Diggin’ In

GAME ON

The Montana Tech Esports club has been practicing, competing, and hosting tournaments this fall in their new space, the Games Lab, located in the HPER complex. With the support of Digger Athletics and the Associated Students of Montana Tech, the club is building several competitive teams for the spring semester, and planning events open to all students and the Butte community. The club members have plans for full varsity teams for Fall 22 and are hungry to compete nationally.

IMPROVING GRADUATE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH

Montana Tech, Montana State University Billings, and the University of Montana are teaming up to design, pilot, assess, and implement evidence-based, sustainable, and replicable strategies to improve graduate students’ mental health in STEM fields. The three universities were awarded a three-year, $500K grant, Mental Health Opportunities for Professional Empowerment in STEM (HOPES), by the National Science Foundation. The project is led by Montana Tech, which has graduate programs predominantly in engineering. MSU Billings brings special expertise in mental health interventions, and the University of Montana provides considerable experience in faculty professional development, along with additional STEM-related graduate programs.

ENJOYING A WEEKEND TOGETHER

Montana Tech students were able to enjoy time with their families in October for the university’s annual Family Weekend. Over 185 individuals from 10 states attended the fun-filled weekend featuring quality time along with adventures in and around Butte. The annual event is a great way to bring families onto the Montana Tech campus to showcase our beauty and all that is offered on and off campus.

9/11 MEMORIAL

In September, Montana Tech hosted a 9/11 flag raising ceremony. Butte–Silver Bow firemen raised the flag on the 9/11 memorial on campus. The memorial was built by engineering students and dedicated on September 11, 2002. The flag, the same one raised during the 2002 dedication, was given by then-Senator Max Baucus, and flew over the U.S. Capitol. Montana Tech Mechanical Engineering alumnus Matt Kujawa led the effort in 2002 to build the memorial flagpoles. Kujawa and Montana Tech leadership were at the 2021 ceremony.

A FIRST ON CAMPUS

For the first time, Montana Tech hosted a hands-on mine safety competition during homecoming week. The event was held at the Montana Tech Underground Mine Education Training Center (UMEC) and the World Museum of Mining in Butte. The competition saw teams from Montana Tech, Colorado School of Mines, and South Dakota School of Mines. Professional mine rescue teams from Hecla and Rosebud Mining Company, along with personnel from Jenmar, assisted with the competition, developing and managing the mine rescue competition events. A speedy and safe rescue effort can mean the difference between life and death for trapped miners when danger strikes. Adequate training is essential, as rescuers must be available and ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Montana Tech’s mine rescue competition allowed participants to sharpen skills and test team members’ knowledge. Along with learning life-saving techniques, competitions provide the opportunity to make lifelong relationships. Montana Tech plans to host a competition in even-numbered years going forward.

LACING THE LABYRINTH

CDL PROGRAM OFFERED AT HIGHLANDS

Montana Tech launched a six-week CDL Program on its Highlands Campus in October. The program teaches students basic truck driving skills, introducing them to the field of heavy-duty trucking. The program will emphasize safety equipment knowledge and State of Montana and Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) rules and regulations. Using a comprehensive curriculum developed by the Professional Truck Driving Institute, students will receive classroom and driving instruction that meets DOT and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) EntryLevel Driving Training regulation standards that address skills, theory/knowledge, tasks, and the duties required of entry-level commercial vehicle drivers. The program meets the needs of students with no prior knowledge or experience in truck driving interested in getting a Class-A CDL License. The program has been designed to follow the new regulations and is listed in the FMCSA training provider registry that will be live in February 2022. To learn more about the program, visit https://www.

mtech.edu/highlands/workforce/.

Big Sky Lace Guild of Southwest Montana members Toni Seccomb, Janice Lucon, Una Schlaebitz, Linda Nutter, Vicki Blackketter, and Susan Smith appear next to their labyrinth, which is displayed in the Big Butte Room on the Montana Tech campus. At its most basic level, the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are. The Guild designed and made the labyrinth with Milanese-style bobbin lace. The project took over ten months to complete, as only one person could work on it at a time. They worked on the labyrinth about 4 to 6 hours a week at the Main Stope Gallery. The Big Sky Lace Guild was started in Butte in the fall of 2015. The Guild mainly does bobbin lace, but members also knit, crochet, tat, and make other forms of lace. They meet once a week on Sunday afternoons to work on current projects and learn from each other.

PLEASE JOIN US IN WELCOMING OUR NEW FACULTY AND STAFF TO THE MONTANA TECH FAMILY.

James J. Barrington, Physical Facilities Clifton J. Braddy, Student Affairs Robin J. Bullock, Environmental Engineering Joshua F. Cunningham, Physical Facilities Jessica Daignault, Civil Engineering Deepa S. De Silva, Biological Sciences Sushil Dhakal, Mechanical Engineering Joel Dietrich, MBMG Sara Edinberg, MBMG Patricia Ekberg, MBMG Erick Engelsen, Information Technology Kathryn Fitzgerald-McCormick, Academic Affairs Jim Freebourn, Computer Science Shauna Goodell, Student Affairs Sierra Hancock, Career Services Ann Hanson, MBMG Michele Hardy, College of Letters, Sciences, & Professional Studies Thomas Jungst, Highlands College Joshua Kovnesky, Physical Facilities James LeProwse, Highlands College Angela Lueking, Research Office Rachel Neal, Institute for Educational Opportunities Sarah North Wolfe, Student Affairs Abigail Parnell, Admissions Stacy Phillips, Nursing Brooke Samson, Highlands College Brian Seaholm, Mechanical Engineering Megan Strickland, Admissions Melissa Wanamaker, Institute for Educational Opportunities