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ForUM
Oct. 11, 2010 | Vol. 39, No. 8 
 
In this issue:
Campus Links
Recent UM Publications

 

Welcome to ForUM, the e-newsletter for University of Montana staff, faculty and administrators. ForUM is published weekly during the academic year except during scheduled academic breaks.


 Environmental Journalists at UM This Week
 

Top Obama administration officials, leading scientists, business leaders and environmental advocates from around North America and Europe will be in Missoula this week for the Society of Environmental Journalists 20th annual conference, hosted by UM.

The Oct. 13-17 gathering will explore a wide range of local, regional, national and international environmental and science issues and offer professional training in new media skills for working journalists. More than 500 people are expected to participate.

"We are excited by the opportunity to host some of the world's top environmental journalists during this special event," UM President George M. Dennison said. "They will learn much about our University research and our state during their time here."

SEJ is an international organization of more than 1,500 working journalists, educators and students dedicated to advancing public understanding of environmental issues by improving the quality and visibility of environmental affairs reporting. Members work in a variety of mediums, including television, radio, print and online.

A limited number of passes are available for UM faculty or staff members who would like to attend one or two of the conference sessions. They will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. To request a pass, e-mail Rita Munzenrider at rita.munzenrider@mso.umt.edu.

Conference Agenda 


 Bee Research Leads to Important Discovery
 

UM honeybee researchers and their partners have discovered a one-two-punch combination that may cause Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious malady that is depopulating beehives around the globe.

UM biology Research Professor Jerry Bromenshenk said his research group has learned that a honeybee virus previously unknown to North America, as well as a fungal pathogen, were found in all their samples collected at hives afflicted by CCD from 2006 to 2009. Those two pathogens were not found in the control groups -- colonies with no history of CCD in Montana and Australia.

"We truly don't know if these two pathogens cause CCD or whether the colonies with CCD are more likely to succumb to these two pathogens," Bromenshenk said. "It's a work in progress, but it may be the most important advance in the search for the cause of CCD in the previous three years."

The research was published Oct. 6 in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

Read the Full News Release 


 Horizon to Unveil Griz-Themed Airplane 
 

Horizon Air recently announced it will begin flying a maroon and silver UM-themed airplane to and from Missoula this November.

Horizon will paint the 76-seat Q400 turboprop aircraft with UM's colors and logos next month and unveil it Friday, Nov. 19, at Missoula International Airport. The plane already is scheduled to be repainted, so the new look will be provided at no cost to the University or Horizon.

"We appreciate Horizon Air taking the initiative to do this," said Jim Foley, UM executive vice president. "Not only is the design of the plane beautiful, it's a flying billboard for UM."

 


 Researchers Publish Forest Study Findings
 

Historically logged forest sites are denser and potentially more prone to severe wildfires and insect outbreaks than unlogged, fire-excluded forests and should be considered a high priority for fuel-reduction treatments, according to a new UM study.

Anna Sala and Cameron Naficy, the lead researchers in the study, published an article on these findings in the most recent issue of the journal Ecological Applications. Sala is a professor in UM's Division of Biological Sciences, and Naficy graduated with a master's degree from UM in 2008.

Sala and Naficy's study compared logged, fire-excluded sites to unlogged, fire-excluded sites in forests mainly consisting of ponderosa pines. The study covered a broad region spanning the Continental Divide of the Northern Rockies, from central Montana to central Idaho.

The findings contradict much of the conventional wisdom defining current U.S. forest policy, which assumes that increases in forest density, which in turn increase the susceptibility to severe wildfires or insect outbreaks, are primarily caused by fire suppression.

 


 UM Offers New Graduate Certificate
 

The Women's and Gender Studies Program faculty, an interdisciplinary group of scholars housed in the University's College of Arts and Sciences, now offer a graduate certificate for students at UM.

The newly created certificate program consists of a total of 12 graduate credits that focus on the experience of social inequality at multiple and intersecting levels of oppression. Students who pursue the certificate must already be admitted to a graduate program at UM.

The certificate program requires a core course from both the humanities and the social sciences, as well as six additional credits in women's and gender studies. Students who participate in the program will receive a unique perspective on their primary area of study while meeting students and faculty from other departments.

For more information about the program, call Stacy Rye at 243-2584 or e-mail stacy.rye@umontana.edu.

 


 Goedicke, Robinson Collection at UM Library
 

The Patricia Goedicke and Leonard Wallace Robinson Papers are now available for public research at UM's Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library.

The collection, in the library's Archives and Special Collections, provides insight into the literary and academic careers of Goedicke and Robinson through the manuscripts of their work, correspondence and professional papers. It expands the breadth and depth of the University's local literary collections, which include the Dorothy M. Johnson papers and a collection of Richard Hugo's notebooks.

"This is a fantastic addition to the literary collections at UM, providing researchers materials that document a unique cross section of American writers and critics, and students an opportunity to study the process of two remarkable writers," said project archivist Steve Bingo.

An exhibit featuring materials from the Goedicke and Robinson papers will be on display in the library's Theta Rho Room through March 1, 2011.

