MNews Spring 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURES

Higher Education and the Value Proposition | Pg. 6

Montana Technological University is at an inflection point. With a bold strategic plan that emphasizes student success, the institution’s first-ever strategic enrollment plan, and the value of a STEM degree that has never been stronger, Montana Tech is poised for the future.

They Are Golden! Plant, Martin Named 2023 Goldwater Scholars | Pg. 18

Two Montana Tech students have been recognized as among the best science and engineering students in the U.S., winning the 2023 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. The award is the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering awarded in America.

Superfund: A Laboratory for STEM Education | Pg. 20

The Clark Fork Watershed Education Program (CFWEP) is celebrating 20 years of programming excellence this year.

Montana Tech Researchers at Forefront of Efforts to Bring Rare Earth Element Mining, Processing to U.S. Shores | Pg. 36

The Rare Earth Elements projects at Montana Tech are working to leave no stone unturned as they explore how to more economically and safely produce rare earth minerals domestically.

CREDITS

Montana Technological University Chancellor Les P. Cook

Publisher Amanda Badovinac Writers

Dawn Atkinson Amanda Badovinac

Helping our Heroes: Military Personnel, Veterans, and Family Members Find Opportunity through Operation Next | Pg. 40 America’s debt to its veterans and their families is immeasurable. A new program at Highlands College works to help connect families who have sacrificed so much, with careers in the welding industry and CNC machining industry.

Rayelynn Brandl

Les Cook Gavin Derkatch, The Montana Standard

Jaime Heppler

Sean Ryan

Matt Stepan

Megan Strickland

Editorial Board

Amanda Badovinac Stephanie Cook

Jodie DeLay

Megan Strickland Lisa Sullivan

Graphic Designer Brooke Benson Lisa Sullivan

Pre-Professional Health Programs see Significant Growth at Montana Tech as Professional Training Options also Expand in the State | Pg. 24

Dr. Grace Anderson spends her days growing a thriving optometry practice in Lincoln City, Oregon, a coastal community about two hours southeast of Portland. But when she first set foot on the Montana Tech campus in fall 2009, her personal vision of what her career would eventually become was a bit blurry.

Digger Athletics—A Solid Investment | Pg. 28

Athletic Director Matt Stepan reflects on his journey with Montana Tech Athletics.

Agreement with Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport Brings Opportunities for Collaboration in Advanced Manufacturing, other Fields | Pg. 42

When Senator Jon Tester reached out to connect NUWC Keyport and Montana Tech, U.S. Navy Engineer and Scientist Craig Bleile said he immediately saw several opportunities for collaboration that will be mutually beneficial to campus and the United States Navy.

Montana Tech’s Season for the History Books | Pg. 32

Entering the 2022–23 men’s basketball season, Montana Tech head coach Adam Hiatt wasn’t quite sure what to expect from his team. They went on the deepest national tournament run in the program’s history.

Back to the Gridiron: A Story of Community, Hard Work, and the Power of Mindset | Pg. 44

The last game of Montana Tech’s 2022 football season is one that Coach Kyle Samson will tell his players about for many years to come. He might forget the details of the 49-6 blowout against the Northern Lights in Havre, Montana, but he’ll never forget the sound and overwhelming emotion as safety Isaiah Allick took the field.

Photographers Lou Mason Brian Powers

Editor Susan Barth MNews is published twice a year by Montana Technological University.

SHORTS ON THE COVER

Greetings from the Chancellor | Pg. 4 Foundation Update | Pg. 14

Digging In | Pg. 10

Catch up on the happenings at Montana Tech.

Hitting the Road with Alumni | Pg. 16

A bed absorption tower is used by the Montana Tech Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering as part of rare earth element processing techniques.

Greetings from the Chancellor

While every year has its season, spring 2023 has been one for the record books. We are so excited to have announced the most significant gift in the history of Montana Tech for $31 million from Ryan and Lisa Lance; not one but two Barry Goldwater Scholars; and our men’s basketball team winning the Frontier Conference season as well as the conference tournament and going all the way to the final eight at the NAIA men’s basketball national conference tournament. It’s been incredible!

The Lance gift is monumental for Montana Tech and will impact students today and for future generations. I had the good fortune of meeting and golfing with Ryan the weekend before stepping into the chancellor’s role at Montana Tech. While my golf game wasn’t so great, it was evident that Ryan’s support and enthusiasm for Montana Tech was.

With this gift, we will ask the Montana Board of Regents to honor Ryan and Lisa’s extensive investments of time, energy, and funds by renaming the School of Mines and Engineering to the Lance College of Mines and Engineering. Ryan has always lived in line with the Montana Tech vision of opportunity and innovation. This gift will forever enhance our campus’s ability to live our vision.

More specifically, this historic gift will establish the Lance Scholars program, which will provide scholarships to at least 50 Montana students annually; create an endowed chair in energy to strengthen research and industry partnerships, ensuring we are at the, forefront of emerging technologies; and provide an investment in Oredigger student-athletes

via increased endowed scholarship dollars. And so much more. Stay tuned for a celebration of the Lances in the Fall, as well as a story in a future issue of MNews that will detail this gift and the opportunities it presents.

As if word of this gift wasn’t enough, as I was penning this letter, we received notice that not one, but two, of our students earned the Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship award in America’s natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Both juniors from Helena, Alyssa Plant, majoring in Environmental Engineering, and Koby Martin, majoring in Civil Engineering, bring great honor to our campus with this recognition. It’s the first time we’ve had more than one winner.

Plant is mentored by Dr. Raja Nagisetty, Assistant Professor in Environmental Engineering, and Montana Tech alumna and graduate student Richelle Carney. Her research is focused on the applications of drone-based imagery in water quality, aquatic species health, and mine waste reuse. Plant plans to pursue a doctorate in Environmental Engineering.

Martin is mentored by Bret Robertson (Assistant Professor/Lab Director in Civil Engineering), Liping Jiang (Associate Professor, Department Head in Civil Engineering), and Jessica Daignault (Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering). His research focuses on developing sustainable building materials, particularly concrete, using widely available biomaterials.

His research is aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of building practices worldwide. Martin plans to expand his research to investigate sustainable practices within civil engineering further while pursuing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.

Much of the conversation in business and industry today revolves around growing and delivering on our product to ensure what we are engaged in today helps us to remain relevant long into the future. There are obvious skills gaps in our workforce. This is not a new phenomenon, but one that has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and the shifting patterns of how people work. For companies to be successful and survive, they need an educated workforce that is both nimble and adaptable to change as the demands of the work shift.

In this edition of MNews, you’ll learn about initiatives and programs that contribute to the workforce, along with research efforts underway, and you’ll meet individuals immersed in cutting-edge research, important work that meets the needs of our society, and other work that is critical to our national security. You’ll learn about rare and critical earth elements and Montana Tech’s partnership with the Army Research Lab where researchers will use Montana as a “model” to identify, map, explore, extract, and process rare earth elements in the U.S. in innovative and environmentally responsible ways. You’ll be introduced to the Clark Fork Watershed Education Program and hear about how the program has become a model for environmental stewardship, innovative STEM outreach, and student engagement. You’ll be proud of the incredible

success and impact of our graduates who are leading the way in health care and you’ll discover that Highlands College is helping Veterans get the training they need to have direct placement into the workforce. And we invite you to celebrate the history-making success of our Oredigger Basketball team as they made their way to the final eight at the NAIA Men’s National Conference Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

As referenced in the value proposition article herein, Montana Tech takes pride in being the State’s premier STEM university, and our focus is intentional and strategic for a good reason. What we do clearly matters, now more than ever. And while the conversation continues, I think you’ll agree that with individuals like Plant and Martin, these stories and more are proof that Montana Tech continues to develop and deliver a product that is highly sought after now and will remain so long into the future.

I am humbled and grateful to those who make Montana Tech the incredible institution it is today. It’s been an amazing year and an extraordinary semester. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for the university and our Montana Tech family.

Les P. Cook — Chancellor, Montana Technological University

HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE VALUE PROPOSITION

By Les Cook and

New America’s sixth annual survey on American higher education, Varying Degrees 2022, indicates most members of American society feel that some education beyond high school is important; that state and federal governments should continue to provide support; and that colleges and universities need to continue to be held accountable for how taxpayers dollars are put to use.

While these findings are not surprising, they demonstrate increased scrutiny of higher education in tumultuous times. For roughly three and a half years, the world has been upended by a global pandemic. Along with the pandemic, our country has experienced political discontent, economic uncertainty, racial strife, environmental tension, global conflict, and overall dissatisfaction.

Accordingly, recent reports—Varying Degrees, Pew, and Gallup— indicate a continued decline in public confidence in higher education. While the American public still values some post-secondary education, overall confidence in its positive impact declined from 69% in 2020 to 55% in 2022, according to Varying Degrees 2022.

A study funded by the Lumina and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations finds that while Americans understand the economic value of higher education, many question the cost. Quite frankly, public sentiment is that college has become too expensive, and some individuals feel it is too time consuming. Others were questioning higher education prior to the pandemic, and their uncertainties about return on investment have been exacerbated since. There is also a sense from some that today’s higher education isn’t necessarily designed for today’s students (“The Public’s Growing Doubts About College ‘Value,’” Inside Higher Ed).

Beyond these concerns, declining numbers of high school graduates have created what is well understood to be a demographic cliff for higher education. Simply put, there are fewer and fewer students, and the number going to college just isn’t there. Forecasters project that numbers of traditional college-age students will drop by more than 15% after 2025 (“College Students Predicted to Fall by More than 15% After the Year 2025,” The Hechinger Report). In Montana, the number of high school graduates in 2022 was 9,880. By 2026, this number is predicted to peak at 10,660 and then level out through 2037 with a projected average graduating class of 10,100 (OCHE Data, fall 2022).

In 2010, 61% of Montana’s high school graduates enrolled in some form of post-secondary education upon graduation. Today, 51% of Montana’s graduating seniors attend college or a university. Thirtynine percent of those stay in Montana, and 12% attend college outside of Montana.

It’s obvious that colleges and universities are in a hyper-competitive world. And it’s a world complicated by uncertainty and discontent, eroding confidence in higher education, and a shrinking population.

On September 11, 1900, 21 students enrolled in the first classes at the Montana State School of Mines. Montana Tech enrolled its largest number of students ever in fall 2015 with a total headcount of 2,980. From fall 2015 to fall 2020, Montana Tech’s numbers dropped by 22%, largely due to declining enrollment in legacy programs, and today enrollment stands at approximately 2,300.

When times are tough, taking stock of our past while looking ahead to the future can help us gain vital perspective.

—Paul Engstrom

2nd-year resident physician, SCL Health St. Mary’s Medical Center, Grand Junction, Colorado

Montana Technological University is at an inflection point. With a bold strategic plan that emphasizes student success, the institution’s firstever strategic enrollment plan, and the value of a STEM degree that has never been stronger, Montana Tech is poised for the future.

