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May 2026 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Minutes From The April 30, 2026 Meeting Of The University Of Montana Faculty, University Of Montana--Missoula. Faculty

University of Montana Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes from the April 30, 2026 meeting of the University of Montana faculty.

Montana Kaimin, April 30, 2026, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

Umcur 2026 Program Pdf

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This program includes the schedule for oral presentations and posters.

Sb 23-25/26: Resolution Revising Fiscal Policy, Liam Edwards

Senate Resolutions, 2007-Present

SB23-25/26: Resolution Generally Revising Fiscal Policy. This resolution passed [14-0-0] on a roll call vote during the April 22, 2026 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM).

Montana Kaimin, April 23, 2026, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

Um Ethnobotany Garden: Transcriptions To Sustain A Living Legacy, Hannah Hornyak

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This capstone project produces a status report for the University of Montana (UM) Ethnobotany Garden to facilitate continuity of care and long-term stewardship. As the garden’s primary caretaker and author of this report prepares to graduate, a significant amount of site-specific and institutional knowledge and management experience is at risk of being lost. The objective of this project is to document operational, cultural, and ecological knowledge in a format that supports future caretakers and garden leadership.

The project uses a knowledge-transfer approach, drawing on personal records and experience, including field notes and observations, alongside existing documentation gathered from UM staff. …

Expanding University Of Montana's Contract Management System, Brooke Odenthal

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The University of Montana is currently losing millions of dollars due to their lack of efficiency and oversight on contracts. There are many contracts that affiliates of the university have signed without authorized oversight. Without the correct oversight, the university ends up signing multiple contracts for the same product. This also leads to members of the university wrongly giving away valuable data and information to companies without properly signing contracts. All of their contracts are scattered across campus, some signed correctly and some not. These documents are stored in various offices, departments, and using a mix of storage systems. This …

Section 9 Of The Endangered Species Act (Esa): History Of Harm, Maxwell Lee Hirrill

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Since its passage, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has held the unofficial title of the strongest law for environmental protections. This Act, passed in 1973, contains powerful language, with one word standing out among them all: "take" found in section 9. Section 16 U.S.C. § 1532(19) defines take as "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct." The definition of harm has been interpreted in different ways over the years, with some interpretations granting it more power and others limiting it. A particular point of contention within the …

Late-Time Miri Imaging Of Sn 2011ja Reveals High Cold Dust Mass, Aiden G. Agostinelli, Benjamin C. Radmore

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Using new JWST MIRI images, we constrain the mass of dust around SN 2011ja long after explosion. SN 2011ja is a Type IIP core-collapse supernova (CCSN) in galaxy NGC 4945. The SN is difficult to identify in the MIRI images, so we apply an alignment routine which matches bright stars between MIRI and Spitzer images to locate the correct point source. Dust masses for SN 2011ja have previously been estimated at 105, 486, 637, 857, 881, 1007, and 1332 days post-explosion. These new MIRI images were taken at day 4241. We perform PSF photometry and fit analytical dust models to …

Documenting Supportive Communication Strategies In Prom Administration For Persons With Aphasia, Tyra Kucinski

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Documenting Supportive Communication Strategies in PROM Administration for Persons With Aphasia

Tyra Kucinski, Allison Marr, Emilia Waters

Introduction: Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that impairs speaking, listening, writing, and/or reading, with intelligence remaining intact. Aphasia also disrupts mental health, quality of life, and communicative participation. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are standardized questionnaires that allow patients to reflect on their functional health status, providing insight into how persons with aphasia (PWAs) perceive their condition and/or the treatment they are receiving. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) frequently provide a number of supportive communication strategies to ensure accuracy of patient responses on PROMs …

Combating Overdose: Production And Analysis Of Fentanyl Specific Antibodies, Elizabeth J. Florian

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Fentanyl overdose deaths are on the rise from both intentional use and accidental exposure. Our work focuses on identifying additional treatment options to Narcan, an opioid receptor antagonist which reverses overdose effects by receptor competition. One alternative method, that has been approved by the FDA, is the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This therapeutic method works by antibodies binding fentanyl in the bloodstream and preventing it from crossing the blood-brain barrier. Our group has begun identifying mAbs by vaccinating mice with a fentanyl hapten (F1) vaccine adjuvanted with a TLR 7/8 agonist. Vaccination leads to the production of antibodies that …

