Bear Briefs

Young Scientist Hits D.C.—UM senior Thomas Basset was one of 60 undergraduate students nationwide presenting their research in April at a Council on Undergraduate Research event in Washington, D.C. Basset, an ecology major originally from Oak Park, Ill., highlighted spotted knapweed and native insect communities in Montana during “Undergraduate Research Posters on the Hill.” Throughout the summer and fall of 2007, Basset conducted research as a student fellow for the Montana Integrative Learning Experience for Students at UM. Basset collaborated with a student in Romania to study why traditional biocontrols haven’t worked to quell the growth of spotted knapweed in Montana. Basset’s research has tremendous economic and political implications in Montana, he said. In 2000 a census found that 3.8 million acres of Montana were infested with spotted knapweed, a European plant species. Basset will continue his research this summer.

Preschool Excellence—The Co-Teach Preschool Program, located in UM’s School of Education, has received recognition under rigorous new standards from the National Association for the Education of Young Children — the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals. There are 22 accredited programs in Montana, but Co-Teach is one of only three to be approved under the new standards. Co-Teach has been in existence for 27 years and was originally funded through federal grants. The preschool has morning and afternoon programs and serves children ages 3-5. The program particularly is committed to inclusive education and serving students of diverse abilities. In the 20 years since NAEYC accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. Only about 8 percent of all preschools across the country have passed NAEYC accreditation, and even fewer have been certified under the new standards that went into effect in September 2006.

New Economic Prognosticator— Patrick Barkey will succeed Paul Polzin as director of UM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research when Polzin retires on June 30. Barkey directed the Bureau of Business Research at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., from 1993 until 2007, when he came to BBER as director of health care industry research. As BBER director, Barkey plans to continue the strong tradition of providing information to public and private decision makers about the state’s business and economic climate through outlets such as the Economic Outlook Seminar and the award-winning publication Montana Business Quarterly. Polzin is retiring after 40 years of service to the bureau, during which time he has seen the research center grow from five full-time employees to around 20. Housed in UM’s School of Business Administration, BBER has provided information about Montana’s state and local economies for more than 50 years.

Chasing A Comet—UM Assistant Professor Martin Horejsi was one of only three national educators in attendance at a black-tie affair at the National Air and Space Museum to present its Current Achievement and Lifetime Achievement trophies. Horejsi, who teaches in UM’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, attended the April 3 Washington, D.C., event as an invited key member of the Stardust Comet Sample Return Mission, part of NASA’s series of Discovery missions. The Stardust Mission is the recipient of the museum’s 2008 Current Achievement Trophy. Horejsi has been at work on the NASA Stardust Mission since 1998, a year before the 1999 launch of the spacecraft that would send back a treasure trove of cometary and interstellar dust samples seven years later, after completing 2.88 billion miles and three giant loops around the sun. Horejsi was present when the sample return capsule settled down in the Utah desert in January 2006 — the first spacecraft to safely make it back to Earth with cometary dust particles. Horejsi also was present in Houston in 2006 when the capsule was opened.

Majestic Stadium Donation—A Missoula-area foundation has agreed to donate $1 million to UM’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. In recognition of this gift, UM will name the new east side expansion project at Washington-Grizzly Stadium the “Majestic Plaza.” The donation will be made by the Feist Family Foundation during a 10-year period. When the stadium expansion is completed in mid-August, it will consist of 1,500 reserved seats and 500 “club level” seats — 250 of which will have access to an indoor club called the Canyon Room, which sits atop the project. The remaining 250 “club level” seat holders will have exclusive private access to the Hellgate Terrace, which surrounds the Canyon Room. With the expansion, seating capacity of Washington-Grizzly Stadium will top 25,000. The Feist Family Foundation’s gift will be among the largest ever to Grizzly Athletics.

Author Honored—Harry Fritz, a popular UM history professor, received the H.G. Merriam Award for his contributions to Montana literature April 15 during the 45th Annual Friends of the Mansfield Library Banquet. Fritz, who retired in 2007, joined the UM history department in 1967, becoming an internationally renowned expert on the Corps of Discovery. He is the author of “The Lewis and Clark Expedition” (2004) and “Montana: Land of Contrast” (2001). He has co-edited several books, including “The Montana Heritage: An Anthology of Historical Essays” (1992). The H.G. Merriam Award is named for an English professor who worked on campus from 1914 to 1954, founding UM’s creative writing program. The Friends of the Mansfield Library is a group that independently advocates for the library while working to ensure its holdings remain up-to-date.

Hearing Held—A hearing of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces was held at UM April 8. The case — United States v. SFC Sean P. Bright, U.S. Army — involved a U.S. Army sergeant first class who was convicted by a general court-martial of rape and other offenses involving a private assigned to his platoon. The conviction was affirmed by the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals. Bright then appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. The question before the court was whether the evidence of rape was legally sufficient to support the conviction. Among the five judges presiding over the case was Charles Erdmann, a UM law school graduate. The hearing came to UM as part of Project Outreach, which was developed by the court as part of a public awareness program to demonstrate the operation of a federal court of appeals and the military criminal justice system.

Leaving A Legacy—A public service internship for UM students has been established to honor the late Stan Kimmitt, former secretary of the U.S. Senate and aide to Montana’s late U.S. Sen. Mike Mansfield. Kimmitt’s five children, including U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmitt and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle Eastern Affairs Mark Kimmitt, were on campus last semester to promote the internship, which will help UM students prepare for careers in public service. The internship will be a paid position in the offices of a member of the Montana congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. The first 10-week internship this summer comes with a $1,500 stipend. The deadline to apply for that internship has passed, but all UM undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply next year. For more information, call the Davidson Honors College at 406-243-2541 or e-mail dhc@mso.umt.edu.

Museum Matters—UM’s Montana Museum of Art & Culture is participating in the Museum Assessment Program conducted through the American Association of Museums. The consultative process is federally funded by the Institute of Museums and Library Services to help museums evaluate their operations and to make recommendations on best practices and strategic planning. Several types of assessments are offered by MAP, including institutional, collections, public dimension and governance. MMAC is participating in both the institutional and collections assessments. Through careful examination of the museum’s operations and collections and through discussions with stakeholders, the MAP team will help MMAC identify goals and objectives related to planning and the construction of a new facility. Consultants visited UM April 3-4, and the MAP process typically lasts two years — from the initial stage of comprehensive institutional self-study, to the onsite visit by museum peers, to the final stage of implementation of objectives recommended by the consultants.

Show On The Road—The Missoula Children’s Theatre — the largest children’s theater in the United States — will take its tour to Ireland April 28-May 2. MCT will perform its original musical adaptation of “Robin Hood” as conceived and written by MCT Executive Director Michael McGill. The performances will take place at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Limerick. The MCT team will hold open auditions in Limerick April 28, casting 50 to 60 students to rehearse throughout the week. MCT has toured extensively for 35 years — from Butte to Tokyo and many towns in between. This year MCT will visit nearly 1,200 communities in 15 countries. This production will visit Ireland with the help of EnterpriseMontana, a public-private program offered by the UM-based Montana World Trade Center, housed in the Gallagher Business Building. EnterpriseMontana is funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration.