Office of Research and Creative Scholarship Newsletter

Research and Creative Scholarship Stories

Strong Partnerships Expand Opportunity

The University of Montana and its partners have received a nearly $5 million National Science Foundation grant to support low-income graduate students pursuing degrees in engineering and natural resource fields. Montana industries that rely on science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates are growing faster than national competitors, creating a need for skilled labor to facilitate the state’s economic growth.

The initiative strengthens partnership between higher education, industry and communities, providing scholarships, internships, mentoring and research experiences that help students succeed and strengthen Montana's STEM workforce. Read the entire story on UM News.

In Case You Missed It—UM Impact Office Hours

Curious about UM Impact? Want to learn how to update, customize, or refine your profile? Simply interested in learning more? We are now hosting UM Impact office hours via Zoom on the third Friday of the month from 10am to 11am. The first office hours will take place 10-11am Friday, September 18. Email us with questions and refer to our website for the recurring Zoom link and additional information.

Feedback Requested on DHC Receptions

Do you attend the Faculty, Staff and Retiree receptions frequently? Internal Communications would like your honest feedback on them. Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey, and at the end, you can put your name in to win a swag-filled gift bag!

Events

ORCS Coffee Hour ☕️

Monday, October 5^th, 2026, Chemistry 123

The Office of Research and Creative Scholarship is bringing coffee and treats to departments across campus, and in October you'll find us at the Department of Chemistry! Our goal is to share information about UM’s research sector, and build community with faculty, students, and staff who work every day to make research and creative scholarship thrive at UM. Colleagues from across disciplines are welcome.

Collaboration Workshops: Research Synergies in AI

In the coming academic year, the Office of Research Development (ORD) is focusing on supporting researchers and scholars as they navigate changing federal priorities and processes. As part of a wholesale effort, we are hosting interactive workshops to generate multi-disciplinary, funding-friendly project ideas.

We invite you to participate in the Mapping Advanced Research Synergies: AI (MARS: AI) workshop, which brings together researchers from across disciplines to identify shared questions, explore intellectual overlap, and envision new possibilities for collaborative research broadly centered on the use of AI (from novel applications of AI to the human intersection with AI and everything in between).

Following the workshop, we will support each team with the next steps in the funding process, including idea refinement, development of a one-pager, writing a pitch to a federal program director, and proposal development support for a full proposal.

• MARS: AI Workshop 1 – October 1, 2026, 10-11 am. Register on GrizHub.
• MARS AI Workshop 2 – October 6, 2026, 10-11 am. Register on GrizHub.

Unable to make it to these events, but interested in staying engaged with the groups that form? Reach out to Katherine Swan.

Event Reminders

Follow links for details

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.

Writing Workshop, 3:30 PM in Eck/LA 103

A generative writing workshop that includes a facilitated topic introduction, independent writing time, and conversation.

Reading, 6:00 PM, in the Dell Brown Room

Brian Buckbee, author of We Should All Be Birds, a Washington Post Best Book of 2025, will lead us through a dynamic, experiential evening of reading, listening, and conversation.

Appetizers will be served. Book sales will be available from our partners at Fact & Fiction Books.

Funding Opportunities

Funding Reminders

Follow links for complete details

• SMARTFIRES Professional Development Grant
  • Deadline: September 29, 2026
• Montana INBRE
  • Accelerated Deadlines: LOI, October 5, 2026; full proposal, November 2, 2026
• DEPSCoR: Capacity Building
  • White paper deadline October 12, 2026
• DEPSCoR: Research Collaboration
  • White paper deadline October 12, 2026
• Montana Clinical and Translational Research Center (MCTRC)
  • Deadline: October 16, 2026
• SMARTFIRES Research Grant
  • Deadline: October 16, 2026
• Mathematical Biology 
  • Deadline: October 1-October 14, 2026 
• Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) 
  • Deadline: October 21, 2026 
• NIGMS SBIR/STTR
  • Deadlines: January 5, 2027; April 5, 2027
  • 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 instructions to submit a concept by the Internal Deadline indicated below. PIs must confirm eligibility prior to submission.

Currently open

• NSF 25-514: NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM), Tracks 2 & 3 only
  • Internal Deadline: September 21, 2026
  • Funder Deadline: March 4, 2027
• NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program
  • Internal Deadline: September 28, 2026
  • Funder Deadline: pending
  • 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.
• W. M. Keck Research Program
  • Internal Deadline: September 28, 2026
  • Funder Deadline: December 7, 2026
  • NEW - If you have an idea for Keck that you would like to discuss before the internal deadline, please reach out to Katherine Swan. We understand that proposals to Keck oftentimes need some workshopping, and we are willing to have a conversation to help you hone your idea in advance of the internal deadline.

