Brick and mortar stores are known to rely heavily on foot traffic to attract customers and maximize their sales. The stores are typically located side-by-side with others, competing for the attention of potential shoppers. The display of goods determines how you attract passers-by to patronize the store. However, take precautions not to have the opposite effect – repulse potential customers to your shop.  

A particular shop erred in such judgment by displaying child-centric images at their outlet because more than three-quarters of their patrons were under 15. The older potential customers mistakenly assumed the shop was only for kids and did not visit it. The result of the action was lost sales opportunities.

You must position your products and get the best out of future customer attention while balancing the current and potential customer experiences. These expert tips will help you beautify merchandise displays to drive sales.

1. Direct and Keep Customer Informed with Signage

Signage in a store helps guide customers on how to navigate inside the outlet. Some customers come to the shop to purchase and would like to identify what they are looking for and find it seamlessly. If customers take too much time to identify products, they leave in a huff, and you lose the sales opportunity.

Signage is especially critical for new customers unfamiliar with the goods in the outlet. For store visitors who are window-shopping, proper signage can help to make conversions. Strategic signages provide subtle cues to prompt sales and increase brand awareness of the products on display. You can have different signs serving various objectives.

Some signages are purposed to create a lasting impression on customers, and others for an immediate call to action. Hence, the sales conversion can be instantaneous or in the future when the customer revisits the store.      

2. Create a Uniform Color Experience

People are naturally attracted to displays of color and attractive designs. A combination of striking shades evokes particular moods in potential customers who move towards your store. When in the shop, deploying a cohesive visual experience with colors draws attention to specific items in your space.

You never go wrong with playing around with colors to get the desired effect. Particular colors have different effects on people. Red is an attention grabber, typically used to attract people to ongoing sales drives in a shop. Other cool colors like blue are relaxed and provide an impression of security. Orange is energetic and gives a feel-good impression.

Create a uniform color experience for patrons to encourage them to come in and stay long enough to make a purchase decision. If they do not decide to buy immediately, they should come back at a future date. Let your target demographic determine the choice of colors too. For example, a store targeting younger people can be brightly colored.    

3. Find Out What Drives the Choices of Your Customers

Collecting information on what drives customer choices is critical in enhancing your store display. You can obtain such information by surveying customers to get their feedback. Use the findings to develop a targeted approach in the shop arrangement. It may take some slight adjustments which make all the difference in attracting and converting customers.

Customer information such as age, location, income, and education are essential but not the only ones that inform the merchandise displays. Find out what prompts customers to make buying decisions and use the information to your advantage. Based on the customer's needs, you can have specific visual displays.

Objects like custom glitter stickers go a long way in attracting customers to merchandise. Factors like eye-catching single displays or inventively arranged store racks, merchandise visibility, the position of the changing rooms, etc., can make a huge difference in the shopping experience. The bottom line is to have an attractive display that makes it easy for customers to find what they need.  

4. Keep Your Displays Well Lit

Bad lighting will affect even the most creative displays. No customer wants to navigate dark corners to find what they are looking for or struggle to see the labels on merchandise. A well-lit store and noticeable displays help customers to focus on a particular item and buy it. The lights enhance the architectural features of the store by drawing attention to its best features.

Other features like bright lights in the shops enhance visual displays and put customers in the right mood to make quick purchase decisions. Strategic use of lighting can achieve illumination and aesthetic appeal. A combination of different color lights makes merchandise arrangements look clean and sophisticated, appealing to the shop visitors. You can install lighting in ceilings, walls, or even on the floor for the desired effect.

Beautify Displays and Earn Sales Conversions  

There is a correlation between merchandise display and sales conversion. The way call-to-action prompts attract online shoppers, the creative displays also pull the shopper's attention to the physical stores. Have strategies for beautifying your displays with particular objectives in mind, and you will experience more sales conversions in your store.  

On Friday August 12, 2022 at 2:15pm, Gallatin County Dispatch received a call from the International Emergency Response Communication Center (IERCC) stating they had received an SOS from a GPS Communication device regarding a hiker who had a serious lower leg injury.  The IERCC gave a latitude/longitude of the patient’s location, which was described as approximately 150 yards up a trail near the main parking lot at Hyalite Reservoir.

