MNews - Spring 2022 by Montana Tech

MNews Spring 2022

CONTENTS CREDITS

FEATURES

Chancellor Les P. Cook Publisher Amanda Badovinac

Nursing at Montana Tech / 33 In retrospect, the past 33 years haven’t felt like work to Karen VanDaveer.

Never Stop Improving: Discussing Montana Tech’s Bold New Strategic Plan / 11

Writers Amanda Badovinac Susan Barth Sherman Cahill Les Cook Jodie DeLay Clayton Moody Sean Ryan Editorial Board Amanda Badovinac Stephanie Cook Jodie DeLay Lisa Sullivan

Montana Technological University’s new strategic plan is a broad set of initiatives aimed at achieving the University’s vision to “be the institution of opportunity and innovation.”

Graphic Designer Brooke Benson Lisa Sullivan Photographers Jodie DeLay Lou Mason Brian Powers Lisa Wareham

Butte’s Historic Pathways / 38 Located at the fulcrum of trails and recreation in the uptown area, Montana Tech provides diverse opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts and busy students alike, without even having to get in a vehicle.

Opportunity and Innovation: The Montana Tech Nanotechnology Lab / 20 When Dr. Jack Skinner came to Montana Tech in 2012, there was no nanotechnology lab—but he was determined to build one.

MNews Spring 2022

Big Aspirations / 25 Baylie Phillips is a junior at Montana Tech, majoring in Metallurgical and Materials Science, but that’s only one line on her résumé.

SHORTS

Digging In / 6

Meet the Artist / 44

Catch up on the happenings at Montana Tech.

Artist Peg Amtzis brings a new, unique perspective to her audiences through acrylics. Her paintings capture the intricate features of buildings and landmarks with her distinctive, folk-art flair.

MNews is published twice a year by Montana Technological University.

ON THE COVER The cover features a piece of art titled Embracing the Past, Shaping the Future, created for Montana Tech by local Butte artist Peg Amtzis.

MNews Spring 2022

Greetings from the Chancellor When times get tough, and they have been, some organizations become stagnant or even falter. But not Montana Tech. We’re Butte tough, and although it has been a challenging couple of years, we have found a new level of strength in our community. I am deeply proud of us—for our flexibility, resilience, and continued focus on our mission.

Our focus is manifested through strategic and intentional efforts in support of student success, programs of distinction, and a healthy and vibrant campus ecosystem. These are the pillars of our new strategic plan and the foundation to a deliberately distinct future. In this edition, you’ll meet Baylie Phillips, a junior majoring in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering who epitomizes our mission. Last summer she completed an elite internship at the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Materials Research Laboratory, an opportunity afforded only a dozen students from around the country. As the chair of the ASMT community relations committee, she also spearheaded the development of Food Wars, which resulted in over 6,000 pounds of food being shared across town. These two accomplishments alone celebrate her desire to benefit humanity while meeting the changing needs of society! Another way Montana Tech distinguishes itself is via programs of distinction made possible through industry partnerships. In “Never Stop Improving,” you’ll read about cutting-edge opportunities in our Electrical Engineering program that are made possible by relationships with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and

MNews Spring 2022

NorthWestern Energy. I think you’ll be delighted to read how Highlands College is working one on one with industry partners to create high paying, high-demand opportunities, including through Black Butte Copper. These connections not only enhance the quality of education while at Tech, but also increase the opportunities available to students upon their graduation. You’ll meet Jack Skinner, a Montana Tech graduate and Professor and Department Head of Mechanical Engineering, who is focused on opportunity and innovation on our campus. Dr. Skinner is the brains behind the Montana Tech Nanotechnology Laboratory (MTNL), a cutting-edge clean room and nanotechnology lab in the new Natural Resources Research Center. You’ll also read about the extensive trail system that is easily accessed directly from campus, as well as various parks and trailheads within a 20-mile radius. These provide connections to the unique heritage of this region, as well as improved mental health, new friendships with the similarly adventure-minded, and incredible learning opportunities within a short reach of campus. Distinct educational offerings directly related to our setting include the restoration program and the Clark Fork Watershed Education program. There truly is no other place quite like Butte,

America, and at Montana Tech we take advantage of the natural ecosystem to create a vibrant and healthy community. It’s easy to see through these stories and many others how our strategic plan goals intertwine to define Montana Tech’s deliberately distinct mission and character. We are determined Diggers, through and through. This edition’s cover paints a portrait of Montana Tech’s past and sets the tone for the future. It’s a unique and artistic piece that captures the strength and resilience of our campus as we focus on the bedrock and legacy of Montana Tech with an eye toward the opportunities of the future. It’s been an exciting semester at Montana Tech, and I want to take a moment to celebrate our unprecedented athletic success as well! This spring our men’s basketball team captured the season Frontier Conference championship for the first time since 1993, and the tournament championship for the first time since 1999. They went on to win a game in the national championship. Becca Richtman became the NAIA National Champion in the mile and 3000M events, and earned second place in the 5000M, at the Indoor Track and Field National Championship. She took home the MVP and single-handedly earned 28 points to capture 6th place for the Orediggers as a team. Like Baylie, Dr. Skinner, and industry partners, Becca and our basketball team bring distinction to Montana Tech. Thank you for your unfailing support and for believing in us through the ups and downs. We are excited for tomorrow and encourage you to remain engaged and enthusiastic for Montana Tech, our students, and our future. It truly is a great time to be an Oredigger.

Cheers,

Les P. Cook Chancellor Montana Technological University

MNews Spring 2022

DIGGING IN

BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE

FOCUSING ON STUDENT SUCCESS

Montana Tech faculty and students competed in the 2022 Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) region 6/7 annual construction bidding competition. The competition saw 181 teams from 53 universities compete, including 1,086 students, 245 alternates, 180 faculty members, and 136 companies attending. The university’s AGC Club’s Heavy Civil team placed 3rd. The team trained through the fall semester learning various methods to construct heavy civil projects. The team was given the Kiewitsponsored problem of preparing a large container yard in Hawaii. The problem included designing a dewatering system, managing contaminated soils, surcharging weak materials, and developing a complex paving plan.

In January, Montana Tech welcomed Dr. Craig Elliott as its first Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. Elliott oversees the university’s admissions, campus life, career services, counseling, dining, enrollment, financial aid, international, student success, and wellness departments. Elliott, a seasoned leader in higher education, comes to Montana Tech from Samuel Merritt University (SMU) in Oakland, California. At SMU, he served as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students and Assistant Professor for 19 years.

DISTINGUISHED INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIST Congratulations to Lorri Birkenbuel, Associate Professor in the Safety, Health & Industrial Hygiene Department, for being named the 2021 Distinguished Industrial Hygienist by the Pacific Northwest Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (PNS-AIHA) at the Northwest Occupational Health Conference this fall. Birkenbuel, who serves as the Montana Local Educational Officer with the PNS-AIHA, was recognized by her peers for her outstanding contributions to the profession of Industrial Hygiene.