How can this be, given all that stands in front of us?

Nearly 20 years ago bipartisan requests were made from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to the National Academies of Science to conduct a study of our country’s competitiveness in the newly evolving world marketplace. The study culminated in a final report of over 500 pages titled, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future.”

Dawn Atkinson

“Looking back at my time at Montana Tech, I appreciate my experience. The time management learned from balancing a challenging curriculum with collegiate sports

set me up for success in medical school and still serves me daily in my medical residency. With small class sizes and excellent professors, Montana Tech truly is a special place to receive an education.”

Four recommendations came from this report:

• Move K–12 mathematics and science education in the United States into a leading position by global standards.

• Double the Federal investment in basic research in mathematics, the physical sciences, and engineering over the next seven years.

• Encourage more U.S. citizens to pursue careers in math, science, and engineering.

• Rebuild the competitive ecosystem by introducing reforms in the Nation’s tax, patent, immigration, and litigation policies.

and creative ecosystem. While some might argue the “Gathering Storm” report helped shed new light on the value and importance of STEM education, others believe that K–12 education has improved— especially in the subjects of math and science—though the potential to compete for high-quality jobs has deteriorated, perhaps even more so post-pandemic.

A March 3, 2023, message from Commissioner Clay Christian to members of the Montana University System reminds us that on average a college graduate stands to earn 84% more than a high school graduate. Salaries earned by Montana Tech’s graduates are consistently strong, with the median starting pay for SME grads at $70,000, CLSPS grads at $58,126, and Highlands College grads at $62,920. College graduates are also more resilient and able to weather downturns in the economy, as evidenced by the pandemic and recent changes in our country.

Career outcomes data also speak to the enduring value of a college education. For instance, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), an organization focused on career development, projects hiring demand for 2023 university graduates to rise by 14.7% when compared to the same demand in 2022. And U.S. employers who responded to a recent NACE quick poll cited student internships as the entry-level hiring tool that yield the best return on the time and money they invest in recruitment. This finding is particularly striking considering the number of Montana Tech students who undertake internships and other forms of experiential learning. According to Career Services’ latest figures, 91.7% of undergraduates reported completing such experiences while studying for their degrees at Montana Technological University.

Career fair numbers also remind us that Montana Technological University’s graduates continue to be in high demand. In autumn 2022, 135 employers and 29 new companies participated in the campus career fair, a growth of 31% over the previous fall. Spr ing 2023 saw 102 employers and 11 new companies participate, a 34% increase over the preceding spring. These record-breaking numbers are a testament to the value of our degree programs and the employability of our graduates.

Demand for rare earth elements (REEs) used in everyday electronics and technology critical to U.S. national security and economic growth also spells a rebirth for resource extraction, particularly in ways to source and deliver REEs from old digital devices, coal, and coal byproducts—and these opportunities bode well for Montana Technological University’s programs and graduates. They also offer chances to change the messaging around extraction to emphasize its role in the day-to-day. Energy engineering is another critically important area as we develop and advance ways to power our daily lives.

The sustained need for healthcare workers in the United States and around the world also places Montana Tech and its graduates in a strong position. The COVID-19 pandemic put the need in sharp focus, and the demand for nurses and radiologic technologists is expected to grow by 6% through 2031 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For students interested in other healthcare fields, Montana Technological University offers a launchpad for success through its pre-professional health pathway.

The demand for a work-ready labor force also positions Montana Tech and Highlands College graduates well for the future. Through coursework and hands-on learning, Highlands College grads can expect to hit the job market running, with a 96.97% career placement rate and with the know-how to confidently enter their professions and further grow on the job.

In addition to classroom and experiential learning in their STEM subjects, Montana Tech grads also need a strong grounding in writing, the humanities, and the social sciences to build the career preparation skills that equip them for the workplace. NACE calls these “career readiness competencies,” and communication, critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism, and a focus on equity and inclusion rank prominently on the list. Students can build and polish these skills during their time at Montana Technological University for success in college and beyond.

My years at Highlands College in the carpentry/ construction program were extremely satisfying. The experience that I gained from working with Habitat for Humanity and the skills I learned from competing in AGC Club gave me the working knowledge to enter the industry. This confidence, acquired from learning how to use the tools of the trade, manage projects in the industry, and to work with other trades, has allowed me to start my own business as a carpenter and painter. The smaller classes and engaging instructors at Highlands College created a close-knit environment that made it ideal for a non-traditional student like me to thrive and form lasting connections with my classmates.”

—Maria E. Ralph Owner and handy ma’am

The “Gathering Storm” report evaluated our Nation’s position in relation to the ingredients essential to innovation and competitiveness: knowledge capital, human capital, and the existence of a robust

With a dedicated focus on STEM education, distinctive programs, and a passion for hands-on learning, Montana Tech is poised to continue its tradition of educating students who are highly sought after in the workforce. Importantly, by 2031, the STEM labor force in the United States is expected to grow by nearly 11%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections.

These advantages all highlight the value proposition of a Montana Tech education for graduates. But beyond employment data, salary projections, areas of critical growth, and key employment skills, Montana Technological University stands for something else. It is an institution that deliberately opens up opportunity and innovation to all students. Reminders of this can be seen in our undergraduate and graduate research programs, our labs and classrooms, our extracurricular activities, and our student support efforts. Taken together, they showcase our focus on student success, programs of distinction, and a healthy and vibrant campus ecosystem—pillars of our strategic plan that center our commitments to learners and their aspirations.

The value proposition of a Montana Tech education can be further strengthened as we look forward to continued generous support from our alumni and friends; investments in campus infrastructure, people, and programs; and funding from the Montana Legislature’s Long-Range Building Program for campus improvements. And our strategic enrollment plan will help bring future students to campus to benefit from these investments for years to come.

Montana Tech takes pride in being the State’s premier STEM university, and our focus is intentional and strategic for good reason. What we do clearly matters, now more than ever.

“I am a very grateful Montana Tech alumnus. When I graduated with a BS in Engineering Science, I had 12 interviews and 12 job offers. I owe my success to the reputation of Montana Tech, and an in-demand curriculum that spanned many engineering core subjects. I had a very rewarding career as a Product Engineer. I interacted with manufacturing, customers, applications, sales, and testing on-site, and solved operational and product issues. I was one proud and well-equipped Oredigger who enjoyed his career.”

—Charlie Ljungberg

Retired, Montana Tech alumnus

DIGGING IN DIGGING IN

HARP NAMED TO MONTANA STATE BOARD OF RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGISTS

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has appointed Montana Technological University Radiologic Technology Program Director Tamara Harp to a three-year term on the Montana State Board of Radiologic Technologists. The appointment received unanimous Senate approval.

Harp, who was nominated for the position by former board member Dan Funch, has worked at Highlands College of Montana Tech since 2017. She has been a registered radiologic technologist since 2006, earning valuable experience working throughout Montana and Washington; recently, she earned a Master of Science in Radiologic Sciences degree.

SHERRY LESAR SCHOOL OF NURSING RANKED BEST IN MONTANA

The Sherry Lesar School of Nursing at Montana Technological University is ranked the #1 nursing program in Montana in the 2023 Top Ranked Nursing Schools listing by RegisteredNursing. org. The rankings are determined by comparing the past five years of first-time pass rate data for the NCLEX-RN test, a national licensing exam for registered nurses. Pass rates from the most recent test year are given more weight in the process. Montana Tech is the only four-year public university to make the top five. Private institutions Carroll College and the University of Providence came in at #2 and #4, respectively, and Flathead Valley Community College and Helena College rounded out the top five.

SENIOR DESIGN STUDENTS STUDY POTENTIAL FOR BUTTE MINE WASTE TO BE USED IN INCREASINGLY POPULAR ‘GREEN’ CONCRETE

Five Montana Tech seniors have spent much of the past year working through a senior design project where they tested whether or not waste mine tailings from the Yankee Doodle Tailings Pond could be used in a growing environmentally friendly industry. “Green” concrete reduces the amount of cement needed by substituting other materials. In 2022 it was estimated that 7–8% of global carbon dioxide emissions orig inated from the production of cement. In the students’ experiment, they created concrete cylinders that contained diffe rent amounts of mine waste materials and injected carbon dioxide. In addition to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide p roduced via cement production, green concretes also have the added benefit of sequestering materials that are added. The students planned their experiment in the fall, and began work on mixing the concrete and curing it for three weeks at a time in the spring. They then tested the concrete to see how it withstands pressure. The project gives students experience i n a booming industry. Expert Market Research, a Wyomingbased market research company, estimates the global green concr ete market in 2022 was valued at $6.31 billion, with the market forecast to grow to $11.45 billion by 2028.

DOE AWARDS $700,804 TO MONTANA TECH RESEARCHERS FOR SLAG RECOVERY

Montana Technological University researchers have been awarded over $700,804 by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science to investigate the recovery of valuable metals from waste slags generated by mining and metallurgical industries. The project proposes a novel technique to extract valuable metals from mixed-waste slag piles. The recovered metals could then be marketed for industry, and the remediated secondary slag could be used in the construction industry, alleviating environmental metal-leaching concerns with slag piles. The project will be powered by energy recovery from diverted plastic waste streams. The university will use the funds to purchase equipment, design a reactor, pay graduate student workers, and obtain raw materials and laboratory supplies. Avimanyu

Das is the principal investigator, with Dr. Jerry Downey, Department Head of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, as the co-PI. Their team will consist of a Ph.D. student, a master’s student, and two undergraduate trainees. Dr. Guy Fredrickson is representing collaborator Idaho National Laboratory on the project, which will take place over the next three years.

DANIELSON SELECTED FOR FULBRIGHT IN HUNGARY

The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board has selected Dr. Chris Danielson for a Fulbright award to Hungary during the academic year 2023–2024. Danielson is a professor of History in Montana Tech’s Department of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. Danielson will lecture at the University of Pécs in the institution’s Department of Literatures and Cultures in English on U.S. history and his areas of specialization in U.S. race relations, the civil rights movement, and U.S. foreign policy.

RECIPE GONE WRONG OR EXPERIMENT GONE RIGHT?

It’s lunch time in Dr. Richard LaDouceur’s laboratory and his mechanical engineering students are getting ready to put a tasty riblet on to barbecue with the goal of getting it past well done. Unfortunately, this riblet is not destined for nourishment, but instead is headed for the blender, where it will be transformed from a tantalizing delicious morsel into a disgusting mash.

BRINGING HOME AWARDS

Two teams from Montana Tech participated in the 45th International Collegiate Mining Competition in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia on March 21–26. The Orediggers placed 2nd and 9th in the competition out of 15 men’s teams, which requires students to compete in traditional mining tasks. Categories in the event include hand steel drilling, jackleg drilling, Swede saw, survey, gold panning, track stand, and hand mucking. The teams also brought home first place in hand steel and jackleg drilling. Photos of the event show the students sweaty from the triple-digit heat, and dirty from performing traditional mining work. This year’s Oredigger teams were comprised entirely of men, though Montana Tech Department of Mining Engineering Chair Scott Rosenthal hopes that there will be a women’s team next year. Montana Tech is one of the only teams that has competed every year since 1979 in the mining games. Next year, Montana Tech will host the international competition on its campus.