Deputies from the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office responded along with personnel from Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue Valley Section, Hyalite Fire Department, and AMR. Rescuers arrived on scene, assessed the patient, and created an extraction plan based on the hiker’s location. Volunteers loaded the patient onto a one wheeled litter and transported them back to the Hyalite Reservoir main parking lot. The patient was transferred to AMR and ultimately transported to Bozeman Health for further evaluation.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the bystander that activated their GPS communication device to summon help.  The quick SOS activation and the willingness of folks to help a stranger in need made for a more efficient mission and highlighted the character of backcountry users in Gallatin County.

BOZEMAN — Montana State University has once again been named among the top universities in the world for its scientific impact and collaboration.

The university earned a spot on the CWTS Leiden Ranking for 2022, which ordered the 1,318 universities in the world with the largest contributions to international scientific journals. The ranking is done by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies, or CWTS, at Leiden University in the Netherlands. MSU is ranked 163 out of the top 202 universities in the U.S. included on the list.

The ranking is based on universities’ scientific contributions published in scholarly journals, as well as the impact those scientific findings have on the international community. Impact is measured by the number of times the research is cited in subsequent journal articles.

MSU’s overall publication impact rank was 956, with 1,317 published articles appearing in the citation database during the 2017-2020 period used in the latest ranking. Close to a tenth of those articles were among the top 10% of papers cited in their respective fields, signifying their high impact.

Additionally, MSU researchers collaborated on 3,180 publications, more than a third of which involved researchers in other countries. That indicates a significant level of international collaboration and positions MSU in that category among research institutions much larger in size, according to Alison Harmon, MSU vice president of research and economic development.

“This latest Leiden ranking is a reflection of the global importance and impact of our work,” Harmon said, noting that MSU’s strategic plan, “Choosing Promise,” sets goals for increasing international scholarship as part of the university’s effort to improve lives and society through research. “It’s also a reflection of our talented faculty across a wide range of disciplines.”

According to Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Robert Mokwa, MSU's ongoing inclusion in the rankings is a point of pride for the university's research community.

“Recognitions based on outputs and impact, like the Leiden Ranking, signal that our research and creative solutions to challenging problems are making a difference and improving lives,” Mokwa said. “I am proud of our faculty and staff for their efforts in educating and training students for exciting careers and for providing the state new opportunities with emerging and important sectors that contribute to Montana’s economy. We are humbled and appreciate greatly this recognition for our creative, innovative and hard-working faculty.”

MSU tallied an all-time high for total research expenditures in 2020-2021, totaling $193 million. This marks a 16% increase over the previous year’s expenditures reported to the National Science Foundation and adds to more than a decade of research expenditures topping $100 million.

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education also classified MSU as one of 279 universities in the U.S. with “high” or “very high” research activity and one of only two universities that also have an enrollment profile that is majority undergraduate.

The Leiden Ranking is based on a leading bibliographic database, the Web of Science. More information, including the full list, is available at the Leiden Ranking website, leidenranking.com.

BOZEMAN — A biochemist focusing on microbiology is the latest Montana State University researcher to have their work recognized and funded through a National Institutes of Health program emphasizing the investigation of broad scientific questions.

Roland Hatzenpichler, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in MSU’s College of Letters and Science, received the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award, or MIRA, through the NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences in August to support his fundamental research into developing new single cell resolving tools to better understand the human gut microbiome. The grant will fund Hatzenpichler’s work with $1.7 million over five years.

Hatzenpichler’s research interests fall under environmental microbiology; historically his studies have focused on microorganisms inhabiting Yellowstone National Park hot springs, salt marshes, or the deep sea. This is the first time he will be turning his attention toward the microbiology of the human body.

“The expertise my lab has is mostly lacking from the human gut microbiome field simply because the people who do human gut research typically don’t use those techniques,” Hatzenpichler said “So, this will be very exciting to apply them and use these tools for the first time in microbiome research.”

