Recently, the Montana State Board of Regents approved two degrees for Montana Technological University: a Ph.D. in Earth Science and Engineering, and a Master’s Degree in Ecological Restoration. These new programs build on and operationalize Montana Tech’s “special focus” in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (“STEM”) and health. They also reaffirm our firm commitment to applied research.
Research has been part of Montana Tech’s mission since we opened 120 years ago. The Enabling Act of 1889 established the Montana State School of Mines to both educate skilled professionals in the needed fields and to solve problems and advance technologies to improve the Treasure State’s ability to benefit economically from its mineral resources. As a nation, the United States has invested heavily in scientific and engineering research since World War II, especially on college and university campuses, where the efforts not only produce discoveries, but expand the frontiers of human knowledge and enrich the local economy, the state, and society as a whole.
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While some may question the value of research for college students, it doesn’t take long to realize the impact of having a research-intensive experience: teaching and research are complementary. Research helps students develop critical thinking skills, discover new knowledge—for themselves and often for humankind, and work shoulder-to-shoulder and mind-to-mind with faculty mentors. Research-active faculty bring the excitement of today’s knowledge frontiers into their teaching. There are obvious synergies between teaching, learning, and advancing knowledge. Engaging students at all levels in research is a research-proven “High Impact Practice.” We don’t reserve research opportunities to graduate students and faculty. Undergrads can become involved in research as freshmen through our Research Assistantship Mentoring Program (RAMP). This spring, six teams, including 19 freshmen and sophomores, are researching such projects as Butte mine tailings, treatment of contaminated water, biocellulose, and intergenerational socialization.
Twenty-two Tech students will present their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research later this month in Bozeman. And Mechanical Engineering junior, Grace Ostermiller from Billings, was selected as one of only 60 college students nationwide to present her research to legislators in Washington D.C. in April.
Research opens doors for faculty when they receive grants, publish their results, become recognized experts in their field, and enhance their teaching.
Emphasis on applied research enables Montana Tech to validate our “special focus” designation. Our research portfolio has excellent value for Butte and the state. For example, in 2014, Montana Tech received approval to offer a Ph.D. in Materials Science, leading to tremendous benefits, including more than $17 million in funding for advanced materials and manufacturing research from the Army Research Lab and other sponsors, a blossoming of undergraduate research, growth in intellectual property disclosures, and spin-off businesses in their early stages of development. For every graduate student working on a research project, typically, one to three undergraduates are engaged and able to experience the thrill of discovery.
Research results are not always positive. Provided the work was done and reported honestly, objectively, and carefully, they are still valuable. Late last year, a study of meconium samples caused understandable alarm, because it reported much higher metal levels in the Butte babies’ meconium than it reported for some babies in South Carolina. We are proud that Dr. Katie Hailer, department head of Chemistry, was honest and transparent about her methods and data, which were confirmed by the EPA and other authorities. She met our expectations for taking great care in her sampling and analysis to avoid making mistakes.
Studies like this one provide valuable insights into potential health concerns for our community, and they help identify new research priorities and community strategies. In this case, the city has taken an excellent step to establish a new committee, the Butte-Silver Bow Health Study Advisory Committee. Community-centered research is incredibly valuable and can be beneficial in many ways, including how communities improve the quality of life for their citizens.
Montana Tech is at an exciting point in our history. For over a century, Montana Tech research has shaped and advanced Montana’s natural resource economy and its environmental sustainability. The next half-century will see many new challenges for the state and local community that will require Tech to continue to provide skilled and competent, and highly ethical professionals and timely, actionable research. Our “special focus” as a STEM-focused institution with undergraduate and advanced degree programs and a portfolio of high-quality applied research, not only expands opportunities for students and faculty, but it strengthens the local economy, the state of Montana, and society.