Margeaux Black, DDS, MSD (2017), says Montana Tech students are well-positioned for dental school and other healthcare professions, if they choose to pursue that path.
Campus Buzz: Record-Breaking Move-in
A record-breaking 469 students moved into Montana Tech’s three residence halls for the fall of 2024, raising the energy on campus and enhancing the student experience.
The Calculated Adventurer
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Tim Elgren joined Montana Tech on July 15, 2024, and says a theme emerged in his early days on campus: nonstop meetings. 16 15 12 10
As an undergrad assisting Professor Martha Apple with botany research in Glacier National Park back in 2012, DJ Moritz crossed paths with a hiker making his way along the full length of the famed Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT). The encounter planted a seed that lay dormant for about five years before he started seriously planning to make the trek himself.
Student Bird Counters Make a Difference
Caleb Lashway is a member of Dr. Stella Capoccia’s research team, which conducts bird counts on local waterbodies as part of the Berkeley Pit Waterfowl Protection Program. The program uses data collected by Capoccia’s students to help prevent birds from landing on the toxic Berkeley Pit.
Impacting Global Health
An estimated 20 million people die by preventable deaths each year worldwide, primarily in low- and middle-income countries, and an Oredigger has worked her way onto the front lines of researching and implementing ways to help reduce those numbers.
A Head Start on Healing
In her final semester at Butte High, Ava Evankovich spent two days working 12-hour shifts on the medical–surgical unit of St. James Hospital, completing the clinical requirements for a certified nurse assistant (CNA) license. Evankovich says the experience solidified her desire to enter the field of healthcare after graduation, and earn a bachelor of science in Nursing from Montana Tech.
More than $1 million in recent equipment acquisitions by Montana Technological University’s Mechanical Engineering department has catapulted its capacity for 3D printing to a level that is attracting collaborators from around Montana.
High-Flying Tech
Whether he’s conducting missions at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest in Greenough, the Bear Paw Mountains on the Hi-Line, the Moulton Reservoir Ski Trails, or the mountainous areas of the Sheep Creek district in southern Ravalli County, when Geophysics Professor Dr. Xiaobing Zhou uses any of his drone systems, folks nearby often stop and take notice.
Establishing Montana Tech as a National Energy Leader | 28
Bob Morris is the first-ever Lance Energy Chair at Montana Tech. His plan is to enhance Montana Tech’s prominence as a national energy leader. He is welcoming the challenge.
18 20 23 24 26
Field Campus Development Underway | 30
Recent major investments will provide initial funding towards an expansion of projects at the Energy, Environment, and Innovation Field Campus (EEIFC) west of Montana Tech, with an early focus on developing a smart photonic sensing systems test bed.
Restoring the Ecosystem at Barren Sugarloaf Peak | 32
Daniel Kelly (B.S. Biological Sciences, 2023) is a second-year graduate student in the Ecological Restoration program at Montana Tech, working to stabilize and retain the soil on the Mt. Haggin hillside and revegetate the area with native plants.
Advancing Science at Near Light Speed | 38
Two groups of researchers from Montana Technological University were able to secure beam time at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) this summer, a highly competitive achievement that only 1,700 users get to experience each year.
‘Doc Rock’ Remembered | 34
Montana Tech students had a nickname for Geological Engineering Professor Hugh Dresser: around campus he was known as “Doc Rock.” This nickname was a sign of respect for his notorious reputation as an instructor that pushed his students to their mental and physical limits in pursuit of a high-quality, hands-on education that would prepare them to lead successful careers.
Petroleum Engineers Find Success Abroad | 42
The partitioned zone between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia is approximately 7,100 miles from Butte, Montana, yet multiple Orediggers have found a home working in the rich oilfields for Chevron Corporation.
Oredigger Spotlight: Jerry Shupe | 46
Jerry Shupe has always had a passion for helping people. Throughout high school and college, he worked at the Butte YMCA as a lifeguard and swim instructor and taught CPR and first aid classes.