Firefly, Hannah Bailey, Kyle Krstulich, Stellios Bonadurer

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Prescribed fires are deliberately conducted to reduce hazardous fuel loads, mitigate wildfire risk, and sustain ecosystem function. Their operational effectiveness, however, is limited by sparse real-time environmental sensing, inadequate situational awareness, and latency in decision support, factors that impede accurate forecasting of fire spread, smoke emissions, and associated safety hazards. This project proposes developing a prototype Internet-of-Things platform, FireFly, that addresses these limitations through distributed, multimodal sensing and on-device machine-learning inference. The system will deploy low-power sensor nodes measuring wind direction and speed, soil moisture, air quality, temperature, and humidity during controlled burns. Each node integrates an edge-computing unit capable …

Recency Vs. Frequency: Contrasting Controls On Soil Carbon Cycling After Wildfire In Subalpine Lodgepole Pine Forests, Declan Clark, Kimberley T. Davis, Dalton Brantley, Jacob Baldner, Meredith Zettlemoyer

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Wildfires in western United States conifer forests have increased in both frequency and severity due to human-caused climate change, with important but poorly constrained implications for carbon (C) cycling in these ecosystems. The largest pool of ecosystem C in forests is belowground, though much of it is insulated against direct combustion from fire. Therefore, understanding how changing wildfire regimes influence ecosystem C requires not only quantifying soil C pools to capture direct effects but also evaluate the indirect and legacy effects of fire on C cycling, including changes in microbial C processing.

To evaluate the direct and indirect fire effects, …

All Teeth No Rakers: The Legacy Of Timbersports At The University Of Montana, Chloe F. Brown

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

My project is focused on the history of the University of Montana Woodsman Team. I have been a competitor on the Team for three years and throughout that time I have heard murmurs of our history but have never seen any in-depth information about our existence at the school. My goal with this project is to create an easily accessible way for current team members and alumni to learn about the Woodsman Team’s place on campus as well as in the Missoula and greater timbersports community. The outcome of this project will be a short book that includes sections on …

Gαi Megabodies As A Structural Scaffold: Complexing Megabody Ca15960 And Δn31g⍺I, Sylvie-Aganoti T. Tower

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a major and diverse group of membrane receptors, are responsible for transducing extracellular signals (ligands) to activate intracellular metabolic pathways. In fact, over a third of FDA approved drugs target GPCRs. Research on GPCR activity contributes significantly to pharmacology and medicine. Signal transduction results in a conformational change activating guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) by exchanging GDP for GTP. G proteins form heterotrimers consisting of alpha (𝜶), beta (β), and gamma (γ) subunits. From a Gαi specific nanobody (~15 kDa), we have derived 3 megabody constructs ranging in molecular weight from ~55-100 kDa. Megabodies …

Examining High School Students' Comprehension Of Miranda Vocabulary, Madeline Durrant, Eddy Manning

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Introduction. The Miranda warnings are intended to protect individuals' constitutional rights during police interactions, but their effectiveness depends on whether the language is understood. Research suggests that legal vocabulary embedded in these warnings may be inaccessible to many vulnerable groups, including adolescents.

Research Questions. How well do high school students with typical language skills comprehend the legal vocabulary in the Miranda warning? Are MVS scores correlated with language test scores? Are MVS scores correlated with completion of a civics course?

Methods. Thirty high school students completed the Miranda Vocabulary Scale (MVS), a measure in which participants were asked to define …

Beyond Words: Unlocking The Child's Perspective In Speech Therapy, Olivia Lacasse

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Speech-language pathologists strive for patient-centered care, yet clinicians often face limitations when making collaborative decisions with children. Understanding a child’s unique emotional experience is vital for developing effective treatment plans for speech sound disorders; however, traditional assessments rely heavily on the perspectives of parents and teachers. This leaves the child’s internal world largely undiscovered. Our project evaluates the Sound Effects Study Drawing Protocol (SESDP) as a multimodal tool to bridge the gap between external observations and a child’s inner perspective.

