Charter Day celebration marks UM's 119th birthday

UM will celebrate its 119th birthday on Thursday, Feb. 16, with a noon-hour party and an evening Charter Day awards ceremony and reception.

The birthday festivities are held each year to celebrate the anniversary of UM's chartering by the Montana Legislature in 1893 and to honor the University and its dedication to excellence. All events are free and open to the public.

The noon-hour birthday party, which will feature free cupcakes and entertainment, will be held in the University Center Atrium. The annual Charter Day awards ceremony, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom, will recognize exemplary campus and community members.

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UM seeks student input on sexual assault at forum

UM students are encouraged to weigh in on the issue of sexual assault during a participatory forum from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, in the University Center Ballroom.

The "U Matter" forum is designed and intended to engage small-group conversation on sexual assault, perceptions and safety, as well as encourage student involvement in combating issues discovered through a University investigation on alleged sexual assaults on and off campus. A report on the investigation is online.

"These forums will seek input from students about how to effectively get important information to them and what sorts of training and education are effective," said Lucy France, director of UM's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office.

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Nominate colleagues for employee recognition awards

The Employee Recognition Day Committee currently is seeking nominations for more than a dozen honors awarded annually to UM faculty, staff and administrators. Award descriptions and nomination requirements are available online. All submissions are due Wednesday, Feb. 29.

The award recipients will be announced at UM's annual Employee Recognition Day reception, slated for 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, April 20, in the University Center Ballroom.

Forum series features environmental policy experts

A noted conservationist specializing in aquatic ecology, the Endangered Species Act, river management and research coordination will present the first installment of the spring semester Natural Resources and Environmental Policy Forum at UM.

Yvette Converse with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will deliver "The Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative: A Collective Vision for our Landscape" at noon Tuesday, Feb. 14, in Law Building Room 101. The lecture and interactive discussion are free and open to the public.

Converse coordinates the cooperative initiative, which brings together various agencies and organizations to develop conservation planning for sage/steppe ecosystems, high-elevation mountain habitats, diverse wetland ecosystems and important river basins, including the Upper Missouri River.

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Employers to recruit UM students at Feb. 22 career fair

UM will host the 23rd Annual Big Sky Career Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in the University Center Ballroom, where participants can meet with company recruiters from local, regional, national and international employers.

The fair, sponsored by the UM Office of Career Services, is free and open to all UM students and alumni. Registration begins at 9 a.m.

The event will offer recruiting opportunities for students in all academic disciplines, including professional full-time positions, summer internships, part-time employment and summer jobs. Many recruiters will return Thursday, Feb. 23, to interview students and alumni for open positions in their organizations.

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Professor's company earns $2.5 million contract

The National Science Foundation has awarded Sunburst Sensors a $2.5 million contract to provide instruments for its studies.

Sunburst Sensors is owned by UM chemistry Professor Mike DeGrandpre and company President Jim Beck.

DeGrandpre invented Sunburst's Submersible Autonomous Moored Instruments, which measure pH and the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide in bodies of water. More than 100 of these oceanic instruments will be manufactured in Missoula.

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Missoula fire scientists land $3 million grant 

A consortium of Missoula fire scientists recently received a $3 million grant to implement sophisticated experiments on large prescribed fires in Florida.

For the past three years, researchers with the National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis at UM and the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station have worked as part of a diverse team to develop field instruments and techniques to precisely measure fuels, wind, moisture, fire behavior and emissions.

The Missoula team works with researchers from four other U.S. Forest Service research stations and two other universities. The group has teamed up to overcome the difficulties of making scientific measurements while fire is actively burning. By working together, they can share equipment and resources efficiently.

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Community Lecture Series to explore social justice

The 2012 Community Lecture Series at UM will begin Tuesday, Feb. 21, and tickets are now on sale. The annual series is in its 14th year.

This year's series, "Seeking Justice: Hope in Hard Times," features lectures by six outstanding UM faculty members who will examine social justice in our time.

Lectures will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. each Tuesday from Feb. 21 through March 27 in the University Center Theater. Each event will include a question-and-answer session.

Cost for the complete lecture series is $20 for the general public, $15 for UM Alumni Association dues-paying members, $10 for students and, if seats are available, $5 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the UM Office of Alumni Relations at 406-243-5211 or 877-862-5867. Space is limited.

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Fundraising dinner to commemorate Japan earthquake

The UM Japanese Student Association will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the catastrophic Tohoku Earthquake with a fundraising dinner for the Japan Rising Opportunity Scholarship fund on Saturday, March 3.

The dinner is slated for 6 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 201 S. Fifth Street W. in Missoula. Kiyokazu Ota, the consulate-general of Japan in Seattle, has been invited to attend as the keynote speaker.

Tickets cost $25 for the general public, $15 for students and are free for children 5 or younger. Tickets can be purchased Feb. 15-29 by calling Foreign Student and Scholar Services at 243-2226.

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Archie Bray artists to demonstrate ceramic skills

Three resident artists from the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena will demonstrate their skills in ceramic art during the annual Archie Bray Day on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at UM.

Events will run from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Artist demonstrations featuring Andrew Casto, Alanna DeRocchi and Kenyon Hansen will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. in the Ceramics Studio of UM's Art Annex, located south of the Adams Center. Slide lectures of the artists' work will be shown from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the annex.

