Digital Commons Network^™

Byline Magazine “Meant To Burn”, Marly Graham, Samantha Dunne

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Despite wildfire's increased prevalence in the state of Montana, parts of the wildfire story in the West are rarely reported. As students in the School of Journalism's Magazine Production and Design class, we reviewed those underreported topic areas, covering behind-the-scenes support of dispatchers, forest recovery, ever-changing management practices, preventative measures, long-term ecological effects and positive impacts of fire. Over the course of the semester, students pitched, researched, reported, fact-checked, designed and copy-edited to produce Byline Magazine-The Wildfire Issue. Despite obstacles, such as a government shutdown, the class gave students the opportunity to produce an in-depth magazine and gain real-world experience …

Invection: Implementation Of Visual Effects In The Unity Game Engine, Bridger H. Burkes

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Invection is the title of a prototype game I’ve been building within the Unity game engine to explore the implementation of visual effects (VFX). In this presentation I will discuss how I’ve developed Invection and the challenges I’ve learned from when creating a cohesive visual style for the game. Invection uses several outside software, such as Blender and Touchdesigner, and built-in rendering frameworks within the Unity Technologies engine to develop lighting and environmental effects. These effects are linked to the aesthetic quality of the game, and use worldbuilding to communicate to the player a sense of danger and unease. Compared …

Computing The Tree Packing Conjecture, Nathaniel T. Adams

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The Gyárfás tree packing conjecture [1] states that any collection of trees (T1, T2, . . . , Ti) on 1, 2, . . . n vertices can be edge-disjointly packed into a complete graph on n vertices. Alternatively, this conjecture states that such a family of trees can be “glued” together to produce a complete graph on n vertices. Although many partial results are known (See Cisiński and Zak [2], Janzer and Montgomery [3], Balogh and Palmer [4]), ˙ the conjecture has remained open since 1970. This conjecture is computationally challenging, naively requiring superexponential number of computations. This paper …

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. …

Department Of Mathematical Sciences Newsletter, Spring 2026, University Of Montana--Missoula. Department Of Mathematical Sciences

Newsletters from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UM

Alumni Profile: Dr. Frank Gilfeather / John Bardsley -- Does Distance from Treatment Centers Impact Cancer Survival in Montana? / Hanna Antonsen -- Notes from the Chair / John Bardsley -- Math Department Cultivates New Perspectives with Indigenous STEM Course / Frederick Peck -- Mary Kay Kriley, 1942-2025 -- Michael O'Lear, 1947-2025 -- Photos from the 2026 Pi Day "Mathathon" -- Donations to the Math Department -- Degree Recipients 2025-2026 -- Spring 2026 Scholarships & Awards -- Analyzing High School Districts Through Redistricting: An Undergraduate Research Project

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

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Integrating Hippotherapy Into Interprofessional Stroke Rehabilitation For Aphasia: A Feasibility Pilot Study, Bethany H. Wenger, Catherine Off, Julia E. Mazzarella, Laurie Slovarp, Leah J. Meloy

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Stroke is a leading cause of global disability, with approximately 94 million people living with the effects of stroke worldwide, impacting over 2.5 million individuals annually (Feigin et al., 2025). Stroke-related motor and communication deficits often co-occur, increasing challenges for recovery and increasing social isolation, depression, and dependency (Mitchell et al., 2021). Hippotherapy, the therapeutic use of equine movement, has emerged as a novel treatment approach for neurorehabilitation; however, its integration within interprofessional stroke rehabilitation targeting motor and communication impairments is limited (Koca, 2016; Viruega et al., 2022). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, fidelity, and …

Identification And Management Of Necrotizing Fasciitis In A College Football Player: A Level Iv Case Study, Sarah Greene

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

An 18-year-old, male football player presented to urgent care with erythema and edema from his calf down to his right foot, with large hemorrhagic bullae on his anterior mid foot and an abrasion to the medial right hallux. Upon admission to the emergency department, the patient was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and was treated for the condition. The patient underwent three surgical irrigation and debridement’s, was placed on broad-spectrum antibiotics until cultures were confirmed for a tailored approach, and received a skin graft from his anterior lateral thigh. This case involved a multidisciplinary team including trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, physician …

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 …

Exogenous Carbohydrate Form During Low Muscle Glycogen Conditions Has Minimal Impact On Cycling Performance, Ian R. Matthews, Alejandro M. Rosales Phd, Josey K. Walker, Noah B. Wilfong, Rachel E. Perez, Brent C. Ruby Phd, Dustin R. Slivka Phd

