Tap into Montana and the Montana Brewer’s Association have teamed up for the 5th Annual Tap into Montana Brew Fest happening April 13th in Livingston. Twenty-nine Montana breweries will gather at Miles Park along the Yellowstone River to serve up samples of their brews to beer lovers from around the state. The celebration of Montana craft beer kicks off with a week of craft beer related events throughout Livingston happening April 7th-13th and culminates with the brew fest taking place from 3-7pm on Saturday the 13th with a VIP hour from 2-3pm.

“This partnership just made sense for us,” said Tap into Montana Co-Founder and Producer, Rachel Anderson. The Montana Brewer’s Association is a statewide association of breweries organized for the purpose of promoting the production and sales of the freshest and highest quality Montana made beers. The MBA currently hosts three Rendezvous Beer Festivals throughout the year. “We couldn’t think of a more natural partner to help us continue to grow this already established event.” A portion of the proceeds from this year’s brew fest will benefit both the MBA and local community organization Montana Matriarch.

“Tap into Montana has proven to be a well-organized, successful event that our brewery members love being part of. We are thrilled to be partnering with them for this year’s brew fest.“ said Matt Leow, Executive Director of the Montana Brewer’s Association.

Breweries attending this year include: 2 Basset Brewery (White Sulphur Springs), Bayern Brewing (Missoula), Beaverhead Brewing Company (Dillon), Bitter Root Brewery (Hamilton), Black Eagle Brewery (Black Eagle), Blackfoot River Brewing (Helena), Bozeman Brewing Co. (Bozeman), Bridger Brewing (Bozeman), Bunkhouse Brewing (Bozeman), Dean’s Zesty Booch (Bozeman), Butte Brewing Co. (Butte), Flathead Lake Brewing Co. (Bigfork), Gally’s Brewing Co. (Harlowton), Kalispell Brewing Co (Kalispell), Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Co. (Great Falls), Katabatic Brewing Co. (Livingston), Kettlehouse Brewing Co. (Missoula), Lewis & Clark Brewing Co. (Helena), Lockhorn Hard Cider (Bozeman), Map Brewing (Bozeman), Might Mo Brew Co. (Great Falls), Muddy Creek Brewery (Butte), Neptune’s Brewery (Livingston), Outlaw Brewing (Bozeman), Philipsburg Brewing Company (Philipsburg), Ten Mile Creek Brewery (Helena), Triple Dog Brewing Co. (Havre), Western Cider Co. (Missoula), and White Dog Brewing Company (Bozeman)

Live music performances by Chad Okrusch and Friends with local favorites, The Fossils headlining the stage. Local food will be available for purchase from Zac’s Montana BBQ, Farmgirl Pizzeria, and The Office. New this year will be the Ale-Lympics featuring feats of strength and competitions by brewery industry professionals.

Entrance into the brew fest includes a sampler glass and unlimited samples (no tokens or tickets required). Regular admission tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the gate. VIP tickets are $100 and include entry into the brew fest an hour early as well as entry into the VIP/Brewer’s Dinner event the night before brew fest at the new Neptune’s Taphouse and Eatery with free beer from Neptune’s and Katabatic, a catered dinner and a chance to hang out with brewers from around the state. A limited number of VIP tickets are available. Tickets are on sale now at www.tapintomt.com or can be purchased locally in Livingston at Markouture, Katabatic Brewing, Neptune’s Brewery, and The Office Liquor Store.

WindRider Shuttle will be providing a free shuttle service to the brew fest from several locations around town between 1:30 and 7:30pm. Stops at The Buckhorn, Neptune’s Brewery, and The Office Lounge will run on a loop all afternoon. In addition, special room rates are available for those traveling from out of town at the Yellowstone Pioneer Lodge. YPL will also provide shuttle transportation to and from the brew fest.

Craft Beer Week Events occurring throughout Livingston during the week leading up to the brew fest include:

Special Beer and Food Pairings at The Murray Bar all week long.