LaDouceur’s students will heat the mash until nothing’s left except a piece of biochar. Biochar resembles charcoal, and is the substance that is left over after biomass has been burned. A lot of research has been done on the properties of biochar made from agriculture or forest products. LaDouceur’s lab has focused on finding a way to turn hemp stalks into a viable biochar product.

Aside from being a fun experiment, the riblet experiment poses new opportunities for biochar experimentation. Students at Montana Tech’s food bank had been landfilling expired food, but soon it will find a new home in LaDouceur’s lab, which can produce about four kilograms of biochar per day. Every food product will have different properties, and varying potential to be used a biochar. Some of biochar’s uses include carbon sequestration and agricultural soil amendment. LaDouceur is using the biochar his lab produces to test novel separation techniques for rare earth elements in experiments funded by the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory.

Montana Tech Foundation Update

The Montana Tech Foundation is experiencing yet another historic fundraising year! As always, the Oredigger family continues to come together and provide the University with the opportunity to deliver its distinguished academic excellence and student experience.

This spring, ConocoPhillips Chairman, CEO, and Montana Tech alumnus Ryan and Lisa Lance announced a $31 million gift to the University, exponentially expanding Montana resident student scholarships and establishing an endowed Energy Chair, advancing Tech’s expertise in STEM and emerging as the leader in undergraduate and graduate education in energy, environment, and sustainability.

Alumnus and retired international mining executive Arthur H. Ditto committed to a $1,000,000 scholarship endowment for students in fields that support the mining extraction and natura resource industry. Ditto’s transformative investment was followed by a $2,000,000 endowed professorship in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (MET) by long-time supporter and industry partner Nucor. The official announcement accompanied the MET department’s 100-year anniversary. This endowment will enable the department to continue to grow and advance talented, skilled, and prepared graduates to enter the workforce of tomorrow.

This year, the Montana Tech Athletics department has experienced tremendous success in football, volleyball, cross country, and, most recently, men’s basketball. The Oredigger men celebrated back-toback Frontier Conference Championships in basketball and a run in the NAIA Tournament Championship. As we continue to grow the student-athlete experience on campus, the Foundation will officially launch a new arm of its fundraising enterprise: the Digger Athletic Fund (DAF) will be the official fundraising arm of Digger Athletics. Under the direction of Associate Director of Development Tommy Heppler, the DAF will focus on increasing scholarships, endowed coaching positions, facility improvements, and capital projects.

It’s a true privilege for the Montana Tech Foundation to have the opportunity to be partners in making a difference and changing lives, every day.

Thank you for your continued support of Montana Technological University, the #1 STEM institution in the State of Montana and an emerging University in energy! Roll Diggs!

Make an impact. Give TODAY! https://foundation.mtech.edu/give/

$31 Million Gift

— CEO, Montana Tech Foundation

Jaime Heppler

HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING WITH ALUMNI

The past five months have been a whirlwind in the best kind of way. Since coming on board as Montana Tech’s Director of Alumni Engagement, I have been very fortunate to hit the ground running and meet so many accomplished Orediggers around not only the state of Montana, but also the country (and in Canada too).

Some highlights of the whirlwind:

• Making a quick thousand-mile trip to Glendive and Billings to connect with some very enthusiastic Orediggers and discuss our Eastern Montana Endowed Scholarship (which we are using to recruit more students from “God’s Country,” as the locals call it!);

• Hopping on a plane to Denver to host a social at the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration at the 2023 SME Annual Conference for our alumni in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials, and Geotechnical Engineering; and

• Hosting a pair of watch parties at the Knights of Columbus Hall, so nearly 400 community members and alumni could cheer on Coach Hiatt’s Oredigger Basketball team on their incredible run in the NAIA National Tournament.

• It has been one heck of a couple months. And let me tell you, enthusiasm for Montana Tech is at an all-time high for our alumni.

Our alumni are connected and engaged with the great things happening at Montana Tech. They are aware of our national rankings, our career placement rates, and the cutting-edge research that is being done by our faculty and students. And they are trying to hire more and more Montana Tech graduates at our incredible career fairs, which have seen huge increases in the number of companies attending in both the fall and spring.

Now our challenge is to take all the momentum and enthusiasm that we have and continue to push it to new heights, not just on campus but also in our alumni chapters. The goal is to establish new chapters in areas where our alumni are leading in their local communities and continue to grow the culture of affinity for our programs and institution.

Our local chapters can make a real impact in helping to recruit the next Oredigger as well. No one can tell the Montana Tech success stories like a Montana Tech graduate. Our alumni know the value of a degree from this great institution, and that Montana

Tech can be just the opportunity that a high school student needs to put themselves on a tremendous trajectory towards a great career in industry.

In partnership with Montana Tech’s enrollment services and recruiting, we are creating a network of connected alumni who want to help recruit the next Oredigger to Montana Tech. We’ve developed alumni recruiting starter kits that include information for prospective students, high school counselors, STEM educators, and parents that helps cement the true value of a Montana Tech education—and that will help get more students to Butte.

If you are interested in being an alumni recruiter, just go to the Montana Tech Alumni page on the Tech website. Select that you are interested in assisting with recruiting the next Orediggers to Montana Tech, and we’ll get you set up with recruiting starter kits so that you have the tools you need to get students excited about their future at Montana Tech.

In the past five months, the number of Orediggers I’ve had the chance to connect with has been tremendous. Their energy is contagious, and am constantly invigorated to hit the ground running again.

When you get to hear about the impact that Montana Tech had on an alumni’s life and career, it makes all those miles worth it.

Sean Ryan

—

Director, Alumni Engagement

THEY ARE GOLDEN! PLANT, MARTIN NAMED 2023

GOLDWATER SCHOLARS

By Megan Strickland

“They represent the best of Montana Tech and bring distinction and an immense sense of accomplishment to the entire University. It’s not unusual for Montana Tech to have one Goldwater in any given year; having two is phenomenal. These students are the epitome of all that’s good about working in higher education, and this recognition is well deserved.”

Dr. Les Cook

The award is the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in ‘natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering awarded in America.

Alyssa Plant and Koby Martin are among 413 recipients, chosen from a pool of more than of 5,000 applicants. Plant, a junior from Helena, Montana, is majoring in Environmental Engineering. Her research is focused on the applications of drone-based imagery in water quality, aquatic species health, and mine waste reuse. After completing her degree programs, Alyssa plans to pursue a doctorate in Environmental Engineering.

“I am extremely honored and grateful to receive this award. I want to thank everyone who supported my endeavors as a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship applicant,” Plant said. “Through my research and education at Montana Tech, I have developed a deep respect for our natural waterbodies and the species that inhabit them, and I intend to work to protect these habitats.”

Martin, a junior majoring in Civil Engineering who now lives

in Butte after spending most of his life in Helena, focuses on developing sustainable building materials, particularly concrete, using widely available biomaterials. This research is aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of building practices worldwide.

“I am incredibly honored and grateful to be a Goldwater Scholar,” Martin said. “This achievement recognizes my determination and hard work and will propel me into the industry as I finish my education. Montana Tech has become a family to me, and I plan to take what I have learned from this family and make a lasting impact on the world through my work in sustainability and infrastructure.”

The one-and two-year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

“Earning a Goldwater Scholarship is an incredible achievement, and we couldn’t be more proud of Alyssa and Koby,” Montana Tech Chancellor Dr. Les Cook said.

This is just the beginning of the journey for Plant and Martin. Goldwater Scholars have won an impressive array of prestigious post-graduate fellowships, among them the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Rhodes Scholarship, Marshall Scholarship, Churchill Scholarship, Hertz Fellowship, DOE Computation Science Graduate Fellowship, and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship.

“Congratulations to Alyssa and Kobe!” said Montana Tech Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Angela Lueking. “We are proud to have them in our community, and are proud of what this award represents—this national recognition is an indication of the strong support our undergraduate students get to work on meaningful problems and do impactful work. Congratulations to all the nominees, as they also embody the spirit of Montana Tech.”

Montana Tech nominated four students for the 2023 award. The nominees were Plant, Martin, Ethan Heggem, and Katelyn Rapp.

—

Montana Tech Chancellor

Two Montana Tech students have been recognized as among the best science and engineering students in the U.S., winning the 2023 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

Superfund: A LABORATORY FOR STEM EDUCATION

By Rayelynn Brandl

The Clark Fork Watershed Education Program (CFWEP) is celebrating 20 years of programming excellence this year. In 2003, a geologist at Montana Tech, a hydrogeologist working for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and a biology teacher at Butte High School dreamed of a day when all of the students within the Clark Fork basin would understand the unique history of their place, engage with authentic science practices, and become stewards of the newly restored river system, all while using the landscapes of the Clark Fork River Watershed as their outdoor laboratories. To achieve this vision, Dr. Colleen Elliott (Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology), Joe Griffin (Department of Environmental Quality, retired), and Bill Callaghan (member of Butte Natural Resource Council and retired high school teacher) engaged Amy Verlanic (Executive Director of Montana Tech’s Institute for Educational Opportunities) to help secure funding from the Natural Resource Damage Program, and CFWEP was born.

The program started with Bill’s classroom and a pilot project in Butte in 2003 and quickly spread to other communities as teachers and students started to open their eyes to both the historic damage within the watershed and the unlimited possibilities for the future restoration of long-dead streams. By 2005, the program was serving schools from Butte to Missoula and included the schools within the Blackfoot Watershed. Today, the program has expanded beyond the Clark Fork Watershed schools, serving teachers and students throughout the state of Montana. As of December 2022, the program has served 76,069 students and 901 teachers within 43 Montana communities, providing nearly 300,000 contact hours. CFWEP has been locally and nationally recognized, garnering 22 awards for excellence since its founding.

CFWEP’s watershed science programming includes five days of learning for middle school students, during which students learn about the historic damage to the watershed and the science behind restoration. Following four days of in-class instruction, students are treated to a field trip at the river with practicing scientists who help students assess the health of their nearby stream. Students return to Montana Tech to analyze their data and answer the question, “is our stream healthy?” While on campus, students get a snippet of college life and can imagine themselves as a Tech student.

CFWEP’s founders aligned the program with the strategy that the science and history could speak for themselves, that CFWEP would remain non-advocational in its work. A core lesson of the program is to reveal that it is not only possible, but also necessary, to have both a healthy mining economy and a healthy environment. CFWEP’s programming and lessons inspire students to become innovators who are not afraid to tackle seemingly impossible tasks like restoring an entire river ecosystem. They remind students to think big when it comes to developing innovative strategies for reducing mining’s footprint and to take simple actions every day to protect their restored and healthy landscapes.

