Making Research Relevant

Students in Chief Dull Knife College’s Summer Research Internship build skills and confidence by learning how to monitor the health of local waterways. A new film, the result of a partnership with the University of Montana, documents the ongoing program. Click here to learn more.

Confluence

To learn more about our graduate students and faculty, check out the Graduate School Confluence podcast. In this series, we celebrate the people whose hard work, talent, and intellectual firepower drive the research and teaching mission of UM: our excellent faculty and our talented graduate students. This podcast aims to celebrate that rich culture of exchange and creativity through conversations with faculty and their graduate students about the ideas that move them and motivate their work.

The episodes below feature topics and people relevant to the Graduate School's DEI-B initiative, capturing the bristling energy of diverse intellectual life of this great university. 

Podcast Episodes

Episode 89: Ruth Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills

Episode 89 rounds out Confluence’s series on the Willow Alliance, in conversation with Dr. Ruth Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills, who leads the project. She talks about her time as a student in academia and how that guides the work she does now, exploring how Indigenous scholarship and knowledge can best interact with Western educational institutions.

Episode 86: Bryan Cochran

Bryan Cochran has been pushing the boundaries of the clinical psychology field to be more inclusive of LGBTIQ+ studies and treatment for over two decades. In this episode, he talks about growth in that field, the vital importance of mentorship there, and his work at UM as a professor and director of clinical training.

Episode 85: Dean Nicolai

In episode 85, Confluence's series on Willow Alliance faculty members flows on with Dean Nicolai, department head of Native American studies at Salish Kootenai College. He talks about tribal historic preservation and what the practice offers western archaeologists. He also recalls the people and experiences that inspired his own academic journey, and how he can create similar opportunities for current students.

Episode 84: Diana Doan-Crider

Episode 84 marks the beginning of a short series on Confluence featuring faculty fellows on a grant with the Willow Alliance. The project focuses on Native American STEM faculty and the ways Indigenous Research Methodologies are being and should continue to be implemented into higher education. Dr. Diana Doan-Crider reflects on the forces at play on her own journey through academia, and discusses some problems and solutions in melding together western and Indigenous approaches to knowledge and education.

Episode 81: Juthika Thaker

In Episode 81 of Confluence, we continue our countdown towards GradCon (2/24) at UM. This episode, we feature Ph.D. student Juthika Thaker, who participated in a panel at last year's GradCon sponsored by the Institute of Health and Humanity. Thaker discusses her research into vaccine rates in rural communities and how she will use her research to strengthen public infrastructure in her home country of India.

Episode 75: Thomas Basolo

This episode of Confluence is the second in a two-part series honoring our graduate student veterans during Veterans Week. Thomas Basolo retired from the military in 2017. In this episode, we discuss his study in social work, his service ethic, and his support for other veterans who are struggling with a variety of issues as they acclimate to civilian life, especially addiction.

Episode 74: Elizabeth Barrs

This episode of Confluence is our discussion with Ph.D. student Elizabeth Barrs. In a delightful conversation, Barrs shares about her journey to the graduate program after a 20-plus-year career as an army military officer. We also discuss the validation of winning the Richard Drake Writing Award in 2022 for a chapter of her dissertation on aid to Armenia during the infamous genocide.

Episode 73: Haley Omeasoo

In this episode of Confluence, we talk with Haley Omeasoo, a Ph.D. student in Anthropology here at UM whose recent research presentation won top prize at UM’s GradCon. In the conversation, Haley talks about her research on fracture patterns in cases of domestic violence, her journey from the Blackfeet Nation to UM, and her continuing mission to combat the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women. 

Episode 67: Julie Cahoon and D'Shane Barnett

This episode celebrates the success of two recent graduates of UM’s program in Public Health: Julie Cahoon, who completed her Masters last December, and D’Shane Barnett, who completed his doctorate in Spring 22. Listeners will hear about their academic and research journeys, which demonstrate the value of resilience in pursuing their graduate degrees. They share details on how their team deployed Indigenous Research Methods to draw on existing cultural strengths in Native communities to create public health interventions on addiction. 