According to Hatzenpichler, the human gut microbiome is not well understood due to the small number of techniques that can be used on a living human and the type of samples used in analysis. The most common samples used for gut research are fecal, but because the samples are outside of the body and do not contain all the microbes living in our gut, they do not give the full picture of what the gut’s microorganisms are doing and how they interact with each other or human cells in their natural habitat.

The best way to understand the gut, Hatzenpichler said, is to use endoscopy samples, and Hatzenpichler’s lab will work with the Metrodora Institute in Salt Lake City to retrieve these types of samples. The institute, which will open in 2023, will focus on the care and research of complex multisystem disorders that are driven by dysfunctions of the “neuroimmune axis” — that is, the interaction between the nervous, immune and endocrine systems. Many gastrointestinal, neurological and immunological disorders fall under this umbrella.

Hatzenpichler said one of the biggest issues in studying the human gut microbiome is the time between retrieving samples and taking them to a lab for analysis. The more time elapses, the more microorganisms in a sample will either die or change from how they lived in the gut, thus affecting the accuracy of how the sample represents the host.

To bridge that gap, Hatzenpichler found a solution to the problem through a unique partnership with Metrodora Institute. The institute has an anaerobic microbiology lab and biobank directly connected to the surgery suites where the endoscopy samples will be taken, significantly reducing the time from sample collection to sample processing. Researchers from Hatzenpichler’s lab will visit the institute in regular intervals to process the samples in real time, then bring them back to his lab at MSU for further analysis with the tools he is creating.

“You can never replicate the human gut, but this is as close as you can get as possible because we are on the same floor as where the sample is taken,” Hatzenpichler said.

The tools that Hatzenpichler and his lab will work on with the MIRA funding revolve around imaging. Hatzenpichler is developing new microscopy approaches to study microbes at a single-cell level to understand where they are located, such as the mucosal surface or deeper within the layers of the gut; how they interact metabolically or physically with each other or human cells; and what kinds of genes and proteins are expressed and at what level of activity they function. To achieve this, his team will build on recently developed workflows that combine light, electron, fluorescence and Raman microscopy approaches into a single workflow. Their ultimate goal is to visualize different microbial species directly in endoscopy samples taken from the entire length of the human gut and visualize which cells take up certain foods.

“Roland is one of the top microbiologists in the world and leading expert in microbial physiology, which is why we are so excited to work with him,” said James Hemp, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of the Metrodora Institute. “The impact of the tools that the Hatzenpichler lab is developing will be massive for the human microbiome field. The discoveries facilitated by these single cell ecophysiology techniques will lead to a deeper understanding of host-microbe interactions, as well as the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics for neuroimmune axis disorders.”

Currently, most human gut research uses “omics,” or bulk, techniques – DNA, RNA and protein sequencing techniques that look at what kinds of genes are present in populations of microbes in either fecal or gut samples. These techniques show what genes are present in the community, and which genes and proteins are expressed at a given time.

While this is a powerful technique and currently the forefront of human gut research, Hatzenpichler said the problem with omics techniques is that one sample is not completely representative of the whole and that these samples take averages of millions of cells at a time.
“Samples processed for these approaches typically contain billions of cells,” he said. “The assumption is that the genes and protein that are expressed in that bulk sample represent what the average cell is doing.”

Hatzenpichler added this is not the case, and the only way to solve this is to work on a level where you can distinguish individual cells from each other. So rather than taking an average of 100,000 to 1 billion cells, you measure each cell separately.

“The solution to the problem, even though it’s technically complicated but conceptually simple, is to preserve the architecture of where and how the cells typically work,” Hatzenpichler said. “If you bring in imaging techniques that allow you to preserve the sample as close as possible to natural conditions, the images you are taking will allow individual cells to be distinguished.”

Hatzenpichler’s MIRA grant is the fifth for MSU. According to Alison Harmon, vice president for research and economic development at MSU, receiving these prestigious grants is testament to the pioneering, cutting-edge research occurring on campus.

“I congratulate Roland on this achievement and on developing the critical partnerships that will make this very relevant research fruitful. Better understanding the gut biome is work that has the potential to benefit every one of us,” Harmon said.