CFWEP’s current director, Rayelynn Brandl, was recently featured on CBS This Morning and as part of Nora Sak’s National Public Radio podcast, The Richest Hill. Both producers invited Rayelynn to share her experiences growing up in Butte post Superfund declaration. Rayelynn reflected that important history is being written right now, that the stories of rebirth, innovation, and sheer grit are equally as powerful as the stories of early mining and the heyday of Butte. This reflection is a cornerstone of the core ideology of CFWEP. The program’s goal is to inspire the next generation of scientifically literate citizens who will care for the restored landscapes of the Clark Fork.

Since the beginning, the CFWEP founders realized that in order to truly achieve the vision of creating scientifically literate citizens who would care for their landscapes, teachers were critical to the mission. CFWEP has provided teacher professional development by effectively partnering with the University of Montana, University of Montana-Western, Montana State University-Bozeman, Montana State University-Billings, and Salish-Kootenai College. Currently, CFWEP partners with Montana Tech Biology professor Dr. Marisa Pedulla to deliver a second National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant called PHAGES, which equips teachers to deliver a phage-discovery program within their school districts.

Phages are viruses that infect bacteria and are currently being studied and utilized to fight antibiotic-resistant strains of various bacteria, including tuberculosis and staph. Through the PHAGES project, CFWEP is helping to build remote labs in target schools, ensuring that teachers have access to the necessary equipment needed to carry out the experiments with their students, ensuring scientific literacy for Montana students. High school students are able to apply for paid summer internships through the project, which enables students to engage in real-world research projects prior to entering college and during the first years of their college experience. This pipeline program has been an effective recruiting tool for Montana Tech, bringing several full-time students to campus, some of whom have gone on to graduate work as well.

The CFWEP program is undergoing a transformation, driven in part by funding, but also by the needs of the citizens of Montana. The legacy of restoration and learning within the outdoor laboratory known as the Clark Fork Watershed has provided an excellent model for stewardship, innovative STEM outreach, and student engagement. As the restoration dollars from the Natural Resource Damage program are being spent down, CFWEP’s continued funding from this source is also dwindling. In order to continue meeting the needs of students, teachers, and community members, CFWEP launched a diversification strategy in 2020, aiming to achieve 25% of funding from NRD contracts, 25% from private donors and foundations, 25% from fee for service programming, and 25% from national grants. The program partners, leadership teams, and staff are engaged in fundraising from all sources and are diligently looking into partnership opportunities throughout the State.

CFWEP’s current staff team includes: Rayelynn Brandl, Tammy Gordon (‘09), Dalit Guscio, Rachel Neal, Chris Pavlovich, Teal Taylor (‘19), and Melissa Wanamaker. CFWEP continues to be supported by our leadership team and founding members, Dr. Colleen Elliott, Joe Griffin, Justin Ringsak (‘03), and Amy Verlanic (‘03). The program has recruited a team of business leaders and thinkers who are dedicated to helping CFWEP achieve their funding goals. The Executive Leadership Team is composed of the following members: Dr. Steve Gammon, Montana Tech; Brad Archibald, Pioneer Technical Services; Maggie Davis-Welch, Butte Broadcasting, Inc.; Rick Edwards, NorthWestern Energy; Elizabeth Erickson, Water and Environmental Technologies; Jeremy Fleege, Montana Resources; Erick Greene, Montana Osprey Project; JR Hansen, Veteran, U.S. Navy, Southwest Airlines, High Alpha Aviation; Lindy Hanson, Atlantic Richfield Company; Sidni Markovich, Markovich Inc.; Matt Vincent, Rampart Solutions; and Joe Willauer, Submittable.

If you are interested in learning more about CFWEP’s programming or would like to support this program’s legacy, please visit cfwep.org/ or contact Rayelynn Brandl, Executive Director, at rbrandl@ mtech. edu. Your generous gift will ensure CFWEP’s mission for generations to come.

PRE-PROFESSIONAL HEALTH PROGRAMS SEE

SIGNIFICANT GROWTH AT MONTANA TECH

AS PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OPTIONS ALSO EXPAND IN THE STATE

By Megan Strickland

Dr. Grace Anderson spends her days growing a thriving optometry practice in Lincoln City, Oregon, a coastal community about two hours southeast of Portland. But when she first set foot on the Montana Tech campus in fall 2009, her personal vision of what her career would eventually become was a bit blurry.

Anderson is one of many healthcare professionals who have graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Montana Tech’s premedical and pre-professional programs and gone on to great success as doctors, physician assistants, physical therapists, dentists, and optometrists. According to the University’s enrollment data, student enrollment in Biological Sciences has nearly doubled since 2015, and the number of students in the Exercise and Health Science major has quintupled during the same time period.

“When I first started as Department Head, I would often hear people say, ‘I had no idea you could do pre-med at Montana Tech.’ Now we do have a lot of students come into our program specifically for the pre-med training,” said Biology Department Head Dr. Amy Kuenzi.

“I think part of our success in getting our students into professional health programs like medical school after graduation is because we are a small, personalized program and we get to know our students really well.”

This is partly what drew Anderson to Tech. Her older brother, Dirk, was an alumnus of the Biology program and she was able to live with him during her time on campus. She knew the environment would be the right fit.

“I am from a small town in Idaho and appreciated the transition to a larger school, but not so big that I didn’t know most of my classmates,” Anderson said. “The small class sizes at Tech prepared me to be more comfortable asking professors questions in optometry school and being curious about the ‘why.’ It also gave me a sense of confidence in getting to know everyone around me, which I feel is a big component for empathy in patient care. My four years in Butte made me more personable.”

Anderson says her time on campus was fun, and that the friendships she made in Butte have lasted, even though her classmates are now scattered across the country.

“I was surrounded by an amazing group of friends and classmates at Tech who have since gone on to become incredible doctors, pharmacists, biologists, and engineers,” Anderson said. “Developing friendships with other driven individuals helped me reach my goals, even after we left Tech.”

She was well prepared for her first postgraduate degree, which had nothing to do with

the study of eyes. Anderson was midway through her master’s degree at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, studying soybean genetics, when she suffered a retinal detachment. The ophthalmologist providing care asked why Anderson hadn’t considered healthcare as a career.

“The rest is history—I was looking up optometry schools later that day and was accepted to Pacific University College of Optometry six months later,” Anderson said.

Anderson said her time at Tech gave her the tools necessary to succeed.

“The curriculum prepared me for many of my courses at Pacific, especially anatomy and physics, making studying in optometry school more manageable,” Anderson said. “The support and openness from the professors at Tech are things will be forever grateful for. Drs. Amy Kuenzi, Rick Douglass, and Katie Hailer were amazing mentors.”

Anderson leveraged her undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral training to land an ocular disease residency at Lebanon Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Pennsylvania, that Anderson says has given her confidence to manage any case that walks through her door. While most people think of glasses and contacts as the bread and butter for optometrists, Anderson also can detect numerous systemic diseases through her work with the eyes.

“My office has doubled its patient load over the past year and a half and I plan for it to continue to grow,” Anderson said. “Lincoln City is a small town and they have welcomed me with open arms. I want to give back to my community the best I can and continue to educate people about their ocular health.”

Anderson teaches courses on systemic disease part-time at Pacific University College of Optometry. She’s also been involved with international eye care trips, and hopes to do more as the pandemic ebbs.

No matter where life takes her, Anderson takes great pride in her start at Montana Tech.

“Tech was a foundation to my education and career that I would not trade for anything,” Anderson said. “I’m very proud to be an Oredigger.”

A GROWING TREND

Success stories like Anderson’s are part of what is causing increased popularity in Montana Tech’s pre-professional health, premed, and pre-vet programs. Dr. Amy Kuenzi

says the growing number of students in the department is a testament to hardworking faculty and staff.

“We’ve gotten the word out that you if you are a student who wants to come to a small school with more personalized attention, we might be a good fit for you,” Kuenzi said.

Because classes are small, students have increased opportunities to perform research at the undergraduate level that stands out on a résumé. Students are also able to receive one-on-one help with application preparation to post-graduate institutions of their choice. The department offers a test prep class for the MCAT and other entrance exams. The biology and chemistry faculty work with students to do mock interviews as well.

“I think we provide some opportunities that students might not be able to get at a bigger school,” Kuenzi said. “We also write excellent letters of recommendation because we get to know our students so well.”

Standing out among the ever-growing applicant pool is important. The Association of American Medical Colleges reported that applications to medical school soared 17% for the 2021–2022 school year, with significant growth in minority applications.

In Montana, students will soon have expanded local opportunities to become physicians. The Touro College and University system is set to welcome its first class of medical students in Great Falls in 2023, and Rocky Vista University in Billings expects to welcome its first class in summer 2023. These will be the first medical schools in Montana. Historically, Montana students have been able to apply for 30 spots designated annually for Montana students through an agreement with the University of Washington School of Medicine.

As student numbers in the Biology department grow, so do more on-campus opportunities. Two student clubs on campus, the biology club and the pre-professional health club, have been able to increase their community outreach with more students. The department rebranded the Exercise and Health Science program in 2020 from its previous moniker, “Applied Health,” which has also drawn in more students. With this rebranding came a revamping of the curriculum that prepares students well to apply to professional health programs.

STUDENT DEBT

Dr. Aidan Amtmann was one of those local students with a lot of opportunity to interact with the University. Her father, Dr. John Amtmann, is a Professor in the Exercise and Health Science program, and she remembers

growing up in Butte with dreams of being a physical therapist.

As early as age 8, she can remember thinking that it might be the perfect fit for her active lifestyle and communicative talents.

“I came across physical therapy and it became a profession that was always in the back of my mind,” Amtmann said. “As got older, I did more research on it and talked to PTs about their experience and decided that was what I was going to do as I was going into my freshman year.”

Amtmann’s compliments to the program align with Kuenzi’s and Anderson’s, including small classes and opportunities to make her application stand out for graduate school, but she notes another part of the curriculum that stood out as well.

“The Anatomy and Physiology and Kinesiology cadaver labs are also great for hands-on learning, and that experience is something to this day I have not forgotten,” Amtmann said.

While Butte roots and personal ties may have played a part in Amtmann’s undergraduate school choice, she pointed to another major factor that helped her decide: finances. Her father encouraged her to apply for scholarships.

“I had one scholarship from UM that would barely make a dent in the overall cost, and none from MSU,” Amtmann said. “But Tech offered me three four-year scholarships/ tuition waivers and then I had earned three or four one-year scholarships.”

She also got to live at home, which saved additional dollars.

“I was very fortunate in that I got to live at home rent free, got to do my laundry for free, no utility bills, etc., so I saved a lot of money!” Amtmann said.

The choice to stay at home was a benefit to Amtmann’s finances so she could reach her long-term goal.