New Awards - August

Grants

Chad Bishop, Ecosystem & Conservation Sciences, Behavioral responses of elk, funded by Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, $61,000.

Kimberly Brown, Rural Institute on Inclusive Communities, Title V Program Measure Redesign, funded by MT Dept of Public Health and Human Services through HRSA, $2,000.

Katherine Pruitt Chapin, Center for Children, Families and Workforce Development, Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Pathways, funded by HRSA, $400,000.

Ellen Condon, Rural Institute on Inclusive Communities, Montana Deaf-Blind Project, funded by U.S. Department of Education, $132,667.

Brandon Cooper, IOE/DBS, Habitat preference in sandfly vectors, funded by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill through NIH, $64,959.

Jacob Downs, Computer Science, Advancing Holocene paleoclimate reconstruction and physics-informed neural networks, funded by National Science Foundation, $276,152.

Caitlin Ervin, Research Outreach, Museums Empowered, funded by Institute of Museum and Library Services, $250,000.

Kaitlin Fertaly, Rural Institute on Inclusive Communities, ERASE, funded by MT Dept of Public Health and Human Services through CDC, $112,500.

Lu Hu, Chemistry, FIRE-MODEL: Advancing nighttime fire behavior and emission predictions, funded by National Science Foundation, $1,235,000.

Catherine Ipsen, Rural Institute on Inclusive Communities, RTC: Rural, funded by NIDILRR, amount not listed.

David Ketchum, MT Climate Office, Operational irrigation status mapping, funded by University of Oklahoma through NASA, $17,412.

David Ketchum, MT Climate Office, NASA FM, funded by University of Oklahoma through NASA, $157,973.

Troy Magney, Forest Management, Ecosystem Vulnerability, funded by Save the Redwoods League, $48,000.

Cara Nelson, Ecosystem & Conservation Sciences, Seed transfer and reference models to support Chile JREDD+, funded by South Pole (SG) Pte. LTD., $21,250.

Megan Nelson, Rural Institute on Inclusive Communities, AIM, funded by HRSA, $248,275.

Rayna Sage, Rural Institute on Inclusive Communities, The CARE Project, funded by NIDILRR, amount not listed.

Dong Wang, CBSD Chemistry, Aliphatic alkylamine functionalization, funded by National Science Foundation, $475,000.

Nathalie Wolfram, Research Outreach, Growing Montana's Natural History Museum Workforce, funded by Institute of Museum and Library Services, $500,000

Contracts

Austin Blank, CIRE, YPG Cultural Resources Program, funded by U.S. Army, $249,129.

Austin Blank, CIRE, FH NHL Architectural Features, funded by U.S. Army, $199,496.

Jessica Liddell, Center for Population Health Research, PCORI, funded by Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies MT Coalition through PCORI, $79,904.

Jon McRoberts, CIRE, Fort Huachuca Forestry, funded by U.S. Army, $200,000.

Jeffrey Michael, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, CBEA Project, funded by University of Wyoming through Bridger Pipeline Expansion LLC, $26,799.

Tony Ward, School of Public and Community Health, MTUPP FY 27, funded by MT Dept of Public Health and Human Services, $257,094.

Vicki Watson, College of Forestry & Conservation, Clark Fork 26-27, funded by MT Dept of Environmental Quality through EPA, $33,132.

Cooperative Agreements

Donna Anderson, Global Engagement Office, VE/COIL Funding, funded by U.S. Department of State, amount not listed.

Zachary Hoylman, MT Climate Office, Montana Mesonet, funded by NOAA, $750,000.

Gordon Luikart, Biological Station, Feral Swine, funded by USDA APHIS, $106,968.

Deena Mansour, Mansfield Center, FY26 YSEALI Academic Fellows Program, funded by U.S. Department of State, amount not listed.

Todd Morgan, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Supporting R2 Timber Sale, funded by USDA Forest Service, $50,000.

Todd Morgan, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Improving Harvest Utilization, funded by USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, $250,000.

Alexandria Sobin, Research Outreach, HeARTs and Minds, funded by Institute of Museum and Library Services, $216,065.

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