Read the Full News Release 


 'CHINA Town Hall' at UM Oct. 18
 

China's role in the world -- from its economic behavior, position on diplomatic matters and expansion of its military to its activities in Africa and the U.S.-China relationship -- is in the news and at the center of foreign policy discussions around the nation.

To help Americans understand this dynamic relationship and have their questions answered by leading experts, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations will conduct a unique 50-city event, "CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections," on Monday, Oct. 18.

The town hall will begin at 6 p.m. in Missoula at UM's James E. Todd Building Room 210. It is free and open to the public. The Missoula event is co-sponsored by UM Continuing Education, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, the Montana World Affairs Council and the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

Featured speaker U.S. Ambassador Jon M. Huntsman Jr. will discuss the U.S.-China relationship in a live webcast from Beijing. He will then respond to questions from audience members. The webcast will be followed by an on-site presentation by Chinese human rights activist Dimon Liu, who will give a related talk on "Human Rights Activism and Human Rights Policy."

For more information, call the Mansfield Center at 243-2988.

Mansfield Center 


 Enjoy Rock Musical 'Hair' at UM
 

UM's School of Theatre and Dance will present "Hair" at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19-23 and Oct. 26-30 in the Montana Theatre of the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center.

The production, recommended for mature audiences, brings the riveting message and endearing songs that have woven themselves into the very fabric of people's memories of the tumultuous '60s. The story about self-expression and inclusion is as meaningful today as it was when it premiered in the Age of Aquarius.

To show appreciation for commitment and service to UM, President Dennison and the School of Theatre and Dance will provide faculty and staff one free ticket to each of this year's seven season productions. In addition, a second ticket for each performance may be purchased for $9.

To get faculty/staff tickets to "Hair," present your Griz Card at the Theatre and Dance Box Office in the lobby of the PAR/TV Center. Box office hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour prior to performances.

School of Theatre and Dance 


 Dramatic Influence to Perform at UM
 

Dramatic Influence, an indigenous Maori performing arts group from New Zealand, will begin its North American tour at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the University Center Ballroom. The show is free and open to the public.

The group includes 11 members who will present aspects of traditional and contemporary Maori culture through song, dance and storytelling. The show is sponsored by American Indian Student Services, the Department of Native American Studies and the UC.

For more information, call Josh Peters-McBride, UC Student Involvement program adviser, at 243-5776 or e-mail josh.peters-mcbride@mso.umt.edu.

 


 Consultant Available for Retirement Planning
 

TIAA-CREF will offer individual counseling sessions to assist faculty and staff with retirement planning from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, at UM.

Appointments are required for the sessions, which will be held in University Center Room 216.

To make an appointment, call the TIAA-CREF Phone Center at 800-732-8353 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

 


 President Dennison's Office Hours
 

Each semester, President Dennison has welcomed members of the campus community to meet with him to discuss issues and topics of their choice.

President Dennison's final office hours before he retires Oct. 15 are:
  • Thursday, Oct. 14: 10-noon
Please call 243-2311 or e-mail prestalk@umontana.edu to make an appointment to meet with President Dennison during these hours.

Office hours for UM's new president, Royce Engstrom, will be announced in the next issue of ForUM.

 


 Faculty/Staff Socials 
 

Socials will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. most Fridays during autumn semester in the Davidson Honors College Lounge. Autumn semester dates and event sponsors are:
  • Oct. 15: President Dennison
  • Oct. 29: College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences
  • Nov. 5: President Engstrom
  • Nov. 12: College of Forestry and Conservation and College of Visual and Performing Arts
  • Nov. 19: College of Arts and Sciences
  • Dec. 3: Mansfield Library
  • Dec. 10: Faculty Senate and Academic Affairs


 


 News About U 
 

News About U Geography Associate Professor Ulrich Kamp is co-director of the recently implemented Regional Center for Mongolia of the international program Global Land Ice Measurements from Space, which maps and monitors the world's cryosphere.

Mathematics Professor Bharath Sriraman, with A.B. Fyhn of the University of Tromsø, was the co-recipient of a highly competitive three-year Norwegian Research Council Grant. The grant funds investigation of structures and patterns in Sami ornaments as a basis for secondary school mathematics with field work in Kautokeino and the coastal Sami communities in Finnmark. Doctoral courses on the basis of the research are planned at the University of Tromsø, UM's partner university.

 


 Publications
 

Books and Publications Ashmore, Rhea. 2010. "Teacher Professional Development in China: Lesson Study." The Montana State Reading E-Journal, 1(2):14-17.

Sriraman, Bharath (with others). 2010. "Tracing Students' Modeling Processes in School." In Modeling Students' Mathematical Modeling Competencies. (Eds.) R. Lesh et al. Springer Science+Business Media.

Sriraman, Bharath. 2010. "A Critique and Reaction to Promoting Student Understanding Through Complex Learning." Discussion paper in Proceedings of the Thirty-second Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Columbus, Ohio. CD-ROM.

 

Submissions must reach University Relations, 317 Brantly Hall, by noon Tuesday for inclusion in the following week's newsletter. Be sure to note that the submissions are for ForUM. E-mail submissions may be sent to campnews@mso.umt.edu. Items will be included as space permits. For more information, e-mail Brenda Day, ForUM editor.



phone: 406-243-2522
fax: 406-243-4520