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Background: Skeletal muscle recovery is improved with immediate post-exercise carbohydrate feeding. Little is known regarding muscle recovery and performance when feeding is delayed between exercise bouts. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of varying forms of exogenous carbohydrate on skeletal muscle glycogen recovery and cycling performance with delayed feedings and low skeletal muscle glycogen. Methods: Following 60 minutes of cycling at 65% W_MAX and an overnight fast (12.1±0.4 hours), participants consumed 2.10±0.13 g·kg-1 bodyweight carbohydrate of one of the following: whole potatoes (POT), cooked pasta (PAS), energy gel (GEL), or remained fasted (control, …

Total Energy Expenditure And Water Turnover During A 335 Km Mountain Ultramarathon, Alejandro Rosales, Brooke Stayner, Dustin Slivka, Dale Schoeller, Timothy Shriver, Michele Ravelli, Brent Ruby

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Among the highest empirically reported doubly labeled water (DLW) derived total energy expenditure (TEE) and water turnover (rH2O) values occur during 161km (100-mile) ultra-endurance events. TEE and rH2O of ultra-endurance events surpassing 161km present an anomalous physiological stressor to further detail human endurance limits. PURPOSE: To quantify TEE and rH2O during a multi-day ultra-endurance event. METHODS: Two runners (female [R1], male [R2]) completed 322 km following DLW (2H218O) consumption. Urinary isotopic elimination rates were used to calculate TEE and rH2O. Race-provided GPS monitors measured duration, moving time, and non-activity time. RESULTS: R1 finished in 73.6h (50.3h moving, 23.3h resting) at …

Evaluation Of Silk Textile Waste As An Alternative Source Of Silk Fibroin For Biotechnological Applications, Ndiana-Abasi Sunday, Bogdan Serban, Hayden Scoular

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Silk fibroin (SF) is a structural protein with good mechanical properties, allowing its processing into scaffolds, including films and hydrogels for biotechnological applications. SF is traditionally sourced from Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons and silk textile yarn—sources also relied upon by the textile industry for fabrics. This shared dependence creates high demand for cocoons and yarn, which is met through large-scale silkworm rearing and cocoon harvesting. These practices are associated with environmental and ethical concerns, including a heavy carbon footprint and silkworm killing, necessitating the search for alternative SF sources for biotechnology purposes.

Silk textile waste (STW), with over 11 million …

Functional Neuroarchitecture Of Brain Activation And Network Organization In Bilinguals During Native And Second Language Processing, Onila Rasanjala Narayana Mudalige Don

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Bilingual language processing requires the coordinated engagement of large-scale brain networks, yet how these networks dynamically reorganize across native (L1) and second language (L2) use—and how this reorganization depends on language proficiency—remains poorly understood. Traditional fMRI studies often characterize brain connectivity as static, overlooking moment-to-moment fluctuations in network interactions that may be critical for successful second-language processing.

In this study, we investigated dynamic brain network organization in Spanish–Basque bilinguals performing a semantic animacy judgment task in their native (Spanish) and second (Basque) language. Using Independent Component Analysis (ICA), we identified large-scale functional networks engaged during L1 and L2 processing and …

Musculoskeletal Injury Risk In Collegiate Football Players Following Concussion, Elizabeth J. Mangen

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in Collegiate Football Players Following Concussion

Context: Concussions are among the most common injuries in collegiate football, with the sport demonstrating one of the highest concussion incidence rates (6.71 per 10,000 athlete exposures). Following a concussion, athletes may experience lingering neurophysiological impairments that affect neuromuscular control, balance, postural stability, reaction time, and cognitive-motor integration. Although athletes may report symptom resolution, growing evidence suggests that these deficits can persist beyond clinical recovery. Such impairments may alter movement patterns and delay muscular responses, increasing the risk of subsequent musculoskeletal injury. Athletes with a history of concussion have been shown …

Lower Extremity Neuropraxia In A High School Football Player: A Case Report, Briiahna Kc Staker, Valerie Moody

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Background: Traumatic nerve injuries occur at a rate of approximately 350,000 cases per year, with 74% affecting males; only 2.4% are sport related. In athletics, acute peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) usually result from compressive forces, stretching, traction, or lacerations and are most common in high-contact sports. Although PNIs are uncommon, 71.3% of nerve injuries in high school sports occur in football, with nearly half of affected athletes missing about one week of participation.