Monday, April 8th:
Stein Holding Contest at Katabatic
Beer and Darts at The Office Lounge

Tuesday, April 9th:
Beer Trivia at Office Lounge
Beer Move at Neptune’s Brewery

Wednesday, April 10th
Beer and Cheese Pairing at UnCorked
Beer and Bingo at The Office Lounge
Beer Maven Beer 101 Class at Katabatic Brewing

Thursday, April 11th:
Beer Mile (begins at Neptune’s, ends at Katabatic)
Blind Beer Tasting at the Office Liquor Store
Darts and Beer Cocktails at The Whiskey Creek Saloon

Friday, April 12th:
Creek to Peak Soapbox Pre-Derby Show & Calcutta at The Buckhorn
Tap into Montana VIP & Brewer’s Dinner at Neptune’s Taphouse and Eatery
Live Music from the Dusty Pockets and Firestone Walker Tap Takeover at The Attic

Saturday, April 13th:
3rd Annual Creek to Peak Adult Soapbox Derby at Myers Lane
Feel the Draft at United in Light Draft Horse Sanctuary
Tap into Montana Brew Fest at Miles Park

Sponsors of this year’s event include: Opportunity Bank, Montana Press, Markouture, Golden Entertainment, Neptune’s Brewery, The Office Lounge an Liquor Store, Katabatic Brewing, Livingston Home Outfitters, Montana Brewery Shop, Woods Rose Market, Granite Sports Medicine, Berkshire Hathaway, The Spur Line, Midway Rental, and Yellowstone Pioneer Lodge.

Tap into Montana will be hosting a kick off event at Katabatic Brewing on March 22nd with live music from Shelly Besler Kersbergen.

Applications are now being accepted for a free summer journalism camp for high school students on Montana State University’s campus. The camp will run from July 7-12 and includes lodging and meals on campus. 

The deadline for applications is April 8. Students from any Montana community are invited to apply. Twelve participants will be selected.

The weeklong, residential experience will immerse students in the theory and practice of journalism. Participants will explore relevant issues facing American journalists today and develop skills by covering a variety of news events throughout the Bozeman area. After leaving camp, students will return to their home communities and develop a story that sheds light on a significant aspect of life within their town.

In the application, students will be asked to identify important issues in their communities and recognize how the media covers them. They will also be asked what stories have not been covered and how the community would benefit if the rest of the world knew more about these issues. Students must also submit photographs of important locations in their towns.

For details and a link to the online application, please visit http://ato.montana.edu/ywpjour/.

The camp is hosted by the Yellowstone Writing Project with support from the MacArthur Foundation and the National Writing Project.

We at PrepAway know that it all begins with the decision to move forward in one’s career. By gaining a certification, you are allowing yourself to be exposed to all job prospects that will play a big role in your advancement. You just need to take the necessary steps required in obtaining a well-regarded certification from Oracle company, a world-famous credential vendor. Oracle provides a wide range of certifications based on the particular product: Oracle Database, Middleware, Java, BI, and many more. Oracle certifications have long been in the market, and that’s why they are recommended by various companies and industries.

In this Prepaway Exam Dumps, we will talk about one of the most sought-after Oracle credentials – Java SE certification. Java is a very popular object-oriented programming language. Since Java applications can run on any computer regardless of its architecture, there are many IT professionals who have dedicated their careers to this language. Since the competition in this sector is very high, it is always better to possess professional certification in order to have an advantage.

Oracle Java SE certification

Here are two main ways to attain Oracle Java SE certification:

The first way: Earn Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 7 Programmer certification and then Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 7 Programmer credential. This first option, Oracle Java SE 7 certification path, includes passing of two exams: 1Z0-803 for associate level, and 1Z0-804 for professional level:

     • 1Z0-803: Java SE 7 Programmer I. This exam includes topics such as Java Basics, Java Data Types, Methods and Encapsulation, Inheritance, and many more.

      • 1Z0-804: Java SE 7 Programmer II (retiring Dec 31, 2018). This exam focuses on Assertions and Exceptions, Collections and Generics, Object-Oriented Design Principles, and many more.

PrepAway reminds you that you can pass the professional-level 1Z0-804 exam only after passing 1Z0-803 exam and receiving associate-level certification.

