Montana EPSCoR newsletter - Winter 2014

8/13/2019 Montana EPSCoR newsletter - Winter 2014

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STUDY OF CLIMATE, LAND USE AND INVASIVE SPECIES IN AND NEARNATIONAL PARKS YIELDS PROJECTIONS ONBIOME VULNERABILITY Changing climate, how land is usedand the presence of invasive speciesall have an impact on ecosystems. Theinuence of these factors can be studiedand the results used to inform futuremanagement and decision practices.Narrowing this understanding to par-ticular locations, such as national parksand immediately surrounding areas, canprovide natural-resource managers andpolicy makers with specic actionableinformation.

Professor Andy Hansen , ProfessorSteve Running and post-doc Nathan

Piekielek, all IoE researchers, conducteda study on the impact of these factorson Protected Area Centered Ecosystems,or PACEs, which are national parks andthe area immediately around them.With their colleagues from the USDAForest Service and the National ParkService , Hansen and team conducted anassessment of protected areas and theirsurrounding ecosystems to assess theeffect of climate and land use change.

Protected areas tend to be nationalparks and areas that are specically set

aside to protect and maintain biologicaldiversity. Since the boundaries of theprotected area often do not includeall of the land critical to maintainnutrient cycling, disturbance regimesand population dynamics, the moregeneral term of protected area centeredecosystem (PACE) is used to describethe whole area where human activitiesmay negatively inuence ecologicalprocesses in the protected area. Inthe study recently published onlineby the Ecological Society of America,

Hansen and colleagues were specicallyexamining the effects of changes in landuse, invasive species, and climate onareas that are protected so that naturalprocesses can occur and native speciespersist.

For historical data, land use wasmeasured as a change in housingdensity using U.S. Census data and landallocation designation. To look at thechange in the non-native vascular plantsin an area, the researchers examineda compilation of species lists andevidence records within national parks.

The climate data set from the PRISMclimate group based out of OregonState University was used to examinechange in climate of the period 1895-2009. Data from this set were averagedacross each PACE and then used toderive rates of change on a 100-yearbasis.

Climate, housing density, andclimate suitability for vegetationtypes were projected forward to 2100under Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) scenarios. The

projections revealed that the rate of pastchange may occur at an increasinglyfaster rate, such that 30% of PACE areasmay lose their current biomes by 2030.This information on the vulnerabilityacross the protected areas can helpland managers in determining the areasmost at risk from these external factorsand in developing effective adaptationstrategies.

Hansen, A.J., N. Piekielek, C. Davis, J. Haas, D. Theobald, J. Gross, W. Monahan,S. Running. In press. Exposure ofUS National Parks to Land Use andClimate Change 1900-2100. Ecological

Applications.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-0905.1

December 2013

INSIDENEW FACULTY HIRES

Meet the new faculty ............... p.2IoE by the Numbers ................. p.3

RESEARCH

Indigenous Research andSTEM Education ....................... p.4COLLABORATION/INFRASTRUCTURECyberinfrastructure: The behind-the-scenes capacity that enablesnew science ............................. p.5

OUTREACH/EDUCATION

What is an ecosystem?............. p.6

Citizen scientists help with elk grazingstudy ....................................... p.7Scientist communicates in an ultra-modern fashion ........................ p.7Climate science courses for teacherslaunched ................................. p.8State Climate Ofce serves Montana............................................... p.8


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STUDYING ARID AND SEMI-ARID RANGELAND ECOSYSTCRAIG CARR, ANIMAL AND RANGESCIENCES, MSUCraig Carr is an assis-tant professor in theDepartment of Animaland Range Sciences

at Montana State University. An appliedecologist, Carr works in arid and semi-arid rangeland ecosystems focusing onthe interactions among plants, soils, andanimals and the way these interactionsare inuenced by resource managementand disturbance. This research canprovide ecologically based information toland managers that will aid in developingmanagement approaches for long-termsustainable use of rangelands.

