Labor Day Holiday (no classes)
October 6	Early 8-week course grading opens
October 13	Mid-term week
October 20	Late 8-week courses begin
October 21	Early 8-week course grading closes at 5:00 pm

Upcoming Events in the College of Science and Engineering

For a complete list of CoSE events, check out the College Event Calendar. Updates can also be found on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Instagram. To add events to the calendar, please contact the Administrative Assistants in your department. The university-wide calendar of events is available here.

Department/Program

Biological Sciences

Event

New Graduate Student Orientation

Details

Sat, Aug 23

Department/Program

ALL

Event

Dean Widmann's Welcome Reception

Details

Wed, Sept 10

3 - 5 pm

Goody's Deli

Help Us Share Your Accomplishments!

Our College’s outstanding faculty, staff, and students achieve many notable research and professional accomplishments. In addition, our departments regularly have newsworthy advancements. We want to make sure those stories are shared publicly. Here are a few ways you can provide a news tip to help get the word out:

Use this Story Submission Form to send your news tip to the Office of Marketing and Communications.

Send an email to Logan McDougall (loganmcdougall@isu.edu) with a brief description of the news to be shared.

You are always welcome to create a draft story, submit it via the Story Submission Form, or send it to Logan. The Office of Marketing and Communications and Logan will coordinate to get the story finalized and distributed to the media outlets/platforms that best tell the story.

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