Patient: A 16-year-old male varsity football player was evaluated on the sideline after hyperextending his right knee while twisting his upper body. He reported severe pain and …

Valgus Extension Overload Injury In A Professional Baseball Pitcher: A Case Report, Reegan Rakel Walsh, Valerie J. Moody

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Valgus Extension Overload Injury in a Professional Baseball Pitcher: A Case Report

Walsh, R, Moody, VJ, University of Montana

Background: Baseball has one of the highest incidences of injury to the elbow as it is most vulnerable during the late cocking phase of throwing. Throwing creates an abutment of the olecranon into the olecranon fossa, leading to valgus extension overload (VEO).  These stresses cause a tensile force upon the elbow, which may lead to cartilaginous degeneration, loose bodies, and many other pathologies.

Patient:  A 22-year-old male professional league baseball pitcher, diagnosed with valgus extension overload, with associated triceps …

An Exploratory Analysis Of The Role Of Sex In Load Carriage, Rachel E. Perez, Brooke E. Stayner, Dustin R. Slivka

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Axially loaded weight may impose a metabolic demand equivalent to that of fat mass (FM). As males (M) typically have a lower body fat percentage than females (F), differences in the metabolic demand of load carriage may be resolved by accounting for FM in pack loads. PURPOSE: To determine whether normalizing pack load to FM will equalize metabolic cost across sex during load carriage. METHODS: Twenty-eight participants (14M, 23±5 y, 1.81±0.07 m, 78.7±10.0 kg, 12.7±5.4% body fat, VO₂peak 4.18±0.54 L·min^-1; 14F, 22±4 y, 1.68±0.07 m, 63.7±8.1 kg, 22.6±5.2% body fat, VO₂peak 2.76±0.47 L·min^{-1 …}

Sex Differences In Bone Metabolism Biomarkers Due To Prolonged Daily Load Carriage, Josey K. Walker, Alejandro M. Rosales, Walter S. Hailes, Brent C. Ruby, Dustin R. Slivka

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Load carriage transiently stimulates bone metabolism biomarkers, but impact by sex is unclear. Males (M) generally exhibit higher circulating bone metabolism biomarkers than females (F). Sclerostin (SOST) inhibits a key formation pathway. Human procollagen type 1 N-terminal propetide (P1NP) is a formation byproduct. C-Terminal Telopeptide of Type 1 Collagen (CTX1) is a resorption byproduct.

PURPOSE: Investigate sex differences in bone metabolism following 5 days of load carriage.

METHODS:  12M (29±9 y, 54.6±8.2 mL∙kg^-1∙min^-1) and 20F (27±5 y, 43.4±4.9 mL∙kg^-1∙min^-1) completed the protocol. Each day consisted of two 1-hour ascents separated by a …

Epigenetic Constraint Landscapes And Repair-Mediated Genome Evolution In Human Lineages, Jaymes Mozingo

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Evolutionary change is often framed primarily in terms of mutation and selection, yet this perspective overlooks a prior, testable question: which genetic changes are permitted to persist within the genome at all. This project presents a methods-driven pilot analysis that examines whether epigenetic regulation of DNA repair context constrains the retention of rare genomic variants, leaving a falsifiable signature in population-level data. The study uses de-identified, consented high-coverage Y-chromosome sequencing data and public phylogenies (e.g., FamilyTreeDNA, YFull). An explicit, a priori variant-selection rule is applied to define a class of rare lineage-discordant SNP states arising within a specified downstream phylogenetic …

Reversible O-O Bond Activation And Formation On Dinuclear Cobalt Complexes, Wenting He, Yan Li, Dong Wang

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Dinuclear metal-peroxo species have been proposed as key intermediates in the dioxygen activation pathway for a number of nonheme diiron and dicopper enzymes such as soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO). A key step in the O activation is the cleavage of the metal-peroxo O-O bond to form higher-valent metal-oxo species. Meanwhile, the reverse O–O bond formation process catalyzed by the Oxygen-Evolving Complex (OEC) in natural Photosystem II is a pivotal step in the conversion of water into molecular oxygen during photosynthesis. In synthetic chemistry, compared to the diiron and dicopper complexes, dicobalt peroxo complexes are relatively less studied. Furthermore, none of …

Coordinating Lewis Bases To Ni(Iv) Enhances Reactivity Toward Strong Sp3 C-H Bonds, Collin R. Bryant