BULLOCK TO OVERSEE RESEARCH CENTER Montana Tech renews its commitment to conduct environmental remediation, restoration, and reuse research at its Center for Environmental Remediation and Assessment. The Center focuses on research and education that develops sustainable and reliable waste management technologies that are scalable and effective, in support of communities, industry, and government. Dr. Robin Bullock, Assistant Professor in the Environmental Engineering department at Montana Tech, has been appointed the Interim Director of the Center for Environmental Remediation and Assessment (CERA) on campus. Under Bullock’s leadership, CERA has been reimagined to broaden its charge to create greater value and impact for industry, government, and communities by collaborating to conduct outcome-oriented environmental research.

FEATURED IN BUSINESS INSIDER REAL-LIFE REALITY The Sherry Lesar School of Nursing at Montana Tech recently held an interactive poverty simulation event for its nursing students. The Community Action Poverty Simulation gave nursing students a glimpse into the structural barriers and some of the personal and emotional repercussions people in poverty face. The objective was to shift the paradigm about poverty away from being seen as a personal failure and toward understanding poverty as structural, a failure of society. Approximately 60 nursing students went through the learning experience.

MNews Spring 2022

This past spring, Business Insider, a financial and business news website, connected with Montana Tech Biological Sciences Professor Dr. Stella Capoccia in the mining city to film episodes for its online series World Wide Waste. The first episode, Meet the Man Who Shoots at Birds All Day to Keep Them Off A Toxic Pit, was posted on November 24, 2021, featuring Mark Mariano, who graduated from Montana Tech’s Ecological Restoration graduate program, and Dr. Capoccia. The second episode, Life Inside America’s Biggest Environmental Cleanup, featured Montana Tech Associate Professor Robert Pal and Ecological Restoration graduate student Morgan Schultz on Earth Day discussing the restoration efforts on the Butte Hill. View the online series World Wide Waste on YouTube.

MNews Spring 2022

MISSION As Montana’s Special Focus Institution, Montana Technological University provides a transformative student experience by developing leaders and advancing science, engineering, and technology, with the purpose of benefiting humanity while meeting the changing needs of society.

MNews Spring 2022

Photo copyright lisawareham.com Historic photo copyright the Butte Archives

MNews Spring 2022

NEVER STOP IMPROVING Discussing Montana Tech’s Bold New Strategic Plan with Some of Its Architects

By Sherman Cahill

WHAT MAKES BUTTE DIFFERENT? It’s a proud town, but there have been other proud towns. Every town thinks the road starts and stops a few feet outside their city limits. But it might be fair to say that Butte’s got more pride than most and comes by it honestly, too, having provided the lion’s share of the copper that wired America for electricity and enabled us to stop sitting around in chilly, candle-lit gloom. Even with that, however, there’s something extraordinary about Butte’s pride. Here’s an illustrative example.

VISION To be the institution of opportunity and innovation.

In the 1980s, as the town’s economic prospects looked worse than they ever had before in the town’s 120-year history, the Butte Chamber of Commerce considered the question of just how to save the city from what might have seemed insurmountable odds. They hit on a plan that, to me, exemplifies Butte’s chutzpah—the kind of sheer temerity, really, that has saved it from becoming another fading industrial town. They printed thousands and thousands of bumper stickers.

But the truth, somehow both more and less romantic at the same time, is that for all its lovely physical attributes, the thing that makes Montana Tech and Butte what they are are their people. Determined people that Do great things. Montana Technological University’s new strategic plan is a broad set of initiatives aimed at achieving the University’s vision to “be the institution of opportunity and innovation,” in support of which the planning team set three goals: to empower student success however possible, to provide programs of distinction, and to maintain a healthy and vibrant campus ecosystem. In every case, they knew, it would take Determined Doers. I found myself wondering whether I was a Determined Doer. I thought probably not, because would a Determined Doer always wait until all his dishes were dirty to wash them? Sadly, I suspect not. But then, I didn’t attend Montana Tech, to my great and everlasting shame.

Those stickers read, with a kind of defiant dignity, “Butte, America.” You see, Butte, America is now—and always has been—a place full of Determined Doers. “Determined Doers” shows up in number three on Montana Technological University’s new list of values, a part of their new overall strategic plan: “We are ‘Determined Doers.’ Through collaboration, resolve, and fierce determination, we value getting things done.” I think that simple, consonant phrase does describe Butte— and Montana Tech—and what makes them both so cussedly, tenaciously exceptional. Many of us Butte rats like to wax poetic about Butte. The scenery is drop-dead gorgeous, the opportunities for hiking, fishing, and camping are numerous, and, besides that, it’s got a 90-foot virgin mother watching over it from on high! My friend Brian calls it the “Holy City,” and when the whole glittering mess of it is lit up at night, you could see yourself starting to wonder if there isn’t something, well, divine about the place after all.

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DETERMINED PEOPLE THAT DO GREAT THINGS. Montana Tech has always provided the kinds of hands-on, experiential learning you truly can’t get anywhere else. The result has always been the kinds of students that such education fosters: leaders, innovators, scientists, nurses, people wellequipped to navigate the cutting edge of science and technology. To put it another way, it has always produced the kinds of people who probably wash their dishes after every meal. Maybe they even take them out of the cupboard and wash them once in the late afternoon for good measure. MNews Spring 2022

In a sense, the new Strategic Plan itself is the result of some Determined Doing. For one thing, the plan was conceived and developed during a global pandemic, even as the school managed to provide its high standard of hands-on, in-person learning while implementing sweeping, safe, and effective safety protocols. To Janet Coe, Director of the Nursing Simulation Program at Montana Tech, those accomplishments, achieved during a difficult time, just demonstrate Butte’s grit. “There is a lot to be excited for when thinking of Montana Tech’s future,” she said. “A look at the successes that occurred at Tech during the pandemic gives a wide lens for future success.” The nursing program wasn’t the least of those successes. “During the pandemic, the nursing department implemented an expansion plan, and by fall of 2022, the program will have grown enrollment by 50%.” Not bad, not bad at all. Nor is that the only big thing in the works for Tech’s nursing students. As Coe pointed out, “Construction of the new Lesar Family Nursing Simulation Center began during the pandemic and will open this Spring. The Montana Tech Nursing Department received a $7 million dollar donation from Dave and Sherry Lesar and is now proud to be known as the Sherry Lesar School of Nursing. All of this occurred,” she added, “while responding to a pandemic and never losing sight of the future.” I explained to Janet that she might not have realized it, or maybe she was just being polite, but that she was talking to a genuine moron, the kind of guy who lets his dirty dishes pile up, and that she’d better explain what nursing simulation was in a way I could understand. She patiently explained that eight years ago, Montana Tech’s nursing program began to utilize simulation, or “the creation of a clinical situation or event that allows students to be immersed in a situation in order to practice skills, apply knowledge and develop decision making, critical thinking and clinical judgment in a riskfree environment. Each simulation uses a variety of modalities

NUCOR WEEK Nucor is the nation’s largest producer of steel and steel products, and Montana Tech is grateful to partner with them for the yearly tradition of Nucor Week. Nucor Week is a powerful asset for Montana Tech students, allowing them to get advice on their résumés from actual employers and meet recruiters, industry insiders, and professionals—and demonstrate their knowledge to them. Then, over two days, they get the chance to interview with recruiters for intern and full-time positions in fields like metallurgy, safety, and mechanical and electrical engineering. Landing a job like that either right after or while still in college is a big leg-up and typifies the Montana Tech advantage: more experience, more community, more connections.

