A Montana State University senior who investigated the revitalization of tribal languages in Montana will present his research April 29 on Capitol Hill.

Michael Fast Buffalo Horse of Browning, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, was one of 60 students across the country selected by the Council for Undergraduate Research to participate in the annual “Posters on the Hill” celebration. One of more than 800 who applied, he will display a poster about his research and explain his findings to U.S. senators, representatives and others who stop by to visit.

“Languages are dying at an alarming rate, and the languages spoken by the Native American tribes in the United States are especially vulnerable. Of the 300-plus languages that were spoken on this continent before European contact, only half remain,” Fast Buffalo Horse wrote in a project summary. “The tribal languages of Montana’s Indigenous nations were harshly suppressed historically through restrictive governmental policies, cultural prejudices and forced assimilation.”

To conduct his research, Fast Buffalo Horse examined the historical reasons that the languages became endangered and why preserving them is such a daunting task. He also interviewed tribal educators and visited Montana reservations so he could present the human side of tribal language revitalization and maintenance. His mentor on the project was Jioanna Carjuzaa, associate professor of education, long-time researcher of indigenous languages and recent recipient of one of the nation’s top awards for commitment to and excellence in multicultural education – the G. Pritchy Smith Multicultural Educator of the Year Award.

“These languages are vital to the continued existence of these peoples, their cultures and the unique perspectives that they can offer to the rest of the world,” Fast Buffalo Horse said. “… It is our hope that our research can offer a more complete look at Montana’s tribal history in the face of a rapidly changing future.”

Carjuzaa nominated Fast Buffalo Horse for the opportunity to present his research in Washington, D.C., and will accompany him to the nation’s capital.

“I thought he had a good chance of being selected, so I recommended him,” she said.
Fast Buffalo Horse, who is majoring in secondary education, is one of MSU’s McNair Scholars. As such, he participates in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and designed to prepare first generation, low-income and underrepresented undergraduate students for success in graduate school. Fast Buffalo Horse is also a pow wow dancer who specializes in the traditional Blackfeet Chicken Dance. He recently danced in the 39th annual American Indian Council Pow Wow at MSU.
After graduating from MSU this fall, Fast Buffalo Horse said he plans to pursue a doctorate in history or education with the ultimate goal of becoming a faculty member in higher education.

While in Washington, D.C, Fast Buffalo Horse and Carjuzaa will participate in a meeting at the White House and a private tour of the National Museum of American Indians. The White House meeting was arranged with Bill Mendoza, an MSU alumnus who was mentored by Carjuzaa. Mendoza is the executive director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education.

The Western Society of Crop Science will hold its next annual meeting July 8-9 at Montana State University in Bozeman.

The two-day WSCS meeting will be held at MSU’s Brick Breeden Fieldhouse and will feature presentations from professionals, as well as students working in crop science.

The theme of the meeting will be “Grand Challenges - Great Solutions” and attendees are encouraged to present a paper or poster around the theme. Abstract submission is open through May 1.

WSCS will also present the A.K. Dobrenz Student Paper Awards, earning a cash award for the three best student oral presentations. The 2014 student winners receive $200, $150 and $100 for first-, second- and third-place papers, respectively. The first-place winner also receives a $500 travel stipend to attend the Crop Science Society of America annual conference. Graduate students may also present a poster, however there will be no poster competition.

Visit the WSCS website, https://www.crops.org/membership/branches/wscs, for additional details as they become available for the program, registration, important deadlines and accommodations.

Teachers and informal educators can learn to incorporate archaeology into their classrooms and programs through hands-on summer courses with Project Archaeology, which is based at Montana State University.

Participants engage in archaeological activities such as investigating field sites and analyzing artifacts while exploring curriculum materials that cover topics such as math and language literacy, problem solving processes and inquiry. The program has several STEM components (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and also fulfills many core requirements in Indian Education for All and the Common Core Standards.

“Project Archaeology: Investigating a Plains Tipi” takes place in Bozeman from June 16-19 and repeats July 21-24.

“Project Archaeology: Educator Field School” takes place in the gold rush town of Virginia City from Aug. 4-8 and includes two days of archaeological excavation in nearby Nevada City.

Both courses offer graduate credits from MSU. Participants in the Virginia City course may also choose to enroll in the non-credit option and receive 30 Montana Office of Public Instruction renewal units instead of academic credit. All participants receive a full set of curriculum materials. Educators from throughout the United States are encouraged to participate. The field school and curriculum materials are also appropriate for informal educators, such as those based at museums, science schools, as well as after-school programs.

For more information or to register, visit http://eu.montana.edu/credit/ or call (406) 994-6683. The courses are listed under “Education, Curriculum and Instruction.” Teachers can view a video of the Virginia City course at http://vimeo.com/34613697/.

Registration is now open for Montana State University’s School of Music piano summer camp for students entering grades 6 to 12. The camp, “Popular Music for Piano,” runs Aug. 11 to 15, and students may register for either the morning or afternoon session.
 
Piano students will learn current pop and rock hits, write and record their own song, and study popular music theory and techniques under the direction of Billie Howard, camp director.
 
Enrollment is limited to the first 10 students to register per session. The morning session runs from 9 a.m.-noon. The afternoon session is from 1-4 p.m. Early registration, before July 28, costs $250. Those who register after July 28 will pay $275.
 