INDIANAPOLIS – After serving for nearly 26 years as president and CEO of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, John Vanausdall will retire June 30, 2023, he announced today.

Vanausdall, 66, has led the Eiteljorg Museum through unprecedented growth in its collections, exhibitions and public programming, enabled by expansion and renovation of the museum building and growth of the operating endowment. During his tenure, the Eiteljorg developed a national reputation for excellence in its Native American art and art of the American West, with a special emphasis on contemporary expressions of both. The museum has forged deep working relationships with artists, scholars, and Native American leaders and culture bearers. And, the museum has nurtured the support of donors in the greater Indianapolis community and across the nation.

“I am tremendously proud of all the staff, board and community have accomplished together to help the Eiteljorg maximize its impact locally, regionally and nationally,” Vanausdall said. “Now, as the Eiteljorg completes the work of its most recent five-year strategic plan and the Project 2021 capital and endowment campaign, the museum is poised to develop its next vision and strategic plan. The timing is perfect for new leadership to take the helm and navigate the museum into the 2030s.”

The Eiteljorg Board of Directors and Vanausdall long have planned for this change, and an executive search committee of board members is leading the process. The committee first conducted a national search for the best firm to partner with the museum to identify potential candidates to lead the Eiteljorg. With support of the board, the committee selected Bridge Partners, LLC, a minority- and woman-owned business that specializes in the arts and cultural space and has a track record of identifying top potential leaders, including diverse candidates. Bridge Partners and the search committee have mapped out a timeline in which Vanausdall’s successor will be announced in the first quarter of 2023 and in place at the museum by the time he steps down, just over 10 months from now.

“There are not enough superlatives for this board, or all the members of 26 years of Eiteljorg boards, to fully express our gratitude to John Vanausdall for what he has done for the museum,” Eiteljorg Board Chair Pat Anker said. “Although he has always been reluctant to acknowledge his contributions to the museum’s successes, John has been the significant driver. He has clearly been a stellar leader, but John is also an extraordinary person and friend. He has built a great past and present for our beloved museum. Our challenge will be to find someone who can help us build an equally great future.”

Vanausdall said he is most proud of the Eiteljorg Museum’s role as a cultural center in the Indianapolis community – a leader in cultural diversity, understanding and inclusivity.
 
“I am grateful for the support of the Eiteljorg’s Board of Directors, our many members and supporters, and especially for the museum’s loyal and hard-working staff and volunteers, who make all of it possible,” Vanausdall said. “Best of all are the friendships I have made throughout the greater Indianapolis community and larger art world, especially among our Native American and Western artist friends.”

Among the highlights of Vanausdall’s leadership are several milestones at the institution:
• The recent completion of the $55 million Project 2021 capital/endowment campaign, which involved raising $40 million in cash and pledges for the museum’s endowment; reimagining and reconstructing the Native American and Western art galleries; renovating the children’s discovery area, the Nina Mason Pulliam Education Center; and expanding the multipurpose facility, the Allen Whitehill Clowes Sculpture Court.

• An earlier project, the completion of the museum’s $20 million Mel and Joan Perelman Wing in 2005, that doubled the Eiteljorg’s public space.

• Major growth in the museum’s collections of Native American, Western and contemporary art through important acquisitions – including donations and bequests from art collectors around the nation – that built upon the original collection of museum founder Harrison Eiteljorg.

• Expansion of the museum’s culturally significant initiatives that attract new or diverse audiences and groups, including the biennial Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship and several annual events: the Indian Market and Festival, the Juneteenth and Día de Muertos community celebrations, the Quest for the West® Art Show and Sale, and the holiday model train display, Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure, among others.

• Developing and maintaining the museum’s financial support base through private philanthropy, donor relations and corporate sponsorships, which allowed the Eiteljorg to meet its obligations during the pandemic-shortened year of 2020 and quickly bounce back
.
• Achieving national honors and recognition for the Eiteljorg through multiple awards in the field and attaining accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.

• Emphasizing a commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion, through among other things implementing the museum’s new DEAI plan as part of its next five-year strategic plan.  