MNews Spring 2022

such as high-fidelity manikins, standardized patients, role-playing, or computer-based/virtual programs to create realistic situations for students to practice.”

and NorthWestern Energy. These partnerships started because a couple of pretty impressive employers discovered that Montana Tech students made pretty impressive employees.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

She’s seen extremely positive results in that time, saying that “students have responded with very positive feedback and often ask if more simulation can be offered. In my opinion, this feedback is a testament to the dedication of the faculty and the recognition by the students that simulation is valuable to their learning and professional role development.”

According to Department Head and Professor of Electrical Engineering Bryce Hill, “the initial relationship with both companies started with them hiring our graduates at both the undergraduate and graduate level. They have been impressed with the quality of our graduates. NorthWestern was already established in Butte and so the relationship was quite natural for us to foster. SEL, though they’re based in Washington, eventually founded a field office in Butte specifically because of this relationship.”

As you can imagine, Dr. Katie Hailer, Department Head of Chemistry and Geochemistry and Professor of Organic Chemistry, knows a little something about research.

Now, with the Lesar Family Nursing Simulation Center, which will offer “four mock hospital rooms, each with corresponding debriefing rooms, two control rooms, a telehealth room, a medication room, and a nurse’s station,” the nursing program will continue to “provide the opportunity to increase the realism of clinical settings for the students and increase the quality of simulation offered.” The bottom line, as she said, is that the Center will “give our students an edge as they move from ‘practice’ to real-life nursing.”

The result is the state-of-the-art Schweitzer Engineering Laboratory Power Systems Labs and the NorthWestern Energy Relay labs, constructed with the help of generous donations from the companies themselves, both of which allow for safe, applied, handson learning in controlled environments.

In nursing, as in mining, or any of the other degrees and subjects offered by Montana Tech, providing hands-on, applied, and experiential learning is paramount. Once again, Montana Tech’s list of values sums it up better than I could when it says such education “is in our DNA; it’s what we’re about!”

Next, I spoke to Associate Professor Dawn Atkinson, department head of the Writing Program. I was careful not to misspell anything too egregiously in any emails to her.

When Montana Tech opened its doors in 1900, it had one building and two degrees. The first, as you can well imagine, was Mining Engineering. The second was Electrical Engineering, and this pioneering set of courses appeared in the wilds of southwestern Montana a mere 18 years after a university in Germany was the first to offer classes in the subject. Now, over a hundred years later, Montana Technological University students are still studying electrical engineering right on the sharpest bit of the cutting edge, due in part to two of the coolest pieces of technology on campus and a very fruitful partnership with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratory (SEL)

Montana Tech’s Electrical Engineering students have had an edge in the job market for over 120 years. Now, with these cutting-edge labs, they’ll enter a workforce already armed with crucial real-world experience that is very difficult to get anywhere else. Best of all, they’ll have played with some very cool tech.

My first question—what she likes best about Butte—was an admittedly hackneyed question, but she gave me an appropriately writerly response when she said that, in addition to the landscape and the history, a “writer can get quite a bit of work done on snowy winter nights.” It sounded like I was meeting another Determined Doer. “The value that Montana Tech places on experiential learning, which is also emphasized in its strategic plan, can be seen throughout the community,” she replied. “Montana Tech is a place of opportunity for faculty, staff, and students, and this ethos really does inject vibrancy into the community in any number of ways. The institution draws innovators from Montana, the rest of the United States, and around the world who bring diverse backgrounds, customs, languages, and worldviews to Butte.” Atkinson brought up another vital part of Montana Tech’s strategic plan that just happens to be a deeply rooted connection to Butte’s past and future. The “richest hill on earth” has always been a profoundly and proudly diverse place where mining safety signs were printed in dozens of languages to accommodate workers from all over the globe.

And you can bet her students do too. “Nearly all majors at Tech require 2–3 semesters of some form of research prior to graduation. This allows undergraduate students to take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it to designing and implementing research projects in the laboratory. In addition to this requirement, Tech has committed funding for students to work on undergraduate research.” Dr. Hailer pointed out that, unlike at many other institutions, undergraduates at Montana Tech begin “recruiting undergraduates to work on research as early as their freshman year and have a specific funding program for new research students with 30 credits or less (called the RAMP program).” With the new strategic plan in place and continued funding secured, the future of bold, exciting undergraduate research at Montana Tech looks exceptionally bright.

THE CLARK FORK WATERSHED EDUCATION PROGRAM (CFWEP) What began as a small but ambitious project at Butte High School has now become an important non-profit serving thousands of folks, from students and learners of every age to teachers to communities. In addition to a wonderful five-day program exploring watershed science, CFWEP encourages the study of STEM, even sometimes inspiring students to take up career fields in biology, restoration, or ecology. Now headquartered on the Montana Tech campus, where it can serve students all over the State, CFWEP continues to inspire science literacy and a love of the abundant natural splendor we are so privileged to enjoy here in the west. MNews Spring 2022

BLACK BUTTE COPPER Another exciting development at Montana Tech is a new partnership between Black Butte Copper and Tech’s Highlands College. Through the new program, employees of Black Butte Copper will have the chance to receive an associate’s degree or certificate from Montana Tech.

Lisa Wareham Photography

Michelle Morley, Director of Workplace Development, explained why that is such a good thing for Tech, saying that, besides ensuring that Highlands College is a “premier regional center for workforce development and workforce-ready students, through entrylevel, continuing education and reskilling opportunities designed to meet industry demands,” the partnership also can “increase the number of credentialed workers in the State, increase and diversify enrollment, and address accessibility issues by offering a program that utilizes alternative delivery methods, scheduling, and on-site training for placebound adult learners.” The partnership between Black Butte Copper, with its commitment to environmental protection and a safe, clean approach to mining, and Montana Tech, an institution that has been educating world-class miners for more than a century, seems like a match made in mining heaven.

Lisa Wareham Photography

MY FAVORITE THING, SHE SAID EARNESTLY, “IS THE BRIGHT YOUNG MINDS THAT WALK IN AND OUT OF OUR DOORS, AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THEY HAVE IN THE FUTURE. — Interim Dean VanDaveer

No, really. Here are some downright shocking statistics for you to prove the point. Out of the Highlands College graduates from May of 2020, a truly amazing 93.4% of students were placed in jobs with a median salary of $60,000. Now, that’s something of which to be justifiably proud. Interim Dean VanDaveer, the interim dean of Highlands College as well as the Director of the Nursing program for 33 years, is proud of the accomplishments of Highlands College alumni. “My favorite thing,” she said earnestly, “is the bright young minds that walk in and out of our doors, and the opportunities they have in the future. And my favorite thing about Butte,” she added, “is the honest, hard-working, proud people of our community.”

Montana Tech’s strategic plan has been designed with this dedication to diversity and inclusion in mind, to make sure every student is treated fairly and equitably, that every person on campus feels safe and valued.