“It is something that really set me up to do better in the future as I was one out of very few of my classmates in PT school who had zero debt from undergraduate school,” Amtmann said.

Cost can be a huge burden for healthcare professionals. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education notes the average cost for a public physical therapy program is $18,989 per year. The average total cost of medical school is $250,222 at public institutions, according to

the Association of American Medical Colleges. The American Dental Education Association reports only 17% of dental school graduates in the class of 2021 had no debt, with the average total educational debt totaling $301,583 per student.

While these professions also come with higher salaries, every dollar saved is a step closer to financial freedom and further away from the anchor of debt and interest. Amtmann’s advice to prospective students is to compare costs when making a school choice.

“ would definitely say you have to run the numbers; the cost of schooling plays a hugerole in your financial future, so be smart and make the best decision you can,” Amtmann said. “Also, Butte may not be as flashy as other places, but it is very neat in its own way. The community is wonderful and it’s a great place to live.”

Amtmann returned to Butte following her graduation from the University of Montana’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program in May 2021. She now works as a traveling physical therapist. She continues to be an avid outdoorswoman, with backcountry boarding, hiking the “M,” and exploring the Continental Divide among her favorite activities.

“I’m very proud to be a physical therapist and truly feel have chosen a profession in which I can be successful and have fulfillment knowing I get to make a difference in people’s lives,” Amtmann said. “Montana Tech has very much helped me in my development as a young professional and provided me a launching point for pursuing my goal of becoming a physical therapist.”

THE BEST OF THE BEST

Gaining admission into medical school is notoriously hard, but getting into one of the coveted MD/PhD slots available at U.S. institutions is even more difficult. Only 709 students matriculated into MD/PhD programs in the 2022–2023 academic year, out of 30,864 applications, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Applicants, on average, apply to 17 programs each.

Riley Hellinger (Biological Sciences–Cellular/Molecular Track, ‘19) is currently working through one of these prestigious programs at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson (UACOM-T), which is funded by the National Institutes of Health as a distinguished Medical Scientist Training Program. Hellinger’s journey started in Shelby, Montana, a tiny town on the Montana Hi-Line. Hellinger grew up on his family’s wheat farm and always had an interest in science, but he never thought seriously about entering healthcare until he lost his grandfather as a freshman in high school. His grandfather fell and had a brain bleed, causing him to be in a coma for six weeks. Eventually, he physically recovered enough to be discharged, but guilt and depression surrounding his health issues and the continued support he required overshadowed the progress he had made. He died by suicide a short time later.

“He was the very stereotypical stoic farmer type who didn’t want to ask for help,” Hellinger said. “Having this brain injury and not recovering at the pace he wanted was very hard on him.”

It showed Hellinger how limited access to care, especially in rural communities, can have a tremendous impact on patients. He set off for Colorado State University in Fort Collins to begin his pre-medical studies after high school graduation, but after one semester, felt himself pulled to Montana Tech.

“It’s really expensive to go to school out of state,” Hellinger said. “I wanted to be closer to friends and family, and going to Montana Tech allowed me to save money before med school.”

In a Human Anatomy and Physiology lecture, Dr. Amy Kuenzi mentioned that she would not hold class on a Friday morning because she would be trapping mice near Polson that day to collect samples to study Sin Nombre Virus, known commonly as hantavirus. Hellinger had planned to be in the Flathead area already to visit family, and asked if he could tag along.

One day in the field turned into a career path. Hellinger found a home in the Montana Tech research labs. His first experience at the lab bench was working on a Colorado Tick Fever Virus research study with Dr. Kuenzi and Dr. Joel Graff, and then he worked in Kuenzi’s lab on the hantavirus research for three years. Hellinger said the highlight of his research experience at Montana Tech, and ultimate driving force for his current educational path, was studying bacteriophages with Dr. Graff and Dr. Marisa Pedulla.

“That’s where I really discovered my passion for research. I discovered two different bacteriophages along with my classmate Hannah Sparks,” Hellinger said.

He and Sparks worked through and sequenced the genomes of one of the bacteriophages. Their work won best poster in Biological Sciences at Techxpo in 2018. They also presented that research at the 10th Annual HHMI SEA Symposium in Washington, D.C. During that busy spring semester, Hellinger was encouraged by faculty to apply for the highly competitive Amgen Scholars Program, which is open to top students from around the globe. Hellinger was accepted to the program through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and spent eight weeks working in Dr. Michael Hemann’s lab in the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. While there, Hellinger worked alongside graduate students pursuing an MD/PhD, a special type of program where students become both medical doctors and PhDtrained researchers.

“Pursuing an MD/PhD allows you to be the bridge between the clinic and the research lab. In academia we call this translational science— you take the problems you see in the clinic, try to solve those problems at the bench in the lab, and then hopefully apply those findings back to the clinic,” Hellinger said.

Hellinger had never heard of this type of program before his summer at MIT, and he had no idea he was about to receive a job opportunity that would look great on a résumé. Dr. Hemann invited him to join the lab he had worked in as an Amgen Scholar after graduation, this time in the role of laboratory manager and technician. For two years Hellinger worked to understand how cancer cells become resistant to standard chemotherapies and newer immunotherapies, such as CAR-T therapy. As a bonus, he also collaborated with friends from a laboratory next door on a project that sought to make a low-cost, rapid test to determine the level of COVID-19 antibodies a patient had, which could be used to infer their level of protection from the virus. The findings were published in a multidisciplinary journal.

Hellinger has been working through the MD portion of his MD/PhD program in Tucson since 2021. He took his first United States Medical Licensing Examination, the USMLE Step 1, in February, after finishing the 18-month preclinical curriculum. In March 2023, he began the PhD portion of his program, which he will complete over the next few years, before finishing out with the final two years of medical school clinical rotations. That will be followed by residency, and possibly fellowships, if Hellinger wants to focus on a medical specialty.

As he continues to thrive in his program, Hellinger has advice for others who are interested in an MD/PhD program.

“The size of MD/PhD programs are a lot smaller than typical medical

school cohorts,” Hellinger said. “My program only accepts 5 students per year, while there are 120 medical students accepted per year. Other programs might be at most 15 per year. You really need to make yourself stand out from the get-go. The best way to do that is research. I think Montana Tech was the absolute ideal place to be for that. Because it is a small community, didn’t have to fight for a spot at a laboratory like you do at larger universities.”

Working in a lab also requires a certain level of independence. Hellinger carried that into his studies at MIT and UACOM-T, with supervisors noting how confident he was in the laboratory setting. He credits that confidence to his time at Montana Tech.

“We had the one-on-one mentorship from faculty, which made my research experience really unique compared to anyone else I met along the way,” Hellinger said. “I learned to be a very independent undergraduate researcher. At larger institutions labs tend to be driven by the work of graduate students and post docs, but at Tech it was just us undergrads. It has been really easy to pick things up because of this.”

Hellinger also encouraged students to focus on being well rounded. In his time as an undergraduate, he studied abroad in Tanzania and volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butte.

“Besides getting involved in research, get involved in clubs and social activities,” Hellinger said. “You don’t want to be a robot. It’s okay to be imperfect and have things you do outside of science. It’s really important actually. I was in the choir almost the whole time I was at Montana Tech. That was almost always the highlight of my week. Those things will be a lifesaver for your mental health.”

As a medical student he joined UACOM-T’s student chapter of the American Medical Association, and helped draft a policy resolution to include support for street medicine programs and elimination of unjust evictions.

“Unjust evictions and inflation-based rent control don’t sound like medical issues on the surface, but they become medical issues because being houseless has been shown to increase the risk of many medical issues,” Hellinger said.

The resolution was successfully adopted by the AMA’s Medical Student Section, and it has been passed along for consideration to the AMA’s House of Delegates for adoption into AMA policy.

“If that happens the AMA will be able to send lobbyists to Washington D.C. to lobby Congress for federal legislation to support the street medicine programs and prohibit the unjust evictions,” Hellinger said.

Hellinger embraces the uncertain path forward. Those who hold an MD and PhD enjoy numerous career opportunities, but Montana has far fewer opportunities right now than more urban areas that have large academic hospitals and research centers.

“I might end up close to Montana,” Hellinger said. “Bozeman and Missoula are really growing as well. By the time I finish with residency and fellowship, who knows?”

DIGGER ATHLETICS — A Solid Investment

By Matt Stepan

As I sit here today watching the late April snowfall, I find myself reflecting on the journey that has been my nine years working for Charlie Oredigger.

I remember sitting in my Uptown Butte office where I had started my own investment advising and retirement planning business, reading the latest Digger Athletics news centered around the revolving door of athletic directors that highlighted the 2013–2014 years when I got a phone call from then (and current) Digger Athletic Association President Josh Vincent.

“Matty, we’ve got to do something about this. Are you ready to go to work?”

Not long after that, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Head Football Coach and recently named Athletic Director Chuck Morrell. He had been asked to lead the department, while coaching football, through some of the most turbulent times in our history, and gave me the opportunity to join the team.

As an alumnus and a former student-athlete of Montana Tech, I had remained connected to the institution that had opened doors and created incredible opportunities for me and my young family, just as it has done for so many graduates in its storied history. We had recently moved back to Butte—the hometown of both myself and my wife Sarah— and had become involved in many local endeavors, including youth sports organizations and professional development opportunities.

Fortunately for me, what Digger Athletics needed the most at the time was someone who could help reconnect Digger Athletics with the local and alumni communities and start to mend some of the damaged bridges between campus and the great community of Butte, America.

Looking back at that first 2014–2015 year, none of our six varsity sports finished in the top half of the conference standings and we were 7th in the Bandy Award standings. The George Bandy Memorial Conference All-Sports Award is presented annually in the spring to the conference school that has amassed the most points awarded based on their league finish in each sport.

I want to be clear that when I talk about these times, I don’t mean to say that the department was broken or that I or anyone else came along and “fixed” it—far from it, actually. The bricks had long ago been laid on a solid foundation by many who are responsible for past successes and whose impacts are still felt today. Coaches such as Ed Simonich, Peg Sarsfield, Jo Buysse, Kelvin Sampson, Marilyn Tobin, Rick Dessing, and Bob Green are just some of the masons who laid the cornerstone bricks that remain in the sturdy foundation that gives steadiness to today’s programs. The coaches during those difficult 2014–2015 years, some of whom are still with us, were great stewards of our programs and all contributed important bricks to the solid footings we stand on today.

The Butte and alumni communities have long been the mortar that binds these bricks together. We are extremely fortunate to have an alumni base who are both capable and willing to support us generously, and you just won’t find a match to Butte, America when it comes to supporting their teams and student-athletes—as long as they are showing the toughness and grit worthy of Butte’s reputation and are representing the community positively and productively.

Our student-athletes during that time remained great ambassadors of the University, with their strong academic output and their commitment to being positive leaders on campus and in the community.

So how did we end up towards the bottom of the Frontier Conference during those tough times?