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

High-valent transition metal-oxo (TM-oxo) species have been ascertained to be key intermediates in the catalytic cycles of various metalloenzymes involved in C-H functionalization. Advances in the structural and mechanistic elucidation of these metalloenzymes have provided new rationale for designing biomimetic and bio-inspired systems that harness high-valent TM-oxo chemistry and in turn provide further insights into the electronic, structural and reactive properties of enzymatic TM-oxo intermediates. However, high-valent oxo complexes of late transition metals are less accessible due to electronic bonding restrictions. Synthetic efforts can be shifted toward developing high-valent late TM-non-oxo systems, which present electronic, structural and reactive properties similar …

A Network-Based Fmri Approach To Decoding Second-Language Proficiency In Advanced And Intermediate Speakers, Onila Rasanjala Narayana Mudalige Don

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Individual differences in second-language (L2) proficiency are not always well captured by traditional voxel-wise fMRI analyses. Network-level representations provide a more stable and interpretable framework for characterizing how the brain supports L2 processing, particularly in the presence of substantial inter-individual variability. In this study, we investigated whether large-scale brain networks can differentiate advanced and intermediate L2 speakers, and which network features carry the strongest proficiency-related signal.

Using fMRI data from Spanish–Basque bilinguals performing a semantic animacy judgment task, we applied group-level Principal Component Analysis (PCA) across all participants and both language conditions to identify shared spatial brain networks. Subject-specific component …

Using Adaptive Management To Understand Elk Population Dynamics In Northwest Montana, Andi Stewart, Nicole Bealer, Jesse Devoe, Zackary Farley, Christopher Hansen, Joshua Millspaugh, Kelly Proffitt

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Uncertainties about population dynamics may hamper the ability of state agencies and commissions to make informed wildlife management decisions. In hunting district 121, Montana, bull elk harvest has declined since 2012. Minimum counts suggest populations have been stable; however, it’s unknown if these counts reflect actual abundance and there are no vital rate data available for the region. Due to these uncertainties, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks developed an adaptive management project to address data gaps and uncertainties. From 2022-2025, we GPS collared 124 adult females, 18 adult males, and 185 neonate or 6-month-old calves. Across all years, the average …

Minutes From The March 5, 2026 Meeting Of The University Of Montana Faculty, University Of Montana--Missoula. Faculty

University of Montana Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes from the March 5, 2026 meeting of the University of Montana faculty.

Contesting National Security In Geopolitical Rivalry, Ji Ma

Montana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Beyond Artifacts And Fossils: Exploring The Contributions And Socioeconomic Impacts Of Montana’S Museums And Paleontological Tourism, Emma Keinath-Lopez, Elena Bigart, Glenna Hartman, Kara Grau, Ava Worbets, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study explores how Montana’s museums, including those along the Montana Dinosaur Trail, influence communities, economies, and visitor experiences in a post-pandemic environment. Through mixed methods—511 visitor surveys at 44 museums and 18 interviews with museum professionals— this research provides a holistic understanding of museum operations, visitor motivations, and community impacts.

Documents From The February 25, 2026 Meeting Of The Associated Students Of The University Of Montana (Asum), University Of Montana--Missoula. Associated Students

Senate Meeting Agendas and Minutes, 2007-Present

Agenda and meeting minutes from the February 25, 2026 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM). The following resolutions were discussed and passed during the meeting:

SB15-25/26: Resolution Encouraging the University of Montana to Recognize Election Day as an Annual Non-Instructional Day

SB16-25/26: Resolution Regarding an Increase of the ASUM Transportation Fee

D. The Michael Hofmann Seismic Sections -Part A, Michael H. Hofmann

1980 Flathead Lake Seismic Survey

A description of the process for constructing the full-length seismic sections from sets of scans of the paper field records made in the early 2000s by then PhD candidate Michael Hofmann.  Images of the full seismic sections follow the narrative by Robert W. Lankston.  This set of images relates to those lines labeled on the track map in Figure 4C of the Kogan (1981) thesis.

M. Epilogue For The 1970 Flathead Lake Seismic Project Collection, Robert W. Lankston

1970 Flathead Lake Seismic Survey

Re-introduction of the 1980 Qamar-Kogan seismic survey at Flathead Lake with recommendations for building an archive for that project. Article includes a proof-of-concept for converting scanned images of seismic sections recorded in variable density to digital seismic traces.

A. Introduction To The Archive Of The 1980 Flathead Lake Seismic Survey, Robert W. Lankston

1980 Flathead Lake Seismic Survey

This attempts to provide details of the hardware used during the 1980 seismic survey on Flathead Lake beyond the references in the master's thesis that described the survey and the initial use of the data.