Dog owners who live in Bozeman or are just passing through the area with their pooch in tow have a lot of options if they’re looking to fill their bellies or just stop for a quick coffee.

With lots of eateries catering to canines and their humans, you can be sure of a warm reception. Here are just a few of the top options to add to your itinerary next time you’re in town.

Starting the Day Right at Wild Crumb Bakery

If you're wandering around Bozeman early in the day with your furry friend, make a beeline for the Wild Crumb Bakery. Renowned for their delightful pastries and inviting ambiance, this artisan bakery has become a morning favorite among both locals and tourists alike.

There's plenty of outdoor seating where you can relish your carefully crafted coffee while keeping your dog comfortable too. The establishment prides itself on using farm-fresh ingredients in all their offerings - from flaky croissants to wholesome loaves of freshly baked bread!

Bringing loveable dogs along definitely adds to the warm and cozy atmosphere here. So whether you're looking for a quiet corner to read or a space to meet friends (four-legged ones included), start your day right at Wild Crumb. It’s one of the top local activities for dog owners to enjoy!

Cappuccinos & Canine Companionship at Treeline Coffee Roasters

Coffee connoisseurs and dog owners rejoice! Your love of joe doesn't have to be separate from your affection for your four-legged friend.

At Treeline Coffee Roasters, the cozy space is perfectly inviting for you and your pet. They offer a quaint outdoor seating area with splendid mountain views where both humans and dogs can unwind comfortably.

If we are talking about coffee, they roast their beans in-house, which translates into each cup being served with unparalleled freshness, ensuring an extraordinary java experience every time you visit.

Their staff also show genuine love for dogs, making visits with furry friends even more pleasant.

And it’s also just around the corner from Wild Crumb, so you could add it to your walking route if you’re in the area without needing to take a major detour.

A Touch of Elegance for You and Your Pooch at Plonk

There are places that take dog-friendly to next-level chic, and Plonk is one such spot. This upscale wine bar located in the heart of downtown offers an array of unique wines from across the globe and mouth watering cuisine.

Don’t be fooled by its sophisticated ambiance, as they warmly welcome dogs in their outdoor seating area. With great care paid to every detail, from lighting to the music selection, it's a spot where you can enjoy top-notch food paired with exquisite vintages amidst elegant surroundings while keeping your pooch by your side.

Get Brunch with Your Dog at Feed Cafe

For health-conscious dog owners, the Feed Cafe is a must-visit. Nestled in an inviting barn-like building, this place offers an array of breakfast and lunch options that are as healthy as they are mouth-watering.

They have a well-shaded outdoor seating area where your dog is not only welcome but will also be provided with a fresh bowl of water to sip on during sunny days.

Their commitment to ingredients sourced from local farmers enhances their flavorful offerings. Notably, the cafe's rustic environment sets it apart, and everyone in Bozeman knows Feed Cafe for its welcoming vibe and dog-friendly ethos.

While you enjoy a breakfast sandwich or hearty sourdough pancake stack, your canine companion can relax right next to you! And speaking of relaxing, it’s worth pointing out that if your pet does get nervous in public spaces, you can help it stay calm even in a busy cafe environment thanks to the availability of organic CBD oil for dogs. Just be sure to check with your vet before adding this type of supplement to their diet.

Enjoy a Hearty Meal Together at Nova Cafe

When it comes to pet-friendly eateries in Bozeman, the Nova Cafe is on every foodie's lips. Known for amazing breakfast and lunch dishes made with locally sourced ingredients, this place has cemented its reputation as a must-visit spot over the years.

Apart from being loved by humans thanks to their delectable dishes including a variety of hash bowls and breakfast burritos, dogs also have good reasons to be excited about visiting Nova! This cafe offers outdoor seating where your furry friends are more than welcome.

Sunset Sipping With Furry Friends At The Bunkhouse Brewery

If you're both a craft beer aficionado and a dog lover, it's time to head over to the Bunkhouse Brewery’s Tap Room.

This local gem has become one of Bozeman’s most atmospheric spots over the years thanks to the amazing beers they offer. With top-notch options for every palate brewed on-site, and food trucks regularly pulling up to keep hungry customers happy, it’s a killer combo for any occasion.

Their outdoor seating area openly welcomes your four-legged companion, and you can watch the world go by in harmony.