Athletics had become a pain point for the University. Inconsistent leadership brought public turmoil that replaced the typical reports of standings and results with stories that brought embarrassment and created a sense of warranted uneasiness among our administration and supporters.

To sum up the state of Digger Athletics at that time: we just weren’t a great investment.

The challenge ahead of us was clear. We needed to put the time and effort into rebuilding the trust of our administration, our alumni, and our community support. While our studentathletes have always been worthy of the great support they’ve received, we needed to prove that we could be great stewards of that support and ensure that the investment from our local and alumni supporters would bring with it the return that is expected: to provide a positive athletic experience to our students while supporting the mission and values of the University.

We received our first real win in early 2015 with the establishment of our Digger Athletic Endowment, thanks to the generous leadership gift by Jerry and Julie Schuyler. Throughout the past seven years, each milestone we reach, each conference championship we win, and each playoff victory, I think about the Schuylers and their willingness to invest at a time when I’m not sure we were worthy of it.

Year after year we saw the community support grow, first back to the levels we had previously been accustomed to, and then to new levels that we had probably never experienced. This can be seen in our annual Digger Auction, which has grown in support and revenue each year since 2015. It can be seen each Saturday home football game, where the tailgate crowd alone surpasses the total crowd that scattered our stadium seats in our 1-9 2014 season. It was surely seen during this year’s first and second rounds of the NAIA

National Tournament hosted on Kelvin Sampson Court, where we witnessed a standing-room-only crowd for the first time since the days of “Flyin” Brian Vaughns.

Photo by: Jon Wick/5518 Designs

You can see it in our growth over the past five years. Through the additions of cross country and track and field, we have grown our student-athlete population by over 30%, adding more than 70 students to our campus enrollment.

You can certainly see the renewed support in our results. Brick by brick, we have raised the level each year since 2014, and I’m proud to say that we just received word that Montana Tech has won its first Bandy Award since 1993. We have raised four championship banners this year, with championships in men’s basketball, volleyball, and a sweep of men’s and women’s track. Football entered the top 25 this year for the first time since 2017, and our men’s and women’s golf programs each finished second in the recent conference championship tournament. Of our 12 varsity sports, 11 will have finished in the top half of our conference standings, a stark turnaround since 2014.

While we have worked hard, it hasn’t been hard work. The Montana Tech experience has been the easiest investment I’ve ever sold. It isn’t the wins, the championships, or the banners we’re hanging that make it an easy sell, but rather the ones that pull the string on the banners as we watch with pride: the great student-athletes.

These unbelievable young men and women continue to impress not just on the field, court, course, or track, but in the classroom where it matters the most. More than 40% of our student-athlete population is represented on the academic allconference teams, and more than 60% of them have a grade point average greater than 3.0. Our Montana Tech Office of Institutional Research reported that the average GPA of a Montana Tech student-athlete in 2022 was a staggering 3.53, compared to the impressive 3.44 held by the total student population. Similarly, the graduation rate of our student-athletes is over 10% higher than our total student population. While these comparative results are not unique to Montana Tech, it is a credit to the great head coaches we have leading our programs and their commitment to the academic priorities of the department and institution.

They are winning championships with the smartest students, at the most challenging institution in the Frontier Conference.

We recently completed our most successful Miner’s Ball Digger Auction in history, where the alumni and Butte communities, once understandably hesitant, smashed previous records with their incredible investment in our student-athletes. This historic night was highlighted by the announcement of the largest single gift to Digger Athletics in our history—a $1 million commitment to the Digger Athletic Endowment made by Ryan and Lisa Lance. This unprecedented gift will not only help continue the upward

trend that has been set in Digger Athletics over the past few years but will help springboard us toward our goal of increasing this endowment to $3 million over the next 3 years. We are eternally grateful to Ryan and Lisa for their generosity, and the work of the Montana Tech Foundation for their efforts in making this a reality.

I am extremely proud of the work that we have put in over the past seven years. There are many highlights to be proud of yet there is much work left to do. With the unwavering support of our administration, the commitment of the Montana Tech Foundation, the unrivaled support of the Butte and alumni communities, and the best head coaches in the Frontier Conference, we will continue to provide a transformative experience to our student-athletes while pushing our programs onto the national stage.

While our stock is certainly up, I am more bullish than ever on Oredigger Athletics.

Matt Stepan

— Director, Oredigger Athletics

MONTANA TECH’S SEASON FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS

By Gavin Derkatch, The Montana Standard

The Orediggers were coming off of a record-breaking season in 2021–2022, as the team won their first-ever NAIA national tournament game.

They had won the most games in program history along with winning the regular season and tournament titles in the Frontier Conference.

With six seniors graduating from the team, it would be a tall order to repeat.

Not only did the Diggers repeat the success of the 2021–2022 team, but they built off of it.

Tech won the conference tournament and regular season titles for the second consecutive season. On top of that, it broke the wins record from the season prior, finishing 29-5.

“We were so proud of this group for being able to mature on the fly and handle the different circumstances that come throughout the course of the season. The talent was never the issue, it was just the relative lack of experience. They earned their stripes this year,” Hiatt said.

The team’s depth and relentlessness was tested during the NAIA national tournament. In the first minute of their first round matchup, leading scorer Caleb Bellach went down with an injury, ending his season.

Bellach was named Frontier Conference Player of the Year and recently earned NAIA All-America First Team honors.

Without their leader and top offensive threat, the Diggers did not roll over.

Instead, they went on the deepest national tournament run in the program’s history. After a 14-point victory in the first round against Westmont College, Tech came back to defeat Thomas More University in overtime.

The two wins on Kelvin Sampson Court sent the Diggers to Kansas City to compete at the NAIA National Championship Final Site.

“When Bellach got injured, we could have just laid down and not fought. We came together and played to the best of our ability to get some good wins; that’s how we made it to Kansas City,” junior guard Chrishon Dixon said.

In the Round of 16, the magical run continued. Tech came back

Entering the 2022–2023 men’s basketball season, Montana Tech head coach Adam Hiatt wasn’t quite sure what to expect from his team.

from a 13-point second half deficit against No. 1 seed William Penn and earned another overtime victory to advance to the national quarterfinals.

For the team, all of the success didn’t come as a surprise. Despite losing six contributors from the year before, it was evident that the team was talented.

There were four new starters and several other players who had increased minutes. Dixon and Asa Williams were key transfers and both Michael Ure and Camdyn LaRance took on expanded roles. Freshman Hayden Diekhans burst onto the scene, starting every game for the Diggers.

“We always believed from the jump. We knew we were going to be a great team and we would try to prove it every night,” Dixon said.

Hiatt realized the team could be a true national contender at the tail end of the regular season. After clinching the regular season conference title against Carroll, the Diggers traveled to Great Falls just two days later and defeated Providence, 97-70. It was the most “complete” game that the team played all season, according to Hiatt.

That realization turned out to be valid as the Diggers went on to repeat as conference tournament champions and advance as far as they ever have at the national tournament.

Just like it did this season, the program will look to continue building to get even further next year.

“All of those games were super high pressure, so if we can bring a ‘Kansas City’ mentality to every game next year and throughout the summer, where everybody has their mind on getting back to that moment, I think we’ll be pretty successful. Once we got a taste of it, we never wanted to leave,” sophomore guard Keeley Bake said.

Despite the loss to Ottawa University (Ariz.) that ended their year, it was a momentous season for the Diggers.

As a team and individually, there are too many accolades to count on two hands.

“Coming home from that, that was the moment that it dawned on our coaches that this team is here and we could advance and do some great things this season,” Hiatt said.

The experience gained as they continued to advance will be pivotal for a team expecting to return their whole starting lineup and other contributors. Now that the players have gotten to the final site, it will be a motivator to make it back next season.

The program may have already started to look ahead to next year, but the accomplishments of the 2022–2023 team will live in the history books forever.

Gavin Derkatch is a sports reporter for the Montana Standard. Follow him on Twitter @GDerkatch or email him gavin.derkatch@406mtsports.com

You could just see that the guys wanted to win not just for the program, but for their teammate who went down. That was a big reason why we were able to advance as far as we did, because of that brotherhood we have.

Adam Hiatt

FOREFRONT OF EFFORTS TO BRING RARE EARTH ELEMENT MINING,

MONTANA TECH RESEARCHERS AT PROCESSING TO U.S. SHORES

By Megan Strickland

Rare earth elements are critical components of smart phones, flat screen televisions, computers, newer light bulbs, hybrid and electric car batteries, and pieces of laser- and precision-guided missile technology essential to U.S. defense agencies.

Thus, in 2023, it is hard to imagine a world in which these “behind the scenes” rare earth elements don’t play a major role.

But when a mining geologist named Frank A. Crowley from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (a department of Montana Technological University) documented the presence of rare earth elements in the Sheep Creek area of Ravalli County in 1960, he noted that the primary uses of rare earth elements at the time were limited. Instead aggressive exploration was done in the area for niobium, an element that was increasingly used after World War II for jet engine and gas turbine parts, stainless steel manufacturing, vacuum tubes, and in nuclear reactor shield material.

“In the 1960s, rare earth elements were interesting, but it is not what they were looking for,” said Dr. Christopher Gammons, Professor in Montana Tech’s Department of Geological Engineering. “Now the current owners are busy reevaluating the old prospect pits and tunnels for rare earth elements and other critical minerals.”

Gammons is focusing on the unique geology of rare earth elements in Montana, along with graduate student Sarah Risedorf. The pair took samples from old adits in the Sheep Creek area last summer. Those samples were sawn and polished so that a scanning electron microscope could confirm the elemental composition of each sample. They found significant concentrations of rare earth elements in their samples. “Some of the minerals we’ve encountered have only been found in two or three places globally,” Gammons notes.

This work is attracting the attention of rare earth investors. US Critical Materials Corp. announced in 2022 that they planned to invest $10 million to explore 54 lode claims in the Bitterroot National Forest. In February 2022, US Critical Minerals put out a press release noting that 37 samples taken in 2022 were confirmed to have 17.13% total rare earth elements.

“These sample results continue to validate our investments and confirm that Sheep Creek is one of the highest-grade rare earth projects in the U.S.,” said Darren Collins, Chief Executive Offic er and Director of US Critical Minerals Corp. “We are particularly encouraged that all carbonatite samples detected rare earth mineralization along with the identification of new carbonatites for additional follow-up work.”

Gammons will be back in the area this summer, when the company might drill to gain more information. He and his students are also moving on to other areas of interest in the Sapphire and Bitterroot Mountains where elevated concentrations of rare earth elements are known or suspected to occur.

His team plans to work with stable isotopes to date the samples and try to figure out how old the geologic formations are, and how they formed. Other deposits of rare earth elements exist in Alberta, British Columbia, and near Lemhi Pass in Idaho.

“We don’t know how these deposits relate to each other,” Gammons said.

Right now, Gammons says the limited extent of the Sheep Creek rare earth elements means they would likely be selectively mined unless the deposits are found to be more widespread in the area.

