Sloan Scholars
Joel Adams, master's student in the College of Forestry and Conservation; Shandin Pete and Antony Berthelote, doctoral students in geology; John Hill, master's student in forestry; and, Tony Dorame, master's student in environmental studies.
Joel Adams is tribally affiliated with the Salish and Kootenai tribes of Montana. He received his bachelor's degree in fish and wildlife from Salish Kootenai College in Montana in 2003. His goal is to pursue a career in the Tribal Forestry Department for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation. Joel was awarded a $9927 Native American teaching assistantship and a tuition waiver from the School of Forestry for academic year 2005-2006. Joel is married and is the father of two daughters.
Shandin Pete is a tribally enrolled member of the Salish Kootenai Tribe. He received his bachelor's degree in environmental science from Salish Kootenai College in 1996. He will receive his master's degree in geology from UM in fall 2005. His goal is to pursue a career in hydrologic research with faculty affiliation at Salish Kootenai College. Shandin was awarded a $25,000 fellowship from the Graduate School for academic year 2005-2006. His award is from a Department of Energy grant that supports research in radioactive contamination in groundwater and the subsurface soils. Shandin is married and is the father of three daughters.
Antony Berthelote is a tribally enrolled member of the Salish Kootenai Tribe. He received his bachelor's degree in geology from The University of Montana in 2003 and his master's degree in geophysics from the University of Alaska in 2005. He was also a McNair Scholar during his undergraduate career at UM. His goal is to also pursue a career in hydrologic research with faculty affiliation at Salish Kootenai College. Antony was also awarded a $25,000 fellowship from the Graduate School's grant with the Department of Energy for academic years 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. Antony is married and is the father of two children.
John Hill is a tribally enrolled Crow from eastern Montana. John graduated with a bachelors of science degree in resource conservation with a minor in wildlife biology in December 2005. During his undergraduate studies, John realized that Native American tribes face tremendous difficulties when it comes to understanding modern natural resource management methods and policy. His academic goal is to obtain a master's degree in natural resource conservation and work with tribes in this area. He plans to help his tribe and/or other tribes manage their natural resources in a sustainable manner by helping them clear the stumbling blocks associated with understanding natural resource management. John entered UM's College of Forestry's program in resource conservation in spring 2006 and was accepted as a Sloan Scholar. John was awarded a teaching assistantship from the Graduate School and will maintain that assistantship until the graduates. John is married with three young daughters. His wife, Selena, is an employee of UM, and she is also a graduate student in counselor education. John graduated in May 2008. He accepted a job as a forester with the Bureau of Land Management in Missoula, Montana.
Tony Dorame is a tribally enrolled Pueblo from New Mexico and was admitted into the Sloan Scholars program spring semester 2006. He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in wildlife biology with a minor in Rangeland ecology from Colorado State University in 1998. He worked as the environment department director with the Tesuque Pueblo Environment Department in New Mexico from 1998-2003. He was responsible for the overall operation on the environment department and supervision of other employees in water quality, solid waste, air and wildlife. Tony was accepted into UM's environmental studies program with a science major in the fall of 2005. His goals is to learn to analyze environmental problems in a holistic manner. He believes most environmental problems are very complex in nature and to fully understand them, the viewpoints of stakeholders involved must be fully understood. Tony is married and is the father of two daughters. Tony received a teaching assistantship from UM's Graduate School for spring semester 2006. He also receives funding from his tribe. Tony graduated in May 2008. He accepted a job as a wildlife biologist with the Pueblo Nation in New Mexico.
Three new Sloan Scholars will be entering the program during summer and fall 2006. They are Aislinn Rioux, Jamie Kennedy and Michael Ceballos.
Aislinn Rioux was accepted into the Sloan Scholars program for summer 2006. Aislinn began her graduate master's interdisciplinary program summer semester. Aislinn will complete an interdisciplinary degree with statistics as her major and sociology as her minor. Aislinn graduated with a degree in sociology from The University of Montana spring semester 2006 with a 3.6 gpa. She is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet tribe in Montana. Aislinn was selected as sociology's outstanding major for this year's graduating class. Aislinn has been married for three years.Aislinn graduated in May 2008. She is working on research grants at The University of Montana and awaiting the birth of her first child in late June.
Jamie Kennedy was accepted into the Sloan Scholars program for fall 2006 as a doctoral student in pharmaceutical sciences. Jamie graduated from the pharmacy program spring semester 2006 with a 3.8 gpa. Jamie is an enrolled Blackfeet member from Browning, Montana. Jamie will receive a research assistantship from the College of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences during her tenure in that program.
Michael Ceballos was accepted into the Sloan Scholars program for fall 2006 as a doctoral student in the integrated microbiology and biochemistry program in the Division of Biological Sciences. He is also an assistant professor at the Salish-Kootenai College teaching biology, chemistry and biochemistry. He is a very dedicated professional and has striven to provide his students with real-world research experience in these areas through equipment and training grants that he has written as well as through facilitating involvement of numerous SKC students with researchers at UM. Michael is from a reserve called Saint Catherine of the Tepehuanes in California. His mother's side of the family is Creek, Eastern Cherokee and Choctaw. Michael received a teaching assistantship from the IGERT program for academic year 2006-2007.
Graham Woolley was admitted to the doctoral program in chemistry fall semester 2006. Graham graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graham is tribally enrolled with the Chickasaw tribe. He is interested in research involving the functionalization of heterocycles, especially in its approach to a mechanistic understanding of organometallic catalysis. Graham is an enthusiastic researcher and is enjoying the research opportunities available to him in the Department of Chemistry.
Kelly Crispen was admitted to the master’s program in organismal biology and ecology fall semester 2007. Kelly is an enrolled member of the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua.
