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Fall 2017 Montana Academy of Sciences Newsletter
Hello to all current (and past) members of the Montana Academy of Sciences (MAS)! Welcome to the
Fall 2017 MAS Newsletter! The Board of Directors hopes that each of your summer’s has been
enjoyable and productive. As always, please visit our website (www.sciencemt.org) for updated news
concerning MAS.
General News
In the past year (or so), the Montana Academy of Sciences has welcomed a few new members to our
Board of Directors. Please welcome:
Dr. Mike Gilbert – UM-Western – Member at Large
Dr. Jim Battisti – University of Montana – Member at Large
Dr. Brandon Sheafor – Carroll College – Member at Large
Ms. Jessica Tuberty – Big Sky High School – Director, MAS Junior Academy
PLUS – we wanted to mention some not-so-new Board Members (they’ve been around a year or two..):
Dr. Jennifer Swanson – University of Great Falls – Member at Large
Dr. Khalid Miah – MT Tech of UM – Member at Large
Dr. Matt Queen – MSU-Billings - Treasurer
Upgrade and Enhancement of MAS Website (www.sciencemt.org)
The Board of Directors has approved the proposal to bring the MAS website into the future by
revamping it into an interactive experience rather than an informational ‘pamphlet’. Here are some of
the highlights and improvements to website provided by Ms. Jessica Tuberty, Director of the MJAS.
For the MAS:
Banner of vibrant images at the top
Mobile friendly
Credit card payment capability
Button tabs with drop downs for: About Us, Membership, Donate, Meetings and Events, Funding Opportunities, Publications, Submission of Abstracts and Grants, Contact Us, Resources, Junior Academy
Acknowledgement area for sponsors
Announcements space
Include a Science calendar on the main page that shows everything happening science related across the state
Links to social media/event pages For the MJAS:
Banner of vibrant images at the top
Mobile friendly
Button tabs with drop downs for: About Us, Students, Teachers, Partners, Meeting
Registration, Scientific Research Paper Submission, Contact Us, Donate, Archives
Announcements space
Links to social media/event pages
2017 Annual Meeting
Attendance at the 2017 Annual Meeting at Montana Tech in Butte (April 7 and 8, 2017) was good this
year. Seventy-three registrants viewed 22 contributed oral presentations and 20 poster presentations.
This year the attendees also enjoyed a keynote address. Dr. Andrew Karplus, Distinguished Professor
and Department Head of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Oregon State University, delivered the Keynote
“Teaching, Teamwork, and Aha! Moments” on Friday evening after dinner. Dr. Karplus’s presentation
can be viewed here: http://digitalcommons.mtech.edu/campus_lectures/36.
As in years past, MAS provides undergraduate and graduate awards for best presentation in each
category (Laurie Henneman Outstanding Student Presentation Awards).
Award winners from the 2017 meeting were:
Best Undergraduate Student Poster: Joseph Walters, Montana State University – Billings; “Does the
Misregulation of Codon-Biased Genes in the Anterior Pituitary Contribute to Familial Dysautonomia?”
Best Undergraduate Student Oral Presentation: Alex Kurtz, Carroll College; “Amphibian Risk
Assessment in Montana”
Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation: Shannon Dillard, MSU-Bozeman; “Eight Years Later: time to
look to soils to improve Yellowstone National Park’s restoration goals”
Finally, as always, all abstracts (oral and poster) from the Annual Meeting will be published in the
Intermountain Journal of Sciences (IJS). Meeting proceedings are generally published in the November
issue of that journal, so keep an eye out!
Annual Meeting Sponsors
Our Annual Meeting is made possible by generous help from several sponsors. The Board of Directors
would like to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors of our 2016 Annual Meeting:
Dr. Doug Coe, Dean, College of Letters, Sciences and Professional Studies, Montana Tech
Dr. Beverly Hartline, Vice Chancellor for Research, Montana Tech
Dr. Renee Reijo Pera, VP for Research, Montana State University
Dr. Beth Weatherby, Chancellor, University of Montana – Western
Dr. Timothy G. Laurent, Provost and VP for Academic Affairs, University of Great Falls
The Department of Biological and Physical Sciences, Montana State University – Billings
Small Grants Program
Each year, MAS supports science in Montana by providing small grants (up to $1,500 each) to
undergraduate and graduate students working at colleges and universities in our state. The grants are
awarded on a competitive basis, with the only stipulation being that the student is required to present
the results of the project at the next MAS Annual Meeting. The announcement and request for
proposals will go out on our website in January 2018 with deadlines for proposal submission in early
March 2018. Each proposal is scored by at least two reviewers, and scores and comments are returned
to the applying student whether the proposal is funded or not. This past grant cycle (2017) we had 33
excellent proposals and were able to fund ten. The ten funded proposals were:
Eric Massaro, Montana State University, Graduate Student, “Characterizing excitons at organic donor-
acceptor interfaces by high spatial resolution pump probe spectroscopy”
Andreas Eleftheriou, University of Montana, Graduate Student, “Effects of small mammal diversity on
stress, immunity, and pathogen prevalence in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus)”
Ranalda Tsosie, University of Montana, Graduate Student, “Selective removal of arsenic and uranium
from contaminated water using silica polyamine composites”
Shaun Wachter, University of Montana, Graduate Student, “Coxiella burnetii small RNA 12 (CbsR12) and
its role in developmental transition and virulence of an obligate intracellular pathogen”
Devin Jones, Montana State University, Graduate Student, “Diversity and dynamics of coronaviruses in
North American bats”
Sophia Weinmann, University of Montana, Graduate Student, “Impacts of Crop-choice on Crop-raiding
and Human-elephant Conflict in Sagalla, Taita Taveta County, Kenya”
Kevin Surya, Montana State University, Undergraduate Student, “Chicken Pygostyle Fusion Shed Light
on Ankylosing Spondylitis Pathology”
Oscar Machado, Montana State University, Undergraduate Student, “Determining the Place of Aqp3b
in Noncanonical Wnt Signaling”
Kaitlyn See, Montana State University, Undergraduate Student, “How Aquaporins Influence Convergent
Extension through Noncanonical Wnt Signaling”
Noah Davis, Montana State University, Undergraduate Student, “Long-term Vegetation Response to
Grazing on a Southwest Montana Foothills Range”
Congratulations to the grant awardees! We all look forward to seeing the results of these projects at
our 2018 Annual Meeting (April 6-7, 2018).
Junior Academy Notes: (NEXT PAGE)
Greetings! My name is Jessica Tuberty and I am the new director of the Montana Junior Academy of
Science. We have a new logo! We have a Facebook page! We are getting an updated website! Like us
on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/MontanaJrAcademyofScience/
This year we had two high school students who gave excellent oral presentations in the Senior
Sectional. Zoe Peach-Riley with “ A Novel Technique for Safe and Inexpensive Antibiotic Mechanism of
Action Determination” and Niel Mondava with “Characterization and Testing of Compounds Produced
by Aspergillus turcosus that Target Cancer-Associated Pathways”
Both Zoe and Niel are from Hellgate High School and were selected to attend the annual American Junior Academy of Science meeting this spring in San Antonio. These students were chosen based on the quality of their research papers they submitted for review by members of the MAS Board of Directors. Congratulations!!
The MAS Junior Academy students shared their research in a breakout session with other high school scholars. The quality of research and writing that was evident at the Montana Junior Academy of Science (MJAS) meeting was inspiring indeed.
The MJAS students shared in their own words what it meant to them.
“In high school, science can seem like a nebulous process, and scientists can seem just as distant. Being able to meet with professionals and emulate the scientific process makes it all more tangible and exciting.”
“I feel like opportunities to hear other projects and present our own makes people more excited to attend events like MAS.”
“It’s really cool to feel like you’re presenting at an actual science conference as opposed to a competition between a bunch of high schoolers…..the exposure to scientific research is a really valuable experience and one that influences young students’ interest in pursuing science”
“Great experience and interesting to see a broad spectrum of projects including biomed and engineering with some environmental science thrown in”
“I appreciate the chance to present my research outside of a super competitive environment. It helps with motivation and inspiration.”
Personally, I found it gratifying how accessible the professors were during the meeting and reassuring to see current and future scientists working to solve the world’s problems. I am particularly awed by this generation’s use of coding to solve contemporary issues in science. We still have work to do in extending invitations to high school scholars to participate in research endeavors and the activities of the Junior Academy. Any thoughts on how to accomplish this would be greatly appreciated! At the request of the students, we are putting together a Facebook event page and promoting the MJAS meeting at the science fairs across the state. Also the MAS board offers a grant program intended for high schools that do not have adequate funding for research in their schools. The announcement for the grant proposal is sent out in January, with the deadline for submission in early March.
Final Notes
The Board of Directors met in October and set the Annual Meeting Date as April 6-7, 2018. We would
also like to encourage any interested faculty member from a Montana University System university or
college to join the Board. We strive to have representation from all 4-year and tribal institutions in the
state (public and private). Currently, we have no representatives from MSU-Northern, Rocky Mountain
College, or any tribal college on our Board. Anyone interested can email either our President, Dr. James
G. Berardinelli ([email protected] ) or our Executive Director, Dr. James Barron
Photos from 2017 Annual Meeting (next few pages)
University of Great Falls Students and Mentors
Dr. Jim Battisti (UM) speaking with Magdalena Henning (UGF) about her poster.
Keynote Address. Dr. Andrew Karplus (Oregon State University)
Zoe Peach-Riley (Hellgate H.S.) at the oral presentation session.
MSU-Billings students at the poster session.
Joe Walters (MSUB) presents his work.
Kaitlin See (MSU) presents her work.
Synda Boumediene and Lea Henderson (MSUB) present their work.
MJAS Pictures 2017
All the students and teachers attending MJAS