The Second Way: Earn Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer certification and then Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 8 Programmer credential. This second option, Oracle Java SE 8 certification path, implies sitting for another two tests: 1Z0-808 for associate level, and 1Z0-809 for professional level:

     • 1Z0-808: Java SE 8 Programmer I. This exam is dedicated to Java Basics, Loop Constructs, Handling of Exceptions, Java API Selected classes, and many more.

     • 1Z0-809: Java SE 8 Programmer II. This test includes topics such as Java Class Design (advanced), Functional Interfaces Built in Lambda, Fundamentals of Java I/O, and many more.

As in the first case, you will not be eligible to pass professional-level exam 1Z0-809 without passing 1Z0-808 and getting associate-level Java SE 8 certification.

If you want to learn more about Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer certification, go to the official Oracle website.

To be more specific, we will concentrate on one of the exams required for the mentioned paths, 1Z0-808 exam, which leads to Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer certification. Using this exam as an example, we will look at how the certification process works. So, let’s dive into details of 1Z0-808 test.

1Z0-808 Exam Details
1Z0-808 exam is composed of 77 questions, which must be answered within 150 minutes. Each test-taker should reach or even exceed the passing score of 65%. Dealing with “how-to-do” questions is quite frequent in the exam.

Oracle has been known for its scenario-based questions in many of its certification exams. Going through the exam topics of 1Z0-808 exam will help you prepare for the actual practical-oriented exam. You must be able to respond to tricky questions since the exam consists of numerous faulty questions that will really test your knowledge and skills of the topic. There are no prerequisites for this exam.

To get more details about 1Z0-808 exam, visit the official Oracle website.

Audience
The target audience for this exam includes anyone aspiring to be Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer certification holder. Programmers who are about to begin their career can benefit from passing the exam since this credential will positively impact their resume. Individuals who want to have a programming job can use the exam’s popularity across companies in acquiring jobs and extending career opportunities.

Training Courses
There are different training courses recommended for each test-taker. You can choose an instructor-led training or virtually-delivered online training. PrepAway recommends enrolling in Java SE 8 Fundamentals and Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer Certification course.

Resources for the Exam Preparation
With the advent of the Internet, more and more online materials have surfaced and helped students and test-takers study any topic they want to. However, the use of books is definitely something that never gets old. OCA Java SE 8 Certification Guide by Mala Gupta has been known for offering the same point of view of the actual exam. Other well-established books that you can absorb ideas from are “A Programmer Guide to Java SE 8 Oracle Certified Associate (OCA)” by Khalid Mughal,” “Oracle Certified Associate Java SE 8 Programmer” I Study Guide: Exam 1Z0-808 eBook by Jeanne Boyarsky, Scott Selikoff and “OCA Java SE 8 Programmer I Study Guide” (Exam 1Z0-808) (Oracle Press) by Edward Finegan, Robert Liguori.

Tips to Pass Oracle 1Z0-808 Exam

Extensive preparation
You should know that any Oracle exam would consume a lot of your time and effort. If you’re not spending time honing your existing skills and acquiring new ones, then you’re probably not preparing that much. Even an experienced professional knows it’s a gamble to arrive in the testing room unprepared. One can’t always be too complacent with what one knows or what one ought to learn. So, here are some tips from PrepAway:

Practice, practice and more practice
There’s never been a more repetitive, yet actually rewarding type of advice than constantly putting what you know to practice. Through rigorous and consistent practice, you’re enabling yourself to gradually master, say, Java tools or environment. Practice performing prepares you for the scenario-based questions you will see on the exam.

Utilize different study materials
Study Java concepts and browse more online or external study materials. You can scan through your exam’s syllabus to choose your topics. You must have a good, in-depth grasp on the respective topics to able to answer the exam questions.

Access sample questions on the Internet from time to time. Remember, mastery of the sample questions will do you a good favor. Also, take advantage of unique practice questions offered by Prep-Away, which are backed by Java certification experts. It is a good option for Java Certification aspirants and soon-to-be Java professionals.