Vanausdall joined the Eiteljorg in October 1996 after 18 years in both the creative and management areas of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. He earned a BS in education in 1978 and an MBA in 1996, both from Indiana University. In 1989, he attended the Museum Management Institute in Berkeley, California, a program of The American Federation of the Arts and The Getty Trust.

His longevity as museum president and CEO – which will be nearly 27 years when he retires – is unusual in the museum world. Now that the museum’s new Native American Galleries are open, fundraising goals for Project 2021 have been reached and a new five-year strategic plan is in development, Vanausdall said it’s an opportune time for him to retire and for the museum to bring on a new leader.

Vanausdall will remain on the job as Eiteljorg president and CEO through next June and will assist in the transition to a successor selected by the Board of Directors through the search process with Bridge Partners, LLC.

“For my part, I am looking forward to spending time in retirement with family and friends, traveling and finding new ways to be of service to others,” Vanausdall said. “I am tremendously excited for the future of the Eiteljorg Museum and the opportunities awaiting it.”

About the Eiteljorg

A cultural pillar for 33 years in downtown Indianapolis’ scenic White River State Park, the Eiteljorg Museum seeks to inspire an appreciation and understanding of the arts, histories and cultures of the Native peoples of North America and of the American West by telling amazing stories. Located on the Central Canal at 500 West Washington St., the Eiteljorg is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. It was named one of the USA Today Readers’ Choice 10 Best Indiana Attractions.

WISDOM – A full fishing closure will go into effect on a section of the upper Big Hole River due to low flows. 

The closure begins at the river’s confluence with the North Fork of the Big Hole River upstream to Saginaw Bridge. This section will be closed to fishing starting at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11. The closure will remain in place until lifted by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in consultation with the Big Hole Watershed Committee, or until Oct. 31. The fishing closure replaces a hoot owl fishing restriction that has been in place here since July 29.  

Flows at a U.S. Geological Survey gauge near Wisdom fell below 20 cubic feet per second on Aug. 8, meeting criteria for the full fishing closure outlined in the Big Hole River Watershed Committee Drought Management Plan. 

Fishing restrictions, such as hoot owl restrictions and full closures, are designed to protect fish that become more susceptible to disease and mortality when conditions, such as low flows and high water temperatures, combine with other stressors, including catch-and-release fishing. Restrictions are still in place for other waterbodies. Anglers can find a statewide list of current restrictions at fwp.mt.gov/news/current-closures-restrictions.  

All stress to fish at this time of year is cumulative, and anglers should consider fishing in cooler waters during times of low flows and high water temperatures in rivers. Anglers can help reduce stress for fish by following these practices when catching and releasing fish where fishing is allowed, though fish mortality may still occur:  

• Fish during the coolest times of day, where permitted. 
• Land the fish quickly.  
• Wet your hands before handling the fish.  
• Keep the fish in water as much as possible.  
• Remove the hook gently. Using artificial lures with single and barbless hooks can make hook removal faster and easier.  
• If the fish is hooked deeply, you may have to cut the line at the fish’s mouth or consider keeping it if regulations allow.  
• Let the fish recover before releasing it.  

BOZEMAN – Is this a lunchroom or a five-star restaurant? Montana’s K-12 students may wonder after such fare as Bison Barley Soup, Purple Pirate Potatoes and Cherry Berry Sunrise starts appearing on their school lunch menus this year. 

Recipes for those and other dishes were recently published by Montana State University’s Montana Team Nutrition program, which oversaw their development and testing in six Montana schools during the 2021-22 school year. The team is part of MSU’s College of Education, Health and Human Development. It trains and supports Montana K-12 schools in promoting food-based education, fostering positive relationships with food and cultivating healthy school environments.  

The project rolled out in early 2021, after the Montana Office of Public Instruction received a $183,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant for the development of recipes featuring Montana beets, cherries, grains, squash, lentils and bison. Two of the grant’s objectives were to develop school-appropriate recipes with local foods and to educate students about them.  

