Campaign Surpasses $100 Million Goal
 

UM raised $131 million during its five-year Invest in Discovery -- Connecting People, Programs and Place campaign, soundly surpassing the original $100 million goal.

More than 17,000 alumni and nearly 13,000 first-time donors participated in the campaign, and more than half of all donors were from Montana.

Raising $131 million is an unprecedented achievement for UM, the UM Foundation and countless volunteers, but the impact of private support does not stop there. UM President George Dennison said a stunning $41 million in private funds also was received by the campus during the same period -- a direct result of the productivity of UM faculty in securing grants for research and program support from private foundations and organizations.

Taken together, he said, the University has benefited from $172 million in private support during the campaign years.

The University embarked upon the capital campaign in July 2002. After amassing $72 million, the campaign transitioned from a private to public phase in 2005, and Dec. 31, 2007, was set as the concluding date.

For more information or to learn more about supporting UM, call the UM Foundation at 406-243-2593.

UM Foundation 

 Researchers Unlock Bird Flight Secret
 

To human eyes, bird flight seems a complex, almost mystical, aerial dance.

However, it may not be as complicated as it looks. High-speed cameras at UM's Flight Laboratory reveal all birds use a similar wing angle relative to the ground to gain altitude, glide, descend or run up steep surfaces.

UM biology Professor Ken Dial said discovery of this fundamental wing stroke may help explain how birds evolved to take to the skies.

The new findings have been published as a letter in the international science journal Nature, available online at http://www.nature.com/nature. The piece has spawned articles worldwide in outlets as varied as the BBC, National Geographic News and Tehran Times.

The researchers found that birds use wing strokes confined to a narrow range of less than 20 degrees. This directs aerodynamic forces about 40 degrees above the horizontal, permitting a 180-degree range in the direction of travel.

Full News Release 

 Grant Promotes Science Education
 

A new grant awarded to UM will arm high school students with advanced instrumentation so they can test the air quality in their homes and communities.

The three-year $240,600 grant from the Toyota U.S.A. Foundation went to UM's Center for Environmental Health Sciences. The center will use it to expand its Air Toxics Under the Big Sky program, which promotes real-world research at the high school level in the field of atmospheric chemistry.

The expanded program will offer students greater access to University-based mentors through classroom visits, laboratory tours and increased distance-learning opportunities for areas outside Missoula, including Corvallis, Libby, Whitefish, communities on Idaho's Nez Perce Indian Reservation and a remote Native village in Alaska.

Air Toxics Under the Big Sky 

 Doctoral Student Snags $80,000 Scholarship
 

A UM wildlife doctoral student who works to save endangered bighorn sheep in California's Sierra Nevada has earned a scholarship from the 2007 Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program.

One of only four winners in the nation, Heather Johnson will receive $80,000 over the next three years.

Johnson is employed by the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program in the California Department of Fish and Game. She works to preserve a bighorn sheep subspecies there that is distinct from the Rocky Mountain bighorn found in Montana.

The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program supports the development of the next generation of scientists in the fields of conservation, environmental science and park management. It is sponsored by Canon U.S.A., the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the U.S. National Park Service.

Wildlife Biology Program 

 UM Grad Working For MTV
 

K'Lynn Sloan, a 2007 graduate of the University's radio-television department, has been chosen to serve as a citizen journalist contributing to MTV's Choose or Lose Street Team '08 election coverage.

Sloan will submit weekly multimedia reports on MTV's social activism Web site, think.mtv.com, and will keep a blog discussing political and social issues affecting Montana youth.

"This is an amazing opportunity because I'll get a chance to tell great and often untold stories about the issues facing the young people in this state, and I'll get to share these stories with a national audience," she said.

She just returned from a three day "Journalism Boot Camp" at the MTV headquarters in New York City, where she met her 50 other counterparts, discussed political issues facing other young voters nationwide and learned about her new assignment.

MTV Street Team '08 

 Bike Racks Dedicated To Nobel Winner
 

Three new bike racks recently installed in front of UM's Davidson Honors College have been dedicated to Nobel Peace Price winner and Regents Professor of Ecology Steve Running.

Last year Running, a lead author of the 2007 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, received a share of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Al Gore and the IPCC committee. The report presents strong evidence that humanity is artificially warming our world.

Since Running is among the growing number of people who ride bikes to and from campus, the new racks were commissioned by an Associated Students of UM special senate resolution as a tribute to his success.

"Dr. Running's work regarding global warming is leading the way to address the largest crisis that is facing our generation," said ASUM President Dustin Leftridge. "The least we can do to honor this groundbreaking work is dedicate more parking for alternative transportation."

