Office of Research and Creative Scholarship Newsletter

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We’re revamping our newsletter! Until the makeover is complete, our messages will show up in your inbox with little to no style—but plenty of substance. Stay tuned for the reveal in our next edition on August 14th.

News & Updates

OSP Website Revamp

OSP’s website is changing on Monday, July 27th. The main landing page will remain at the same URL, but any bookmarked links to other pages will no longer work. Please take a moment to visit the new site next week, which has been redesigned to be much easier to navigate, and update your bookmarks with the new page links.

Research Security Training Moving to CITI Program 

The Office of Research and Creative Scholarship is pleased to announce that Research Security Training at the University of Montana will be transitioning from NEOED to the CITI Program, effective Friday, July 31^st, 2026. The training will no longer be offered on NEOED after that date.

This move consolidates research-related training onto a single platform already familiar to much of the UM research community. CITI's broader access model means that undergraduate/graduate students, affiliates, and research staff who are required to complete Research Security Training can enroll and complete their training in one place. 

Research Security Training is required for Principal Investigators, co-Principal Investigators, and senior/key personnel named on federally funded awards. Training must be completed once per 12-month period to remain in compliance.

As with all platforms, individuals should download and save the certificate of completion to their own file. The PI will be prompted to upload the Research Security Training Certificate, in PDF format, along with the certificates of Co-PIs and senior/key personnel, in Cayuse during Pre-Award stage. 

If you have questions about whether you are required to complete Research Security Training please reach out to researchsecurity@umontana.edu. If you have questions about logging into or using CITI, please see these instructions here or reach out to Sara Hull.

Funding & Other Opportunities

Advancing “Science of Science” Research to Understand and Strengthen the Biomedical Research Ecosystem

Biomedical innovation has positively impacted the lives of all Americans. Underlying each basic and translational discovery is the biomedical research ecosystem – the networks of scientists, organizations, and policies – that promotes or constrains the ability to make breakthroughs and develop solutions that address critical public health challenges. The “science of science” is a research field dedicated to understanding the mechanisms that underlie scientific advancement, and studies in this field contribute to sustaining a vibrant biomedical research ecosystem.

Purpose

This topic encourages research projects focused on a better understanding of the biomedical research ecosystem and strengthening the study of the “science of science” within biomedicine. This includes, but is not limited to, studies from a variety of social science fields on topics such as:

• Sustaining a robust biomedical research workforce.
• Promoting research capacity at institutions and regions across the Nation.
• Spurring research innovation.
• Promoting rigorous and reproducible research.
• Enhancing the efficiency of translation of basic discoveries into therapies and approaches that improve population health.
• Understanding the relationship between biomedical research investment and positive economic outcomes such as commercialization.

UM faculty are well positioned to respond to this joint NSF/NIH SoS:BIO program due to our strengths in the social sciences as well as biomedical research. We've confirmed with a program officer at the NIH that the opportunity is still open and accepting applications. If you’re interested, please reach out the contacts at the participating ICOs listed on the topic description page or to Joyce Stamm, Program Director at NIH/NIGMS.

Funding Reminders

Follow links for complete details on these funding opportunities that align with UM’s research strengths

Montana Biotechnology Center (BIOTECH) Pilot Project

Deadline: rolling until funds are expended on August 31^st, whichever occurs first

Read the entire announcement for details.

Early Independence (NIH/OD)

Deadline: September 10, 2026

Read the entire announcement for details.

NEH: Scholarly Editions and Translations

Deadline: September 16, 2026

Read the entire announcement for details.

NEH: Collaborative Research

Deadline: September 16, 2026

Read the entire announcement for details.

Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research at the Interface of the Biological and Mathematical Sciences (DMS/NIGMS) 

Deadline: September 1^st-September 18^th 

Read the entire announcement for details.

Mathematical Biology 

Deadline: October 1-October 14, 2026 

Read the entire announcement for details.

Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) 

Deadline: October 21, 2026 

Read the entire announcement for details. 

Call for Interest

The Department of Health and Human Services has an upcoming deadline for the Use of Digital Health Technologies in Clinical Investigations to Support Drug and Biological Product Development (U01) Clinical Trials Optional funding opportunity. We can only submit one proposal.