Once again, someone has made clear that Butte and Montana Tech are one and the same in many ways. To use a sailing metaphor in a mining town—surely some kind of cardinal sin—a rising tide floats all boats.

In my email to her, I closed by asking something, one writer and book lover to another: “I know the kids love Harry Potter, so do you think it’d be a good idea somewhere in this article to say that Montana Tech is a lot like Hogwarts?”

“The strategic plan was the result of administration, faculty, and staff working together. It represents the values of Montana Technological University and emphasizes our special focus designation and STEM education.”

“I’m not sure about that one,” she wrote back, all business like a real Determined Doer. “I think students are attracted to Montana Tech because the institution exhibits sheer drive and can offer them opportunities that they may not get elsewhere. With a low instructor-to-student ratio, affordable tuition, access to world-class technology, hands-on learning experiences, and faculty and staff mentors who are invested in student success, students can truly experience all the wonderful things about higher education in a safe and welcoming environment.”

Interim Dean VanDaveer is such an impressive, business-like person that she veritably buzzes, and before she was off to another engagement, she more or less summed up this whole story for me in one line: “We are Butte, America! We can never stop changing and improving!”

I can’t help thinking Professor Atkinson sounds like she’s probably House Ravenclaw to me. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s a nationwide shortage of labor. Thankfully, Karen VanDaveer and Highlands College are here to save the day.

The last person I was going to talk to was Matt Stepan, Director of Athletics and onetime linebacker for the Orediggers. As a football lover, I had saved the best for last. But before we got down to the business of talking strategic plans, I needed to do a little creative accounting. “Gimme the inside scoop before I call my bookie: bet everything on the Orediggers next season, right?” I asked, glancing left and right to make sure no one was going to try and get in on my hot tip. “It’s time to go all-in on Oredigger athletics,” he said without missing a beat. “The temperature is rising rapidly, and eruption is imminent.” “I knew it!”

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Matt Stepan has a deep personal connection to athletics at Montana Tech. Besides having been a hell of a ballplayer himself, he admits that one of his “most gratifying accomplishments is being part of a legacy of Montana Tech. My dad, Ed Stepan, was a student-athlete at Montana Tech, and I was honored to follow in his footsteps on and off the field. Aside from being a father and a husband, representing this great institution as a member of this great city is what makes me the most proud.” It also just so happens that, as Stepan observed, “Montana Tech Athletics go as Butte goes. The support we receive here is unmatched by any of our peers. If our athletes are competing hard and being positive members of our local community, Butte will always support—win or lose. “But you’re going to win, right? I just made a call...” “Oh yeah. We’re going to win.” How will the new strategic plan bear on athletics? Well, there’s more overlap there than you might think. As Stepan pointed out, “the pillars identified in our new strategic plan closely match the values we hold within athletics. It is our mission in Digger Athletics that we can and will have championship-level teams while recruiting the smartest student-athletes in the area. This is not the typical correlation, and we are proud to make this our foundation.” Stepan closed with some very sage words when I asked him how the strategic plan will make Montana Tech stand out. “Our strategic plan won’t set us apart from anyone. It’s the execution of the plan that will make the difference. It will take an all-in approach from our campus community and alumni alike to reach the levels we are capable of getting to. I’m excited to be a part of this chapter of Montana Tech’s history.” The other day, while driving on campus, I saw a bumper sticker. Weathered, yes, frayed, bleached pale by the sun, it nevertheless clearly read “Butte, America” in the kind of thick lettering favored in the late 1970s. I don’t know if it had clung on to that battered Ford truck that long. It didn’t seem possible. But then, Butte always has seemed a little like a miracle to me.

RESTORATION What better place than Butte, Montana, and Montana Tech to be on the vanguard of the burgeoning study of restoration? Dr. Robert Pal, Director of Restoration, pointed out that Butte is the “poster child” for both “human-created environmental problems” and “successful clean-up projects.” In just the past five years, Montana Tech has offered a Restoration Certificate, open for all majors and to students pursuing both their BS and their MS. In 2020, Montana Tech began offering a Master’s Program in Ecological Restoration. To date, 13 students have been accepted into the prestigious program. Montana Tech’s new strategic plan means that the Restoration program at Montana Tech will get plenty of support going forward. As Dr. Pal observed, “One of the goals of the new strategic plan at Montana Technological University is to put more emphasis on Programs of Distinction. The Restoration Program at our University is one such program. Restoration is also a highly interdisciplinary science, creating a bridge between and among different programs at Montana Tech, ensuring long-term collaboration among departments, faculty, and students.”

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VALUES Students are the reason we exist. They are at the heart of all we do, and our commitment to providing them a transformational experience is unparalleled. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of who we are. People are our most important commodity, and we are steadfast in providing a fair and equitable community where all are valued.

Lisa Wareham Photography

We are “Determined Doers.” Through collaboration, resolve, and fierce determination we value getting things done. Hands-on, applied, and experiential learning is in our DNA; it’s what we’re about! We provide a supportive and dynamic environment to ensure this is evident in all we do We embrace innovation, creativity, and forward-thinking. We strive to create an environment where all will flourish. We are one community devoted to excellence.

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When Dr. Jack Skinner came to Montana Tech in 2012, there was no nanotechnology lab—but he was determined to build one. Dr. Skinner grew up in Butte and attended Montana Tech, graduating with a B.S. in General Engineering/Mechanical Engineering Option in 2000. He then headed out into the wider world to learn more. He got his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University, and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Davis in 2007, specializing in Microelectromechanical Systems. Though his degree was from U.C. Davis, he performed much of his doctoral work at U.C. Berkeley as a graduate researcher at the Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, and gained valuable experience in nano and microfabrication. He was involved in research there in diffractive optical microsystems, and developing an “electrostatic transducer with a nanopatterned plasmonic surface to provide active control of the reflection of a narrow band of visible-wavelength light.” In layman’s terms, that roughly translates to using nanoparticles to change the way light works with materials, so, for instance, using nanoparticles to enhance the performance of solar cells, among many possibilities. Dr. Skinner’s PhD was sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Livermore, California, responsible for all non-nuclear components within America’s nuclear engineering labs. He was hired by Sandia to start a division of micro and nanotechnology for use within the national security world. Between there and Berkeley, he had worked in two of the best nanotechnology labs in the world. But what he really wanted was to bring that level of technological research back to his hometown, to Butte. In 2012 he left Sandia to teach Mechanical Engineering at Montana Tech, where he began.