Final Thoughts

The last point to make is that if you’re going to visit any restaurant with your dog, even those we’ve listed which promise to be canine-friendly, it’s always worth giving them a call or dropping them an email to double-check this, as policies can change. With that, you can take a trip around Bozeman’s best eateries with confidence.

WHITEHALL – Staff at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park are seeking volunteers to help with a post-season cleaning of the caverns.

Volunteers in this event will get the chance to see the park up close as they work to reduce some of the impacts from visitors in the cave and on outdoor trails. This includes removing lint and dust from the cave formations, steps and pathways. Trail work will involve pulling noxious weeds and repairing rutted trails.

The event will be Saturday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers will meet at the Main Visitor Center for a brief orientation before the work begins.

Those interested in volunteering are asked to email Kenslee.Jory@mt.gov before Oct. 1 to indicate their preferred area of work.

Park staff will provide knee pads, cotton gloves, headlamps, cleaning supplies and trail tools. Volunteers are welcome to bring a hat, long-sleeved shirt, water, sunscreen, gardening gloves and a shovel. If you plan to work in the cave, please use clothing and equipment that has not been worn in another cave or mine to help prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome in bats.

Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is about 15 miles southeast of Whitehall, along Montana Highway 2. For more information about the park, please visit stateparks.mt.gov/lewis-and-clark-caverns or call 406-287-3541.

The new paved parking lot and walkway near the dog park at the Gallatin County Regional Park are officially open for use!  

The 43-spot lot was built to serve visitors of the Anderson Dog Park, located off Ferguson Ave. on the west side of the Gallatin County Regional Park in Bozeman.  

The project also includes a new 10-foot-wide paved walkway that runs along Ferguson Ave. between Baxter Lane and Oak Street, and landscaping and irrigation around the lot and the walkway. The walkway connects from Ferguson Ave. to the park’s interior trails. This was requested by the Gallatin Valley Land Trust through a Montana Trail Stewardship Program.

“The parking lot and paved walkway will provide safe public access to this extremely popular part of our park,” said Nick Borzak, Gallatin County Chief of Operations. 

Gallatin County contracted with C K May Excavating in Belgrade for the project. The total cost was about $671,000. The county received a $150,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to help pay for a portion of the project. Construction took roughly three months to complete. 

While the new parking lot is in the same general area as the Nordic ski trails in the winter, county parks staff are working on creating another connecting route to accommodate.  

About 3,600 jury summons questionnaires sent from Gallatin County District Court have yet to be returned and officials are urging residents who received these questionnaires to complete them and send them in. 

In early May, Gallatin County District Court sent out 9,600 initial notices to residents who were randomly selected to be in the District Court July pool. The term runs from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. These are not a summons for a specific trial, but simply a notification that these residents could be called to jury duty anytime during that term. 

Gallatin County District Court handles criminal cases (primarily felonies), civil matters in excess of $12,000 in damages, domestic relations, juvenile, probate, mental health, water cases, and appeals from Justice Court, Municipal Court and administrative agencies. 

Residents who received this notice were required to respond to the questionnaire within 10 days. They were provided options to receive paper or digital copies of the questionnaire to fill out. 

As of this week, approximately 3,600 questionnaires have gone unreturned.  

When a questionnaire is not returned, a Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office deputy is required to personally serve these to get them completed. Sheriff’s deputies have already begun that process. 

However, you can help by submitting your unreturned questionnaire as soon as possible. 

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said that our community’s service expectations continue to increase and his deputies’ limited resources are focused on meeting those needs.  

“We need your help in performing your civic duty by filling out your questionnaire so we don’t have to use those resources to physically serve these on you,” Springer said. 

Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell said that trial by jury is a fundamental constitutional right for all of us.  

“Your participation as a juror ensures your neighbor’s right to a jury trial is protected,” Cromwell said. “I cannot overstate how important it is to return your jury questionnaire so that our judges can hold trials and we can continue to keep our community as safe as possible.”   

If you received a postcard, please follow the directions to complete the questionnaire.  

If you are unsure of whether you received a postcard, or you need your juror number, please email gallatindcjury@mt.gov or call 406-582-3670. 

HELENA — The Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) will visit Montana communities along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) in late September. The community-centered tour will consist of events to support communities in the northern portion of the Continental Divide landscape.

The events will take place in official CDT Gateway Communities and encourage businesses to learn more about the potential benefit of their proximity to the world-renowned National Scenic Trail. Events are scheduled from September 25 - 29. 