We asked: During a drawing task, what developmental milestones and symbolic skills are evident over time for preschool-aged children with …

Mission Vs. Margin: A Comparative Study Of Marketing Strategy In For-Profit And Nonprofit Organizations, Eliza Bentler

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This study examines how being a for-profit or nonprofit organization influences marketing strategy and strategic decision-making. While marketing is used by both types of organizations to communicate value and connect with audiences, differences in organizational goals can lead to different approaches. This research combines a review of existing literature with qualitative interviews from two local organizations in Montana: a nonprofit organization, Flathead Industries, and a for-profit business, Cambie Taphouse + Coffee.

The findings show clear differences in how marketing is approached across the two organizations. The nonprofit organization focuses more on mission-driven messaging, long-term awareness, and community impact, while the …

How Emergency Medical Service (Ems) Work Is Understood: A Study Of Public Perceptions And Provider Perspectives, Lisel Keller

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This project aims to examine whether a gap exists between how the general public perceives Emergency Medical Services (EMS) work and how EMS providers experience it. EMS is widely recognized as a stressful profession, and public narratives often focus on the emotional intensity without an understanding of the different sources of stress. Providers work extended shifts, respond to unpredictable incidents, are frequently woken from sleep, and complete operational tasks while fatigued. Although these demands are expected, their cumulative impact shapes the day-to-day reality of the profession. While stress in EMS work has been discussed broadly, less attention has been given …

Multiyear Stream And Riparian Responses To Beaver Dam Analogs In A Headwater Tributary, Hannah Moon Halvorson, Andrew Lahr

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Beavers are ecosystem engineers who influence the geomorphology and hydrology of streams, as well as riparian vegetation. Beaver-related restoration has become a popular approach with techniques such as beaver dam analogs (BDAs) commonly used to aid in the recovery of stream ecosystems. Despite their extensive use in low-tech restoration, there exist few studies longer than 3 years to demonstrate the effectiveness of BDAs. We conducted a 6-year follow-up study on a project with 14 BDAs in Teepee Creek, a second-order stream near Lolo in Western Montana. We collected data on instream habitat, flow, water temperature, and riparian vegetation and analyzed …

Gut–Brain Reprogramming Induced By Acute And Chronic Pathogen Exposures: The Role Of G Protein–Coupled Receptors In Male Aggression, Julia L. Kunau, Ashlyn E. Phillips

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Gut–Brain Reprogramming Induced by Acute and Chronic Pathogen Exposures: The Role of G Protein–Coupled Receptors in Male Aggression

Kunau, J, Phillips, A, Isern, E., and Certel, S. Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States.

Organisms must continuously interpret environmental change and rapidly adjust physiology and behavior. Ingested microbes are a powerful, understudied driver of this process because they can reshape gut to brain communication and alter behaviors such as feeding and aggression. Here we test whether acute, 24-hour ingestion of E. coli is sufficient to shift male aggression in Drosophila.

The gastrointestinal system communicates with …

Mining Bacterial Genome: Identifying Unkown Bacterial Immune Systems, Mason Z. Mazzola

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Bacterial viruses, called bacteriophages, constitute a major threat to bacteria, driving a vast evolutionary arms race three billion years in the making. Out of this arms race bacteria have developed numerous types of bacterial immune systems varying in levels of complexity. The most notable bacterial immune system, CRISPR-Cas, is a suite of bacterial proteins which have enabled life-saving technologies through gene-editing and revolutionized biological research. CRISPR is only one of hundreds of anti-phage immune systems, most of which remain undiscovered. Since antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens is rising, one solution to the crisis is using phages to kill pathogenic bacteria. …

Multimodal Comparison Of Electrical, Structural, And Functional Brain Connectivity, Braelyn A. Hewitt-Holbein, Sarah Bethea, Kellan Stempin, Jose Carmona-Sanchez

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This project examines how relationships among brain regions can be characterized through two complementary perspectives of connectivity: structural connectivity measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional connectivity measured with resting-state fMRI.

The central question is how signals recorded at electrodes in one region may relate to signals at electrodes in other regions through the combined influence of anatomical pathways and coordinated neural activity. Understanding these relationships is important for improving interpretation of electrophysiological recordings and for clarifying how different definitions of “connectivity” capture distinct aspects of brain organization.