If you are considering applying for this funding opportunity, please reach out to Lauren Fritzsche (lauren.fritzsche@umontana.edu) by July 30, 2026. In your email, include a brief description of:

• How you and others will be involved in the project (PD/PIs, collaborators, etc.)
• How the work leverages digital health technologies (DHTs) to support drug development
• Any other pertinent context or information

Internal Deadline: July 30, 2026

Funder Deadline: August 20, 2026

Limited submissions

When a program announcement limits the number of proposals that we may submit, we have an internal process to ensure that we do not exceed that limit. If you're interested in one of the following opportunities, follow the instructions to submit a concept by the Internal Deadline indicated below. PIs must confirm eligibility prior to submission.

Note that submission instructions have changed. Rather than sending to Katherine via email, please submit the concept via this submission form.

Currently Open

Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations (S15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

• Internal Deadline: August 10, 2026
• Funder Deadline: September 25, 2026

EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (FEC)

• Internal Deadline: August 10, 2026
• Funder Deadline: January 26, 2027

Global Documentation for Accountability Initiative

• Internal Deadline: July 27, 2026
• Funder Deadline: August 17, 2026

Research & Creative Scholarship Stories

New Book by UM Professor Examines the Tensions Between Politics and the People Who Feed Us in a Changing Climate

Margiana Petersen-Rockney grew up on a farm, growing vegetables and raising hogs and chickens. In 2016, she sold her tractor to go to graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. Now an assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of Montana, she studies climate change and its effect on rural communities like the one she came from.

Her new book, Farmers and Climate Change: Agricultural Adaptation in an Age of Rural Polarization, is the first ethnographic study on how U.S. farmers adapt to climate change amidst intense political polarization. The book contextualizes decades of policy decisions that continue to amplify political polarization and hinder climate action in rural America.

Read the entire article on our website and use discount code SUM26 for a 30% discount when you order the book from University of Yale Press.

When Trails Trend: UM Graduate Tracks Social Media Impact on Montana Landscapes

Emma Keinath-Lopez, a graduate of the University of Montana’s resource conservation graduate program, recently bridged her research into a career with UM’s Institute of Tourism and Recreation Research.

ITRR is the research arm for Montana’s thriving tourism and recreation industry. Keinath-Lopez’s new position will allow her to continue her research, telling meaningful stories about recreation, tourism and Montana’s communities and landscapes.

She was drawn to this field through a love of the outdoors and a curiosity about human behavior – in particular how people connect with places. Her research explores a growing challenge in outdoor recreation: how social media-driven visitation is reshaping landscapes.

“I wanted to understand not just where people go, but why,” Keinath-Lopez said.

Read the entire story on UM News.

Events

ASSIST Demonstration Day: Headwaters Tech Hub Summit

Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Wednesday, September 9, 2025, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Visit UM's forestry and drone testbed at Lubrecht for an afternoon of educational demonstrations from the Fire Center, Autonomous Aerial Systems Office, and ASSIST program; as well as from our University and industry partners. Visit the event website to learn more and register for this free event. Reach out to Tori Anderson with questions.

Resources

Stay in the Know - RESOLVE: A Providence/UM Collaborative

We’re excited to introduce a listserv for RESOLVE: A Providence/University of Montana Rural Health Collaborative - a partnership dedicated to solving rural health challenges through research and innovation. Sign up here to receive:

• News and updates about RESOLVE initiatives
• Invitations to participate in discussions and projects
• Opportunities to collaborate and contribute

Meet Our Staff

Katherine Swan

Meet Katherine Swan, the Director of Research Development. Professionally, she leads initiatives that advance UM’s research goals and national profile, while supporting faculty as they develop high-impact proposals.

On a personal level, she is married with an adult daughter who just earned her BFA from UM in May. She has two pups of the “oodle” variety and is generally a homebody. In her free time, she likes to crochet and loves to bake. And if you give her the chance, she’ll yap your ear off about her recent trip to France where she got to bake with her all-time favorite baker at a fancy pants retreat.

The Funnies

We are retiring this section of the newsletter. You can’t even imagine how much time we spend on these, coaching AI to come up with AI jokes that are even just a little funny.