“This project is a great opportunity to share the uniqueness of Montana agriculture with our students and the rest of the country,” said Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. “The partnership between my office and MSU’s Montana Team Nutrition continues to focus on student learning while providing locally sourced nutritious meals. I applaud all who were involved in testing and refining these recipes.” 

Molly Stenberg, co-director of Montana Team Nutrition, said the team received 30 recipe suggestions, mostly from school food service programs around the state. Six were selected for testing in Montana school districts based on creativity, inclusion of the featured local ingredients, suitability for school nutrition programs and other factors. 

But the toughest stamp of approval was yet to come: To advance as finalists, recipes needed to be approved by at least 85% of the kids who tried them. Six that made that cut then were handed to Leah Smutko, chef at Fork & Spoon in Bozeman, who, last summer, test-prepared and served each dish three times to Fork and Spoon patrons ranging in age from 1 to 75. Smutko verified that the recipes were accurate, streamlined for commercial kitchen production and ready to be given to school districts to prepare for student meals. 

Montana Team Nutrition marketed the project to districts that “do a good job of from-scratch cooking and already participate in the Montana Harvest of the Month program,” which showcases a different Montana food each month in K-12 schools and afterschool programs, early care and education programs, health care institutions, businesses and organizations, Stenberg said. 

“They know how to do taste-testing with students and incorporate nutrition education in the cafeteria and the classroom,” she said. “The goal is to make kids aware of all the good foods that are grown locally. Then they learn about them in the classroom and taste them in the cafeteria.” 

Students in the six districts that tested the recipes – Belfry, Belgrade, Gardiner, Monforton, Philipsburg and Somers Lakeside – “increased their knowledge about and acceptance of the featured Montana foods,” Stenberg said. After participating in the activities, students selected correct answers to questions about the foods 86% of the time compared to just 60% of the time prior to the activities. 

Before testing a recipe, participating school districts were given a purchasing list so they could acquire ingredients from Montana farmers, meeting the grant’s intention of promoting local food procurement by schools, Stenberg said. 

Others assisting in the effort included MSU Extension, which helped promote the recipe contest, and Timeless Seeds in Ulm, which donated the lentils to Fork & Spoon. In addition, the Montana School Nutrition Association, Sprout Oral Health and the Northern Pulse Growers Association contributed $500 cash prizes for the schools that won the recipe contest. 

The completed recipes will be shared nationally through the Institute of Child Nutrition and statewide through the Montana School Nutrition Association, OPI and Montana Harvest of the Month. 

More information and recipe downloads are available on the Montana Team Nutrition website at montana.edu/teamnutrition. 

Bozeman, Mont. – August 10, 2022 – Harmful algae blooms (HAB) are present on Hebgen Reservoir in the northeast portion, in the Grayling Arm area, of the reservoir. Routine monitoring and field testing in the Rainbow Point area of Hebgen Reservoir has detected the presence of an algal toxin, anatoxin-a, that poses a risk to people, pets, and livestock.

Ingestion or prolonged contact with the algal bloom may result in illness, with signs such as muscle twitching, staggering, convulsions, paralysis and death. Importantly, children and pets are more likely to ingest HAB infested waters because they spend most of their time wading in the shallow waters where algae can accumulate, and they have less control over how much water they ingest.

Animals and livestock that drink large amounts of contaminated water, and pets that collect scum on their fur and then ingest it by licking, are at high risk of toxin exposure. Toxin exposure can occur in humans from recreational activities where water might be ingested such as swimming, wind surfing, jet skiing, and water skiing.

Health experts recommend people not swim or take part in activities likely to result in exposure to the toxin in areas where the algal bloom is present. Additionally, pets and livestock should be prevented from entering the water in that area.

Harmful algae blooms (HAB) are present on Hebgen Reservoir in the Rainbow Point boat dock area, of the reservoir.

HABs are caused by blue-green algae that are native to Montana’s freshwater lakes and reservoirs.

Not all varieties of blue-green algae are harmful, but some can produce dangerous toxins. Blue-green algal blooms often look like pea soup, grass clippings or green latex paint. The algae are usually suspended in the water or appear as floating mats.Blue-green algal blooms often look like pea soup, grass clippings or green latex paint. The algae are usually suspended in the water or appear as floating mats.