The tricky part about rare earth elements is not just finding th em.

“Even if concentrations of rare earth elements are high, you don’t know if they can be separated,” Gammons said. “The first thing you want to do to figure that out is to go see the metallurgist. ”

Much of the university’s current research in rare earths is funded by the Department of Defense. In January 2022 the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL) provided Montana Tech with a $5 million research and development award through a Cooperative Agreement, enabling ARL and Montana Tech to work closely together to investigate ways to enable the development of a stable national supply chain for rare earth elements. This award could be extended for at least four additional years with a possible ultimate value of $25 million.

This joint ARL–Montana Tech research program will use Montana as a “model” for identifying, mapping, exploring, extracting, and processing rare earth elements in the United States in innovative and environmentally responsible ways. The program consists of 14 individual projects, 7 that focus on exploration of possible sources of rare earths within Montana, and 7 that focus on methods of advanced processing of rare earths in an environmentally friendly way. The exploration activities involve projects by both academic researchers and staff from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. This award builds on a separate active Cooperative Agreement with ARL (similar in size and currently in its third year) to develop advanced materials for the protection and support of the warfighter. The relationship between ARL and Montana Tech dates to 2014, when ARL first enabled Montana Tech to work on advanced rare earth element processing methods. This research funding by ARL through the years has boosted Montana Tech’s capability to carry out significant research in areas cri tical to both the nation’s defense and civil sectors. “With Senator Jon Tester’s support, our relationship with ARL has deepened over the years, leading to significant growth in Montana Tech’s research infrastructure,” said Dr. Ronald White, Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Materials Processing. Dr. White has been the Principal Investigator on all the university’s cooperative agreements with ARL and he further stated, “Montana Tech is a very different research university today from the campus that I joined almost ten years ago.”

Dr. Jerome Downey, Goldcorp Professor of Extractive Metallurgy, with his team of graduate students and research associates, are the metallurgists tasked with figuring out how to separate rare earth elements from ore.

“All of what we do will be high-risk, high-reward research,” Downey said.

Most of the extractive processes that have been invented thus far are very specific to each deposit of rare earth elements, based on the properties of each individual mineral deposit and the unique combination of rare earth elements and gangue.

The team in Downey’s lab is working on a five-step process done at high temperatures that would allow for extraction of rare earth elements from various feedstocks of either ore or mineral concentrations taken from recycled materials.

“If any of these individual steps do not work out, it’s not a zero-sum game,” Downey said. “Each of the other steps are still significant, but together it would be a major breakthrough in rare earth processing.”

Step 1 of the process has been published, but Steps 2–5 are high-heat methods that are highly confidential, and the team anticipates filing provisional patents in the upcoming weeks.

Downey’s team is also testing a separate hydrometallurgy method that uses a magnetic coil and nanoparticle technology to remove metals from solution. As part of her doctoral research, Dr. Teagan Leitzke demonstrated the efficacy of the method by successfully extracting metal ions from various samples including local river waters, and the research team wants to see if it might be a viable way to extract rare earth elements from solution generated by leaching the product of Step 1 of the pyrometallurgy process.

Both of the pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes the team is evaluating will be much more environmentally friendly than processes currently in use.

“The byproducts we would be producing are going to be substantially less harmful,” Downey said. As Downey’s team works toward what they hope will be a breakthrough, U.S. officials are eyeing increasingly bellicose relations with China that are underscored by a sobering fact: China has a nearmonopoly on many parts of the rare earth supply chain.

The Mountain Pass Mine in California has long been the only rare earth mine in the U.S., and its mined product is shipped overseas to China, where the only processing facilities exist. The U.S. Department of Defense awarded $35 million to MP Materials in February 2022 to build a processing facility at the Mountain Pass Mine. Another rare earth mine is expected to come online in far west Texas in 2023, with processing facilities planned to come online in the Lonestar State as well.

According to compiled data, in the 1980s, the U.S. was a leading producer of rare earth elements. As of 2020, the U.S. imported 80 percent of its rare earth elements directly from China, with China owning interest in rare earth mines in other countries as well.

In 2010, the world saw how China’s near-monopoly of a mineral supply could be detrimental to adversarial nations when China suspended shipments of rare earth metals to Japan for several weeks, after a dispute over a fishing trawler’s collision with a coast guard vessel.

— Dr. Angela Lueking Vice Chancellor of Research and Dean of the Graduate School

United States federal defense officials have, in recent years, written and spoken about the “Great Power Competition” or “Era of Strategic Competition,” which marks a struggle for dominance among the U.S., China, and Russia. Securing domestic and nonadversarial supply lines for critical minerals and rare earth elements plays a key piece in the national security experts’ objectives.

The process Chinese mines have used to extract rare earth elements from ore involves using ammonium sulfate as a leaching agent. It is a process that involves a lot of toxins, and if rare earth elements are to be mined in the United States, it would be preferable to have a more environmentally friendly method, as mentioned above.

“Around 30% of the total environmental costs of rare earth element mining can come from this,” Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Richard LaDouceur noted.

LaDouceur works with biochar, the charcoal-like material left behind when organic material burns. As part of the greater rare earth elements project, he’s working to see if biochar could be used in resonant vibratory separation mixers to separate rare earth minerals.

“The main issue is how similar they are,” LaDouceur said. “It makes them incredibly difficult to separate. We’re working on some nove l separation techniques.”

LaDouceur also noted that most of the cost of rare earth element mining operations is tied up in separation equipment, meaning a better process might be able to help reduce the cost of production.

The Rare Earth Elements projects at Montana Tech are working to leave no stone unturned as they explore how to more economically and safely produce rare earth minerals domestically.

That is why Associate Professor Ryan Davison, of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, plans on spending the next few years traveling across eastern and central Montana. Studies have shown that coal contains rare earth elements. The U.S. Department of Energy released a map of coalbeds with known

rare earth element concentrations in 2017, but much of Montana’s potential was unknown.

“My specific task is to see what Montana has in terms of rare ea rth in coal,” Davison said. “One of the biggest problems with that is that we don’t really know what we have. In the early 1900s people were looking at coal, so we have it pretty well mapped, but back then they were looking at it as an energy source.”

Davison is taking samples from deposits mapped so long ago that some of the documents he uses reference wagon trails that date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“A lot of the early work that the guys did in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s has been really helpful,” Davison said.

Other researchers in the rare earth elements study group are focusing on how to extract the materials from ore and bring them to market. The elements are also present in coal ash, and one project is exploring whether they could be concentrated from power plant refuse. Some projects the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology is focusing on involve exploring mining brownfields in Maxville, Melrose, and other like areas for promising mineralization.

The past ten years of ARL-funded research has positively impacted the economy of the University. More than $619,000 has gone to undergraduate student wages, with another $663,000 going to graduate tuition. Faculty wages have been increased by $2,345,000, and nearly $5,871,000 has gone to purchasing major research equipment (e.g., $882,000 was used to purchase a scanning electron microscope, with another $250,000 allocated to x-ray diffraction equipment). As a result of the funding, equipment, and expertise on campus, the University has been able to provide services to external clients in dozens of states and countries around the world.

At the University’s Public Lecture Series in February, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology’s Economic Geologist Kyle Eastman (M.S. Geoscience, ‘17) noted the importance of the university’s connection with the greater community. At Montana Tech’s recent job fair, Eastman said nearly every employer he encountered was on the hunt for engineers.

“They are saying, ‘we’re struggling to find geologists, petroleum engineers, metallurgical and environmental engineers, Eastman said.

While he understands why younger students might be pulled toward fields like artificial intelligence, which created a buzz this spring with the release of ChatGPT and other open AI chatbots, he made a strong case for STEM students to consider careers in extracting the minerals and elements required to run the hightech infrastructure.

“None of this is as important as training the next generation of explorers in the U.S.,” Eastman said. “If we cannot train the next generation of problem solvers, economic geologists, and mining engineers, then the game is over.”

“Funded research programs such as the rare earths program have become a primary component of the university’s education infrastructure. These programs provide our students at all levels, from undergraduate to Ph.D., with the experience of working on realworld problems of great significance.”

HELPING OUR HEROES

By Megan Strickland

America’s debt to its veterans and their families is immeasurable. A new program at Highlands College works to help connect families who have sacrificed so much with careers in the welding industry and CNC machining industry.

Operation Next is a program that provides free welding or CNC certification and training to veterans or immediate family members. It’s a program that fills a gap for military families. While the veteran unemployment rate was 2.5% in February 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Defense surveys note that rates of unemployment for spouses of military members has been higher than 20% for more than a decade.

Staff Sergeant Brandon Bauer, 29, of Jefferson City, knows the challenges of finding a job as a veteran. He is a member of the Montana Army National Guard’s 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion. He works full-time as a welder at Fort Harrison. It was a struggle to get where he is today. Bauer has been working with metal for nearly 15 years, but a lack of certification was holdi ng him back from taking things to the next level.

“I ran my first weld at 15 years old and was instantly hooked,” Bauer wrote in an email to his instructor. “I spent hours obsessing over the whole process and the idea that I could make anything I wanted out of metal by simply applying thought and an electrical circuit to melt my ideas together. I spent all four years of high school trying to take in and learn as much about welding as possible. During my junior and senior years, I became a Welding Aide and was tasked with helping younger students learn the basics of all the welding processes, which further solidified the fact that I wanted to go to school for welding and see where that would take me.”

Bauer didn’t come from a family of vast means, so when he graduated, he had no way of funding further education. He decided to join the Montana Army National Guard.

“I had every intention of going to school after I enlisted, but it didn’t work out for whatever reason—my life always had a different plan. I have acquired 14 years of welding experience since I ran my first weld, but the lack of welding certificates has limited my options and held me back from where I should be,” Bauer said.

In December 2021, leaders at Fort Harrison let Bauer show them his skills, instead of disqualifying him for not having certific ations. They were impressed and he landed a good-paying job. However, Bauer still would need welding certifications to move forward in to his career. That’s when he got connected with Operation Next.

“Operation Next will help me achieve the certifications I need t o justify the experience I have acquired over the years to apply to be an Allied Trades Warrant Officer,” Bauer said. “I then would be considered a subject matter expert in anything shop/welding related. This would boost my career in the military and allow me to provide for my newborn and 2-year-old son and help me give them the life never had.”

Operation Next came to fruition because of a bipartisan collaboration, according to Ben Kohler, who helped get Operation Next off the ground. Kohler is Director of Strategy and Innovati on at Universal Technical Resource Services, Inc. (a majority-owned Universal Technical Resource Services company) in Butte, which has contracts with the U.S. government. Through Kohler’s government relations work, he was contacted by U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s office, which connected him with information about available funding for veterans’ programs.

“The men and women who risk their lives to defend our country deserve to be treated with dignity after their time in uniform, and the same goes for their spouses and family members,” U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee, said. “This training will directly connect ou r transitioning servicemembers and their loved ones with the education and tools they need at no cost—setting them up for success as they pursue new careers here at home.”

