Bear Briefs

Irish Studies Receives $120,000—Gerry Staunton, consul general of the consulate of Ireland in San Francisco, made an official visit to UM on April 24. Staunton met with representatives of UM’s Irish Studies Program and Montana World Trade Center. UM's Irish Studies Program was launched by Irish President Mary McAleese in May 2006, and the program is supported by a grant from the Irish government. During his visit, Staunton announced an additional $120,000 in funding for the next three years. Traolach “Terry” O’Riordain, a UM Irish studies faculty member, said the Irish government has an initiative to build stronger relationships in trade and commerce between Ireland and the Irish community in the United States. He said this initiative specifically addresses the areas of environmental research and the development of alternative fuel sources.

Researcher Earns $1 Million Grant—UM researcher Tom Martin’s 25 years of research on climate change and its impacts on animals and plants in the mountains of Arizona will continue. Martin and UM plant ecologist John Maron recently were awarded a five-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Climate Change Science Program. Only 10 programs across the country received the funding. Martin’s unparalleled work examines the long-term effects of climate on populations in a sensitive area where snow levels keep retreating to higher elevations, wiping out some species and bolstering others. The study area is a riparian ecosystem at an elevation of 8,000 feet east of Flagstaff, Ariz. Martin is a bird expert, so he studies the effects of elk on the area’s plants and the subsequent impacts on birds. Maron and a student researcher also are examining the area’s distribution of small mammals.

Assistant Professor Named Academic Fellow—Robert Saldin, an assistant professor of political science at UM, has been designated an Academic Fellow in terrorism studies for 2009-10 at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonpartisan policy institute in Washington, D.C. Saldin will travel to Israel in early June for an intensive course in terrorism studies. The FDD Academic Fellows program provides a 10-day learning experience to U.S.-based educators and researchers to provide them with cutting-edge information about terrorism. The 2009 program will be conducted at Tel Aviv University in Israel May 30-June 10. It includes lectures by academics and military and intelligence officials, as well as diplomats from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey and the United States. The program also includes hands-on experience such as visits to police, customs and immigration facilities, military bases and border zones.

Students Get Lesson In Philanthropy—Students in a UM School of Business Administration class learned about philanthropy firsthand this spring when they awarded $10,000 to seven local nonprofit organizations. The class, Leadership and Motivation, focuses on leadership and management skills. This semester the class also focused on philanthropy. With a grant from the Sunshine Lady Foundation, students learned about philanthropy by disbursing grants to Missoula-area nonprofits. The students issued a request for proposals in March and received 63 submissions from local nonprofits. They implemented a rigorous review and scoring process. In the end, seven nonprofit organizations received funding. The organizations are the RiteCare Language and Hearing Clinic, 1st Way Pregnancy Support Center, Partnership for Children, Missoula Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, the Flagship Program, Missoula Food Bank, and the Missoula Family YMCA. Grant awards ranged from $821 to $2,500.

Faculty Member Published In Literary Review—A story written by UM environmental studies Associate Professor Phil Condon is included in the most recent issue of Shenandoah: The Washington and Lee University Review. Condon’s “Nine Ten Again” appears in the spring/summer 2009 issue of the literary magazine, which publishes original poetry, stories, essays, reviews and interviews. It is the title story from his new collection “Nine Ten Again,” which received the 2008 Elixir Press Fiction Award and is forthcoming this spring from Elixir Press.

Early Childhood Educator Honored—Mary Finnegan, manager of the UM Co-Teach Preschool, was named Montana Special Educator of the Year by the Montana Council for Exceptional Children. Finnegan is the first early childhood professional to be selected for the award, which recognizes someone whose work reflects student success, continued professional development and the highest educational quality. She accepted the award at the MCEC Annual Conference on April 16 in Missoula. At Co-Teach, Finnegan teaches children ages 3 to 5 with diverse abilities to prepare them for the transition to kindergarten and to build a foundation for later school success. The school is unique because children with disabilities learn alongside children without disabilities. The preschool has operated at UM since 1980.

Disability Services Director Speaks In D.C.—Jim Marks, director of UM’s Disability Services for Students, spoke at the National Press Club Newsmaker press conference April 29 in Washington, D.C. Marks is president-elect of the Association on Higher Education and Disability. He has been director of UM Disability Services for Students since 1988 and has served in numerous capacities on the AHEAD board of directors since 2003.

Professor Emeritus Receives Wildland Safety Award—UM Professor Emeritus Brian Sharkey recently received the Wildland Safety Award from the International Association of Wildland Fire. The award goes to those who have made significant contributions to wildland firefighter safety. Sharkey works with the Missoula Technology Development Center of the U.S. Forest Service and with UM Department of Health and Human Performance faculty members to provide scientific information to improve the wellness, safety and performance of wildland firefighters. His research in collaboration with UM’s Human Performance Lab has led to improved safety, fitness testing, meals and tools and has brought about a better understanding of the human factors that affect firefighters’ ability to do their jobs. Sharkey received the award at the IAWF annual meeting April 29 in Phoenix.