UM study sheds new light on biofuel production goals

A new study by UM and its partners suggests nearly 80 percent of current U.S. farmland would need to be devoted to growing corn for ethanol to meet current biofuel production targets with existing technology.

The study, "Bioenergy Potential of the United States Constrained by Satellite Observations of Existing Productivity," was published recently in Environmental Science & Technology, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

Lead author W. Kolby Smith, a doctoral student in UM's Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, said the federal 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act set a goal of increasing U.S. biofuel production from 40 billion to 136 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022.

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University wins marketing awards

UM captured nine awards during recent marketing competitions.

UM won five awards in the 2012 Communication Awards program of the regional Council for Advancement and Support of Education. CASE District VIII includes the Pacific Northwest, western Canada and Alaska.

UM also won four awards in the national 27th Annual Educational Advertising Awards contest.

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Award-winning author Rebecca Walker to speak at UM

Award-winning author Rebecca Walker will give a lecture at 7 p.m. Monday, March 12, in the University Center Ballroom at UM.

Walker will discuss topics of multifaceted identity, the notion of family and how it exists within the context of diversity. The author will hold a book signing after the lecture.

The author of "Black, White and Jewish" and "Baby Love" memoirs, Walker edited the anthologies "To Be Real," "What Makes a Man" and "One Big Happy Family." The collection "One Big Happy Family" explores the explosion of nontraditional family configurations in the United States. It includes different perspectives on polyamory, transracial adoption, house-husbandry and single motherhood.

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Pulitzer winner, communications exec to give lecture

Anne Marie Squeo, vice president for communications for Lockheed Martin Electronic Systems, will give a lecture titled "The Split Personality of Branded Journalism" at 7 p.m. Monday, March 12, in the University Center Theater at UM.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is the fourth installment of the School of Journalism's annual Jeff Cole Distinguished Lecture Series. The series honors Cole, a Butte native who graduated from the School of Journalism in 1980. He was aeronautics editor at The Wall Street Journal when he was killed in a plane crash while on assignment in January 2001. Squeo was a fellow reporter with Cole at the paper.

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'Odyssey' to honor independent filmmaker, UM alum

UM's College of Visual and Performing Arts will pay tribute to Palmer West, a 1998 UM graduate and independent filmmaker, during its 12th annual "Odyssey of the Stars -- A Celebration of Artistic Journeys."

Each year "Odyssey of the Stars" honors outstanding UM visual and performing arts alumni and tells the story of their artistic journey, showcasing the many different roads to success an artist can travel.

This year's show, "In the Moment," will start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 24, in the University Theatre. It will feature UM students, faculty and West as guest artist and alumni honoree.

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Deadline for diversity award nominations extended

The nomination deadline for UM's Nancy Borgmann Diversity Award has been extended to Friday, March 9. 

The award, named in honor of a former director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, recognizes contributions made by individuals or agencies that support the University's mission on diversity. The recipient will receive a $1,500 prize.

All full-time permanent University employees, with the exception of those currently serving on the Diversity Advisory Council, who have contributed substantially to cultural diversity at UM are eligible to receive the award.

More information and a nomination form are available online.

Nominate book for First-Year Reading Experience

The First-Year Reading Experience Committee invites nominations for the 2012-13 First-Year Reading Experience book. More information and a list of books selected in prior years is on the First-Year Reading Experience website.

Those interested in reviewing the selection criteria and nominating a book should fill out the online survey. The deadline for nominations is Saturday, March 10. For more information call Megan Stark at 406-243-2864 or email megan.stark@umontana.edu.

SpectrUM, food bank team up for Kids Nourish Month

UM's spectrUM Discovery Area will pair up with the Missoula Food Bank to help young people in the community tackle the stresses and cycle of hunger during Kids Nourish Month.

Throughout March, the Missoula Food Bank and spectrUM will host several activities to promote healthy and nutritious living.