Kohler’s employers jumped on the idea, and NAMFI (New Frontier Advanced Manufacturing Institute) was born as a nonprofit. Their goal is to be an advanced manufacturing institute organization focused on a mission of supporting and elevating veterans and transitioning servicemen and servicewomen through training and certifications in advanced manufacturing.

Less than a year later, a network of partnerships, including Governor Greg Gianforte’s Accelerate Montana initiative, worked together to welcome a class of 20 welding and machining students who all attend with tuition covered by the nonprofit.

“ Our rapid training course focuses on veteran men and women and adult children ages 18–25,” Kohler noted.

The courses in welding and CNC machining have an online coursework portion and in-person training at Highlands College, done on the weekends to accommodate weekday work schedules.

Karen VanDaveer, Dean of Highlands College, noted that the program is a great addition to campus.

“This is such a natural fit for Highlands College, with our incredible faculty and facilities,” VanDaveer said. “When NFAMI came to us with the concept of supporting our military personnel to obtain these certifications, we jumped at the opportunity. To bring this to fruition in less than a year is a true testament to NFAMI and my team.”

Kohler says companies or community members can make taxdeductible donations to NAMFI if they want to help fund the program’s expansion.

“We have a large waiting list and our goal for August is to have 35 to 40 students,” Kohler said.

Bauer has a message for prospective students: “I would like veterans and veterans’ family members to know that this program is an amazing opportunity to learn a new trade or even to compound experience a person already has,” Bauer said. “The online coursework is easy to understand and follow, and the instructors are extremely knowledgeable and would be able to help anyone at any skill level. Everyone in this program is very hospitable and welcoming, making Operation Next an amazing opportunity.”

“This program is designed to help students have fulltime jobs. They can meet existing responsibilities but work toward nationally recognized certifications.”

— Ben Kohler

AGREEMENT WITH NAVAL UNDERSEA WARFARE CENTER DIVISION, KEYPORT

Brings Opportunities For Collaboration in Advanced Manufacturing, Other Fields

By Megan Strickland

Totaling the number of rivets, welds, parts, pieces, and engineering techniques that keep the United States Navy afloat o n seas across the world would be a daunting task. Fortunately, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport, located near Seattle, focuses predominantly on maintaining underwater elements of the fleet, including submarines and torpedoes.

U.S. Navy Engineer and Scientist Craig Bleile says there are easily tens of thousands of parts at the shipyard, and as the Navy flee t grows, the agency is constantly on the search for innovative ways to keep things in tip-top shape.

When Senator Jon Tester reached out to connect NUWC Keyport and Montana Tech, Bleile said he immediately saw several opportunities for collaboration that will be mutually beneficial to campus and the United States Navy.

“We have folks doing really important research work at Montana Tech around critical minerals and national security, so we always knew there were opportunities here for the university and military to partner up on defense R&D,” said U.S. Senator Jon Tester. “I was proud to bring the Navy out to Butte to see this work firsthand, and they jumped at the chance to collaborate with the folks at Tech. This partnership is a win-win because it gives some of the Treasure State’s brightest minds the hands-on experience they need to stand out in a competitive job market, while also helping the Navy maintain our position as the world’s greatest economic and military power.”

In November 2022, the entities signed a historic cooperative

research and development agreement, and the Navy is currently evaluating research proposals from Montana Tech professors for possible funding.

“Montana Tech specializes in materials science, and that’s what we are interested in,” Bleile said. “We are trying to understand certain minerals and materials better. The University has a great set of analytic tools that we lack and we have great complementary tools as well.”

One technology of interest at Montana Tech is the ability to perform additive manufacturing with powdered metal alloys found in Dr. Peter Lucon’s Montana Tech Advanced Manufacturing Research Group. The additive manufacturing printing process prints one layer of powder alloy at a time. This process is repeated over and over until the desired product is completed. The Montana Tech labs include a suite of 3D printers for both polymers and metals. One custom metal printer designed and constructed by graduate students allows the group to study print phenomena in situ, generating valuable insight as to the state of the printing process. In addition, the powdered metal alloys used in the printer can be mixed and matched to get the desired steel alloy, a process which is patent pending. Of great significance is the potential of this process to reduce stockpile requirements.

As described by Dr. Lucon, “We are well positioned to use our unique print monitoring capabilities to assist building 3D printing into a mature technology for replacement and generation of new parts. In addition, the goal with the powdered metal alloy process is to eventually have a set of steel print recipes that will allow thousands

of different steel alloy parts to be made from a minimum amount of stock materials, much like a well-supplied kitchen.”

“One of our major challenges is our supply chain,” Bleile said in characterizing the state of the U.S. Navy shipyards. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed  Executive Order 14017 , which instructed federal officials to work to strengthen the nation’s supply chain, to address issues that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past five years, numerous federal defense documents and officials have also referred to “strategic competition” or “great power competition” to describe the United States’ relationship with China and Russia, with stressed importance on strategic initiatives to produce infrastructure, essential products, and technologies with mineral and raw material supplies that are produced domestically or on friendlier shores. This spurs new partnerships and innovation.

“The University may have new unique alloys they have been experimenting with that we can put into additive manufacturing machines,” Bleile said. “We might have powdered alloys available to us the University doesn’t have, and vice versa… Are we having companies build parts out of the wrong alloys? Maybe there is a better, cheaper option out there? When you can put two labs together that complement each other so well, it really does bring better capability.”

Montana Tech also has an impressive ability to design and engineer parts and pieces as part of the additive manufacturing process, which comes in handy when maintaining vessels that were built by manufacturers that may no longer be in business.

“Sometimes we’ll make the decision to reverse engineer and make the part itself,” Bleile said. “This helps us keep older ships and boats running… A lot of data and digital engineering goes into those parts. Montana Tech does a lot of those advanced manufacturing techniques.”

Bleile is also interested in possibly collaborating with the University’s Data Science program. The partnership holds endless possibilities, and fulfills NUWC Keyport’s objectives to help foster STEM resea rch and support secondary, undergraduate, and graduate STEM education.

“The world is shrinking,” Bleile said. “We don’t have to physically be in the same room to collaborate. I think you’ll see the Navy around campus sooner rather than later. If anyone has a great idea that they think has merit, and they want me to have a looksee, I’d be happy to look over those ideas.”

Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Angela Lueking is enthusiastic about the possibilities this partnership brings to the university.

“Montana Tech is very excited to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Navy, and opportunities that will impact student recruitment and development of new technologies abound,” Lueking said. “I’d like to thank Senator Tester and his staff for facilitating this partnership and bringing this opportunity to campus.”

BACK TO THE GRIDIRON:

A STORY OF COMMUNITY, HARD WORK, AND THE POWER OF MINDSET

By Megan Strickland

The last game of Montana Tech’s 2022 football season is one that Coach Kyle Samson will tell his players about for many years to come. He might forget the details of the 49–6 blowout against the Northern Lights in Havre, Montana, but he’ll never forget the sound and overwhelming emotion as safety Isaiah Allik took the field.

The energy in the stadium was electric as Allik overcame two years of cancer treatment to join his teammates on the field.

“When he went into the game, it was a powerful moment,” Samson remembers. “For us as a team, it was an incredible moment. I can’t overstate the courage that he’s shown. Most people would have felt sorry for themselves or down about having cancer. Not Isaiah. It’s inconceivable the amount of positivity he brought to our team. A lot of people look to Isaiah when they are having struggles, because they know how Isaiah worked through his own.”

Allik was a standout athlete at Charlo High School. He placed third in state wrestling as a high school freshman in Alaska and earned a Montana State Wrestling Championship as well. He was an all-state performer in track and field, but it was the football team where Allik found his place among the Orediggers.

Allik’s first semester at Tech, fall 2020, was met with a challenge that seemed benign at first. There was a lump on his hamstring that kept him from taking the field.

“I wasn’t able to do much of anything,” Allik remembers. The lump kept growing despite physical therapy. Allik couldn’t straighten his leg, and it was apparent something was wrong.

“He tried and tried and was working his butt off,” Samson said. “He just wasn’t getting any better.”

Allik went for an MRI, never thinking that his lump would be something life-threatening. Doctors came back and asked for a biopsy. The results showed a rare form of cancer, pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma.

Suddenly, Allik’s focus shifted. He withdrew from spring classes to engage in a full-time fight for his health. He worked with doctors in Kalispell to shrink the tumor for six months, but the biggest break came when Allik’s physicians were able to get his case before a board of doctors who specialize in tumor treatment. They agreed to take his case, and surgery was performed to remove the tumor.

“That changed the trajectory,” Allik said. “I could finally straighten my leg.”

Though distance separated him from his teammates, they were there in spirit.

Coach Samson started a GoFundMe, and word spread like wildfire across the state of Montana that Allik could use some support. Landers Smith, an Oredigger running back also from Charlo, started a fundraiser selling “Isaiah Strong” bracelets and shirts. The collective effort raised approximately $100,000 to help cover the costs of treatment.

Allik says it was a big help to know his parents would have fewer medical expenses for his care. As he started to recover, Allik returned to classes. He worked around medical appointments and continued to get good grades in the Business- Construction Management program. He also came to every practice he could to cheer his teammates on.

“I just wanted to be able to play football again,” Allik said.

Allik continued to grind toward his goal and eventually, just as the 2022 season was about to end, two years after his battle with cancer started, he returned to the field.

“That Northern game was so cool,” Allik said. “Everyone was cheering.”

Allik is preparing to take the field in the 2023 season, and Coa ch Samson has high hopes about what he’ll bring as an athlete after showing the team what it takes to overcome adversity. After watching Allik beat cancer, Samson knows the player has the right demeanor to excel and achieve far beyond the football field.

“For anybody in life, if you are going to get through something tough, you have to have the right attitude,” Samson said. “If you believe something, and you have the right mindset, you can achieve anything. You don’t meet too many people like Isaiah. don’t think it will ever be quantified how much he helped us whi le going through all he’s been through.”

In Memory

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

1960s

William Thompson ′61

BS Geological Engineering

John Dowis ′63

BS Mining Engineering

Robert Shogren ′64, ′66

BS Metallurgy Engineering

M Metallurgical Engineering

Frank Quilici ′64, ′84

BS Petroleum Engineering

M Petroleum Engineering

1980s

Margaret Leary ′81

BS Society & Technology

Kevin Dennehy ′86

BS Business Administration

1990s

Ray Akridge ′95

BS Engineering Science

Carol Woods ′96

BS Computer Science/ Business Information Systems

Joseph Medina ′98

CERT Combination Welding

2000s

Aaron Baker ′00

BS Occupational Safety & Health

Charlie M. Cantwell ′15, ′16

CERT Machining Technology

CERT AS Machining Technology

AAS Metals Fabrication

CERT Welding Technology