Greetings from the Chancellor
Greetings alumni and friends,
As the vibrant hues of fall envelop Montana Tech, we celebrate an incredible beginning to the start of a new academic year and a season of remarkable achievements and growth. This fall, we welcomed our largest first-year class since 2008, with 505 enthusiastic first-year students joining the Montana Tech family. With over 2,400 total students and 469 residents on campus, the energy, spirit of collaboration, and learning thrive more than ever.
In addition to the growth in enrollment and students living on campus, we hosted an incredibly successful Career Fair, which attracted a record-breaking 170 companies and industry partners eager to connect with our talented students.
As we look toward the future of STEM careers, one thing becomes crystal clear: the landscape is shifting, and the demand for Montana Tech graduates has never been greater. The days of purely theoretical learning are behind us, and the influence of hands-on learning, coupled with the advances in technology, will continue to become an even greater influence. Today’s students need hands-on, experiential opportunities to truly grasp complex concepts and prepare for real-world challenges. Fortunately, experiential learning is in the DNA of Montana Tech and STEM education, emphasizing hands-on experiences and real-world applications.
As we navigate the evolving landscape of higher education, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on experiential learning— especially within STEM-focused institutions—cannot be overstated. Universities are at a pivotal moment where AI is not just a tool, but a catalyst for profound change. With AI’s rise, we’re witnessing a shift that enhances these experiences. Imagine students in engineering programs using AI-driven simulations to tackle complex problems, or biology majors conducting virtual lab experiments that adapt in real-time based on their inputs. Such innovations not only deepen understanding but also prepare students for the increasingly automated job market.
Technology plays a significant role in this transformation. Virtual labs and simulations are revolutionizing how students engage with complex topics. However, while tech can enrich the learning experience, it’s essential not to lose sight of the human element. Over-reliance on technology can create a disconnect, making it harder for students to build the essential interpersonal skills they’ll need in the workforce.
This is where human connection comes in. Mentorship and collaboration are vital for shaping a student’s experience and have been a mainstay at Montana Tech since day one. When students have the opportunity to be immersed in a lab, on a project, or at an internship where they connect with industry professionals, they
gain insights that can’t be found in a syllabus. At Montana Tech, initiatives like our recent $6.5 million DPA grant, which supports seven micro-credentials in extractive technologies, exemplify how we are fostering valuable connections and skill development every day.
At Montana Tech, we’ve been dedicated to educating and preparing bright, hard-working individuals for meaningful careers for 124 years, and the human element has always been central to our core. Our vision to be the institution of opportunity and innovation has never been more relevant. In this edition of MNews, you’ll read about how recent investments in equipment acquisitions are increasing our capabilities in additive manufacturing; you’ll learn about Dr. Margeaux Black, who learned how to put a smile on patients’ faces during one of the most trying times in healthcare; and you’ll be inspired as you travel some 3,100 miles along the Continental Divide Trail with DJ Moritz.
From the oil fields of the Permian Basin, Kuwait and beyond, to Sugarloaf Peak in the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management, to being completely immersed in research on worldwide health, Montana Tech graduates are living examples of leaders who benefit humanity while meeting the changing needs of our society. Experiential learning in STEM fields—think labs, internships, and collaborative projects—allows students to engage deeply with the material, and it comes in many shapes and sizes.
As we move forward, Montana Tech is poised for an exciting future. We were reaccredited in July and are in the midst of a comprehensive master plan to enhance our campus facilities and student experience. By prioritizing hands-on learning and fostering human connections, we’re not just preparing students for jobs; we’re equipping them to thrive in their careers.
Next fall, we will celebrate 125 years of our great institution. With our enrollment growth and significant investments in people and infrastructure, we’re poised for an incredibly bright future. Together, we are not just shaping careers; we are fostering innovators and leaders who will drive change and make a lasting impact on the world. It’s definitely an exciting time to be an Oredigger!
In gratitude,
Les P. Cook, Chancellor Montana Technological University
RUSSELL NAMED FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR
Montana Tech Materials Science and Engineering graduate student Trevor Russell is the first Montana Tech student ever to be named a student Fulbright Scholar. Russell will study ceramic composite processing at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) in Lugano, Switzerland.