SpectrUM will support the food bank's mission by offering free admission from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8, and from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 10, to anyone who donates a canned good. Thursday's activity is called "Strawberry DNA Extraction," while Saturday will feature numerous health-assessment stations suitable for all ages.

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Student to read from award-winning manuscript

Melissa Mylchreest, a second-year Master of Fine Arts student in UM's Creative Writing Program, recently won the 2012 Merriam-Frontier Award. 

Mylchreest will read from "Reckon," her award-winning manuscript, at 4 p.m. Friday, March 9, in the Poetry Corner of the Mansfield Library.

The reading is sponsored by the UM Creative Writing Program and the Mansfield Library and is free and open to the public.

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Student health e-magazine focuses on sexual assault

The Curry Health Center at UM publishes an online magazine for students each month titled Student Health 101, or SH101. The March issue focuses on sexual assault and is now available online.

This issue of SH101 addresses the importance of bystander intervention, how to intervene, services offered at UM's Student Assault Resource Center and advice from SARC advocates.

The magazine also features interviews with UM students and videos produced by the Health Enhancement department of the Curry Health Center and Stephen Seder, a UM student and campus correspondent.

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New buses added to UM fleet

The Associated Students of UM Office of Transportation will add three buses to the current fleet on Wednesday, March 7. The buses replace older equipment that will be pulled from the fleet and sent to state surplus.

The new buses are all from Transit Sales International in California. All the buses are reconditioned and will match the current fleet. One bus is a 30-foot 1997 New Flyer Transit and two are 35-foot 1998 New Flyer Transit buses.

To celebrate the fleet updates, the office will serve cookies at the University Center bus stop between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7.

2011-12 ASUM bus ridership increased 13 percent over academic year 2010-11. The bus system is expected to give 450,000 rides this year.

Off-Campus Renter Center hosts fair

The Associated Students of UM Off-Campus Renter Center will host the 2012 Housing and Community Resources Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, in the University Center Atrium.

ASUM agencies, government offices, property management companies and others will be available to talk with future and current renters. The Renter Center hosts the fair to educate more than 10,000 student renters of community resources, rental rights and housing options.

To reserve a table, call Beki Hartmann at 406-243-2017 or email beki.hartmann@mso.umt.edu.

Encourage students to apply for wilderness program

The UM Wilderness and Civilization Program currently is accepting applications for autumn semester 2012.

The program, the only one of its kind in the country, takes students outside the classroom to learn hands-on in small interdisciplinary classes and from extensive fieldwork. Students who successfully complete the program, which has been offered at UM for more than three decades, earn a wilderness studies minor.

The Wilderness and Civilization Program is limited to 25 participants, so interested students should apply no later than April 1. 

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Alpha Phi wins three regional awards

The Chi chapter of the Alpha Phi sorority at UM took home three awards during the organization's Pacific Northwest Regional Conference held Feb. 24-26 in Los Angeles.

The awards committee presented the Outstanding Marketing Program, Outstanding Chapter Adviser and Most Improved Chapter honors to members during a Feb. 25 awards luncheon. This is the second consecutive year Chi has received the Most Improved Award.

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ING consultant available for financial planning

A representative with ING (403b plan) will be on campus each Wednesday in March to assist faculty and staff with personalized options for financial planning.

Appointments are required for sessions, which will be held in University Center Room 215. Call 406-542-3148 to make an appointment.

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. Call 406-243-2311 or email prestalk@umontana.edu to make an appointment.

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

• Thursday, March 15: 1-3 p.m.
• Friday, April 27: 9:30-11:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, May 30: 2-4 p.m.

Socials will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. most Fridays during spring semester in the Davidson Honors College Lounge. Spring semester dates and event sponsors are:

• March 9: College of Arts and Sciences
• March 16: University Relations
• March 23: Mansfield Library
• March 30: School of Business Administration
• April 20: Alumni Association
• April 27: College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences
• May 4: President Engstrom