Carr received his bachelors degreein Animal Science from the Universityof Alberta and attended Oregon StateUniversity where he completed his M.S.and PhD. Originally from Canada, Carrworked for eight years with the BritishColumbia Ministry of Forests in the

Kamloops Forest Region as an agrologist

prior to returning to graduate school. Inaddition, he was the Executive Directorof the Crooked River Watershed Council.Most recently, Craig was a researchassistant professor at the University ofNevada, Reno.

At MSU, Carrs time is split betweenresearch and teaching such courses asRange and Pasture Monitoring, Biomesof Western Wildlands, Vegetation ofWestern Wildlands, and RangelandEcological Theory and Application.

His current research projects

include: Evaluating opportunities forsheep grazing in cropping systems,understanding ecological consequencesof bladed re lines used in resuppression activities, evaluating thedirect effects of livestock grazing onsagegrouse nesting success, anddeveloping an improved understandingof the patterns and mechanisms ofcheatgrass invasion in the NorthernGreat Plains.

Montana EPSCoRPO Box 173142Bozeman, MT [email protected]

facebook.com/MontanaEPSCoRTwitter.com/MontanaEPSCoRYoutube.com/MontanaEPSCoRIoE webpage: Montanaioe.orgEPSCoR webpage: mtnsfepscor.orgThis material is based on work supported by theNational Science Foundation under Grant EPS- 1101342. Any opinions, ndings and conclusionsor recommendations expressed in this material arethose of the author(s) and do not necessarily reectthe views of the National Science Foundation.

UPCOMING EVENTSSocial-Ecological Systems meetingIn early 2014, the Montana Institute onEcosystems plans to host a statewide Integra-tion Meeting focused on Social-Ecological

Systems (SES) . The goal is to explore op-portunities to further build and integrate SESinto the IoE science agenda. The integrationmeeting will include discussion of how to bet-ter integrate SES perspectives into the currentEPSCoR project, IoE and future initiatives andfunding opportunities for collaborative interdis-ciplinary research.

January 2014

Applications for Summer 2014undergraduate research fellowships areopen. See IoE Website for details.

February 2013* Distinguished Visiting Lecturer Series:

Diana Liverman from the Institute on theEnvironment at the University of Arizona

April 2013*

Distinguished Visiting Lecturer Series: EvanDelucia from the University of Illinois

*Dates and locations TBA

For a full schedule of IoE events,visit http://montanaioe.org/

NEW FACULTYHIRES

EXAMINING EFFECTS OF POLICY, REGULATORY MODELS

INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN ON LOCAL ENERGY DEVELOP JULIA HAGGERTY,EARTH SCIENCES, MSUJulia Haggerty is anassistant professor ofgeography in the EarthSciences Departmentat Montana State

University. She studies rural resourcegeography with a focus on environmentalgovernance and drivers of rural growthand change. Haggerty has a diversebackground that includes a PhD in his-

tory from the University of Colorado, post-doctoral research in New Zealand, andve years as a professional policy analystfor a regional economics think tank.

Most recently, Haggertys researchhas focused on the dilemmas of energydevelopment for rural areas that hostlarge scale enterprises, including powergeneration, transmission, and fossilfuel extraction. She has conductedlongitudinal research on social andeconomic impacts of energy developmentin the Western United States. Her current

energy research focuses on how policy,regulatory models and institutionaldesign shape the outcomes of energydevelopment at the local scale.

Haggerty has extensive experienceusing mixed qualitative and quantitativemethods to document rural resource usechanges and their impacts on individualsand communities. Her past work hasconsidered the implications of changesin ranchland ownership in the GreaterYellowstone Ecosystem as well as

agricultural intensication and freshwaterresource management in New Zealand.

Haggerty is currently working togrow the geography emphasis in theDepartment of Earth Sciences bydeveloping new courses and recruitinggraduate students. With support from theIoE, she has been active in discussionspursuing new social science collaborativeapproaches to critical topics inMontanas future, including the impactsof energy policy choices and climatevulnerability in rural areas.

Montana EPSCoRs Track I focus is onunderstanding the effects of climatechange on sustaining healthy ecosystemsand economic growth. The Institute onEcosystems (IoE) is a statewide Institutebased at the agship research universitiesthrough which current Montana EPSCoRactivities are implemented.