OPPORTUNITY AND INNOVATION THE MONTANA TECH NANOTECHNOLOGY LAB By Susan Barth

When he first got back to Butte, Dr. Skinner started the General Engineering Nanotechnology Laboratory in the basement of Main Hall, which is still in use by his group, but it didn’t satisfy his visions of what could be done. In collaboration with many others, and over many years, in 2012 Montana Tech opened what he’d envisioned: a cutting-edge clean room and nanotechnology lab in the new Natural Resources Research Center. The GENL was renamed the Montana Tech Nanotechnology Laboratory (MTNL) as facilities, expertise, and capabilities grew. The MTNL contains equipment donated by Applied Materials Inc., a global company in materials engineering with an office in Kalispell, and SNL, and there is a cooperative agreement with the Army Research Laboratory, which has provided critical funding for laboratory growth. All of Dr. Skinner’s work throughout his career has had practical applications for the world. As he says, “We study fundamental science, but the engineering side can make prototypes and solve problems. We write journal articles, yes, but when we patent something, we want it to be applied, something that will have a market impact.” In the 10 years since the lab has been open, faculty and students have worked on a fascinating array of projects, and patented many of them with licensing agreements through a company created by Dr. Skinner. Below are just a few highlights.

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Electrospinning Gun Electrospinning is not a word most of us are familiar with, but it could make a big difference to society. The handheld electrospinning “gun” (termed EStAD, or Electrostatic and Air Driven Device) is a way of producing very tiny fibers using electricity—and scientists can mix another substance, such as antibiotics, into the polymer, and “spray” the antibiotic-laden fiber out. “Electrospinning makes these artificial spiderwebs, tiny little fibers that are smaller than a hair. When they spin out, they look like spray paint,” Dr. Skinner said. “You can then expose the fibers to a change in temperature, or light, and the antibiotics are released.” One of the primary products of this technology at the moment is “spray” bandages. These bandages could be especially useful in rural areas, allowing doctors, first responders, or even soldiers in the battlefield an easy way to quickly treat wounds.

Biomedical Flow Cell Many of the projects in the nanotechnology lab are working toward a long-term goal, research that might take 5 or 10 years to fully develop. One of these projects is a cooperative agreement with the Army Research Labs, to eventually create an “artificial skin” that could be used to protect soldiers or vehicles against toxins (among many other applications). Towards this end, a group of students are currently working on a biomedical flow cell to simulate the cardiovascular system, using electrospinning fibers to simulate a realistic environmental condition of the heart. These structures can help to test different layers of cells, and how they signal and communicate with each other. It sounds very high-tech and sci-fi, but the implications could be huge.

“I came back to Montana Tech to help the local community and help the school, with a big influx of high-caliber research. That lab enables us to help PhD, Masters, and even undergraduate students do really great work, and have a world-class experience here at Tech.”

improving existing organic semiconductor material. This material has very high conversion efficiencies, but it degrades in the presence of water. Dr. Skinner’s lab is working with Montana State University and others to encapsulate these materials in polymers by synthesizing them in heated chambers, which would make the material more efficient and last longer.

Denitrification of Water Montana is a national leader in the production of many crops, including wheat, peas, lentils, and flax. Unfortunately in some of our farmlands the repeated use of fertilizer, which includes nitrogen, can leak into the water systems, with detrimental ecological effects. The MTNL is working on a denitrification project, designing unique nano materials that can be used in water filters. When exposed to light, these filters perform a chemical reaction that removes the nitrogen from the water…almost like artificial photosynthesis. This project is ongoing, like much of the lab’s work, but could have direct effects on Montana. Dr. Skinner is rightly proud of all the work the MTNL has done and continues to do. Over his years here he has mentored more than 50 students, published more than 30 papers, and received 9 patents, with 8 more pending. His team was recently the Grand Prize winner for an electrograph image they published, and has won many other awards and recognitions. Dr. Skinner is excited about Montana Tech’s first PhD program, in Material Science, and the quality of students that brings to the program—as well as the hands-on experience they can get here. He is hopeful that many of his students will be able to start companies and stay in Butte. As Dr. Skinner said, “I came back to Montana Tech to help the local community and help the school, with a big influx of high-caliber research. That lab enables us to help PhD, Masters, and even undergraduate students do really great work, and have a worldclass experience here at Tech.” The results of the MTNL represent the best of innovation, and because of Dr. Skinner and his colleagues, it’s right here at Montana Tech.

—Dr. Skinner

Organic Semiconductor Material One of the primary features of nanotechnology research is collaboration. Scientists and engineers from all over the country, and even the world, often work together to share research and build on each other’s ideas. One such current project is looking at

MNews Spring 2022

GOAL 1

STUDENT SUCCESS Decidedly distinctive, refreshingly affordable, and intentionally innovative, our robust academic programs, services, and learning environment position students at the center of all we do by focusing on accessibility, engagement, and employability from first impression through graduation and beyond.

S T U D E N T

S U C C E S S

BIG ASPIRATIONS By Susan Barth

MNews Spring 2022

TRY TO KEEP UP WITH BAYLIE PHILLIPS. I DARE YOU. Baylie is a junior at Montana Tech, majoring in Metallurgical and Materials Science (Met), but that’s only one line on her résumé. She’s also a student senator with ASMT, and the chair of the Campus and Community Committee. She’s the president of Club Met. She’s an on-campus tutor. Last summer she attended the National Science Foundation Research Experience for undergraduates, at MIT. She’s presenting two posters at once for Tech Expo, a first. She was just announced as the recipient of a Goldwater Scholarship. Oh, and she just received a Student Volunteer Award from the Governor for her work conceiving, organizing, and carrying out an extremely successful food drive at Montana Tech last November. “I feel like the most successful people are people who are stressed out, and just on the edge of what can be done, all the time,” Baylie said. “You have to have a certain personality type to confidently and successfully do it, because otherwise you’re going to get so overwhelmed with everything.” Baylie grew up in Butte, with two younger sisters; her sister Samantha is currently a freshman at Tech. Her mom is a safety and emergency manager at St. James, and her dad owns Copper City Cleaning. She was first introduced to Montana Tech by participating in science fairs in elementary and middle school— she was always interested in math and physics. When she started at Tech, she originally planned to eventually transfer to the University of Montana to attend pharmacy school with a minor in psychology, until she took an Intro to Engineering course, and Jerry Downey gave a guest lecture on Metallurgical and Materials Science. She immediately decided to stay, and switched her major. “He talked about how Met has a wide range of possible fields I could go into,” Baylie said. “The major gives me the opportunity to explore multiple fields within my career, and be extremely happy with all of them. I could jump from aerospace to biomaterials to recycling.” Though her interests are wide, Baylie knows she wants to work for a research-oriented company, on cutting-edge projects that could make a big impact to the world. “There are a lot of different processes that are currently being researched to degrade and decompose materials in a more environmentally friendly way. I would love to be a part of that research. I would be interested in fabricating biodegradable materials. At MIT last summer I simulated something called directional recrystallization, to make single crystalline turbine blades after being 3D printed—you

MNews Spring 2022

With all of her activities, you’d think Baylie would use her downtime for… doing nothing for a bit. Not Baylie. In her downtime, she creates art. She’s a talented artist—she’s been painting since middle school, and has an art studio in her apartment.

