Meeting the Grand Challenges in a Rural Community

Three of the Grand Challenges identified by the social work profession are specifically related to health care: healthy youth development, closing the health care gap, and advancing long and productive lives. Idaho State University (ISU) initiated a collaborative interprofessional health education project (IET) over 30 years ago. This collaborative includes ten health care disciplines across five colleges and provides in-depth assessment and referral to three families annually. This study describes the development of a collaborative, high impact, teaching exemplar, and examines the knowledge, perceptions, and competency of participating students using the framework of the IPEC competencies and the CSWE practice competencies for social work education. Results are derived from a pre-post survey administered during the previous two years. The project includes two groups of students: those that engaged in a hands-on experience with a client and those that only observed clients. The Observation-Only group completed the SPICE-R2 and the IEPS. Students that had direct interaction with clients completed the IEPS (pre-post engagement with clients) as well as the ICCAS. Attitudes, perceptions, and perceived competency improved amongst students participating in the IET course from pre-assessment to post-assessment with moderate to large effects being observed.

Geohazard assessment of mass movements along railroad corridors with UAV LiDAR

<p>Railroad corridors in northern Idaho are subject to landslides, debris flows, and rock fall. These geologic hazards have the potential to severely impact railroad assets, profitability, and public safety, particularly when hazardous materials are transported. Recent slope instability and mass movement in these railroad corridors have affected rail operations and emphasized the need for a detailed understanding of geologic hazards and slope dynamics in this region. Idaho Geological Survey (IGS) and Idaho State University (ISU) conducted a series of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) missions equipped with LiDAR to survey selected landslides. This pilot project acquired high-resolution data at two sites along steep canyon slopes of the Kootenay River and one site along the Moyie River. The selected sites represent a diversity of terrain conditions, coverage area, forest canopy, and mass movement activity. In addition to collecting bare earth models of the landslide areas, this pilot project assessed resolution requirements, canopy penetration, and deployment complexity to provide a baseline for repeat surveys. Best practices for data collection and point cloud alignment for geohazard assessment are highlighted based on variations in terrain cover and slope.</p>