ORCS fosters an environment where research, scholarly activities, entrepreneurship, and economic development advance UM's mission and impact Montana. Visit our website to learn more about our services and resources for faculty and students at UM.
Research at UM
Accelerate Discovery, Deliver Impact
Built upon a 130-year legacy as the state’s flagship public research university, the knowledge and discoveries made at UM help shape our way of life. Faculty researchers, staff, and students' discoveries have led to advances in immunizations, biotechnology, environmental conservation, new perspectives on American democracy and civic dialog, and so much more. From forestry and fire science to the humanities and creative arts, our graduates become leaders in their fields. What’s made in Montana is remaking the world.
Making a Difference
Research at UM begins with curiosity, questions, and a drive to make positive change. Explore stories about the faculty and students who tackle pressing issues ranging from human health and environmental resilience to emerging technologies and scientific innovation. Their work accelerates discovery and solves problems that benefit Montana and communities around the world.
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Chemistry Above the Clouds
Thousands of feet above Salt Lake City, chemistry students from the University of Montana spent the summer of 2026 tracking air pollution. Over seven weeks, they collected airborne data as part of a major research campaign involving Western states universities and federal and state agencies. The project aims to better understand the factors driving poor air quality in Western cities and support efforts to make air cleaner and healthier for the people who live there. -
Future Scientists Lead Western Montana Painted Turtle Study
Along the marshy shores of Jones Pond at the University of Montana’s Lubrecht Experimental Forest, a new long-term research project is emerging that seeks to better understand western painted turtles and the impacts of climate change on their populations. -
E-Bikes in the Wild
On the trails near Butte, University of Montana doctoral student Abi Fuesler discovered just how heated the debate over electric mountain bikes can get. As a social scientist in UM’s Wildland and Recreation Management Research Lab, she is studying how people feel about e-bikes on public lands, why those feelings differ so sharply, and what the conversation means for who gets to enjoy the outdoors.
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UM Takes Flight as Montana’s Drone Hub
From reimagining disaster monitoring to reshaping agriculture, drone technology is improving the safety and efficiency of industries across Big Sky Country – and the University of Montana is the state’s command center for training the experts who will pilot them. -
UM Undergrad Revels in Rhino Beetle Research
In a public park in Atsugi, Japan, University of Montana undergraduate Iris McKean spent the summer studying one of the country’s most beloved insects, the rhinoceros beetle. As part of a UM research team, she weighed and marked beetles so they could be identified as cameras recorded their dramatic battles. The project explores sexual selection among the beetles, especially why females choose to mate with certain males.
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Deep Sea Meets Montana
Oceanographers from Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station recently set out with their students to study the South Atlantic subtropical ocean gyre, one of five massive wind-driven currents that regulate global temperatures and sustain life across the open ocean. Over 35 days at sea, they studied how nutrients and carbon move through the upper ocean and support life in some of Earth's most remote marine environments.
Chemistry Above the Clouds
Thousands of feet above Salt Lake City, chemistry students from the University of Montana spent the summer of 2026 tracking air pollution. Over seven weeks, they collected airborne data as part of a major research campaign involving Western states universities and federal and state agencies. The project aims to better understand the factors driving poor air quality in Western cities and support efforts to make air cleaner and healthier for the people who live there.
Future Scientists Lead Western Montana Painted Turtle Study
Along the marshy shores of Jones Pond at the University of Montana’s Lubrecht Experimental Forest, a new long-term research project is emerging that seeks to better understand western painted turtles and the impacts of climate change on their populations.
E-Bikes in the Wild
On the trails near Butte, University of Montana doctoral student Abi Fuesler discovered just how heated the debate over electric mountain bikes can get. As a social scientist in UM’s Wildland and Recreation Management Research Lab, she is studying how people feel about e-bikes on public lands, why those feelings differ so sharply, and what the conversation means for who gets to enjoy the outdoors.
UM Takes Flight as Montana’s Drone Hub
From reimagining disaster monitoring to reshaping agriculture, drone technology is improving the safety and efficiency of industries across Big Sky Country – and the University of Montana is the state’s command center for training the experts who will pilot them.
UM Undergrad Revels in Rhino Beetle Research
In a public park in Atsugi, Japan, University of Montana undergraduate Iris McKean spent the summer studying one of the country’s most beloved insects, the rhinoceros beetle. As part of a UM research team, she weighed and marked beetles so they could be identified as cameras recorded their dramatic battles. The project explores sexual selection among the beetles, especially why females choose to mate with certain males.
Deep Sea Meets Montana
Oceanographers from Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station recently set out with their students to study the South Atlantic subtropical ocean gyre, one of five massive wind-driven currents that regulate global temperatures and sustain life across the open ocean. Over 35 days at sea, they studied how nutrients and carbon move through the upper ocean and support life in some of Earth's most remote marine environments.