It started really with the art club at Butte High. It excited me, and I started making pieces all the time. I opened for the art show my sophomore year and junior year. And now I do it whenever I can. Because of all the things I do, sometimes it gets to be a lot, so I just need a little mental break. That’s when I paint. —Baylie Phillips

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can increase the life of the turbine blades, but in a faster, lower cost way. It was crazy to see. The experience at MIT was a big learning curve, but I would never take it back for anything, because I learned so much.” Much of what Baylie does is intended to help others. The food drive at Montana Tech began because she had enjoyed the competitive “food wars” at Butte High, and wondered why there wasn’t something similar at Tech. “When I joined ASMT last semester, I realized I had the power to start something like that here, so I did.” With the help of Jodie DeLay in the Chancellor’s office, the event was publicized, and the campus stepped up in a big way. “We collected over 4,000 pounds of food,” Baylie said. “I had no idea it would be that much, and I realized I needed help sorting and picking it up, so I recruited about 15 people. We gave to the Butte Food Bank, the Rescue Mission, and the Salvation Army. It was a lot of work, on top of school and everything else—but they want to make it an annual event now. My next goal is to get Carroll involved too, so we can have a Food Wars trophy the schools can compete over.”

On top of all that, Baylie has spent the last several months working with a committee on campus to apply for a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. “The research essay is the main component of your application,” she said. “Every week you submit a new draft to your committee. I had a hard time at first, because they said I could only choose one of my research projects to write about. I couldn’t pick just one. Each of my research topics has an equal weight in what I want to do with my future. In the end I just wrote the draft the way I wanted, and they finally understood. We submitted it with three topics.” Again, her hard work paid off. Baylie was announced as a Goldwater Scholarship recipient this March. With all of her activities, you’d think Baylie would use her downtime for… doing nothing for a bit. Not Baylie. In her downtime, she creates art. She’s a talented artist—she’s been painting since middle school, and has an art studio in her apartment. “It started really with the art club at Butte High,” she said. “It excited me, and I started making pieces all the time. I

opened for the art show my sophomore year and junior year. And now I do it whenever I can. Because of all the things I do, sometimes it gets to be a lot, so I just need a little mental break. That’s when I paint.” But Baylie probably won’t be happy with just having art as a hobby. She takes commissions now, and would like to run an art studio sometime in her career. “It’d be a place where people could relax and have fun. I think that would be awesome.” She may be stressed and almost-overwhelmed, but she’s certainly getting it done, and there are no plans to take it easy anytime soon. “I have big aspirations,” she said. “I get these ideas, and I just say, you know what? I’m going to make it happen.” Once you talk to her, you have no doubt—if she sets her mind to it, Baylie could make anything happen.

MNews Spring 2022

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

T O

B A Y L I E

P H I L L I P S

2 0 2 2

Barry M. Goldwater Scholar 30

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METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING CELEBRATES 100 YEARS In 1922, the then Montana State School of Mines offered a new degree: Metallurgical Engineering.

To commemorate the centennial, the Department will host a week-long celebration in late September that will feature:

Today’s Metallurgical and Materials Engineering students learn to apply scientific and engineering principles in areas such as metals extraction and refining, new materials development and production, energy production, and waste treatment. Although the name and focus have changed a bit in the past 100 years, graduates of the program are still very much in demand to serve the industry, as shown by our 100% job placement rate. Undergraduate students benefit from a small, supportive department and hands-on access to equipment and research, where in other schools they might be only watching through a window. Students with this kind of experience are in extremely high demand.

•

Fire Assay and Bladesmithing workshops

•

Technical sessions on materials, process innovations, sustainability, energy, recycling, and more

•

Student poster session

•

Department tours

To find out more, sponsor the centennial celebration, or attend, contact Jerry Downey, JDowney@mtech.edu.

MNews Spring 2022

GOAL 2

PROGRAMS OF DISTINCTION Deliberately committed to excellence in all programs, we provide transformational experiences in learning, research, and service through experiential learning, mentoring, community and industry engagement. We empower collaborative problem solvers, determined doers who make an impact in their profession and our world.

P R O G R A M S

O F

D I S T I N C T I O N

NURSING AT MONTANA TECH By Sean Ryan

In retrospect, the past 33 years haven’t felt like work to Karen VanDaveer. Sure, there were long days, late nights, challenges, triumphs, and enough stories to fill a book that would undoubtedly become a bestseller… but for Karen VanDaveer, she still wants to pinch herself for her 33 years at Montana Tech. “I still remember the first time I was teaching classes as an adjunct down at the Butte Vo-Tech in 1987. I came home and told my husband John, ‘I can’t believe I get paid to do this. This is the best job in the world.’”

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The best job in the world has kept VanDaveer plenty busy. She’s seen four different chancellors lead the campus, grown Nursing from a certificate program, to an associate of science program, to the current bachelor of science in Nursing that is the number one program in the State. Teaching, and nursing for that matter, must have been fate for VanDaveer, who originally enrolled at Montana State in the mid1970s wanting to be a dietitian. “Nursing wasn’t something I was thinking of when I went to college at first,” said VanDaveer. “I wanted to be a dietitian, but all of my friends were studying nursing, so I switched. And wouldn’t you know, it ended up being a great decision.” When VanDaveer graduated from Montana State in 1979, the profession provided her the opportunity to gain immediate experience across a broad field of specialties. She worked in the ER, in a clinic setting, in general care, and obstetrics. “When you talk about nursing, you really are talking about diversity. You can go out and find your niche in a specific field or type of care. There are so many opportunities and chances for you to find your specialty,” said VanDaveer. “I found out mine was educating future nurses.” After working for nearly 10 years in a variety of nursing positions, VanDaveer’s time at Montana Tech started when she began

teaching adjunct classes. Teaching at the old Vo-Tech was the lightbulb moment for VanDaveer when she realized that helping the next generation of nurses was her passion.

That question was all that was needed to get VanDaveer thinking about how to get this accomplished. She did her research, asked the right questions, and found a way to make it possible.

If the saying goes that education has the ability to change lives, then educating nurses has the ability to change and improve lives even more.

“In order to grow the program and meet the needs of industry, we had to go back to school and get our masters in Nursing,” said VanDaveer.

“Teaching has the ability to change a person’s life,” said VanDaveer. “Our program has an impact. It impacts their future—doors are opened for them. They can do anything after they graduate.”

So, in the mid-1990s VanDaveer, Moe Brophy, and Judy Klaboe Russell started school again.

Montana Tech’s nursing graduates have gone on to be traveling nurses, rural hospital nurses, nurse practitioners, owners of their own businesses, heads of major patient care departments, and hospital administrators. “What we built with our nursing program at Montana Tech was always focused on the student. The student was always the reason. We have built programs based upon what students want and what our community, our state, and our country have needed.” Now comes the fun part. In 1996, VanDaveer was sitting in the living room of Montana Tech administrator David Toppin, who asked, “Do you think you could ever bring registered nursing to Montana?”