Make use of braindumps
1Z0-808 exam dumps have been proven to be useful for individuals under the Java programming spectrum. Several professionals can attest to how these have contributed to their successful completion of the exam. Exam dumps can be viewed in VCE, ETE or PDF formats. Choose the one that suits you, using the appropriate tool that will open it. For example, to open 1Z0-808 braindumps you will need ETE Exam Simulator developed by Vumingo specialists. Offering a number of options, you can use, it makes your preparation efficient.

Focus on learning not passing
Though aiming for a target score in the exam is a good idea, you must definitely not put a heavy weight on the score result. First, test your strengths and assess your weaknesses. Drop the mentality of passing the exam for the love of numbers and start challenging yourself and exceeding the expectations you and other people have. Cultivate a mindset of learning instead of merely passing and then forgetting everything else after the test. This will help you a lot in practical situations and in acing the performance-based exams.

Conclusion
Anyone interested in Java programming knows that the price of dedicating your time and effort to Oracle exams whether it is 1Z0-808 or any of 1z0-809, 1z0-803, and 1z0-804 exams is a fulfilling achievement. Earning a Java SE 7 or Java SE 7 Programmer certification proves that you have the ability to answer the different and challenging questions found in the exam and in the real world. PrepAway wishes you good luck on your certification path!

On March 14th, 2019, the Children’s Museum of Bozeman became the Montana Science Center and released their new logo. This name change comes as the next phase to develop a center where families in the community come together to learn and play in science and technology. Since 2001, the Montana Science Center, then as the Children’s Museum of Bozeman, has brought hands-on play, learning and collaboration to the greater Bozeman community. In 2016, the Museum opened the STEAMlab, founded by Richard Harjes, which is a high-tech maker space focusing in self-directed high tech learning in coding, robotics, 3D design, mechanical engineering and more. Growth in STEAMlab programs has elevated the ways families interact with the Science Center and drove the Children’s Museum to create more elaborate and extensive exhibits focused in technology and science. The Montana Science Center will continue to offer unique experiences for full family engagement in play, with an increased focus in areas of science, technology, engineering and a more distinct focus on local women in STEM careers.

Since 2016, the Science Center has focused on revitalizing the current exhibits to
represent areas of STEM. These areas of activity focus in topics such as insects, physics, electricity, building, maker-activities and more. Imaginative play still forms a critical role throughout the Science Center as a way to incorporate activities for the youngest visitors.

Additionally, programming has been added to provide learning opportunities for students of all ages, visiting from throughout Southwest Montana. In order to provide access to all families in our community, the Montana Science Center partners with several other service organizations such as Thrive, Youth Dynamics and AWARE to provide free or reduced admission. The Museums for All program allows anyone with an EBT card and ID to gain a reduced admission as well.

The Montana Science Center welcomed several community members to the Center on March 14th, to celebrate Pi Day, and to release the new brand identity, completed by Prime, Inc.

As Executive Director, Abby Turner, stated, “We have seen a significant increase in the focus in STEM activities in our community and schools over the past several years, and we have found a desire from our community of visitors to elevate our exhibits and programs. Therefore, we are very excited to bring even more family collaboration in science and technology to our community.” The staff at the Science Center have worked to expand their programs and offeringsin order to meet the community’s growth.

In addition to the name change, the Science Center is actively looking for a new location. With this new location, they expect to add significant space to their exhibits, classrooms and STEAMlab in order to meet the growing demand for activities in STEM. The location of this new space has not been finalized, but a move will happen within the year. The current location is open Monday - Saturday from 9:30am - 5:00pm. A new website at MontanaScienceCenter.org will be up and running within the month.

Abby Turner can be reached at director@montanasciencecenter.org or at (406) 522-9087.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced today its first property in Montana; an adaptive reuse scheduled to open in Bozeman early next year.

Located in the heart of historic downtown Bozeman, the project will turn the National Guard Armory building into a 122-room hotel with a signature restaurant, a whisky and bar centric speakeasy featuring music and live entertainment, and 8,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The new Kimpton will also feature a concert hall designed to attract top musical performances, as well as a rooftop pool and bar where guests can enjoy breathtaking views of the Bridger Mountain Range.

