University of Montana

Happening at UM

Five Distinguished Alumni Honored for Achievements

Five outstanding UM graduates will receive 2014 Distinguished Alumni Awards during Homecoming weekend festivities on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26-27. The awards are the highest honor presented by UM’s Alumni Association. This year’s distinguished alumni are Eric Sprunk ’86 of Beaverton, Ore.; Elizabeth Vinson Kohlstaedt, Ph.D. ’89, of Helena; Charles Hood ’61, M.A. ’69 (posthumously awarded); Denise Juneau, J.D. ’04, of Helena; and James Murray ’76 of Washington, D.C. Read more about the distinguished alumni.

July 10th, 2014

Campus and Community

Alumni

The new family medicine residents at a gathering

UM Selects 10 New Family Medicine Residents for Class of 2017

Ten new family doctors were selected as the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana’s second class. The new residents began their intensive orientation earlier this month at the Partnership Health Center, where they learned about electronic medical records and spent time with a senior physician to learn how to prevent burnout in their career. The program is sponsored by UM as part of the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency Network. Read more about residency program.

July 10th, 2014

Academics

Campus and Community

Researcher Ryan Mizner adjusts the cords on his BRIDGE device.

Unweighting Device Gives Patients a Lighter Road to Recovery

Assistant Professor Ryan Mizner has designed a cutting-edge device that makes patients lighter as they do physical therapy to recover from knee injuries or even severe brain injuries. His Bodyweight Reduction Instrument to Deliver Graded Exercise (BRIDGE) device offers consistent vertical force no matter what the movement. He earned a grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy to conduct a double-blind study with 30 patients recovering from knee surgery. Read more about the device.

July 8th, 2014

Research

UM faculty member Yoon Hee Cho and Harley Fredriksen

Visiting Honors Student Researches Epigenetic Changes during UM Summer Program

Meet Harley Fredriksen, a visiting honors student from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Fredriksen is participating in UM's Summer Undergraduate Research Program and conducting research with mentor Dr. Yoon Hee Cho, a faculty member in UM's Center for Environmental Health Sciences. Over the course of the summer, Harley and Cho are researching changes in DNA that man-made nanomaterials can cause in order to better understand the genetic and health impacts of nanomaterial exposure. Read more about Fredriksen's project here.

July 7th, 2014

Academics

Research

A Syrian policeman patrols the ancient city of Palmyra,

Postdoctoral Researcher: Antiquities Often Looted to Fund Insurgencies

In recent weeks the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, better known as ISIS, has emerged as a major insurgency. Evidence now suggests they are using illicit antiquity trafficking to fund their growth and arm their members. Such profiteering fits well with a longstanding pattern in the region, says Thomas Livoti, a Ph.D. student at UM who is studying the impact of counterinsurgencies on archaeological sites. Read more about Livoti’s work in this National Geographic article.

July 3rd, 2014

Academics

Research

Arts and Culture

Professor Left Lasting Impression on Montana Law, Thousands of Students

Longtime UM law professor “Duke” William Crowley passed away recently at age 91, but while he’s gone from this world, his legacy as a friend, a professor and the principal draftsman of the Montana Criminal Code will linger. The school estimates that more than 3,000 law students attended his classes over the years. He left them rich with knowledge and stories they wouldn’t soon forget. Read more about Crowley’s legacy.

July 2nd, 2014

Academics

Campus and Community

Alumni

The Story Behind the Photo

Students in the UM Department of Anthropology’s field schools are learning archaeological excavation techniques at UM’s property associated with the Fort Missoula National Register of Historic Places District. The students are working with anthropology master’s student Ayme Swartz, who will use the results of the excavations to shed light on Missoula’s African American history and the daily lives of 25th Infantry “Buffalo Soldiers” who were stationed at Fort Missoula during the 1880s and 1890s. For more information, including student notes from the field, visit the Montana Anthropogenic Research Cooperative on Facebook.

Submit photo and story ideas to thrive@umontana.edu

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