CDTC provides support through the Gateway Community program for towns and counties that promote awareness and stewardship of the 3,100-mile-long trail. These communities are also known for creating a welcoming environment for CDT travelers. Montana currently has four designated CDT Gateway Communities– Lincoln, Anaconda, Butte, and Helena.

“Trail towns and Gateway Communities are a rich part of the Continental Divide experience,” said Liz Schmit, the CDTC Community and Outreach Program manager who is spearheading the tour.

“Our goal is to provide support for these communities and to work together to promote all the CDT has to offer,” Schmit added.

As part of the tour, CDTC will host Small Business Roundtable events in Helena and Butte. The Helena Roundtable will take place on Tuesday, September 26 from 4:30 - 6:00 PM at 10 Mile Creek Brewery. The Butte Roundtable will take place on Thursday, September 28 from 6:00 - 7:00 PM at Butte Brewery. 

Participants at each roundtable will learn about the Continental Divide Trail and the CDTC Small Business Program. The program is designed to help local businesses embrace and benefit from their proximity to the Continental Divide Trail. CDTC will be providing food at each event and there will be discounts on attendees’ first beverage. 

On Wednesday, September 27 from 5:30 - 7:00 PM, the CDTC will be hosting an evening of discussions about outdoor recreation in Anaconda in collaboration with the Anaconda Trail Society, Discover Anaconda, and Pintler’s Portal Hostel. The event will include presentations about recreation as an economic driver, building a healthy outdoor community, and Continental Divide Trail Gateway Communities. Complimentary food will be provided from Jordi’s Cantina. 

The CDTC is also conducting a Small Business Survey in communities along the Continental Divide Trail from September 17 to November 17. 

For more information, visit continentaldividetrail.org/small-business-survey or contact Liz Schmit: lschmit@continentaldividetrail.org, 708-738-3469.

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About the Continental Divide Trail 

Established by Congress in 1978, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) is one of the world’s premier long-distance hiking trails, stretching 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada along the Continental Divide. The CDT is the highest, most challenging, and most remote of the United States’ 11 National Scenic Trails. Thousands of visitors enjoy outdoor recreation activities on the CDT each year. 

About the Continental Divide Trail Coalition 

Founded in 2012, the mission of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition is to complete, promote, and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. The CDTC will do this by building a strong and diverse trail community, providing up-to-date information to the public, and encouraging conservation and stewardship of the trail, its corridor, and surrounding landscapes.

 BILLINGS – The Fish Consumption Advisory Board, consisting of representatives from Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS), Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), has issued a consumption advisory on all fish species in the Yellowstone River from Indian Fort Fishing Access Site (FAS) near Reed Point to the Highway 212 bridge in Laurel. Various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, were detected at levels high enough to warrant this advisory for all fish species, both game and nongame.

Sampling Results

FWP crews collected longnose suckers, shorthead redhorse, rainbow trout, brown trout and mountain whitefish from areas upstream and downstream of the June 24 train derailment site at Twin Bridges Road railroad bridge. Multiple species showed levels of various PAHs high enough to warrant an advisory to avoid all consumption. Specific PAHs found in these fish include naphthalene, found in multiple species, and 1- and 2-methylnapthalene and acenaphthylene found only in mountain whitefish. Fish were collected 6.5 river miles upstream of the derailment site near Indian Fort FAS, and 6.2 river miles downstream near Holmgren FAS.

FWP crews previously collected rainbow trout and mountain whitefish from the Yellowstone River below the derailment site to assess human consumption restrictions as a follow-up to the train derailment. This sampling showed elevated levels of phenanthrene, another PAH, in mountain whitefish and a consumption advisory was put in place on Aug. 11 to avoid all consumption of this fish species and motivated the agency to conduct additional sampling. Phenanthrene was not found in any fish during the most recent sampling.

Many species of fish, especially brown and rainbow trout, found in this section of the Yellowstone River migrate seasonally for spawning and to find colder water in the warmer summer months.  Out of an abundance of precaution and unknown conditions in adjacent sections of the river, those with specific concerns may want to avoid consuming all species of fish from the Yellowstone River at any location until more is known on the severity and prevalence of this contamination.

Next Steps

The source of the PAHs remains unknown. Determining a specific source could be challenging, as PAHs, including those found in these fish, are present in many common materials. Some PAHs occur naturally in the environment, especially in the shale rock common in the Yellowstone River Basin. PAHs are also found in products such as oil, gas, plastics, and pesticides—and are produced through combustion of these products.

