Research and Discovery
Highlights beyond the classroom 2016–2017
MSU professor wins Fulbright, $3.12 million grant to further her work with indigenous communities
MAY 23, 2018
BOZEMAN — A Montana State University professor who conducts research with indigenous communities in Montana, Greenland and Finland has won a pair of awards to further her work.
Beth Rink, an associate professor in the MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development and a researcher with the MSU Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, won a five-year, $3.12 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health for “We Are Here Now,” a sexual and reproductive health randomized clinical trial for American Indian youth and their families on the Fort Peck Reservation in northeastern Montana. In addition, Rink has been named a Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar to help advance Arctic nations’ shared interest in building resilient communities and sustainable economies.
“We Are Here Now” is a term the Assiniboine and Sioux – the home tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation – used for coming-of-age ceremonies in traditional times, Rink said. Rink’s multilevel, multi-component research study of the same name has four components, including a school-based curriculum called Native Stand that is designed to address individual factors that lead to sexual risk behaviors; a family-level curriculum called Native Voices that is tailored to increase communication between adult family members and youth about sexual and reproductive health topics; a community-level cultural mentoring component that pairs youth with adults and elders to help connect them with their cultures and traditions; and a systems-level component to adapt and coordinate tribal sexual and reproductive health services provided to youth. Continue reading about Elizabeth Rink's Fulbright grant.
MSU researchers developing storytelling as way to help teach computing skills
Brittany Fasy, bottom center left, is leading an interdisciplinary project to explore storytelling as a culturally responsive way to engage middle school American Indian and rural Montana students in learning computer science and computing skills. Clockwise from top left: Suzie Hockel, Connie Chang, Jachike Madubuko, Allison Theobold, Sweeney Windchief, Brittany Fasy, Brendan Kristiansen. MSU Photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017
BOZEMAN – Researchers at Montana State University have begun an interdisciplinary project to use storytelling - an important part of American Indian tradition - to engage American Indian and other middle school students with computer science.
The project, which formally began in August after the researchers received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, will use a graphical computer program called Alice that allows students to craft stories by animating people, animals and objects in virtual worlds using a drag-and-drop interface and intuitive programming language.
“We are raising awareness of computer science in young students throughout the state through our outreach activities and eventually our curriculum development,” said Brittany Fasy, the project’s principal investigator and an assistant professor in the Gianforte School of Computing in MSU’s College of Engineering. Continue reading about storytelling.
MSU researchers win $445,000 to develop curriculum to improve spatial intelligence of middle schoolers
Along with other researchers, Montana State University students, from left, Amanda Kotila, Elaine Westbrook, MSU associate education professor Nicholas Lux, Cotton Real Bird and Clarissa De Leon are working to develop a curriculum based on the popular game Minecraft to improve the spatial intelligence of middle schoolers. The group has received a $445,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for the project. MSU photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez.
NOVEMBER 6, 2017
BOZEMAN – Montana State University researchers, with funding from a new grant, hope to develop ways to teach middle schoolers skills vital to their future achievement in science, technology, engineering and math.
The ability to make spatial judgments and to perceive visual images accurately has been shown to be a strong indicator of students’ future achievement in STEM courses, but there is also evidence of a spatial intelligence gap between male and female students, according to Montana State University education professor Nick Lux.
Now Lux and other MSU researchers have won $445,000 to develop a new curriculum that uses a video game to help teach middle schoolers those important spatial skills and bridge the gender gap.
The three-year grant from the National Science Foundation will enable the interdisciplinary team to develop a curriculum based on the popular game Minecraft that will include a series of spatial training modules. The curriculum will be targeted to middle school students. To continue reading about the grant to develop curriculum.
MSU researchers win $500,000 grant to develop oral communication training for STEM students
Montana State University faculty — from left, Kent Davis, professor with the Honors College; Bryce Hughes, assistant professor of adult and higher education; Shannon Willoughby, assistant professor of physics; Leila Sterman, assistant professor with the MSU Library; and Brock LaMeres, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering — are part of the team that recently received a National Science Foundation grant to develop formal training for students in STEM fields to communicate their innovations. MSU photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez.
By Anne Cantrell, MSU News Service
October 9, 2017
BOZEMAN — A team of researchers from Montana State University has won nearly $500,000 to help doctoral students in science, technology, engineering and math – or STEM – fields learn how to better communicate their research through speaking.
The three-year grant from the National Science Foundation will enable the interdisciplinary team of professors to work with eight students each year to develop their oral communication skills. The grant’s principal investigator is Shannon Willoughby in the Department of Physics in the College of Letters and Science. Co-investigators are Kent Davis, Honors College; Bryce Hughes, Department of Education in the College of Education, Health and Human Development; Brock LaMeres, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering; Leila Sterman, assistant professor with the MSU Library; Jennifer Green in the Department of Mathematical Sciences in the College of Letters and Science; and Chris Organ in the Department of Earth Sciences, College of Letters and Science.
“Being able to describe their own research in a more public-friendly, less jargon-based way is good for the (doctoral students), both in explaining the importance of what they do to non-experts … and in job interviews, especially if they’re going into the private sector, where maybe their research methodology isn’t the most interesting thing,” said Sterman. “This project should help them learn to reshape what they say based on the audience they’re speaking to.” For complete story on the $500,000 grant continue reading here