January 2025

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Welcome to Brainstorms!, the monthly e-newsletter of the MSU Science Math Resource Center. We share cool opportunities for Montana STEM educators of all grade levels, subjects and settings, including upcoming professional development workshops through MSU and our partners; grant applications and STEM resources; STEM events and contests for students; and more. 


Please forward to a colleague and encourage them to subscribe – including your school administrators and school counselors, too! For questions or ideas, contact the MSU Science Math Resource Center.

Educator opportunities

Apply to host a fully funded camp for high school students in Summer 2025

Five rural educators will be chosen to host a Geospatial Skills Camp. Apply by Jan. 29 

 

The MSU Science Math Resource Center has been funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to create Exploring Our Place: Geospatial Skills Camps for Rural Montana Youth. SMRC is accepting applications from organizations that wish to host a week-long camp in a rural Montana community in June 2025. The camp is designed for rising 9th and 10th graders who have been under-served in STEM. All camp supplies and curricula are provided; the host organization also receives educator training and stipend, and funds for room rental, transportation, lunches and snacks, and STEM supplies for students. No prior experience or knowledge is required. 

  

Applications are due Jan. 29, 2025. 

Learn more and apply at montana.edu/smrc/geo-skills.html 

For more information, contact us at geoskills@montana.edu. 

Read about last year's camps in this MSU News article.

Girls in science goggles

Last chance to form a team!

Science Olympiad is March 4 at MSU; registration deadline is Jan. 31

The Montana Science Olympiad State Tournament is at MSU-Bozeman on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, and registration is now open through Jan. 31. In this team-based competition, middle and high school students from across Montana compete in 30 STEM events including Anatomy & Physiology, Fossils, Optics, Wind Power, Tower building, Codebusters, and more. The event also includes a free STEM night at the Museum of the Rockies, as well as opportunities to explore MSU’s labs and classrooms while meeting students and faculty in various STEM fields.

Visit our Get Started in Science Olympiad Web page

or sign up for our Coach's Corner newsletter


For more info, email mtscioly@montana.edu or visit Montana Science Olympiad

2025 is the National Year of Quantum


Join in the celebration of the importance of Quantum Science and its applications -

some of which are happening right here in Montana.

  • World Quantum Day (free Quantum classroom kits available) April 14
  • GC360 Gallatin College Quantum careers event (virtual/in person) April 2025
  • International Day of Light May 16
  • Quantum Student Summer Camp and Teacher Immersion Experience June 17 - 21


Visit our website for more information about International Year of Quantum events. Watch for other Quantum-related activities and opportunities throughout 2025.

Visit the Website or sign up for the educators' newsletter

Check out these special funding opportunities for two-year community and tribal colleges [Please share]

~ Hands-on photonics / optics / quantum for faculty and students <

~ Quantum career resources for faculty, administrators or counselors <

~ Faculty support for teaching an introduction to optics course <


Apply now -- these programs may include stipends, travel support, free classroom resources, training, etc.

Opportunities for youth

American Mathematics Competition for 6-8th graders will be held Jan. 23 at MSU


The AMC, organized by the Mathematics Association of America (MAA), are a series of tests aimed at middle and high school students in grades 6-12. These tests focus on developing students' problem-solving skills and content knowledge. The Science Math Resource Center hosts these competitions at MSU at no charge to participants. The AMC 10 and 12, directed toward high school students, were held by the SMRC in November. Top scores go to Gallatin High School sophomore, Matthew Watson, who scored first in both the AMC 10 and 12 exams. Second place on the AMC 12 exam was awarded to Madeline Welsh, a senior at Bozeman High School. Second place on the AMC 10 exam was awarded to Eli Gage, a sophomore at Laurel High School. The AMC 8 offers a similar challenge for middle schoolers and will be held this January on the MSU campus.


AMC 8: Jan. 23, 2025 - 4:00 pm

[Registration deadline Jan. 17]


Teachers who are interested in bringing a group of students should contact Jill Joyce at smrc@montana.edu. To get updates on AMC and other upcoming math events, sign up for the Montana Math Circle Newsletter

Register Here

High school students: You can do a summer internship with NASA!

The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science summer intern program is a nationally competitive STEM experience for high school students. Interns will learn how to interpret NASA satellite data while working with scientists and engineers in their chosen area of work, including astronomy, remote sensing, and space geodetic techniques to help understand Earth systems, natural hazards and climate science. SEES is open to 10th and 11th graders and the application deadline is Feb. 22, 2025.  


