Digital Commons Network^™

Connecting The University Community To Passenger Rail, Evyn L. Kolczak-Hardy, Delaney A. Stewart, Eleanor R. Hollingsworth

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Abstract

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) is a regional coalition of 12 Montana counties with a mission of improving and expanding passenger rail service throughout Montana and the greater northwest region. The BSPRA seeks to restore a passenger rail route that would connect Chicago to Seattle, passing through Montana, known as the Big Sky North Coast Corridor (BSNCC). The goal of QUEST is to provide a relevant, realistic, and research-based recommendation that assists the mission of the BSPRA. We identified a need to actively engage the BSPRA with the University of Montana which is a regional hub and …

Reclamation Of Native Identity: An Examination Of Language Revitalization Efforts, Brittney J. Wagner

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The Native American peoples of the United States have faced a history shaped by systemic oppression with the government since European settlers landed in the North American continent. This project focuses on Native American community efforts in revitalizing their languages, cultures, and ways of being. One of the traumatic long-lasting events that have affected Native American communities and individuals is federally and/or church run boarding schools. In the United States, there were approximately 300 schools that were open from 1860-1978. My hope with this project is to explore the history of assimilation and oppression the federal government attempted with these …

A Persistent Penance: Repetition, Memory, And Moral Stasis In Ethan Frome, Nicholas Howard

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

My project examines Edith Wharton’s novella Ethan Frome through the lens of purgatory. I argue that the story is less a tragedy of failed love than a story about being trapped inside one’s own mistakes, unable to move forward. Rather than reading Ethan’s sled crash as a failed suicide followed by a bleak but ordinary life, I explore the interpretation that the “present-day” Starkfield is a form of purgatory—an endless winter in which Ethan continues the emotional patterns that destroyed him.

My guiding question is: What changes if we read Ethan Frome as already dead, living inside a self-made purgatory? …

Examination Of Adolescents Self Confidence Of Their Miranda Warnings, Eddy Jane Manning, Madeline Durrant

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Background: Research indicates that adolescents frequently exhibit overconfidence in their knowledge and abilities, often overestimating their actual competence. This overconfidence poses significant risks in legal contexts, where misunderstanding one's civil rights can lead to inadvertent waiver of legal protections and increased legal jeopardy. Miranda warnings, constitutional rights recited during arrest, conclude with officers asking suspects to confirm their understanding. Overconfident adolescents may affirm comprehension despite lacking genuine understanding of these critical protections.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between adolescents' self-rated confidence in understanding Miranda rights and their actual comprehension of Miranda warnings.

Methods: Thirty high school students completed a …

Representation And Placement Of Emerging Bilinguals In Gifted Education, Morgan Bailey

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The underrepresentation of bilingual students and students from diverse cultural backgrounds in gifted education programs remains a persistent equity concern in the United States. As of 2021, 10% of public school students were emerging bilinguals, yet they comprise only 3% of gifted education classrooms (Serrano, 2019). This disparity highlights systemic barriers in identification and placement practices.

This presentation will provide a comprehensive review of research on gifted identification practices and their impact on emerging bilinguals, with the goal of promoting increased equity in education and improving understanding of how better practices can be implemented.

Sources include peer-reviewed journal articles from …

Benefits And Challenges Of The Use Of Narrative Texts In Linguistic Analysis, Logan J. Sites

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

In this presentation, I consider some benefits and issues of the use of narrative texts for linguistic research. The discussion is framed by the analysis of the Séliš-Ql̓ispé suffix -m based on narratives transcribed by Hans Vogt in 1937. The stories were recounted by One-Eyed Tom and translated into English for Vogt by Joe Abrahamson. The data in this presentation is taken from Camp 2007 and Ward 2008, two interlinearizations (morpheme by morpheme analyses) of several of the Vogt texts. The analysis of -m provides an opportunity to demonstrate the usefulness of narratives in linguistic work, as Camp (2007) and …

Ursine Transitions: An Analysis Of The Role Of The Bear Attack As A Transitionary Force In The Winter’S Tale And Beyond, Alison R. Liwosz

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale features a curiously specific bear among the pastoral romantic comedy, a bear that chases a character off stage and ends up eating him and another character. This bear’s symbolism and significance to the narrative will be the focus of this essay. This event occurs in the simple stage direction “Exit, pursued by bear” to close out the third act and court setting of the play. A description of the murders come from a character introduced from the pastoral latter half of the narrative, with the bear acting as the hinge between the two. The bear also …

