Office of Research and Creative Scholarship Newsletter
Research & Creative Scholarship Stories
Summer Research Roundup: 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. Experience the multimedia webpage that describes this flight campaign and learn how graduate student research is accelerating discovery at UM.
National Academy of Sciences
Dr. Zachary Hoylman, assistant state climatologist with the Montana Climate Office, is co-author of a new report examining the future of drought assessment in the United States.
The University of Montana research assistant professor helped produce the report for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Hoylman was one of 12 researchers selected nationwide to serve on the National Academies committee, which evaluated how drought assessment should evolve as climate conditions continue to change.Read the entire story on UM News.
News & Updates
Now Recruiting: spectrUM Director
spectrUM Discovery Area, UM’s hands-on science center, is recruiting a new director. If you know anyone who’s passionate about science education and leadership, please be sure to share this position description.
UM Now Has an ORCID Membership – Help Launch It!
The University of Montana has a new institutional membership with ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) - a free persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from other researchers and connects your publications, grants, datasets, and other scholarly works across systems throughout your career.
With UM’s new membership to ORCID, we want faculty voices to guide how ORCID is integrated across campus and workflows. We’re recruiting 4-5 faculty members to join an ORCID Working Group who will help shape outreach and strategy as we roll out ORCID across campus. We’re especially hoping to hear form a mix of faculty across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences, and at different career stages.
The commitment is light! 1-2 meetings a month for a few months. Interested in joining? Fill out our short interest form by end of day Monday, September 14. Please email Lauren Fritzsche with any questions.
➡️ Please join the Interim Vice President for Research, Paul Lukacs, to learn about plans for the year ahead. Please bring your questions and concerns to this live event. No remote option will be provided.
Vital Signs, Where Health Meets Humanity: Workshops and Reading
Friday, September 25, 2026
Research Workshop, 2:00 PM in ECK/LA 103
The Vital Signs research workshop brings together researchers from health, humanities, and curious faculty across disciplines to identify shared questions, explore intellectual overlap, and envision new possibilities for collaborative research. The goal is to create space for conversation through a generative activity facilitated by the Research Development team at the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship with opportunities for further collaboration. (Coffee and cookies offered after the workshop.) Attendance capped at 20 participants. Please register in advance.
Writing Workshop, 3:30 PM in Eck/LA 103
A generative writing workshop that includes a facilitated topic introduction, independent writing time, and conversation. Participants will leave with ideas for future projects. Attendance capped at 20 participants. Please register in advance.
Reading, 6:00 PM, in the Dell Brown Room
A reading and community conversation featuring creative work. Refreshments provided. Book sales available from our partners at Fact and Fiction. Keynote speaker TBA. Check Griz Hub for updates.
If you have a project that may be a fit or would like to discuss SBIR/STTR opportunities, please reach out to Harmen Steele.
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 instructionsto submit a concept by the Internal Deadline indicated below. PIs must confirm eligibility prior to submission.
The NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program is still awaiting a new solicitation. In advance of the anticipated program announcement, the Office of Research Development is running a limited submission competition based on the previous RFP to give researchers time to write and develop a project ahead of a potentially short submission turnaround window. If the new RFP has substantial changes, we may require another round of internal submissions and review. Please contact ORD with any questions.
Send us feedback about our content and format. We've made some updates to ensure our newsletter is ADA compliant and accessible for those using assistive technology, but if there's more we can do, please let us know.
View our website for access to research communication resources.
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