The hotel’s location will attract a broad spectrum of outdoor enthusiasts, with Yellowstone National Park as well as Big Sky and Bridger Bowl ski resorts at its doorstep. In addition to Bozeman’s premiere outdoor offerings, which extend to incredible biking trails and fishing adventures, the city is also home to a vibrant art and music scene.

“We’ve had our eye on Montana for a long time,” said Mike DeFrino, Chief Executive Officer at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “The backdrop of the mountains and its appeal to the adventure seeker is the ideal place to showcase our brand of hospitality. As a leader in adventure travel, we couldn’t ask for a better partner than Off the Beaten Path and hotel developer, Extea Hospitality. It’s also exciting to add another adaptive reuse to our collection. We take pride in preserving the integrity of a historic building while transforming it into a new hotel and restaurant with Kimpton’s signature style.”

The National Guard Armory building was constructed in 1941 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In keeping true to the building’s history, the design will retain the original Art Deco style created by famed Bozeman architect Fred Willson. Kimpton’s Global Senior Vice President of Design Ave Bradley will spearhead the renovation, in partnership with Venue Architects, MarkZeff Architecture and Interior Design and Studio R Interiors. Other recent Kimpton adaptive reuse projects include the Gray Hotel in Chicago, the Schofield in Cleveland and the De Witt in Amsterdam.

The project bears close affiliation with local adventure travel company Off the Beaten Path as its CEO, Cory Lawrence, is included among the partners of Etxea (“et-she-a”) Hospitality, the development company responsible for the project. Kimpton co-founder and former CEO Tom LaTour is also a partner on the project.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to see this project come to fruition,” said Lawrence. “We’ve been uncompromising in our effort to deliver a property and an experience that authentically reflects the unique character and style of the region. The hotel will bring a new standard of service, experience, and connection to Bozeman for visitors and locals alike.” Added LaTour, “Bozeman is an unbelievable city and deserves a Kimpton boutique hotel, delivering great guest experience in unique Rocky Mountain style.”

Renderings of the project can be found here.

About Etxea Hospitality

Etxea Hospitality LLC is a development firm dedicated to bringing hospitality experiences to unique places that, through their design and operational style, authentically reflect the character and nature of each locale. Based in Bozeman, Montana, the firm is comprised of five principals with vast experience in all facets of development, hotel operations, and adventure travel.

ABOUT KIMPTON HOTELS & RESTAURANTS

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the original boutique hotel company, which pioneered the concept of unique, distinctive, design-forward hotels in the United States in 1981. Anchored in one-of-a-kind experiences, Kimpton now operates more than 60 hotels and 80 restaurants, bars and lounges across urban locations, resort destinations and up and coming markets in the United States, Europe, Caribbean and Greater China. Kimpton spaces and experiences center on its guests, offering inspiring design that evokes curiosity to forward-thinking flavors that feed the soul. Every detail is thoughtfully curated and artfully delivered, so that guest experiences remain meaningful, unscripted and ridiculously personal.

Kimpton’s employees, empowered to provide heartfelt service and experiences, have built a highly regarded workplace culture that appears consistently on FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. 

In January 2015, Kimpton became part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) family of hotel brands. For more information, visit www.KimptonHotels.com.    

The 2019 Record Store Day celebration at Cactus Records & Gifts starts the moment the 2nd customer gets in line outside of the doors, which open at 9 AM on April 13th, and wraps up when the doors close (approx. 7pm). 

Cactus Records has participated in the event since its first year, April 19th, 2008, and every year Cactus features live in-store music performances.  This year will feature performances by Wire Rider @ 6pm, The Dirty Dirty @ 5pm,  The Dusty Pockets at 4pm, The Million Sellers at 3pm, Bigsby Jones at 2pm, Laney Lou & the Bird Dogs (new album early release listening party/meet-and-greet/short live performance) at 1pm, and Elisha G.A. Mann at 12 noon.  Those of us at Cactus humbly submit that if you're not there, well, we hate to say it, but you might be square. 

In between, attendants can expect to find access to hundreds of limited-edition Record Store Day and regular inventory releases, experience lots of live music (starting at 12 pm), killer sales, an opportunity for music hunters to listen to and show off their trophies at the Burn Box after party at the Rialto starting at 8 pm, and as always, the ever-renewing love Cactus Records has for its oh-so-special and unique customers. 