Scary Science: How Science Fiction Is An Effective Avenue To Explore Climate Change Through Trauma Theory And Anticipatory Trauma, Sawyer N. Unruh

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Science Fiction (SF) offers its readers a means of confronting climate anxiety by transforming the creeping, yet daunting threat of climate change and natural disasters into an unfortunate but manageable reality. Drawing on trauma theory, this paper examines how SF engages with Anticipatory Trauma Reaction (ATR) and works to mitigate it. Theorized by Tanya Hopwood, ATR is a pre-trauma response characterized by stress and anxiety over potential catastrophe. It is especially relevant in an environmental context, as individuals grapple with the potential irreversibility of climate change and its detrimental effects on society. SF provides the necessary tools to immerse its …

Gli Weekly, April 7, 2026, Franke Global Leadership Initiative

GLI Weekly

GLI Volunteer: EmPower Pack -- GLI Celebration! -- From Yellowstone to Southern Africa: Shared Challenges, Shared Solutions across Continents -- Become an Ambassador! -- Advising Information -- Wild Stories: Wilderness, Policy, Packing, & Writing -- UM Global Career Accelerator -- VolunteerUM Events -- BioBlitz at Travelers Rest -- Animal Wonders Volunteer -- Annual Clark Fork River Clean Up -- The Big Event -- Plant an Apple Orchard at Franklin Elementary! -- Volunteer for the GLI! -- VolunteerUM -- Screening of “Bending the Arc” -- President's Lecture Series: An Evening with Jad Abumrad -- Democracy Summit -- AmeriCorps Info Session -- …

Minutes From The April 2, 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 2, 2026 meeting of the University of Montana faculty.

Montana Kaimin, April 2, 2026, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

The Role Of The Context For Pupils’ Choice Of Solution Strategies And Representations When Working With Combinatorial Problems, Frode Rønning

The Mathematics Enthusiast

This paper reports on a study based on two classroom sessions in a Norwegian school where pupils in Grade 4 (age 9) worked on two combinatorial problems. Data were collected by video-recording two pairs of pupils collaborating in each session, as well as a whole-class session at the end of the second session. The pupils’ written work during the sessions was also collected as data. The classroom sessions were designed based on principles from the Theory of Didactical Situations. Data were analysed using a dialogical approach and based on theory for multiplicative structures and semiotic representations. The study shows that …

Learning About Human Mathematical Dialogue From Dialogue With Chatbots: Babbling, Gargling And Funnelling, Ingólfur Gíslason

The Mathematics Enthusiast

In this study, I explore mathematics teaching-learning dialogues between preservice teachers and a chatbot (ChatGPT) with the aim of increasing our understanding of human mathematics teaching-learning dialogues. The dialogues contain wrong solutions (as determined by the preservice teachers), and the teachers try to get the chatbot to reconsider its answers without giving away the answer. The chatbot’s solution attempts are interpreted through and against the concepts of babbling (imperfect efforts to express thought) and gargling (imitation of surface form of expressions), and the dialogues are analyzed by considering whether and how the preservice teacher and the chatbot reach joint attention. …

Mathematics In Maltese: The Compilation Of A Bilingual English-Maltese Glossary To Support Mathematics Teaching And Learning In Malta, Marie Theresa Farrugia, Lara Ann Vella, David Muscat, Melanie Casha Sammut

The Mathematics Enthusiast

In Malta, mathematics education is accessed bilingually through Maltese and English. While Maltese is often used for verbal interaction, English is the language of written texts, including assessments. Consequently, switches between the languages is a common feature of Maltese mathematics classrooms. Anecdotal and research evidence indicate that Maltese students benefit from the use of their home language. However, to date, there is no recognised and standardised Maltese bank of mathematics Our project aims to address this lacuna. In this article, we outline the process of compiling a bilingual glossary of mathematics terms intended for kindergarten and elementary school levels in …

Trialoguing About Engaging With Communication And Language In Relation To Mathematics And Its Education, David Pimm, Jenni Ingram, Núria Planas

The Mathematics Enthusiast

This is our introduction to the series of eight articles in the first part of the double special issue on the challenges of ‘Engaging with communication and language in relation to mathematics and its education’. In the current article, we think together about ‘communication’ and ‘language’ in relation to mathematics and its education, by turning to reflections and examples from our decades of work as researchers and teacher educators, and in response to the articles in this first part. Following the preamble, most reflections are presented in the form of a fresh trialogue, through which we share some perspectives and …