The ASUM Office of Transportation helped donate the new racks, which bear a plaque with Running's name and Nobel distinction.

ASUM Office of Transportation 

 UM Offers Volunteer Opportunities
 

The UM Office for Civic Engagement will hold the Spring Volunteer Fair on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 12-13. The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days in the University Center Atrium.

Representatives from more than 20 area nonprofits will be on hand to offer information about their organizations and recruit new members to meet community-identified needs.

OCE, a department of UM's Davidson Honors College, sponsors the event at the beginning of each semester to provide interested students, faculty, staff and community members with information about volunteer opportunities in and around Missoula.

For more information, call Lauren Amato at 406-243-5531 or e-mail lauren.amato@mso.umt.edu.

Office for Civic Engagement 

 Alumni Asked To Share With Students
 

UM invites its alumni to speak to students about their experiences at the University and how those experiences helped them move into successful careers after graduation.

Ask-an-Alum luncheons are held on campus during fall and spring semesters to give students opportunities to investigate careers of interest. The luncheons are sponsored by the Ask-an-Alum Mentoring Program and UM's Center for Leadership Development.

The first spring semester luncheon, "Forensics -- Dig Up a Career," will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in University Center Rooms 332-333. The event is open to all UM students, and lunch is provided for the first 25 students who attend.

Ask-an-Alum 

 Funding Available For Montana Projects
 

UM's Wilderness Institute is now accepting proposals for grants that support historical research, creative writing and wilderness studies projects that explore Montana's land and people.

The grants range from $400 to $1,000 and are awarded through the University's Matthew Hansen Endowment, which was established in 1984 as a memorial to Hansen and his ideals. The deadline to submit proposals is March 1. Awards will be announced in April.

Projects should encourage mindful stewardship of the land and contribute to the preservation of Montana's heritage. Proposals from individuals will take precedence over those from institutions. The endowment committee recommends projects that can be completed in one year.

Matthew Hansen Endowment 

 New Bus Arrives At UM
 

A new 21-foot Champion bus will be serving students traveling from the University's main campus to the UM College of Technology. The bus is equipped with a lift and is the first of a series of three new buses that will be arriving at UM.

Bus service between campus and COT runs every 20 minutes. The first semester that this service ran, it carried 20,827 riders.

ASUM Office of Transportation 

 Rogers, Strait Don't Miss Much
 

Lady Griz basketball standout Sonya Rogers holds the top spot in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, the NCAA announced through its weekly statistics Monday.

In her 3-point attempts this season, Rogers has hit 44 of 92 shots for 47.8 percent. After ranking in the top five for most of the season, the junior guard from Lewistown used a 4-for-8 performance from 3-point range against Northern Colorado last Saturday to move into the top spot.

Also getting national attention is UM Grizzly Andrew Strait, now ranked eighth (tied) in the nation in Division I in field goal percentage. Strait, a senior forward from Yakima, Wash., has made 104-of-162 field goal attempts for 64.2 percent. The national leader is 7-7 junior center Kenny George of UNC Asheville at 70.5 percent.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Griz Hoopsters Win Two
 

Montana senior forward Andrew Strait scored a game-high 20 points and four of his teammates tallied double figures, as the Grizzlies defeated the visiting Eastern Washington Eagles 80-61 on Jan. 24 in a Big Sky Conference contest in UM's Dahlberg Arena.

Junior forward Jordan Hasquet had his fourth double- double of the season, with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Also in double figures for Montana was sophomore guard Ryan Staudacher with 14 points. Brian Qvale added a career-high 12 points, and senior guard Matt Martin chipped in 10.

Saturday the Grizzlies played the University of Northern Colorado Bears in Greely, Colo. Strait and Hasquet combined for 28 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to a 71-60 win over the Bears. Montana played Portland State Thursday evening and will play Eastern Washington Sunday afternoon.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Lady Griz Survive Northern Colorado
 

Montana rallied from a 6-point deficit with about seven minutes left to play to defeat Northern Colorado 73-69 Saturday night in Missoula. The victory kept Montana with a share of first place, improving the Lady Griz to 15-4 overall, 5-1 in Big Sky Conference play.

Junior guard Mandy Morales finished with a team-high 19 points, scoring 10 points from the free throw line. Senior forward Johanna Closson added 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Sonya Rogers finished with 14 points, all coming in the second half, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range.

Montana hosted Portland State Thursday and will face Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Montana Grizzlies