Further testing is still needed to determine the potential contamination source and long-term guidance. FWP plans to expand sampling on the Yellowstone River to further understand the extent of PAHs for human consumption concerns. Final plans for this additional sampling are still being discussed by FWP, DEQ, and DPHHS, but will include sampling fish from locations on the Yellowstone River further upstream and further downstream of the derailment site.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have classified naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, and 2-methylnaphthalene as possibly cancer-causing in humans. The other two PAHs that have been detected in fish tissue samples, phenanthrene and acenaphthene, have not been classified as cancer-causing chemicals. Other health effects from ingesting high levels of PAHs that have been shown in animal studies include effects on the gastrointestinal system, immune system, reproductive system, kidneys and skin. These effects from eating fish have not been recorded in humans.

For more information on PAHs, including the specific PAHs found in the fish tissue samples, visit: www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons/health_effects.html.

The Yellowstone Art Museum is now calling for submissions for the Artist-in-Residence program! Now in its 17th year, apply to be our next resident to practice in the same space as some of Montana’s most celebrated artists. Enjoy 24-hour access to the 800-square-foot Gary and Melissa Oakland Artist in Residence Studio inside the Visible Vault. Connect with new audiences, expand your practice, and become a member of the YAM Family!

Duration and Dates
• Applications are due by Monday, October 9th, 2023, and will be reviewed beginning Friday, October 13th, 2023; applicants will be contacted the following week.  
• Our residency program begins in mid-January. The duration will depend upon the scope of the artist’s proposal and the applicant pool.    

How to Apply  
Residences are selected based on their work's merit, interest in public interaction, and the scope of their artistic investigation. To apply, please complete the following application and return it to YAM’s Curatorial Assistant, Kimberly Gaitonde, by email at curatorialassistant@artmuseum.org or by mail to Yellowstone Art Museum, ATTN: Curatorial Assistant, 401 North 27th Street, Billings, MT 59101:
• Resume
• Artist Bio and Statement
• Concise proposal stating interest and scope of work to be produced while in residence and preference for residency duration and weekly availability. *
• Images of relevant work with corresponding title, date, medium, and dimensions.
Professional reference(s)  
* Housed in the Visible Vault alongside the Museum’s collection, there are some limitations in media use (no open flame, toxic fumes, dust, etc.).

Studio Location and Conditions
The Studio is located within the Visible Vault collection storage building:  
505 N 26th Street, Billings, MT 59101.

• Artists will have 24-hour secured access to the 800-square-foot Gary and Melissa Oakland Artist in Residence Studio.

Requirements
• The Artist-in-residence must maintain at least 20 hours weekly in the studio.  
• Coordinate occasional school studio visits with the Education department.  
• Maintain an open studio and Interact with the visiting public during special events such as First Fridays and Art Walk.
• Hold an exhibition of the work completed during the residency in the Visible Vault exhibition space.  
• Housing is NOT provided.   

BOZEMAN — Youth across Montana who would like to enroll in Montana 4-H are invited to do so during the month of October.

Montana 4-H is the youth development program of Montana State University Extension. It offers a range of choices and opportunities for youth to learn and grow, such as cooking or sewing, learning about conservation and robotics or raising an animal, while instilling employable life skills. In all, Montana 4-H offers more than 200 different projects and experiences that engage youth in learning. It is the largest out-of-school youth development program in the state, reaching nearly 20,000 youth in all 56 counties each year.

In general, individuals aged 8 to 18 are eligible to participate in Montana 4-H. Some counties also offer a program known as Cloverbuds for children ages 5 to 8.

The cost to join varies by county; in many counties in Montana, it is about $20. More information is available at www.montana.edu/extension/4h/join/index.html.

Montana 4-H is also seeking adult volunteers to work with 4-H youth as partners in hands-on learning. Volunteer enrollment is ongoing.

According to Todd Kesner, director of the 4-H Center for Youth Development, volunteers are vital to carrying out the program's mission and vision. Montana's 4-H youth development program relies on volunteers with varying schedules and interests to:

• Provide expertise in educational project areas such as photography, agriculture, food and nutrition, rocketry, robotics, public speaking and more.
• Guide youth in learning and exploration.
• Engage youth in service opportunities in communities.
• Ensure leadership for 4-H club management.
• Build a safe, caring and nurturing environment and relationships with youth.

Volunteers must be 19 years or older; in addition, some age restrictions apply for chaperoning responsibilities. More information is available at www.montana.edu/extension/4h/volunteer/index.html#How.

Youth and adults interested in joining or volunteering for Montana 4-H are invited to contact their local MSU Extension office. For more information about Montana 4-H, visit montana.edu/4h.

BIG SKY, MT  — In a groundbreaking move towards sustainable operations, Big Sky Resort is proud to announce the resort’s transition to a cleaner and better-performing fuel: 99% renewable diesel.



Renewable diesel, also known as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), serves as a drop-in replacement for conventional petroleum diesel without requiring any engine modifications. Renewable diesel is derived from agricultural byproducts, such as animal fats and cooking oils, making it a responsible and renewable alternative to fossil fuels. 



The resort's shift to renewable diesel comes as part of an effort to reduce carbon emissions to net zero, as outlined in the resort’s ForeverProject 2030 Master Plan. Through this transition, Big Sky Resort anticipates a substantial 60% reduction in emissions in the first year.  



“By embracing renewable diesel, we’re demonstrating that this lower-carbon HVO diesel is friendly to burn in modern heavy equipment, and a viable alternative for others looking for an environmentally-conscious option,” said Taylor Middleton, the resort’s president and chief operating officer.   



Big Sky Resort's choice to utilize an R99 blend of renewable diesel demonstrates a commitment to the cleanest and most effective form of HVO. The resort is currently utilizing renewable diesel in snowcats, trucks, and equipment, and even extending its usage to contractors who fill up at the resort's fuel pump.  

"Renewable diesel offers a substantial solution for us, especially since there are currently no viable alternatives for fully electric snowcats or construction equipment,” said Amy Fonte, the resort’s sustainability specialist. “Achieving a 60% reduction in emissions is a significant step forward."  



In addition to the resort’s efforts, R50 renewable diesel is now available to the public in Belgrade at the Commercial Fueling Network, enabling the community to adopt cleaner fuel sources. “In partnership with Big Sky Resort and Yellowstone Teton Clean Cities Coalition, Parkland USA is proud to be the first to provide renewable diesel in the Gallatin Valley and Montana, marking a significant stride towards sustainability,” said Cole Mort, business development manager, Parkland USA.  



"Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities is thrilled to have helped Big Sky Resort embrace the recent accessibility of this superior fuel while demonstrating the feasibility of swift and effective action towards substantial reductions in carbon emissions, said Jesse Therien of Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities. “While many are contemplating the transition to renewable diesel, the proactive leadership demonstrated by Big Sky Resort in concert with the efforts of Parkland USA and Farstad Oil will enable consumers and fleet operators across Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho to realize this possibility."  

BOZEMAN — For a fifth straight year, Montana State University recorded an all-time high for research expenditures — the funding put toward scientific discovery and other scholastic and creative pursuits. MSU is the largest research enterprise in the state, and its total expenditures exceed the research expenditures of all other institutions in the state combined.

MSU’s annual report to the National Science Foundation showed that its research activities accounted for roughly $230 million in expenditures during the fiscal year that ended in June. That figure is a 14% increase over the prior year, which was the first time in Montana history that research expenditures at an institution of higher education ever topped $200 million.

"Montana State's steadily growing research enterprise serves the people of Montana in a variety of ways," said Alison Harmon, MSU’s vice president for research and economic development. "Research is an engine for economic growth, and many of MSU’s projects are developing innovations that can be commercialized and stimulate small business growth across the state."

The vast majority of dollars spent on MSU research come from federal grants and are won through competitive applications, Harmon noted. Roughly 90%, or about $207 million, came from federal sources including the Department of Defense, NSF, NASA and the Department of Health and Human Services. Most of the remaining 10% is from private foundations and donors, with 2% coming from the state of Montana.

The university’s record expenditures in 2022-2023 directly supported 858 undergraduates, up from 755 last year, providing funding through programs like MSU’s Undergraduate Scholars Program for students to work on research projects. The funds also supported 612 graduate students and 53 postdoctoral researchers.

"MSU prides itself on providing undergraduates with research opportunities, and this data shows we're expanding those opportunities and really getting students involved in hands-on, purpose-driven work that contributes to them completing their degrees and graduating," Harmon said. "These are our future researchers and business leaders."

