Uncategorized
MSU students to present research at April 14 celebration
Published
13 years agoon
By Evelyn Boswell
More than 250 Montana State University students will share their research during the annual Student Research Celebration to be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in ballrooms A and D of the Strand Union Building.
The public is invited to attend this free event where undergraduate and graduate students in several disciplines will explain the research they conducted this school year.
Earth sciences major Tyler Bridges (in photo), for one, delved into the controversy that arose after soft tissue was discovered in the bones of a 68-million-year-old dinosaur fossil from Eastern Montana. Architecture major Jacob Hunter designed a memorial garden for the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter in Bozeman. Film and photography major David Runolfsson focused his camera on commercial whaling in Iceland.
Other students analyzed the impact of sales tax on recreational vehicle sales, growing snow for laboratory studies, the connection between diabetes and periodontal disease among Native Americans, sheepherding in the Beartooth Mountains, algae from Yellowstone National Park, and healthcare in refugee camps.
Among the undergraduate presenters this year will be 2011 Goldwater Scholars Casey Donoven of Kremlin and Daniel Barta of Helena, and Goldwater runners-up Nate Carroll of Ekalaka and David Stevens of Ronan. Among the graduate presenters will be Anita Moore-Nall of Bozeman who won a Dennis and Phyllis Washington Native American Graduate Fellowship.
Former MSU President Geoff Gamble was among the faculty mentors for this year’s research projects. He advised Diveena Marcus of Sonoma County, Calif., a graduate student who focused on learning the extinct language of her ancestors, as well as the importance of matriarchal societies. Her ancestors are the Coast Miwok of California, the original people of Marin and Sonoma County.
New at this year’s conference will be a “Student Research Opportunity Fair” where campus research programs will share information about the opportunities they offer students, said Colin Shaw, director of MSU’s Undergraduate Scholars Program (USP). Participating programs are Engineers without Borders, the McNair Scholars, Hughes Undergraduate Biology, INBRE, and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE).
Also new this year will be oral presentations clustered around particular topics. Students in the humanities will give their presentations from 8:30 to 9:50 a.m. Students in the McNair Scholars Program will speak from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Students in the Hughes Undergraduate Biology Program will speak from 2 to 3:30 p.m. All oral presentations will take place in SUB 233.
Lynda Sexson and Michael Babcock will be honored during the conference for mentoring undergraduate students, Shaw said. Sexson is a professor in the Department of History and Philosophy. Babcock is a professor in the Department of Psychology.
This year’s conference falls during National Undergraduate Research Week designated by Congress, Shaw noted. Other related events at MSU that week will be chemical and biological engineering student presentations on energy and sustainability on April 12 and 14 and the Montana Space Grant Research Symposium on April 15. Events – held before or after National Undergraduate Research Week, but considered part of the celebration – were MSU’s Earth Sciences Colloquium on March 25 and MSU’s Engineering Fair on April 25, Shaw said. Four MSU students who presented their research in late March to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at Ithaca College were English majors Angie Ford and Shoni Schipman, psychology major Jasmine Azure and chemistry/biochemistry major Alta Howells.
As many as 1,000 MSU undergraduate students are involved in faculty-mentored research projects at any given time, Shaw estimated. Of those, over 180 undergraduates received funding through the USP this year. Some are involved with other programs, such as the Montana Space Grant Consortium. Many students make their own arrangements to work with faculty researchers.
Student research is valuable for a number of reasons, Shaw said. For one, it gives students hands-on experience that allows them to apply classroom knowledge to real problems. Students also learn techniques and practices that are used by professionals in their fields. They may receive professional recognition that will give them a leg up in graduate school and employment.
“It demonstrates their ability to solve problems, lay out a plan and carry it through, which may not be evident from looking at grades and coursework,” Shaw said. The joy, excitement and passion he sees in student researchers “is exactly what education is all about.”
Undergraduate research and creative experiences are a formal part of MSU through its Core 2.0 curriculum, which emphasizes critical thinking and communications. Every undergraduate participates in a research or creative experience as part of the Core 2.0 curriculum.
MSU is classified as one of only 108 universities out of more than 4,300 with “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Its research expenditures amounted to more than $109 million last year, which provides $10.4 million in undergraduate and graduate student salaries, benefits, scholarships and fellowships.
MSU photo by Kelly Gorham.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
Upcoming Events
march, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
more
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
Time
15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
Location
Verge Theater
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
29mar3:00 pm4:00 pmGood Friday Mass: St. Joseph Catholic Mission3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Event City:Big Sky
Event Details
Friday of the Passion of the Lord St. Joseph Catholic Mission
Event Details
Friday of the Passion of the Lord
St. Joseph Catholic Mission
Time
(Friday) 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm