Bear Briefs

Researchers Land Grants—Three scientists recently scored big for UM research by earning three prestigious Early Career Development Program grants from the National Science Foundation. Assistant professors Klara Briknarova in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Lila Fishman in the Division of Biological Sciences, and Art Woods in the Division of Biological Sciences each earned the five-year awards. Briknarova will receive $788,000, Fishman will get $636,000 and Woods will bring in $837,000. Briknarova, a structural biologist, uses nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to visualize the arrangement of atoms in complex biological molecules to explain how those molecules work. Fishman, a plant evolutionary geneticist, studies monkeyflowers to understand the genetic mechanisms and evolutionary processes that lead to variation within and among species. Woods, a physiological ecologist, studies leaf microclimates and how these influence insect-plant associations.

Grads Receive Distinguished Alum Honors—Three exceptional UM graduates will be honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards at UM’s Homecoming celebration in October. Distinguished Alumni Awards will go to Leon Billings, class of 1959, of Bethany Beach, Del.; William Veazey (awarded posthumously), class of 1970 and MBA, 1975; and James Wylder, class of 1951, of Great Falls. Billings, a Montana native, served 12 years in the Maryland House of Delegates. He drafted federal environmental legislation that included the landmark Clean Air Act of 1970 and the Clean Water Act of 1972 and their 1977 amendments. Veazey, a Butte native, died in May 2008. At the time of his death, he was senior vice president, CFO and member of the board of directors of Cargill Inc. Wylder managed the Great Falls Coca-Cola Bottling Co. for 25 years. The Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented at a ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, in the University Center Ballroom. The public is invited to attend.

MMAC Names New Curator—Brandon Reintjes has been selected as the new curator of UM’s Montana Museum of Art & Culture. As curator he will be responsible for the overall management of the museum’s Permanent Collection, have primary input on selecting and curating exhibitions, and serve as an important liaison to the regional artist community. Reintjes, originally from Bozeman, received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and recently completed a master’s of art in curatorial and critical studies at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. He said his goal is to help galvanize the identity of the already progressive museum by working to gain the momentum needed for it to expand into a building of its own. He also will continue working with artists to develop compelling, educational and inspired programming.

Preparing For The Worst—The Montana Safe Schools Center and the Office of Public Safety at UM recently received federal funding to improve the University’s emergency planning. The U.S. Department of Education awarded a $499,900 grant for MSSC to improve campus-based, all-hazards emergency management planning through an extensive 18-month program. MSSC and the Office of Public Safety will bring together University staff, law enforcement, the fire department, and county and state disaster and emergency service agencies for 13 trainings, 12 tabletop exercises and two full-scale emergency drills. The principal investigator for the project is Rick van den Pol, director of UM’s Institute for Educational Research and Service. Located in the Institute for Educational Research and Service at UM, MSSC provides outreach, training, research and professional development services to schools and communities across Montana and throughout the United States. For more information, visit MSSC’s Web site at http://www.iersum.org.