News

SMART FIRES researchers at the University of Montana have begun to build the "Supervan," a rapidly deployable mobile laboratory with enough space and power for scientific instruments that measure, track, and sample prescribed fire and wildfire smoke.

Dr. Rob Walker, a professor in Montana State University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry since 2009, has been appointed Distinguished Professor for 2024 in the university’s College of Letters and Science. It is the highest honor the college bestows upon a member of its faculty in recognition of contributions to the college, MSU and the scholarly community.

Learn more about Libby Metcalf, her work on EPSCOR projects, and what inspired her to pursue a career in science!

Staff from the Science Math Resource Center facilitated SMART FIRES activities for over 200 fifth grade students as part of MSU Family Science Day.

Students from Polson and Ronan High Schools on the Flathead Reservation visited the University of Montana on January 29, 2024, for a day of smoke and fire science with SMART FIRES. During a morning field trip to spectrUM Discovery Area, UM’s hands-on science center, the students explored the concept of the fire triangle and experienced a matchstick “forest” simulation, activities from the USFS’s FireWorks curriculum.

Bob Yokelson, an accomplished University of Montana researcher who studies biomass burning, recently was named a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. AGU is the world’s largest Earth and space sciences association, with nearly 60,000 members in 137 countries.

At Montana State University, the Science and Math Resource Center (SMRC) and the EDU 370 class (Integrating Technology into Education) partnered to build the capacity of 45 undergraduate, pre-service teachers in their thinking about integrating sensors into diverse classrooms. SMRC supplied the class with microcontrollers (Circuit Playground Express) and any additional accessories for each member of the EDU 370 class.    

Key findings from the 2023 Montana STEM Summit will be shared in an online presentation on Tuesday, Dec.

Montana State University will be part of a new, federally designated regional technology hub focused on photonics and smart sensor technology, research areas in which MSU has decades of experience.

Dr. Arica Crootof of UM Western assists in a project surrounding effective communication about contamination and remediation efforts of the Warm Springs Ponds at the headwaters of the Clark Fork River.