To address this question, the project compares electrode-by-electrode correlation (or similarity) …

Using Herbarium Specimens To Morphologically Delineate Three Western Phlox Species, Jack Hager

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Using Herbarium Specimens to Morphologically Delineate Three Western Phlox Species

Jack Hager, Meredith Zettlemoyer

Western Phlox are incredibly ecologically diverse, found in a variety of habitats spanning deserts, sagebrush, and mountains. The genus contains around 65 unique species, often with overlapping trait variation that makes morphological delineation difficult. Phlox missoulensis is an endemic cushion plant species found only in the Missoula Valley; it occupies lower-elevation, windy, arid ridgelines that mimic alpine conditions. Two other Phlox species found nearby,  Phlox kelseyi and Phlox pulvinata, occupy overlapping ecological niches. P. kelseyi is found in wetlands spanning from valleys to montane environments at …

Company Data At Risk: The Case Against Unified Search, Corbin D. Heser Rayl

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The average modern enterprise uses hundreds of disconnected Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, leading to a problem known as SaaS sprawl. SaaS sprawl leads to the fragmentation of data, which makes it difficult to locate files, increases the potential to use outdated versions of files, and causes an overall loss in productivity and workplace inefficiencies. To combat this, platforms like Dropbox, Microsoft, Google, and Glean are developing AI-powered unified search engines. These tools utilize natural language processing to index cross-platform files, allowing employees to instantly retrieve context-aware answers from a centralized hub.

However, this project argues that unified search engines currently present …

Defining How Adrenergic Receptors May Translate Gut Nutrient Signals ​ Into Starvation Resistance And Fecundity, Calvin W. Orser

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Calvin Orser1, Emily Gagliano, Sarah J Certel2

Research on the gut-brain axis is a major focus in biology because the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system communicate continuously. This bidirectional signaling helps organisms maintain homeostasis by relaying information from the gut to the brain and shaping innate behaviors such as feeding and reproduction. The adrenergic, “fight or flight”, system has emerged as a key component of this signaling. Adrenergic receptors are expressed in multiple gut epithelial cell types, including enteroendocrine cells (EEs), the main secretory cells of the gut, which synthesize and release the neuropeptides that can communicate with the …

Mlali Rehabilitation Centre Fundraising Initiative, Benjamin T. Rainford

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This capstone is a qualitative analysis of a fundraising campaign I am conducting to purchase equipment for Mlali Rehabilitation Centre in Tanzania. The Centre serves 75 children with severe physical disabilities. After volunteering twice, Director Br. Gaudence Aikaruwa asked me to help find external funding. They operate on little support, and their 23-year-old tractor is failing, posing a serious food security threat.

I have since encountered significant obstacles. I found grantmakers were mostly invite-only and generally hesitant to support a large capital investment. I pivoted to crowdfunding, which was more promising but a logistical nightmare. I could neither receive money …

Ear Differences And Working Memory, Taci Lane Watkins

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Title: Ear Differences and Working Memory

Introduction: Previous research has demonstrated performance differences between the right and left ears on auditory perception tasks, suggesting a right ear advantage in auditory processing and speech perception. The present study investigated whether such ear-related differences extend beyond perception into the cognitive domain of working memory, specifically during tasks that require the manipulation and recall of verbal information.

Methods: Twenty-four right-handed adults (ages 18–30) with normal hearing completed backward digit span tasks under three listening conditions: right ear, left ear, and binaural presentation. Stimuli consisted of digit sequences ranging from three to eight numbers. …

Collegiate Volleyball Athletes Are Able To Sustain A Greater Level Of Performance Due To Many Recovery Practices., Caleb Rockwood

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Collegiate volleyball demands high-intensity physical and mental work, however athletes often struggle to maintain the recovery processes necessary to sustain a high level performance throughout a season. This project investigates how consistent recovery practices, specifically sleep, nutritional habits, and mobility, influence the ability of college volleyball players to maintain high level performance. The central problem I’ve examined is the trap, where the dual pressures of academic responsibilities and athletic commitments lead to sleep loss and nutritional deficits according to literature.

The ultimate question for this research is whether a consistent recovery routine can mitigate the typical mid-season performance decline often …