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NEWS


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IoE BY THE NUMBERSThe Institute on Ecosystems was ofcially approved by the Montana University System Board of

Regents on November 18, 2011 two years ago.Here are some other numbers associated with the IoE since that time:

ONE Montana IoE, a new statewide model leading interdisciplinary innovation

1new statewide

faculty mentoring &leadership program

3tribal college facultydirectly supported inIoE-related teaching

10IoE-supported new

faculty hires(MSU 8, UM 2)

42 undergraduate

students supported

(MSU 13 in amentored summer

internship program,UM 29)

120 faculty and studentparticipants at the

rst IoE Summit

2competitive researchuniversities working

together in ecosystemsciences

3 tribal college-led IoE

research projects, withve more planned

34Rough Cut Science talks

by faculty to increasestatewide collaboration

47 new IoE grant proposals

at UM 19 awarded, todate ($4.6M)

263self-selected faculty andpartner afliates in the

IoE (MSU 108,UM 105)

2shared undergraduate

minor programs forbroad workforce

development

5innovative IoE faculty

joint appointments atMSU

38new IoE grant proposalsat MSU 15 awarded,

to date ($2.3M)

69 publications inleading journals and

national/internationalpresentations

279,751people accessed IoE

science resourcesthrough the National

Geographic andAdventurers and

Scientists for Education

3science focus

areas thataddress anationally

important GrandChallenge

9distinguished

visiting scientistsinspiring faculty,

students andpublic audiences

84graduatestudents

supported (MSU 41, UM 43)

$3Min active MSU

IoE partnershipsgrants

$20M NSF EPSCoR award to ONE Montana

SUPPORTING ANDINSPIRING TRIBALCOLLEGE STUDENTS

IN SCIENCE AND MATH

JONAH MORSETTE, MATH,LITTLE BIG HORN COLLEGE

Jonah Morsette is a facultymember at Little Big HornCollege in the Math Department.He teaches in the EPSCoRAccelerated Math Program(proled in the September 2013newsletter) during the summerand teaches courses in calculus,pre-calculus and college algebraduring the academic year, inaddition to providing regular followup with the participants in theAccelerated Math Program.

Morsette, whose Indian name isHas Good Luck with Charcoalsis an enrolled member of theCrow Tribe and a member of theWhistling Water Clan and child ofthe Greasy Mouth Clan. Morsettehas an associates degree fromLittle Big Horn College andbachelors degree from MontanaState University, and credits hislate grandmother as an inspirationfor valuing education and workinghard. He participated in UpwardBound in Middle School and theBridges to Baccalaureate programat MSU while a student at LittleBig Horn College.

These opportunities inspiredand motivated him in his successas a geohydrology major at MSU.Morsette said he enjoys providingthat same support and motivationto students at Little Big Horn in histeaching role and hopes to inspiremore native students in scienceand math.

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NEWS


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INDIGENOUS RESEARCH AND STEM EDUCATIONAttracting and retaining students in STEMmajors, particularly Native students,begins well before they step onto campus.The Indigenous Research and STEM Edu-cation (IRSE) department at the Universityof Montana recognizes this and works toprovide interesting opportunities for Na-tive students from middle school throughdoctoral completion. Under the leadership

of new director Dr. Aaron Thomas , IRSEhas continued successful programs anddeveloped new ones for Native studentsin partnership with Montana EPSCoR.Formerly the Native American ResearchLab, the new name was adopted to moreaccurately represent all Indigenous stu-dents served by the department (AmericanIndian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian,and First Nation).

Thomas began in January 2013 andhired program coordinator Jon Stannardin June 2013. To assess communityneeds and interest, Thomas traveled toall seven Montana reservations to speakwith tribal college, high school, and middleschool personnel and students. Withcommunity input about what servicesthe University has provided that provedsuccessful, and what services are lacking,an action plan is being constructed toimprove recruitment and retention ofNative students into science, technology,engineering, and mathematics elds inhigher education.