And that’s not all!  There will also be great deals from a number of generous Bozeman businesses, including Burger Bobs & the Cannery, Pickle Barrel, free beer from the fine folks at Montucky and MAP brewing (provided you’re 21 or older!), breakfast sausages & hot dogs for sale from Lotte Dogs mobile hot dog stand, and shockingly generous giveaways, special sales, and other expressions of Cactus’s profound love and admiration for you, their customers.

In addition to all the in-store fun, Record Store Day also means the release of hundreds of exclusive pressings of LPs (and EPs) by The Grateful Dead, Dr Dre, Iggy Pop, Pearl Jam, the Death Grips, Bill Evans, Queen, Prince, The Raconteurs, Kool Keith, Wes Montgomery, The Rolling Stones, Jeff Tweedy, The White Stripes, Anderson Paak (and his band the Free Nationals) and countless more!  To find a full list of these releases go to https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases?view=all .

On April 13th, Cactus Records will be just one of the hundreds of stores around the world helping bring music lovers and their local, independent stores together for the annual Record Store Day celebration.  Now in its 11th year, Record Store Day has been described by its creators as "a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally."  Traditionally, each year an artist has been declared "Record Store Ambassador", a post previously held by St. Vincent, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, Dave Grohl, Metallica and this year by Pearl Jam.

Cactus Records would like to thank all of their sponsors who were generous enough to donate goods and services to this year’s celebration of Record Store Day, including Map Brewing, Montucky Cold Snacks, the Pickle Barrel, Haufbrau, the Cannery, the Filling Station, Fire Artisan Pizza, the Whittier Parent Advisory Council, Country Bookshelf, Cosmic Pizza, jam!, Bozone, Bozeman Magazine, SLAM festival, Movie Lovers, Lotte Dogs, the Rialto and the Burn Box, all of the bands that will be performing in store, and of course, you.


For more information about Record Store Day, please go to https://recordstoreday.com, and be sure to check the Cactus Records events page for more info on the live music featured at the event.  The staff of Cactus Records and the music-loving community of Bozeman hope to see you there.

Cactus Records & gifts is located at 29 W. Main St. in downtown Bozeman and online at www.cactusrecords.net.

An organism that lives in a smelly cauldron in Yellowstone National Park has yielded new information about how its ancient relatives might have survived without oxygen.

Montana State University scientists said in their recent paper in the journal Nature Microbiology that the unusual microorganism has the genes necessary for two types of metabolism. One produces methane while the other uses different forms of sulfur to produce sulfide. Neither involves oxygen.

"That's a big deal. This is the first microbial population to be described that has both of these abilities. We show that methane oxidation may be coupled with the reduction of sulfite, which represents a previously unreported metabolism for life," said lead author Luke McKay, an assistant research professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture and MSU's Center for Biofilm Engineering.

Principal investigator Bill Inskeep, a professor in MSU's Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, said the results have implications for the evolution of those traits through the Archaea, one of the three domains of life, along with Eukarya and Bacteria. Archaea describes single-celled organisms that lack a nucleus and which often have complex metabolisms. They have been found living in some of the most extreme environments on Earth.

The newly described organism, called Methanodesulfokores washburnensis, is believed to be a modern relative of an obscure group of microorganisms that lived around the time life began on Earth. That group, known as the Korarchaeota, might have been a very early branch in the tree of life. It is a subgroup of Archaea, one of the three domains of life. The other domains are Bacteria and Eukarya, the latter of which includes humans and animals.

Inskeep and former doctoral student Zackary Jay, another coauthor on the paper, extracted DNA from the sediments of Washburn Hot Springs in 2012. The specific pool lies near the base of Mount Washburn and measures about 25-by-100 feet across. It averages 149 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit and contains high concentrations of methane, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, sulfide and sulfate.

"It's an ominous looking pool,” Inskeep said. “I wouldn't want to fall in."
On the other hand, McKay said, "This is an important environment with relevance to early life."