Advisory signs are at public access points in the Rainbow Point area warning the public that toxic algae has been identified in the water in these areas. At this time there are no other identified blooms affecting other areas of the reservoir.

NorthWestern Energy is monitoring the blooms and will provide updates if additional restrictions are implemented for public safety.

Suspect a HAB? When in doubt, stay out. Do not drink, swallow, or swim in water that shows signs of a HAB and be sure to keep kids, pets, and livestock out too. If you suspect a HAB-related illness in a person or animal call Poison Control 1-800-222-1222 and seek medical attention.

Report a suspected HAB at www.hab.mt.gov or call 1-888-849-2938. You may also report a suspected HAB by calling the Gallatin City-County Health Department Environmental Health at 406-582-3120.

Follow NWE on Facebook or on Twitter (@NWEinfo) and the Gallatin City-County Health Department (@GallatinHealth)

While studying by yourself is possible, it can be slow and difficult. This is why teachers exist, to help make complex topics simpler to understand. However, to make the most out of lectures, you must take notes. It can be difficult for a student that isn’t used to this. Hence, in this article, we’ll be going over 5 easy steps you can apply to take notes in college efficiently.

You would need to take notes to make the most of your time in class. Below are 5 steps you can apply to improve your effectiveness:

Most students don’t like sitting in front because it often puts them within the question-asking range of the teacher. However, to take any notes, you would need to be able to hear what the lecturer is saying. So, ensure early enough for the class to get a good seat. Of course, to make it to class early, you need to sleep early. So, make sure to have a strict sleeping schedule, and if your essay assignments are getting in the way of this, you can always search online for the best essay writing website. You shouldn’t feel shy or uncomfortable sitting in front, especially if you are looking for the best way to take notes.

One thing that’s constant no matter where you sit in class is that you won’t get any note-taking done if you aren't paying attention. It can be easy to lose concentration, especially if your phone is in one hand. So when taking notes, make sure to put aside any electronics that might end up distracting you. Aside from electronics, also avoid classmates that talk a lot during classes. Even if they are your friend, while in class, you need to be able to focus on taking notes correctly.

Before entering any class, you must have all your writing materials ready and available. It’s common for a pen to run dry, so have at least one on standby. For instance, you don’t want to have a bad pen when you’re jotting down instructions for a research paper you’re working on. It would only make it harder for you when you search for “reliable and affordable writers to help write my research paper online.” This way, if your pen stops working, you won’t need to stop writing for long. It will also make it easier to catch up when you borrow someone’s notes.

When writing, try and avoid jotting down everything; instead, go for short summaries that capture the main idea. Attempting to write down everything word for word would not only make it difficult for you to finish, but it will also leave your hand feeling sore afterward. Instead, use abbreviations wherever possible to save space and keep your writing longer.

After writing for a while, you might find yourself coming up with abbreviations as you write along. While these abbreviations might have made sense at the time of writing, you might find it difficult to remember what they mean if you don’t read your notes. This is why it’s essential that you take time to review your notes shortly after writing them. This will allow you to spot any mistakes you might have made and make it easier to understand when you revisit your notes later.

In Conclusion

Note-taking is the first step toward getting good grades. It’s not an easy task, but by following the steps in this article, you should find it easier to accomplish in no time. Hopefully, this article has proved helpful, and you have learned something about taking notes effectively.

Author’s Bio

Eric Wyatt is a freelance writer that has worked with several students. From his interactions with students, he has learned a bit more about modern-day students' challenges. Eric aims to use his article to provide helpful information to students that need it.

The City of Bozeman is seeking proposals from artists to paint artistic designs within “bulbouts” at the intersections of Mendenhall/Black and Babcock/Black in downtown Bozeman. The purpose of the rainbow intersection art is to create a more vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming experience for all folks in the Bozeman community. The city intends to enter into a contract with the selected firm that will include conceptual designs for review, a written implementation plan for coordinating the painting of the designs on the asphalt, a materials list, and coordination of the painting effort on the day of installation over the course of a day during the first week of September. CLICK HERE to submit your proposal.