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Healthy-living class open to UM employees

Live It to Lose It, a healthy-living course offered by the Curry Health Center, University Dining Services and Campus Recreation, runs Feb. 16-March 29 at UM. Classes are held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays in Room 207 of the Fitness and Recreation Center.

Each week participants will perform a mini-workout to help establish an exercise habit, participate in cooking demonstrations and grocery store tours, and engage in group activities that enable them to gain confidence in making healthy lifestyle choices.

Live It to Lose It is open to all UM students, faculty and staff and costs $25, plus the price of two meals at the Food Zoo. Registration is available at the Fitness and Recreation Center front desk or by calling 243-2833.

UC to host award-winning adventure author

The University Center will host award-winning author Marty Essen on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Essen will present his high-energy multimedia show, "Around the World in 90 Minutes," at 7 p.m. in the UC Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

The show features interesting facts, humorous stories and the best of thousands of photos Essen took while traveling the world for his book "Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents."

Be ready for laughter, learning and excellent photography. Essen grew up in Minnesota and moved to Victor in 1996. For the past four years he has presented at colleges across the nation. More information is online.

'Dating Doctor' to bring relationship program to UM

Relationship expert David Coleman, better known as "The Dating Doctor," will present "Making Relationships Matter" at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, in Urey Lecture Hall at UM.

Sponsored by the Penetralia chapter of Mortar Board at UM, the event is free and open to the public.

Coleman's program teaches people how to create and maintain healthy relationships. His presentation will cover how to make relationships more fulfilling in everyday life, as well as tips on how to form, mend and sustain meaningful relationships. Topics include who controls relationships and why, basic differences between men and women, arousal points for men and women, and how to be more physically and emotionally romantic with others.

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Submit proposals for UC's Tunnel of Oppression

UM will host the third annual Tunnel of Oppression Monday through Wednesday, March 19-21, in the University Center Ballroom. The tunnel is an interactive event highlighting contemporary issues of oppression.

Participants will be guided through a series of scenes that educate about issues of oppression, privilege and power. Guided tours will run every half-hour between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Groups will be able to reserve a tour time in advance online or the day of the event.  

Coordinators will accept applications for interactive exhibits for the Tunnel of Oppression and Room of Hope until Tuesday, Feb. 14. To volunteer or for more information, call 243-5622, email devin.carpenter@mso.umt.edu or visit the Tunnel of Oppression website.

UM athletes continue strong academic performance

For the 13th consecutive semester, UM student-athletes maintained an average cumulative grade-point average above 3.0.

The results are recorded in the Autumn Semester 2011 Term Report for Athletic Academic Services. The document reveals that UM's 272 athletes maintained an average cumulative GPA of 3.06. This compares favorably to the cumulative 2.91 GPA earned by the 10,645 undergraduates in UM's general student population.

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Student-produced program to air on MontanaPBS

UM School of Journalism students feature some of the state's fastest growing businesses in the latest episode of "Business: Made in Montana."

The television program premieres at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, on Montana PBS. This episode profiles a Flathead Valley business called Quadrocopter, which mixes technologies to bring surprising benefits to customers.

Students also profile a successful immigrant who founded the longest-running microbrewery in the state, Bayern Brewery in Missoula. The program also will introduce viewers to a talented tattoo artist in Missoula and a fourth-generation Montana couple who started the state's only whiskey distillery in Bozeman.

The Department of Radio-Television student production, which has profiled more than 100 homegrown businesses over the years, is in its 18th year.

Alpha Phi to raise awareness of women's cardiac health

The Chi chapter of the Alpha Phi sorority will celebrate Cardiac Care Month by raising awareness of women's heart disease Tuesday through Thursday, Feb. 14-16, in the University Center at UM.

Chapter members will staff a table in the UC Atrium from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to hand out antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and information on living a heart-healthy lifestyle.

"Though it's the No. 1 killer of women in the country, many people don't realize they could be at risk for heart disease," said Carly Drain, vice president of marketing for the chapter. "Alpha Phi is dedicated to raising awareness of the simple things you can start doing now to decrease that risk."

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IRB to host free webinar on Internet research

UM's Institutional Review Board will host a webinar, "Ethical Internet Research: Informed Consent Regulations and Realities," from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, in Todd Building Room 203.

The webinar will explore the application of regulations to research conducted on the Internet. Topics will include specific Internet research settings and conditions for consent, regulatory flexibilities, and parental consent and child assent in research involving minors. More details are available online.

The webinar is free and open to UM students and employees, but preregistration is required by emailing irb@umontana.edu. Seating is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

ForUM takes a break

There will be no issue of ForUM on Monday, Feb. 20. The next issue will hit inboxes Monday, Feb. 27.

Enjoy the long weekend!

President Engstrom's office hours

President Engstrom welcomes members of the campus community to meet with him to discuss issues and topics of their choice. Please call 243-2311 or email prestalk@umontana.edu to make an appointment to meet with President Engstrom during these times.

President Engstrom's scheduled office hours for spring semester are:

• Wednesday, March 21: 2-4 p.m.
• Friday, April 27: 10 a.m.-noon