The Washburn Hot Springs, named after early Yellowstone explorer Henry D. Washburn, contain an interesting mixture of chemical ingredients that make the site extreme, Inskeep said. That, in fact, may explain why scientists didn't discover the Methanodesulfokores earlier somewhere else in the world.

"Washburn is extremely unique on the planet," McKay said. "The geochemistry of the spring makes it like a window into ancient environments on Earth. That's exciting because it provides a glimpse of the conditions that early microorganisms may have experienced after the origin of life, 4 billion years ago."

McKay came to MSU in 2015 with a particular interest in research that might relate to the origin of life. He acquired a postdoctoral fellowship through the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Besides studying the extremophiles of Yellowstone, he has studied microorganisms that live in extreme environments all over the world, including Antarctica and the hydrothermally active Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California. More recently, McKay was one of nine scientists featured in the science documentary, "The Most Unknown,” which is available on Netflix.

He said he is especially interested in carbon and energy sources in microorganisms that might be important in early life.

To come to the conclusions that led to the Nature Microbiology paper and a related paper in the same issue, McKay worked with scientists from MSU, the University of Chicago, Indiana University and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. His MSU collaborators, in addition to Inskeep and Jay, were Mensur Dlakić, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Matthew Fields, director of the Center for Biofilm Engineering and a professor in the Thermal Biology Institute and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology; and Korinne Klingelsmith, an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry and microbiology.

Dlakić used the largest super computer in Montana — the research computing cluster at MSU called Hyalite — to analyze the newly described microorganism and find its position in the tree of life, Inskeep said.

"That kind of analysis helped us say that the genes for methane metabolism in this newly described organism might have been important in early members of the Archaea," McKay said.

Besides publishing their paper in Nature Microbiology, Inskeep and McKay are coauthors of a second manuscript in the same journal. That paper was written by Guillaume Borrel and Simonetta Gribaldo from the Pasteur Institute in France. In it, the scientists elaborate on the diversity and distribution of methane metabolism in the Archaea. They also introduce several new lineages that contain genes for methane metabolism. Some of the microbial sequence data used in that study is from the same sample taken from Washburn Hot Springs and was sequenced by the Department of Energy-Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, California.  

"Collectively, these findings have big implications for the evolution of methane and sulfur metabolisms and their potential importance in early life," McKay said.

The 44th annual American Indian Council Powwow at Montana State University will be held March 29-30 at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The powwow is free and open to all. This year’s powwow will be will be dedicated to missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
 
“Our indigenous students at MSU care deeply about this issue, and we want to feel safe in our communities, and we want our children to grow up not having to look over their shoulders,” said Allison Longtimesleeping Reyos, an MSU student who is co-president of the MSU American Indian Council. “This MMIWG (murdered and missing indigenous women and girls) powwow dedication is also a way to remember and honor those who have passed on or who are still missing. They need to know we care.”

 
The MSU American Indian Council Powwow is one of the largest in Montana. The powwow weekend events will begin this year at 3 p.m. Friday, March 29, with a ground blessing ceremony for the planned MSU American Indian Hall to be held at the building’s planned location, south of Hannon Hall. The powwow will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, with a grand entry. There will also be grand entries at noon and 6 p.m. Saturday, March 31. Dance and drum competitions with cash prizes are offered.

 
The host drum group will be The Boyz of St. Paul, Minnesota. The head woman dancer is Wozek Chandler (A’aniinen White Clay of Fort Belknap). Head man dancer is Kasey Nicholson (Aaahniinin and Pikuni Nation from Fort Belknap Indian Community). The masters of ceremonies will be Kenneth Helgeson (Nakoda, from Lodge Pole) and Don Racine (Aaniiih, White Clay from Hays). The arena directors are Francis Sherwood, a member of the Arikara, Hidatsa and Navajo tribes, of Denver, and Kyle Felsman (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe of Arlee). The head dance judge is Ron Lodgepole (Chippewa, of Gilbert, Arizona). Head singing judge is Zach Felsman (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe of Arlee). Tiny Tots dancers, up to 5 years of age, will be given an opportunity to dance and will receive small prizes during each of the three powwow sessions.