This summer interns will complete distance learning modules prior to July 1 and work remotely June – July 5, guided by project mentors. The on-site internship will be July 6 – July 19, 2025. Housing, meals, and local transportation will be provided for those selected. All project teams will present their research during the Virtual SEES Science Symposium July 21-22, 2025. 


If a student from Montana is selected to participate in the SEES program, Montana Space Grant Consortium can provide travel support to Texas for the on-site portion of the internship.


Apply for the SEES High School Summer Intern Program


Please contact msgc@montana.edu with any questions or award information. 

Invent Montana: Shark Tank Meets Science Fair

Invent Montana brings innovation curriculum to K-12 inventors and entrepreneurs throughout the state of Montana. Students are asked to identify a unique problem in their world, build a solution to that problem, chronicle their journey to a successful solution, and present their invention to their peers and judges. Top Montana students advance to a multi-state virtual competition, whose winners then advance to RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals 2025, an in-person event where students from all over the country gather to showcase their inventions.



Montana signups are Jan 1-16, 2025. Parents and teachers get access to free curriculum. Optional free virtual training available to support parents and teachers. Visit inventmontana.org or email hello@inventmontana.org

News from the MSU Department of Education

MSU to add special education teaching certificate

To help address the state’s need for special education teachers, MSU will soon begin offering a special education teaching certificate after receiving approval from the Montana Board of Regents. The certificate is for undergraduate students majoring in education who wish to develop teaching skills that will help them better support all students, including those with disabilities, according to Sarah Pennington, an associate professor in MSU’s Department of Education who helped develop the certificate. Read the MSU news article here.

Congratulations, Education grads!

Congrats to all the Department of Education fall graduates. The College of Education, Health and Human Development graduate 39 graduate students and 70 undergraduates at its commencement ceremony on Dec. 13, 2024. From the Department of Education, we had 2 PhD students in Education; 3 students with Education Specialist degrees;16 students with Master of Arts in Teaching degrees; 13 students with Master of Education degrees in Adult & Higher Education (1), Curriculum & Instruction (8), and Educational Leadership (4); two students with Bachelor of Science degrees in Early Childhood Education P3, 16 with Elementary Education K-8 , and 6 with Secondary Education. 

MSU helps support the rural teacher shortage with a free program for high school students: Bridge to College

The goal of our program is to help address the rural teacher shortage by identifying young people from rural communities who may be interested in becoming teachers, provide them with resources and training to help them navigate the transition to college as well as creating a community of peers. 


Students who take part in the program have access to college navigation resources or topics such as writing an effective scholarship application, how to budget personal finances during college and how to create a sense of belonging at college. 


There are two components to our program:

  1. The Future Rural Educators' Club - an online community with synchronous meetings that emphasizes teacher and leadership skill development and
  2. The Future Rural Educators' Summer Camp where rising juniors and seniors attend an on-campus camp for one week in the summer to gain teaching experience, connect with post-secondary services and take part in leadership activities. 


Our program is open to any high school student in the state who wants to be a teacher, and commitment to MSU is not a requirement. Contact Marcie Reuer at marcie.reuer@montana.edu

Upcoming events

Join us for the Montana STEM Summit April 3, 2025 in Helena

And, check out the Montana STEM Ecosystem!

The biennial Montana STEM Summit will be hosted April 3, 2025 in Helena. This free event brings together STEM educators and advocates from across the state. Registration is now open! Learn more and plan to attend.


The Science Math Resource Center and many other organizations are supporting the new Montana STEM Ecosystem to gain a network of support for STEM in Montana. You can join for free, too!

The STEM Summer Institute is July 28-30, 2025 at MSU-Bozeman

Join us for Montana's premiere STEM conference for educators!

  • Inspiring keynotes
  • Networking and social events
  • Exhibitor booths
  • Lots of hands-on workshops by teachers, for teachers
  • MSU Housing available at reduced rate


Registration and presenter applications will open soon. Learn more about STEM Summer Institute.