One of Thomas new programs was a

summer week-long instructional programfor reservation middle school studentson the Blackfeet Reservation and theFort Belknap Reservation. Funded byMontana Gear Up, and using local tribalcollege facilities, Thomas, Stannard, andUniversity of Montana Native Americanundergraduates excited middle schoolstudents with projects that focused on

building and launching model rockets;replicating the landing challenges of theMars Rover (by using eggs to simulatethe Rover); constructing tissue paperhot air balloons to demonstrate why hotair promotes lift; and describing howastronauts prepare physically for a spacemission. All of the students valued thecamp experience highly.

IRSE supports the development ofthe STEM pipeline in undergraduateand graduate study through a numberof programs. Through the All NationsAlliance for Minority Participationprogram (AMP), several UM Nativestudents college costs are subsidizedwith AMP stipend awards from SalishKootenai College as well as some travelsupport to events such as the nationalAmerican Indian Science and EngineeringSociety (AISES) conference. IRSE is alsopartnering with the IDeA Networks ofBiomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)program to provide free math tutoringto Native American students, as well asprovide research support for a variety of

projects currently being conducted by UMNative STEM students.

Montana EPSCoR, through the IoE,continues its support of IRSE for Nativestudents pursuing graduate degrees inSTEM disciplines. Currently, ve NativeAmerican graduate students receivefunding for their research in STEMmasters and doctorate degrees. Their

stories can be viewed on the IRSE website (www.umt.edu/grad/irse) .

Moses Leavens (above), a member of theChippewa/Cree Nation, is one of ve NativeAmerican students receiving funding for theirSTEM degrees through IRSE. He is working ona PhD in biochemistry and biophysics.

Above: Browning Middle School students work together on a STEM buildingproject on the Blackfeet Reservation as part of a week-long summer program.

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RESEARCH


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CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE, THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES CAPACITY THAT ENABLES NEW SCIENCE

Scientists working in environmental areasincreasingly work in collaborative teamsthat span disciplines, with complex andever larger data sources. Datasets arenow continuously streamed from remotesources, ranging from small sensors de-ployed across eld sites to satellite andairborne sensing platforms. At smaller

and smaller scales, advances in microbi-ology and genetics have similarly createdextraordinary new data challenges. Find-ing solutions and opportunities from com-plex environmental challenges requiressystems approaches and large computa-tional data analyses and visualizationsthat increasingly seek to bring togetherboth biophysical and human data.

The Montana Institute on Ecosystemsis building capacity to help scientistswork together and address these growingbig data challenges. These activitiesare framed as cyberinfrastructure, thecombination of storage, communication,and computational technologies andtechnical and domain science expertswho address these big data needs.Clearly the challenges of big data arebeyond the resources of any one programor organization, and the IoE is workingto make strategic advances and buildcyberinfrastructure partnerships to enablenew science.

The IoEs cyberinfrastructure includes

tools to help researchers work togetheras virtual teams, particularly acrossa large and sparsely populated statelike Montana. Video conferencing, lesharing, and even social media are nowstandard tools used by scientists andstudents, and the IoE wants to ensuregood connectivity among its researchers.

Websites no longer simply provide adigital brochure; they are interactive andprovide access to underlying databasesand resources.

At the heart of cyberinfrastructure andbig data, however, are technologies thatcollect and manage data. The IoE hasdeveloped the Virtual Observatory andEcological Informatics System (VOEIS)that automatically collects and storesdata from remote environmental sensorsin Flathead Lake, the Big Sky area, andother sites across the state. These dataare then packaged and streamed tonational data repositories. Partnershipswith the University of Kentucky enablenew visualization methods for VOEISdata. The IoE will continue to build uponthe VOEIS framework to advance newpartnerships, ranging from working withother states on similar challenges toengaging libraries that are transitioning tonew roles on university campuses.

Providing a user-friendly resourcefor discovering and accessing science

data is another goal for the IoE. IoEfaculty afliates Geoff Poole (MSU LandResources and Environmental Sciencesand Clem Izurieta (MSU ComputerScience) are working with the Museumof the Rockies to utilize its planetariumto help people visualize water movementthrough complex river systems. The IoE is

working to develop a web-based sciencegateway that will serve as a discoveryportal to IoE data. In partnership withteams from Alaska, this data portalwill ensure interoperable systems thatsupport emerging science partnershipprojects as part of the NSF EPSCoRprogram.