Kelly received her bachelor’s degree in aquatic wildlife biology from The University of Montana’s College of Forestry and Resource Conservation. While at the University she worked with the Missoula branch of Fish, Wildlife and Parks as an intern for fisheries biologists. During her internship there she worked on restoring a portion of the North Fork of the Blackfoot River by replanting native surveys and fish identification. Since her graduation she has worked as a salmonid ecology field research in northwestern British Columbia on the Salmonid Rivers Observatory Network Project on the Skeena and Kiplope rivers. Kelly is currently working with her advisor Professor Jack Stanford at the Flathead Biological Research Station on Flathead Lake.
Flo Gardipee was admitted to the doctoral program in wildlife biology fall semester 2007 following completion of her master’s degree in that program. Flo is a tribally enrolled member of the Eastern Band Cherokee. Flo is interested in developing a career in the area of wildlife infectious diseases. A professional career as a biologist involved with conservation of threatened or endangered wildlife populations is her ultimate goal. Flo has received numerous grants for her research on bison in Yellowstone Park.
Katie Hoffman was admitted to the doctoral program in neuroscience fall semester 2007. Katie is a member of the Blackfeet tribe. Katie received a bachelor’s of science degree in microbiology with a second major in psychology from The University of Montana in 2006. Katie grew up in a small town in eastern Montana and was valedictorian of her high school. Katie is interested in the pathology associated with cellular pathways. Her focus is the cellular models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and stroke. Upon completion of her doctoral work at The University of Montana, she would like to continue working as a post-doc on G protein-coupled receptors. Eventually, she would like to fund her own lab at a secondary educational institution where she would be able to return to teaching while continuing her research on neurodegenerative diseases.
Natani Pete was admitted to the master’s program in computer science fall semester 2007. Natani is an enrolled member of the Dine tribe. He received his bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Salish Kootenai Community College in 2004. Natani is the father of three children and his wife graduated from UM in spring 2008 with a master’s degree in counselor education. Natani is also an active member of the Montana National Guard. Natani is currently working on a NSF-funded research project in the Department of Computer Science and is looking forward to a career in computer programming.
Ruth Short Bull was admitted to the master’s degree in organismal biology and ecology fall semester 2007. She is an enrolled member of the Hidatsa tribe. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota-Grand Forks in 1999. As a student research assistant with a biology faculty, she conducted projects that helped her to see the connectedness of the environment and ecosystems on the reservation and how research could address the issues reservations face. Knowing how few women are in the field of science and even fewer American Indian women, she wants to leave a legacy not only for her family, but also through her future work, leave a legacy for her people.
Wendy Running Crane was admitted to the master’s of interdisciplinary program at The University of Montana majoring in statistics with a minor in sociology and Indian law. Wendy is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet/Haida/Tlingit tribes. She graduated from The University of Montana in fall 2007 with a major in sociology. She chose these fields because she believe she will be able to apply them to research that will benefit all of society, but especially Blackfeet Indian society. She has great expectations that what I learn will be useful to her when she returns home to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. She believes that empirical research will bring Native people the knowledge needed to answer some of the challenges facing them.
John Gilham was admitted to the College of Forestry and Resource Conservation in the spring of 2008. He is a member of the Blackfeet tribe. He received a bachelor of science degree in resource conservation from The University of Montana in August 2003. Prior to entering his graduate program, he was chair of the Department of Forestry at Blackfeet Community College. In that position he was responsible for both the development of a forestry curriculum and for teaching forestry course. His past work experience as a wildland firefighter, fuels specialist and forester have been very valuable in helping him to meet his responsibilities as an educator. Upon completion of his graduate degree, he hopes to either continue teaching forestry or work for a land management agency.
Kodi Augare was admitted to the College of Forestry and Resource Conservation in the spring of 2008. She is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet tribe. She received a bachelor of science degree in forestry from Salish Kootenai College. Kodi was employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Forestry Department as a co-op student stationed in Browning, Montana. She has been working on a plan of action for a Whitebark Pine Restoration Project which is greatly needed on the Blackfeet Reservation. She has identified areas of concern to be addressed in this project such as cultural, social and ecological relationships interacting together by the restoration of the Whitebark Pine. She believes this project is her cultural duty as a Blackfeet Tribal member.
Vernon Grant was admitted to the health and human performance program for fall 2008. He is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet tribe. He received a bachelor’s of science degree in health and human performance from The University of Montana in spring 2008. Exercise and nutrition have always been an interest of his. He chose health and human performance because he wanted to gain a better understanding of the human body, how to train it, and how to fuel it. His educational goal is to earn a master’s degree in exercise science. His newest passion in this field is disease prevention. As a graduate student, he hopes to study diabetes and methods for combating this disease, particularly among Native American and other minority populations.
Michael O’Brien was admitted to the organisimal biology and ecology program for fall 2008. Michael is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. He grew up on his grandfather’s ranch north of Poplar on the Fort Peck Reservation. He received a bachelor’s of science degree in wildlife biology from The University of Montana in spring 2008. He wants to pursue a career that incorporates both conservation genetics and wildlife biology.
Jeffrey was admitted to the doctoral program in forestry for fall 2008. Jeffrey is a member of the Ojibway tribe. He received a bachelor of science in resource conservation from The University of Montana in spring 2007 and a master’s degree in forest science from Yale University in May 2008. Jeffrey’s research interest is in terrestrial ecosystem ecology and ecosystem process modeling. It is his goal upon completion of his doctorate to pursue a tenure-track faculty position within a biological science or forestry program at a university that has a significant Native American student body. It is his objective to empower Native American students by providing a culturally sensitive yet rigorous education within the natural sciences in anticipation of producing competent, resourceful scientists and tribal land managers.