Howard has a master’s degree in piano performance and pedagogy from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in piano and violin performance from MSU. Howard performs across Chicago in both classical and rock styles, regularly appearing with the Chicago Composer’s Orchestra, Aperiodic, and the 20-piece all-female Girl Group Chicago.
 
For more information, contact Howard at billie.howard@cuchicago.edu or go online.

The Wankel T. rex is now on the road to Washington, D.C., where it’s expected to attract more visitors than any other Tyrannosaurus rex fossil in the world at the National Museum of Natural History.

On loan to the Smithsonian Institution for 50 years, the 65-million-year old skeleton left Bozeman shortly after 2 p.m. Friday, April 11, in 16 crates in a customized FedEx truck. It will arrive at the Smithsonian sometime before Tuesday, April 15, when another round of celebratory activities will begin.

“This is a really great day for the Museum of the Rockies,” Shelley McKamey, executive director of Montana State University’s Museum of the Rockies, said during the send-off celebration at the museum.

“It’s really exciting for us,” said Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History Kirk Johnson.

It was also an emotional day for McKamey, who was part of the crew that excavated the skeleton in 1989 and 1990, and for Kathy Wankel of Angela, who discovered the fossil in 1988 near the Fort Peck Reservoir in northeast Montana.

“It’s been such an amazing experience for our entire family,” Wankel said.
Besides meeting incredible people and building relationships with paleontologists and staff at the Museum of the Rockies, Wankel said she is making new friends at the Smithsonian. She also praised MSU paleontologist Jack Horner for the “fantastic” research he conducted over the past 25 years on the dinosaur that was 18 years old when it died violently.

Wankel said she was sad to see the skeleton leave, but she was excited that so many people will be able to visit it in Washington, D.C. The skeleton will be the centerpiece of a new paleontology exhibit scheduled to open in 2019 in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. It’s predicted that at least 7 million people a year will view the Wankel T. rex – one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils in the world. And since many of those visitors are tourists, they won’t be the same 7 million every year.

Wankel, McKamey, Horner and Johnson were four of six dignitaries who spoke during the 30-minute farewell ceremony at the MOR’s Hager Auditorium. Others were Pat Leiggi, crew chief when the dinosaur was excavated and now administrative director of paleontology and director of exhibits at the MOR; and Darin McMurry, assistant operations project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Horner, Leiggi and McKamey were joined on stage by some of the others who worked on the field crew that excavated the dinosaur. They included Wankel, her husband Tom, and their children Lee, Rock and Whitney. Others were Bob Harmon, Carrie Ancell and Matt Smith.

A caravan accompanied the Wankel T. rex as it left the Museum of the Rockies and rode through downtown Bozeman.  Finally on its own, the FedEx truck headed east toward Washington, D.C.

The image of a dinosaur and a logo announced its cargo.

“Delivering History: the Nation’s T. rex,” it said.

One great way to ease the winter doldrums in Montana is finding out the lineup to this summer's 4th annual Red Ants Pants Music Festival in White Sulphur Springs.

Sarah Calhoun, owner of the Red Ants Pants company in the small town, announced the lineup for this year's festival on Saturday, April 5, with a party for the occasion at her store in White Sulphur. The event was also streamed live via the Internet. A lively crowd packed the place, reliving past RAP festivals while waiting to find out who would grace the pasture north of town with their musical presence this year.

After whetting the crowd's appetite with a short video from last year's event, Calhoun, "without further adieu," let everyone in on the lineup. Headliners include country music great Charlie Pride, alternative country artist Brandi Carlile from Seattle, Americana singer-songwriter Josh Ritter from Idaho, and former Drive By Trucker band member Jason Isbell, who has been making waves on the Americana music scene since going solo in 2007.

Ian Tyson and James McMurtry will also be appearing at this year's event, and crowd-pleaser Corb Lund will be making a return appearance as well. Other artists on the main stage this year include Hank Williams' granddaughter Holly Williams, the Black Lillies, Tom Catmull's Radio Static, Red Molly, Baskery, JD McPherson, Matt Andersen, and Jessie Veeder.

"It will be a hell of a show," said Calhoun as the April 5 party grew to a close. "I'll promise you that."

This year's street dance, in White Sulphur Springs proper, on Thursday evening, July 24, will feature the music of the Bus Driver Tour. A screening of the movie "Dryland" is planned in the theatre near the Red Ants Pants store just prior to the music. On Friday, the action shifts to the festival grounds, on the nearby Jackson Ranch, for main stage musical acts, side stage music focusing on local musicians, and farming/ranching-related activities, such as the cross-cut saw competition. The Montana Beard and Moustache State Finals will also be held on the grounds during the festival. Camping is available for Red Ants Pants festival-goers, and food, drink, and other items are available for purchase from vendors circling the festival venue.

The Red Ants Pants Music Festival has already become a staple on the list of things to do under the Big Sky. Early bird three-day passes are on sale for $99 through the month of April; these are $125 for advance sales beginning May 1, and $140 at the gate. Day passes are $50 in advance, and $55 at the gate. For more information on this great Montana music event, or for advance ticket purchases, call 406-209-8135, or go to redantspantsmusicfestival.com.

The Steel Pulse Show originally scheduled for March 26 at the Emerson is now rescheduled for April 23 at The SUB Ballrooms!

Due to scheduling conflicts, we were not able to reschedule in the Emerson yet there is good news-- Because of this new venue, more tickets will be available at Cactus Records!

All previously purchased tickets will be honored on this new date. If you are unable to attend this show, refunds are available at Cactus Records until April 23!