Equals In The Wild: How Mathematical Equality Is Talked About In Lessons, Robert Ward-Penny, Jenni Ingram, Kirstin Erath, Elizabeth Kimber, Núria Planas

The Mathematics Enthusiast

Equality is a nuanced concept in mathematics, and the equals sign is used and interpreted in different ways. During professional development in language-responsive teaching, a group of teachers discussed the use of ‘equals’ in algebra lessons. This article considers how three of these teachers went on to invoke equality in their classroom interactions when teaching other topics. The cases observed suggest constructive resonances between conceptions of ‘equals’ and geometric relationships, and include examples of teachers balancing precision with fluency. We argue that attention to language in one mathematical topic may extend helpfully to other topics, but this is not automatic.

A Prospective Mathematics Teacher’S Shifts In Tone Of Language From Ineffective To Effective Written Feedback On A Pupil’S Project, Samet Okumus

The Mathematics Enthusiast

In the present study, I analyze data from a prospective mathematics teacher, Oya, and her shift in the tone of language used in self-perceived ineffective and effective written feedback on a real pupil’s mathematics project. The results indicate that, in her ineffective feedback, Oya primarily provides neutral and negative responses, often highlighting the pupil’s mistakes in a harsh and judgmental manner. In contrast, her effective feedback demonstrates a wider range of tones, including a substantial amount of neutral feedback as well as solution-oriented comments. The study underscores the importance of tone in feedback, emphasizing how different language use and word …

An Operational Framework For Integrating Content, Cognition And Language Into Planning For Aen Mathematics Learners Within A Clil Context, Máire Ní Ríordáin, Craig Neville

The Mathematics Enthusiast

The growing diversity in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classrooms, particularly the inclusion of Additional Educational Needs (AEN) learners, highlights an urgent need for research addressing their unique challenges. These students often face compounded difficulties, navigating the dual demands of mastering subject content and developing proficiency in the instructional language, with limited frameworks to support their needs. This article presents an operational framework for integrating content, cognition, and language into planning mathematics education for AEN learners. Grounded in theoretical approaches such as communicative competence, CAPA, and pluriliteracies, the framework addresses key challenges in developing mathematical literacy. The framework provides …

Teaching Talk Moves To Support The Discussion Of Divisibility Content In A Trilingual Classroom, Miquel Morell, Núria Planas

The Mathematics Enthusiast

In this article, we present our study of teaching talk moves and translanguaging practices used to support the discussion of divisibility in a Catalan–Spanish–English trilingual classroom of a secondary school. We examined a sequence of eleven lessons with a focus on seven talk moves – Switching languages, Revoicing, Recapping, Adding on, Focusing, Funneling and Eliciting. Through this we were able to identify some teaching episodes in which the attention was given to discussing specific mathematical–linguistic challenges involved in the learning and understanding of divisibility content. We illustrate this finding using an episode around the least common multiple and how interconnected …

Genre-Based Socialization Practices In Teaching And Learning Of Geometric Proof In Language Diverse Classrooms, Rabih El Mouhayar, Richard Barwell

The Mathematics Enthusiast

The present study reports on analysis of how two teachers in Lebanon, and their students navigated the learning and teaching of geometric proof in English, in a context in which Lebanese Arabic is the language of home and wider society. One of the teachers taught in a public school, the other in a private school. The study focuses on language socialization practices in the two grade-seven classrooms, in relation to the specific genre of geometric proof. The focus is not directly on proving as a cognitive process; rather, the study explores the interactional process of interpreting and constructing geometric proofs …

Decarceration & Voting Rights Advocacy, Sophie E. Trudgeon

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

Portfolio detailing my MSW practicum placement at Catalyst MT under the Justice Initiative and the growth that accompanied it.

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

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Gli Weekly, March 31, 2026, Franke Global Leadership Initiative

GLI Weekly

GLI Volunteer: Bike Repair & EmPower Pack -- From Yellowstone to Southern Africa: Shared Challenges, Shared Solutions across Continents -- Become an Ambassador! -- Advising Information -- BTC Scholarship Workshops -- Beyond the Classroom Experience Planning -- Wild Stories: Wilderness, Policy, Packing, & Writing -- UM Global Career Accelerator -- EF Global Challenge -- Habbitat For Humanity -- BioBlitz at Travelers Rest -- Animal Wonders Volunteer -- Annual Clark Fork River Clean Up -- Project Community Connect -- Volunteer for the GLI! -- VolunteerUM -- Baby Food & Supply Drive -- Plant Propagation Workshop -- What Were You Wearing? -- …