These cyberinfrastructure efforts arepart of a solution to a long-term need,one that will be addressed by advancingstrategic opportunities and through newstructures to help Montanas highereducation programs work together. A newstatewide cyberinfrastructure committeewas established to provide strategicfeedback to the IoE, foster informationsharing, and identify and pursue newopportunities. Most of these efforts willoccur in the background, but the resultwill enable Montana researchers toadvance science that supports Montanasfuture.

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COLLABORATION/INFRASTRUCT


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CITIZEN SCIENTISTS HELPSTUDY EFFECTS

OF CLIMATE ONELK FORAGING PATTERNSA group of citizen scientists braved foulweather to help learn about the impact ofclimate change on elk in the Upper Yel-lowstone River Basin. Nine volunteers en-dured rain and wind on an early Saturdaymorning in September to pick up elk scatsamples at the Dome Mountain WildlifeManagement Area in Paradise Valley.

The event attracted several families whoworked together on teams collecting data.One participant commented, My kids and Ihave only been to a handful of events where

we had so much fun learning and being apart of relevant science in our area.

The project was designed to helpMontana State University graduatestudent Erica Garroutte gather data on

how climate change may be affecting thetiming of grassland greenup and, in turn,elk foraging patterns. Garroutte is workingwith her advisor, MSU faculty memberand Montana Institute on Ecosystemsresearcher Andy Hansen, to analyze thesamples for their levels of chlorophyll.

The data gathered will help Garroutte todetermine whether elk are changing theirmigration and grazing patterns. It will alsoallow her to check the reliability of satellitereectance photos (taken by an instrumenton a NASA satellite called MODIS) topredict where elk are moving.IoE afliates who want to discuss developing acitizen science project can contact Jamie Cornishat [email protected]

GAS, FOOD & LODGINGIoE af liate reaches key audiences with concisediscussion of the carbon cycle

At a public event called STEM: Imagine the Futureon Oct. 16, Institute on Ecosystems Afliate TonyHartshorn presented Gas, Food, Lodging: WhatYou Should Know About the Carbon Cycle to 200educators and community members. The event washosted by Montanas Ofce of Public Instruction andheld at the Museum of the Rockies. Hartshorn gavethe presentation in the fast-paced Ignite style15slides shown for 15 seconds each. An assistantprofessor in Land Resources & EnvironmentalSciences at MSU, Hartshorn rst developed the talkduring a workshop called Pecha Kucha for Scientistsand Scholars, hosted by Montana EPSCoRsoutreach team in Fall 2012. He also presented thetalk to a sold-out audience of 700 at BozemansPecha Kucha Night in Spring 2013.

TOP: Participants contribute to an elkgrazing study while learning about theimpacts of climate change in the UpperYellowstone River Basin. ABOVE: Graduatestudent Erica Garroutte helps a young citizenscientist lay out a quadrant to collect elkscat samples.

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OUTREAC


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The Montana State Climate Ofce(MCO) is the ofcial ofce in the state thatprovides information about both long-termclimate trends and shorter-term climateconditions. The MCO also assists citizensof Montana who are directly or indirectlyaffected by climate, such as those inagriculture, forestry, or sh and wildlifemanagement, by providing products andrecommended practices for adaptation tochanging climate conditions. IoE afliateand UM Assistant Professor Kelsey

Jencso is the State Climatologist andworks with faculty at MSU and UM in thisrole.

The issues associated with Montanascurrent and changing climate are many.Major sectors of Montanas economy needto know how seasonal trends in forecastedweather and water are distributedthroughout the state and in localizedareas. Without advanced knowledgeto make reasonable predictions, keyindustries in Montana face signicant

vulnerabilities and might not respondappropriately to changing conditions.

The newly established MCO is workingto provide targeted water and climateinformation to the people of Montana. TheMCO strives to be a credible and expertsource of information for state and localdecision makers as well as agenciesthat rely on the most current weatherand water data to make important policydecisions. When interpreting information,the MCO relies foremost on peer-reviewedliterature and on best practices, consultingwith other experts, and revises publicstatements in light of solid new analysisor information. The MCOs on-going goalis to provide information to the public thatis reliable and meets the highest qualitystandards. As part of this goal they havedeveloped new tools that they would liketo make available to address the criticalissues facing Montanans today.