 
Booths located in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse will offer a variety of artisan work for sale, and nonprofit and government organizations also will share information. Concessions will be available for purchase.
 
Indigenous food, including bison sliders, bison stew served in a squash bowl, an elk chili and fry bread with wojape (traditional berry sauce), among other items, will be available for purchase from the Fork in the Road food service that will be served in the south side upper concessions of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.

 
Powwow organizers are seeking volunteers from the MSU and greater community to help with the event. Volunteers may volunteer at the south entrance of the fieldhouse during the powwow. Also, the American Indian Council has organized a silent auction with proceeds going to help fund the powwow.
 
The American Indian Council Powwow Fun Run, with 5K, mile and walking categories, will be held March 30, beginning at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse parking lot. Registration begins at 8 a.m. the day of the race with the race starting at 9 a.m. The walk category will begin at 9:05 a.m. There is a $20 registration fee, which includes a race T-shirt.

 
The annual MSU Powwow Basketball Tournament, with cash prizes, will be held March 29-30. For more information, call Cheryl Polacek at 406-599-1311 or email powwowball@gmail.com.
 
The Presidential American Indian alumni brunch, is set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 30, in the Great Room at the MSU Alumni Foundation. For more information about the brunch go to the AIC webpage at montana.edu/aic, contact the MSU Alumni Foundation at 406-994-2401 or email alumni@montana.edu. The brunch is free, but those who wish to attend should RSVP by Monday, March 25, by calling 855-850-2586 or emailing rsvp@msuaf.org.

 
The American Indian Council, an MSU student organization, raises funds to help ensure the powwow is free. The MSU Department of Native American Studies and multiple colleges, departments and programs, as well as off-campus organizations, also contribute. For more information about the powwow, go to montana.edu/aic or contact Lisa Perry at 406-994-4880 or lisa.perry2@montana.edu or Nick Ross-Dick, ned@montana.edu.

Self-portraits by artist Kelly Hartman and macramé pieces by fiber artist Julia Henderson will be exhibited in the Atrium Gallery at the Bozeman Public Library March 1 through April 30, 2019. The Bozeman Public Library Foundation, sponsors of the exhibit, will host a macramé demo on April 18, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., free and open to the public.

In order to best explain her works of self-portraiture, Bozeman artist Kelly Hartman quotes artist Frida Khalo “I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.” Hartman adds “Time alone, particularly for me in the studio, allows the mind to wander, to go places the conscious body usually keeps barred. To this end, I find painting to be a lonely but cathartic endeavor.”


Hartman’s work also uses backgrounds she considers still life interpretations of patterned fabrics. Inspired by vintage-like floral fabric because of her day-job as a museum curator, she states “The innate femininity of it and the overall repetition of the patterns fit my identity as a woman and as a human. Our minds are repetitive; they beat circles around the things we hold most dear which makes us who we are.”

Julia Henderson likes to point out that while macramé is perhaps best known as a 70s handicraft, today it is having a massive resurgence among “modern bohemians.”  Macramé is seen as both as a functional aspect of home décor - plant hangers, floating tables and shelves, hammocks, clothes, chairs, curtains - and as an art form.

Henderson discovered macramé as part of the process of recovery from a violent assault.  She remarks “Macramé has become an increasingly large part of my life and is essential to my healing process. The act itself is meditative—simple yet consuming enough to achieve that ideal intersection psychologists call a “flow” state. I lose hours at a time tying knots, watching patterns emerge under my fingers as I bring beauty into the world. It gives me a sense of control, bringing order to a chaotic tangle of rope.”

Often blending macramé with weaving or crochet, Henderson works with found objects such as pinecones, feathers, and driftwood to add an organic dimension. She also works with antlers and old rusty drill bits or chains for a more industrial look, constantly surprising herself with the beauty found in old cast-off objects.

The exhibition will be on display during Library hours.  A percentage of sales will go to the Bozeman Public Library Foundation to ensure continuation of cultural programs at the Library for public benefit.  For more information about the exhibit, please call Sarah DeOpsomer at 582-2425 or email sarah@bozemanlibraryfoundation.org.