Gli Weekly, March 23, 2026, Franke Global Leadership Initiative

GLI Weekly

The Big Give -- Become an Ambassador -- Advising Information -- BTC Scholarship Workshops -- Beyond the Classroom Experience Planning -- Wild Stories: Wilderness, Policy, Packing, & Writing -- UM Global Career Accelerator -- EF Global Challenge -- Baby Food & Supply Drive -- K(no)w Fear -- Volunteer for the GLI -- GLI Volunteer: Bike Repair & EmPower Pack -- Project Community Connect -- BioBlitz at Traveler's Rest -- Animal Wonders Volunteer Day -- VolunteerUM -- TESOL Certificate Program -- Cliff Edwards Lecture Series: The Impending Death of Democracy, the Constitution and the Rule of Law -- The Global Engagement …

Montana Kaimin, March 12, 2026, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

Gli Weekly, March 9, 2026, Franke Global Leadership Initiative

GLI Weekly

Advising Information -- BTC Scholarship Workshops -- We're recruiting a VISTA for the Franke GLI -- The Big Give! -- Beyond the Classroom Experience Planning -- Wild Stories: Wilderness, Policy, Packing, & Writing -- UM Global Career Accelerator -- Peace Through Community -- Food and Agriculture Organization Internship Program -- Baby Food & Supply Drive -- K(no)w Fear -- Project Community Connect -- VolunteerUM -- The Montana Constitution Roadshow -- QUEST Survey -- UM Symphony Orchestra -- Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival Concert -- Word Rhythms Concert -- UM All-Star Honor Choir Gala -- Composer Showcase -- Branch Center Inclusive Leadership …

Forensic Implications Of Hydrochloric Acid (Hcl) Exposure On Dna Preservation In Human Teeth, Shaelyn Zimmerman

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Identity is a human right, and forensic anthropological methods aim to return identity to decedents. DNA methods are considered the gold standard because fingerprints and dental comparison may not be applicable in cases of unidentified individuals or those with no known records. Identification efforts also may be hindered when perpetrators attempt to obscure a victim’s identity with corrosive substances, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl).

Previous studies have shown teeth are an excellent source of DNA. Large posterior teeth are often preferred because they contain the highest concentration of DNA and are more likely to survive taphonomic processes due to their …

Risk Of Factors Associated With Female Athlete Triad In Rowers: A Systematic Review, Lillian Scully

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Objective: Rowing is an endurance sport requiring athletes to optimally fuel their bodies to be able to perform at their highest capacity.  Coupled high stress activity with nutrient deficiency can lead to increased risk of injury and illness. The combination of low energy deficit, menstrual dysfunction, and altered bone mineral density is known as female athlete triad.  Any singular part of the triad can affect performance, but all three can lead to drastic performance deficits for athletes. The purpose of this study was to explore risk factors leading to diagnosis of female athlete triad in female rowers.

Data sources:  PubMed …

Lovecraftian Hybrids And Transgender Embodiment, Mari K. Newman

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

     While much of Howard Phillips Lovecraft’s oeuvre has been analyzed by queer theorists for homosexual metaphors within Lovecraft’s monsters, less argued is the subject of his hybrids mirroring transgender embodiment. I posit the rise of transgender identities in the Western mainstream and access to breakthrough gender-affirming care in the United States during Lovecraft’s life lend to a reading of his hybrids as embodying gender queerness. The proposed research is a literature review which draws upon interdisciplinary texts ranging from scholars in the social sciences—such as sociology and anthropology—to the hard sciences such as ecology and health sciences.

In this paper, …

From Classroom To Real Life: Chinese Esl Learners And Sex-Related Taboo Language, Yusi Chen, Gage Weston

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Sex-related taboo language (SRTL) is common in everyday English but often absent from English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction due to teacher discomfort, limited training, and perceived inappropriateness (Gale & Fernández, 2016). However, SRTL is important for expressing emotion, building social relationships, and negotiating interpersonal boundaries (Jay, 2009). Without instruction, learners may misinterpret these expressions, causing embarrassment, social challenges, or increased vulnerability in contexts involving consent, discrimination, or safety (Dewaele, 2004). Understanding when and how to use such language is essential but under-addressed in ESL curricula (Kremin, 2017). Limited prior exposure to sex-related language among Chinese ESL learners (Shi …