Culturally relevant resources

STEM trunks serve Cut Bank School District

Thanks to teacher Bess Hjartarson of Cut Bank for sharing this with us: As part of her Climate & Equity Fellowship, Bess created several STEM trunks that teachers throughout their district can check out and use in their classrooms.  They vary in STEM topics and include a lesson binder with NGSS aligned lessons for grades K-12, as well as hands on materials and manipulatives that teachers can use in their classrooms with their students. 


While most are actual trunks (plastic totes), some are not; for example the Snowshoeing “Trunk” includes a lesson binder and access to the CBHS Class Set of snowshoes (41 pairs). Visit this website and scroll down to see photos and descriptions.


Bess reports that applications for the group’s Summer Institute 2025 are now open, too. Visit the website for more information.


Fostering Indigenous Interest in Robotics and Engineering - free resources!

The American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) has opened applications for its newest program for elementary, middle, and high schools. FIIRE is a groundbreaking program by AISES designed to empower educators and students to explore coding and robotics through the lens of renewable energy and sustainability.


Using innovative tools like micro:bit and Climate Action kits, FIIRE integrates hands-on activities and culturally relevant lessons to spark creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This program supports teachers with resources, training, and stipends to bring coding and computer science concepts to life in their classrooms, fostering a new generation of Indigenous innovators. Apply now to be part of this exciting initiative and lead your students toward a sustainable future! Apply here.

Partner Opportunities

Montana World Affairs Council International Careers Week Feb. 3-6, 2025

This virtual event covers a range of career opportunities as distinguished guest speakers will discuss with students how they got into their career path, what their career daily life entails, and more. Students will have plenty of time to ask any questions. Programs will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube. All grade levels are encouraged to participate and are free to join!


Speakers come from:

National Geographic

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Center for Large Landscapes

and many others


and cover topics like

AI • Marine Biology • Agriculture • Journalism • Public Service and more.


Register your classroom for free here

Grants and PD from the Montana Environmental Education Association

Glacier National Park and MEEA are partnered together to provide students from across Montana the opportunity to engage with their public lands. The Open Outdoors for Kids Grants are administered by Glacier National Park Service, with MEEA as the non-profit partner, providing assistance with determining awards and managing funds provided by the National Park Foundation. Grant applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis and continued to be awarded as long as funds are available. Field trips must take place by June 1, 2025. Learn more.

 

Save the Date for the 2025 Montana Environmental Educators Association Conference. The MEAA conference takes place at Carrol College in Helena March 7-9. , Registration opens soon. If you would like to apply to be one of the presenters at our March conference, please fill out this form. Most sessions will take place on Saturday March 8, 2025.

Earn free weeklong training in STEM and space science

Montana Space Grant Consortium is sponsoring two Montana 5-12 classroom teachers to attend the University of Texas at Austin, Center for Space Research's LiftOff Summer Institute in 2025. Sponsorship includes airfare to Houston, Texas and a registration fee of $1,250 (which includes lodging, meals and tours).  


The LiftOff Summer Institute is a weeklong professional development training for teachers that emphasizes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning through a space science theme supported by NASA missions.  


Please visit MSGC's website for more information and application materials

Train at CDC Headquarters in Atlanta this summer. Learn ways to teach public health as part of your curriculum. The CDC Science Ambassador Fellowship (SAF) is a one-year distance-learning fellowship for STEM teachers and educational leaders interested in bringing public health sciences into middle- and high-school classrooms. The Fellowship includes a 5-day in-person summer course at CDC Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Eligible travel, meals, and lodging expenses for the summer course are covered by CDC.   2025 SAF Summer Course Dates are July 14–18, 2025. Applications are open now through January 15, 2025. U.S. citizens are eligible to apply.

Meet the Science Math Resource Center team

Rebecca (Becca) Vosen is a freshman at Montana State University with a major in Environmental Design from the School of Architecture. After her undergraduate degree, she intends to earn her M.S. in Architecture and practice architecture at a firm in future years. 


Becca is from Kalispell, Montana and a second-generation Bobcat. She enjoys being outdoors whether that is a round of golf, a hike, fishing, skiing, or simply traveling to admire the landscape and artsy things. She enjoys creating all types of art.


As the SMRC Office Assistant, Becca provides administrative support to all the STEM programs and helps keep the offices, email inboxes, and drives tidy and functional!

Do you know a Montana STEM teacher interested in cool opportunities? Please share this newsletter so they can follow along for next year. Or, they can subscribe at bit.ly/smrc-news

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