A total of 238 faculty and professional staff served as principal investigators on grant projects, and 639 faculty received support from research dollars. During the fiscal year MSU researchers were awarded 524 new grants or contracts totaling $166 million — funding that will support research as it is spent over coming years.

“Competition for research dollars is fierce, and the success our faculty and research staff show in securing funds is indicative of the quality of their scientific and creative pursuits,” said Bob Mokwa, MSU’s executive vice president of academic affairs and provost. “This is research that will have a tangible impact, both on the Montana communities we serve and on the lives and educations of the students we teach.”

Exceeding $200 million in research expenditures by 2024 is a goal set forth in MSU’s strategic plan, “Choosing Promise,” and is part of the university’s larger goal of achieving the highest standards of research and creative outcomes. MSU first met that goal last year — two years ahead of schedule.

Among MSU’s academic colleges, the College of Agriculture recorded the largest figure at $50 million, followed by the College of Letters and Science at $29 million. MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering had $23 million in expenditures, while the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing had a total of $14 million and the College of Education, Health and Human Development had $6 million. MilTech at MSU recorded the largest figure of any university program, at $35 million.

MSU is one of only 146 institutions in the U.S. to receive an R1 designation for its very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, and among those, MSU and Utah State University are the only two that also have an enrollment profile of “very high undergraduate.”

Highlights from the past year include:

• Backed by a $20 million NSF grant, MSU is leading a new project to understand the behavior and social impact of prescribed fires by developing new technologies for real-time monitoring and advancing collaborative relationships between researchers and educators across the state.

• Building on nearly five years of helping the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security improve methods for resisting cyberattacks, MSU researchers are leading a new effort to reduce software vulnerabilities across a wide range of systems under a $4.47 million, three-year DHS contract award.

• NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines program is driving a pair of $1 million MSU projects to leverage MSU research to grow regional economic opportunities — one involving the use of photonics technology for precision agriculture, the other for quantum technology that’s set to play a critical role in 21st century communications, computing and other fields

• Faculty and students from MSU’s Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing are collaborating on a $1.9 million cancer care project, one of seven nationwide funded by the Merck Foundation, aimed at providing easier access to cancer care for rural Montanans.

• Angela Des Jardins in MSU’s College of Letters and Science is leading a project, funded with $6.5 million from NSF, that will give several hundred undergraduate students from around the country a unique experience conducting scientific experiments and livestreaming video to NASA during the 2024 total solar eclipse.

• Collaborators in MSU’s College of Education, Health and Human Development are working on a project, funded with $4.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education, to train school and mental health counselors to work in rural Montana.

• Two researchers in MSU’s College of Letters and Science received prestigious NSF CAREER awards totaling $1.25 million. Blair Davey in the Department of Mathematical Sciences is advancing a mathematical tool that can be used to model natural phenomena like electromagnetism, astronomy and fluid dynamics, while Amy Reines in the Department of Physics is researching the relationships between massive black holes and the properties of the small galaxies that host them.

• MSU’s Montana Manufacturing Extension Center at Montana State University was awarded $400,000 through the National Institute of Standards and Technology to offer a variety of trainings and services to help Montana manufacturers more easily access parts and materials from domestic suppliers.

• Stephanie Wettstein in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is working on a $450,000 NSF-funded project to develop improved methods of making a bio-based plastic from agricultural biomass that would otherwise sit in farmers’ fields.

• MSU’s nursing college, backed by $3.9 million from the U.S. Health Resources Services Administration, is working to deliver quality medical, dental and behavioral health care to kids in rural and underserved areas of Montana while providing exceptional educational opportunities for MSU students.

• The ceramics program in MSU’s College of Arts and Architecture recently acquired three new high-tech kilns that have helped students develop their craft more quickly and efficiently.

• Roland Hatzenpichler in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry received a prestigious $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance tools for better understanding the human gut microbiome, which is implicated in a variety of health disorders.

• MSU’s Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship earned another five years of accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the world’s oldest and most renowned business school accreditation organization.

• Eric Sproles in the Department of Earth Sciences was awarded $750,000 from NASA to fine-tune measurements of sunlight reflecting off snow in order to help calibrate instruments on the satellites that are used to manage water resources.

• MSU’s nursing college was awarded a grant of nearly $4 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a project aimed at increasing the number of qualified clinical nursing faculty and preceptors in Montana and the surrounding region to meet rising demand for nursing professionals.