“We were the pioneers of remote learning,” laughed VanDaveer. “There was no zoom. There was no Skype. We set up a speakerphone in one of the classrooms at the old Vo-Tech and would have to call into classes at MSU. You couldn’t see anything; you just had to listen. Then once a month we had to drive to Bozeman for a class. It was so much fun.” This group of three would study together, meet for their classes one night a week, and schedule the classes they were teaching around the requirements for their own classes. “We did it part-time while teaching and having families. We had basketball games and sports and everything for our kids to mix in there too. I think it took 4–5 years. It was crazy thinking about it now, but we did it. It didn’t seem crazy when we were doing it.” If not for the hard work, late nights, and the drives to Bozeman once a month, the nursing program at Montana Tech wouldn’t be the incredible program it is now. Ranked the number one nursing program in Montana, the sights are set even higher now thanks to a transformational gift from Dave and Sherry Lesar that resulted in the Sherry Lesar School of Nursing. The Lesars’ gift will allow for growth and investment in the Nursing program as a whole, which includes the state-of-the-art Lesar Family Nursing Simulation Center on campus, which will officially open on May 6th with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house. The cutting-edge Lesar Family Nursing Simulation Center will offer four simulation suites with the ability to flex space to hospital, home, or office settings, debriefing rooms, and telehealth rooms. The Simulation Center will also allow the nursing program to grow another 50 percent. “I can’t express how excited I am for the grand opening,” said VanDaveer. “This is a tremendous addition to campus and will help us continue to grow our nursing program to meet the needs of our community and state with highly educated nurses.” For the ever-determined VanDaveer, she’s already looking for the next step she can take to make nursing at Montana Tech even better over the next 5–10 years. For someone always looking ahead, it can be hard to look back and realize all that you have accomplished. But, after 33 years of building a nursing program at Montana Tech that we all can be proud of, VanDaveer can be sure of one thing.

“What we built with our nursing program at Montana Tech was always focused on the student. The student was always the reason. We have built programs based upon what students want and what our community, our state, and our country have needed.” —Karen VanDaveer

She’s been the perfect fit for the best job in the world.

MNews Spring 2022

GOAL 3

A HEALTHY AND VIBRANT CAMPUS ECOSYSTEM Opportunistic and innovative, we embrace our rich cultural heritage and abundant recreational environment to foster an inclusive and sustainable campus ecosystem. We provide exceptional service and invest in effective infrastructure that creates opportunities for social, intellectual, and professional growth.

MNews Spring 2022

BUTTE’S HISTORIC PATHWAYS By Clayton Moody and Jodie DeLay

Where on earth can you watch the morning sunrise over the Rocky Mountains through the black steel structure of a gallus frame? Butte, Montana is honeycombed with mining remnants, including 14 headframes that decorate the skyline, many of which are connected by miles of paved urban walking trails. Located at the fulcrum of trails and recreation in the uptown area, Montana Tech provides diverse opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts and busy students alike, without even having to get in a vehicle. One could adventure directly from campus on the 5.6-mile BA&P (Butte Anaconda Pacific Railway) trail that starts in Rocker, becomes paved near the World Mining Museum’s Orphan Girl Headframe, and ends at the Granite Mountain Mine Memorial. Labeled with signs representing Montana’s Copperway, this trail runs just in front of the grand arch across Park Street that welcomes visitors to Montana Tech’s campus. Joining the trail from the arch, head north for approximately 2 miles, past the Anselmo headframe, and you’ll reach the Top of the World Marker located near the Mountain Con (The Con) headframe—once one of Butte’s most productive mines. From here, at a mile high, you’ll be able to view the Highland Mountains, Pioneer Mountains, and Pintler Mountains, as well as the Berkeley Pit, a former open pit mine 1 mile long, 1/2 mile wide, and 1,780 feet deep, now mostly filled with water. If you are looking

MNews Spring 2022

for a longer walk, continue on the short, fairly steep climb up to the Granite Mountain Memorial. Heading south from Montana Tech’s arch will take you around Bob Green Field, past the Mining Museum and onto a dirt, more rural trail that feeds under I-90. If you stay high on the BA&P trail, you find yourself in Rocker. After crossing the trestle bridge, head into town for a couple of blocks and you’ll reach the Rocker Station, also part of the Copperway. Here you can get on the paved Silver Bow Creek Greenway trail. Eventually, this planned trail will span 26 miles to Anaconda. Currently, 8 miles in two segments are completed. This project is part of the Superfund cleanup of Silver Bow Creek. On the other end of campus behind the Natural Resources building lies access to the Big Butte Open Space Park. Big Butte has been home to the large M, signifying then the Montana School of Mines, and now Montana Technological University, since 1910. The M was illuminated in 1962 and is used to flash a V for victory to celebrate Oredigger wins. While the climb is fairly steep, the campus community can catch a breather between classes in the sanctuary of a peaceful moment atop the “M” by walking up the trail behind the University Relations Center. The Big Butte Open Space Park was purchased by Butte–Silver Bow in 2006 with funds from the Montana Department of Justice Natural Resource Damage Grant Program. These funds, as well as the time and energy of a host of volunteers, have led to the completion of a well-used trail system with multiple loops and side trails around Big Butte. Adjacent to the Big Butte Open Space Park, on 30 acres owned by Montana Tech, is the Whiskey Gulch Mountain Bike Skills Park. Students can rent mountain bikes and helmets (and other outdoor equipment) from Tech for a minimal charge. This area includes a pump track, well-constructed banked turns, lots of climbs, and good switchbacks suitable for a variety of skill levels. Venturing just a little farther from campus, about 9 miles south, the adventurous soul can enjoy 25 miles of non-motorized trails for hiking, horseback riding, or mountain biking in Thompson Park. Named for William Boyce Thompson, a mining engineer, financier, and philanthropist, this park originated in 1915 with Thompson’s gift of 75 acres of placer mining claims to the city of Butte. The backbone of the park runs along the historic Milwaukee Railroad for 4.5 miles starting from

MNews Spring 2022

Tunnel #12 on the Milwaukee Road trail in Thompson Park.

Sagebrush Flats, passing through two tunnels and over a 600-foot steel trestle bridge to Pipestone Pass and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). Also at Sagebrush Flats is the 18-hole Eagles Nest Disc Golf course. The CDT is a nationally renowned trail that follows the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico, with the largest share, 820 miles, in Montana. The CDT wraps around Butte and is easily accessed nearby from Pipestone Pass, Homestake Pass, Lower Seymour Lake trailhead, and Rocky Ridge trailhead. Another popular local attraction is the Maud S Canyon Trail. This 4-mile loop trail includes great forest views as well as a terrific view of the city, and is popular for hiking, walking, running, and mountain biking. Midway through the loop, a spur to the northeast wraps around the hillside and rises through a number of switchbacks to the CDT. These trail systems open up an entire new world of opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members alike.

Montana’s Copperway is a mix of trails and cultural sites developed and/or identified starting in the early 1990s by the Regional Historic Preservation Plan (RHPP), including Butte–Silver Bow and Anaconda–Deer Lodge. The RHPP identified resources along the Anaconda–Butte Heritage Corridor that should be saved and potentially made available for public access with the goals of stimulating a vibrant tourism sector, using interpretation to engage visitors in ways that support the region’s economy and encourage preservation and community enhancement, and using the historic character of Butte and Anaconda to enhance the quality of life for residents in ways that visitors will appreciate.