Working with the IoE is a natural andpractical part of the MCOs mission. IoEand the MCO collaborate on researchthat specically advance atmospheric,watershed, hydrologic and socio-ecologicalsciences. The collaboration is anopportunity to provide important climatechange information to Montanas citizens,educators and decision-makers.

STATE CLIMATE OFFICE PROVIDES CRITICAL INFO TO MONTANANS

FIRST OF FOURONLINE CLIMATE SCIENCECOURSES FOR TEACHERSLAUNCHESAs part of its professional development

programming for science teachers, theInstitute on Ecosystems is developing fouronline graduate courses on climate sci-ence, which, together, will form an online12-credit graduate certicate. Designed toserve K-12 and community college teach-ers from Montana and around the world,the program is part of the acclaimedNational Teachers Enhancement Network(NTEN) of online courses. NTEN is one of

just six learning partners afliated withthe National Science Teachers Association(NSTA).

The rst course, Plant and AnimalResponse to Climate Change, was

developed by IoE Afliate and Earth

Sciences Professor Dave McWethy andlaunched in October 2013. Four Montanatribal college faculty members receivedscholarships to participate in the course.

The next courses in the series,Weather and Climate for Teachers andUnderstanding Climate Change will betaught in Spring 2014 and Summer 2014by Jordy Hendrikx . Hendrikx is director ofthe Snow and Avalanche Laboratory andan assistant professor in the departmentof Earth Sciences at MSU. He hastaught several online courses for science

teachers via NTEN.

Four tribal college faculty members receivedscholarships to participate in the Plant andAnimal Response to Climate Change course,

which launched in Fall of 2013.

The Montana State Climate Ofce is online at http://www.climate.umt.edu

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EDUCATION

http://eu.montana.edu/environmental-mastersfacebook.com/MSUenvironmental-masters

(406) 994-6683 (866) 540-5660 [email protected]

Plant and Animal Responseto Climate Changean online coursefor high school

and communitycollege teachers

M O N T A N A N S F

Oct. 14 Dec. 8, 2013

Do youteach ina Montanatribalcollege or Montanareservationhighschool? Scholarships are available! Visithttp://montanaioe.org/form/erth-591-scholarship-application-2013

Tis course is designed to help educators better understandhow ecosystems are responding to changes in the climate sys-tem. Participating teachers will: Understand basic principles of the climate system Describe what we know and dont know (i.e., how certain are we) about historic and recent changes in basic climate condi-tions such as temperature and precipitation

Identify variables that control the distribution, diversity andabundance of di erent species on Earth

Understand how plants and animals respond to changingclimatic conditions and the characteristics that hinder orfacilitate adaptation to climate change.

Become familiar with case studie s and local experiences with com-munities working on climate change adaptation and planning

Develop hypotheses related to future projections for changingclimate conditions and how plant a nd animals might respond.

About the instructor Dave McWethy is an assistant research professor in the

Department of Earth Sciences at Montana State University.His research centers on understanding drivers of ecosystemdiversity and change across multiple spatial and temporal scales.

His research involves the analysis and integration of multi-scalerecords of re, climate, and vegetation (i.e., lake and peat sedi-ments) across biophysical and human impact gradients. One ofthe primary goals of this research is to develop a framework forunderstanding the vulnerability of ecosystems to shifting reregimes as a result of human activity and climate change.

NationalTeachersEnhancementNetwork&MontanaIoENTEN has provided online professional development pro-

grams for teachers for 20 years. Courses help teachers develop adeeper understanding of science concepts while interacting withand learning new techniques from other teachers and research-ers around the globe. e Institute on Ecosystems is a multi-institutional community dedicated to understanding complexecosystems and the interconnectedness of people and nature.

Registeronline: http://eu.montana.edu/NTEN/courses

The NationalTeachersEnhancement Network

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Montana EPSCoR newsletter - Winter 2014