Episode 65: Nirvan Rouzbeh

In Episode 65 of Confluence, Nirvan Rouzbeh, a graduate student in the Neuroscience program, shares about his journey to UM and his research on glutamate receptors.  

Episode 57: Marisela Chavez

In Episode 57 of Confluence, Marisela Chavez, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Society and Conservation, shares about her research on the production, distribution, and preparation of food, and the perpetuation of food-related practices and how that relates to the conservation of important food crop species in Mexico.  

Episode 50: Erica Woodahl

In this episode of Confluence, we hear from born and bred Missoulian Dr. Erica Woodahl, professor in UM’s College of Health, about partnering with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes to bring her research in pharmacogenomics, which tailors medical treatments to specific people and groups of people, to the Flathead Reservation. She also touches on her studies at Notre Dame, demystifying academia and why she decided to move back to her hometown.

Episode 49: Yan Li

On this episode of Confluence we hear from Bertha Morton winner Yan Li on his cutting-edge research in bioinorganic chemistry, how watching A River Runs Through It in China helped him decide to study at UM, and how his research is driven by a desire to help others. 

Episode 39: Brianna Ashley

In this episode, Brianna Ashley talks about her work as a master’s student in environmental studies at UM. Brianna is passionate about land stewardship, and wants to see greater BIPOC participation in outdoor recreation.  She discusses the breadth of experiences she’s had in the EVST program, valuing the way her role as educator also positions her to learn from the communities she serves.  

Episode 38: Ke Wu

In this episode, we’re in the flow with Dr. Ke Wu, a professor in UM’s department of mathematical sciences. Ke reads “Ascending the Heron Tower” by Wang Zhihuan, which propels our conversation about her early years in China, her winding path to math education, her journey to Montana, and her work to optimize access to math for learners from diverse backgrounds.

Episode 36: Elijah Jalil Paz Fisher

In this episode, hear from Elijah Jalil Paz Fisher, a recent graduate of UM’s MFA in acting program. Elijah talks about his love for acting and the impact that Dr. Cristal Channelle Truscott’s book, Soul Work, had on him. Then, he explains the meaning behind his final creative project, Screamin’ From the Zoo, which streamed online during the Theatre and Dance department’s spring 2021 show, Farewell. 

Episode 35: Jen Harrington

In this episode, hear from Jen Harrington, a recent graduate of UM’s College of Forestry and Conservation. Jen grew up in Missoula and watched over the years as more and more Superfund sites were declared around the state. As a graduate student at UM, she focused her work on ways to improve how federal agencies consult with tribal communities about Superfund sites. Jen’s thesis – a case study about the Confederated Salish and Kooetnai Tribes and the Middle Fork of the Clark Fork River – is available at UM’s Scholar Works website.

Episode 30: Helen Russette

In this episode, hear from Helen Russette, a Ph.D. candidate within the School of Public and Community Health Sciences. Listen in as Helen talks about her dissertation which focuses on children with prenatal substance exposure and the benefits of early caregiver-child engagement and green space exposure.

Episode 29: Annie Belcourt

In this episode, we’re in the flow with Dr. Annie Belcourt (Otter Woman) who is a Professor in the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences. Annie reads an excerpt from Terese Marie Mailhot's memoir Heart Berries which sparks our conversation about her educational journey, the importance of building resilience in Native communities, and the unique research ethics that ground Indigenous research communities. 

Episode 18: Cierra Anderson

In this episode, hear from Cierra Anderson—a Master’s in Economics candidate and Law student—who works at the intersection of federal Indian law and economic development in Indian country.

Episode 11: Yubin Kwon

Hear from Yubin Kwon, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the chemistry department, about her current research with the Wang Research Group and what led her to the University of Montana.

Episode 3: Cynthia Coleman

Cynthia Coleman is a master’s student in the Department of Society and Conservation and a fellow in the BRIDGES program at the University of Montana. Born and raised in San Bernardino, California, Coleman is also an enrolled member of the native village of Unalakleet, Alaska. Coleman came to the University of Montana to research how industrial hemp contributes to tribal sovereignty. She will complete her master’s work this fall and will enter the Forest and Conservation Sciences Ph.D. program in the spring of 2020 at the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, where she will be a Sloan Scholarship recipient.