To make these opportunities more accessible for all students, including those with or without outdoor experience, Montana Tech recently hired Katie Bigbee as the Outdoor Recreation Director. Bigbee will offer first aid and wilderness safety classes; introduce students to camping, mountain biking, and other activities through group activities; and plan various events such as rock climbing, hiking, and overnight camping throughout each semester. Her goal is to help students safely and responsibly enjoy all the area has to offer while building friendships and skills that lead to a healthy life balance. One of Montana Tech’s strategic goals is a healthy and vibrant campus ecosystem. Our location provides terrific opportunities to live a balanced and enriched life. The trails that wind alongside

Montana Tech and throughout the region are always in use. Butte-tians who rise early are greeted with the new day’s light from the sun painting the Montana big sky with dark orange, red, and yellow. The night owls can catch the setting sun falling behind a fly fisherman’s cast at the end of a trail to a tranquil mountain lake. However people like to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors, the options are limitless. Butte is considered to be the richest hill on earth because of the mass volumes of copper ore that was once mined here. However, for the people living here, the riches still remain in the beauty and adventure of the hills. At the last best place on earth, people can satisfy their desire for adventure by simply getting lost in the beauty of Butte’s historic pathways.

MNews Spring 2022

Are you interested in creating a class legacy that supports current and future philanthropic needs at Montana Tech? If so, an endowment is a terrific way to do so. The Montana Tech classes of ’58, ’62, ’64, ’68, ’84, and ’04 have all had success with creating endowments at the university. For Luke Meyer, the inspiration to start a class fund came from the Class of ’62, the first group to accomplish this at Montana Tech. He recalls having lunch in the Student Union Building with graduates of ’62 during a reunion and discussing their class endowment, in which they included their first scholarship recipient.

Great day of fellowship for Montana Tech alumni at the Houston Alumni Chapter’s 2nd annual golf tournament. The proceeds from the tournament were used for scholarships.

For 55 years, the Montana Technological University Foundation has worked tirelessly to support and advance Montana Technological University. We are proud of our efforts to grow Montana Tech into one of the country’s premier universities. The Foundation oversees fundraising efforts in collaboration with alumni, students, faculty, staff, and administration. We manage the investment of those funds, and ensure they are distributed as per the donor’s wishes. The funds we raise support the following: • Student scholarships (~75% of students receive some financial aid) • Enhancing the quality of the educational programs and supporting faculty • Other programs or projects as requested by the University

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We are incredibly grateful for the philanthropy from our 15,705 alumni and friends, which has built our Foundation’s assets to approximately $70 million. It is amazing that because of these great donors the assets have doubled in the past 9 years! Thank you! With this continued growth of the Foundation, we made the decision in January to have the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation report solely to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. We greatly appreciate the outstanding commitment, advice, and individual fundraising of our Board of Directors. The continued growth of the Foundation is critical to driving the forward progress of Montana Technological University. We are a vital partner to the University as it fully implements the new strategic plan. I encourage alumni, friends, and industry partners to engage with Montana Tech leadership by sharing your input, concerns, and insight regarding the implementation of the plan or generally how you’d like to see the overall direction of the campus.

TOP 10

Alumni, friends, and industry partners, your input about the strategic plan is welcome and encouraged. We encourage you to learn more about the strategic plan at www.mtech.edu/strategic-plan/. Please email any thoughts or comments to strategicplan@mtech.edu. Your support is critical, appreciated, and makes a difference! Rise Up, Oredigger Nation! Let’s continue to give back, and help our students achieve their dreams and grow from Ordinary Beginnings to Extraordinary Lives!

Gary Kolstad Interim Chief Executive Officer Montana Technological University Foundation gkolstad@mtech.edu

RANK

CLASS

TOTAL GIVEN

TOTAL # DONORS

1976

$2,424,960

1948

$2,379,740

1985

$2,216,130

193

1973

$1,820,850

1977

$1,555,960

1999

$1,498,120

163

1984

$1,472,770

162

1998

$1,271,190

155

1956

$1,119,410

1970

$889,180

In 2021, Luke and his wife Brienne contacted other 2004 classmates and they decided to make a multi-year commitment to establish a Class of 2004 fund. By the end of December, they surpassed their original $25,000 goal, raising $36,600 in cash and pledges from 26 classmates! The classmates also decided they wanted the fund to be unrestricted, allowing the flexibility to support a wide range of future projects at Montana Tech.

Congratulations and thank you to the Class of 2004! Setting-up a class endowment is as easy as: • Make a gift to establish the fund. • Work with the Foundation to review and approve messaging. • Promote the class fund and work with classmates to decide fund criteria. If you are interested in creating a class legacy or starting the discussion, please contact Luke Meyer, Director of Development, at 406-491-3017 or lmeyer@mtech.edu.

MNews Spring 2022

MEET THE ARTIST

Artist Peg Amtzis brings a new, unique perspective to her audiences through acrylics. Her paintings capture the intricate features of buildings and landmarks with her distinctive, folk-art flair. Amtzis grew up on a small farm in Belfry, Montana, near the Wyoming border. After high school, she enrolled in Northwest Community College, where she graduated with a degree in Art. However, she did not jump right into the art world, instead using her skills as a hairdresser. It was not until she was in her 50s that she began painting, on the advice of a friend. She began by painting the beautiful surroundings of her cabin tucked away in the mountains near Helena, Montana, where she and her husband of 40 years, Howie, lived. In 2015, Peg and Howie decided they wanted to be a part of a thriving art community. They decided they would make the move to Butte, Montana, and join the city’s art community. “We fell in love with Butte, its people, and its history,” noted Peg. She now spends her days painting in her home or her art studio on the Butte Hill. In 2019, Peg met Montana Tech Chancellor Les Cook at an art show, and they talked about the creation of a collage featuring buildings and landmarks on the Montana Technological University campus. The project began to take shape in the summer of 2021. This piece of art, titled Embracing the Past, Shaping the Future, took Peg three months to finish. “I am pleased with the collage of Montana Tech,” said Peg. “I hope it brings out a different perspective for people—a folk perspective.” Peg’s artwork can be seen at art shows around Butte and at the summer Farmer’s Market—and now this piece will be displayed on a wall in the University’s Student Union Building. We are fortunate to have such an artist as part of our community.

MNews Spring 2022

In Memoriam

We extend sympathy to the families of the following alumni who have passed away over the past few months.

1950s George A. Cloudy ‘56 BS Geological Engineering Robert E. Morris ‘55 BS Metallurgical Engineering

1970s Donald A. Aubertin ‘73 BS Geological Engineering Diane B. Foley ‘78 AA Associate of Arts Karla D. Gremley Stout ‘78 BS Mining Engineering Thomas P. Richmond ‘71 BS Petroleum Engineering

1970s Haley Beaudry ‘76 BS Mathematics, ‘76 BS Mining Engineering Patrick J. Driscoll ‘78 BS Environmental Engineering Gary L. Matkin ‘73 BS Mathematics

1990s Joseph M. Backstrom Jr. ‘90 BS Business Administration

2010s Timothy E. Heick ‘19 BAS Business/Construction Management option Jamie A. MacCool ‘13 AAS Web Development & Administration

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Non-Profit U.S. Postage 1300 West Park Street, Butte, Montana 59701-8997

PAID

Great Falls, MT Permit No. 151

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