SENIOR RESERVE OFFICERS’ TRAINING CORPS ESTABLISHED AT MONTANA TECH
Montana Tech and the Department of the Army have created a National Guard Extension Unit at the University that will create a Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (SROTC). The United States Army offers ROTC programs nationwide at more than 1,000 colleges and universities. These programs provide classroom instruction and training from active-duty Army and National Guard officers and enlisted service members in areas of expertise, including military intelligence, aviation, logistics, combat arms, and more. Students can take Military Science and Leadership lower division courses as an elective, without a commitment to service. This allows students to explore service opportunities before committing to service or to take a fun elective course outside their major. Students learn skills that can lead to a successful military or civilian career. Some topics include resiliency, developing and executing a plan, map reading, risk assessment, mitigation, and much more. Students who continue into upper division courses and/or receive educational funding agree to serve as military officers after completing their degree. Graduates of ROTC programs can enter the military as highly respected 2nd lieutenants in the Army, Army Reserve, or National Guard. In return, students can get up to 100% of their tuition costs covered, and receive a stipend to assist with living expenses.
BOGNAR NAMED INAUGURAL DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
From growing water filtration membranes from kombucha SCOBYs to creating spray-on bandages, leading the way in extracting and processing critical minerals and making groundbreaking nanotechnology discoveries, researchers at Montana Tech are hard at work creating innovative solutions to some of the world’s most complicated problems. Dr. John Bognar has joined the University team as the first Director of Technology Transfer. He will spearhead a growing number of projects that seek to commercialize technological discoveries made at Montana Tech that have the potential to revolutionize a number of industries and spur economic growth.
SKINNER NAMED INTERIM DEAN OF THE LANCE COLLEGE OF MINES AND ENGINEERING
Dr. Jack Skinner (B.S. General Engineering with Mechanical Option ’00) has been appointed as the interim dean of the Lance College of Mines and Engineering at Montana Technological University. Skinner fills the position previously held by Dr. Ken Lee, who left for a position at Farmingdale State College. Skinner was most recently serving as the founding department head of the Mechanical Engineering Department.
RESEARCHERS PATENT NOVEL NANOMANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY WITH POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN A WIDE VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES
The Montana Tech Nanotechnology Laboratory (MTNL) has announced a groundbreaking discovery in nanomanufacturing with potential applications in a wide variety of industries. Through the invention of a new device, the researchers can exhibit control over nanofibers in a way that has not been done before. They discovered they could weave fibers together, and even “write” and deposit materials in patterns that mimic letters. A patent on the device is pending.
SHARP SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM A SUCCESS
Making the leap from high school to college is a big transition, but doing so at Montana Tech got a little easier this summer through the implementation of SHARP, a summer bridge program. Thirty students moved into the dormitory a couple of weeks early and attended sessions meant to jumpstart their college experience.
“We want to support these students in their math, writing, and college success skills,” Associate Dean of Students and Executive Director of Student Success Sarah North Wolfe said. “Students engaged with faculty and peers in the math and writing program and worked on basic skills for those disciplines. In the afternoons we had college success sessions where they learned everything from note-taking skills to how to access their Montana Tech accounts online. We had sessions where they practiced listening to lectures and goal-setting.”
In addition to having academic-themed programming, the students also were included in a number of activities to make them feel like they belonged on campus. Rock climbing and hiking were just a few things students did to acclimate to the Butte community.
“They loved the trips,” North Wolfe said.
Abigail Seeger is a Highlands College freshman from Buckley, Washington with long-term goals to become a midwife and own her own practice.
“I believe the SHARP program gave me a chance to become familiar with a teamwork setting again, as well as get a feel for the type of environment Montana Tech has to offer,” Seeger said. “Additionally, I really enjoyed being treated like an equal, and having the freedom to make choices for myself without having a double consciousness about it. That is reassuring to me because I can apply myself where I know I can be useful in the present and the future. I am learning not to be afraid of advocating for myself.”
North Wolfe calls the program a success.
“It’s our duty and privilege as college administrators to give students an experience that will benefit them while they are here and into the future,” North Wolfe said. “We are looking forward to doing it again next year, and seeing the impact this has on students in the years to come.”
GRANT TO BOLSTER DATA SCIENCE ENROLLMENT
The Department of Mathematical Sciences and the College of Letters, Sciences and Professional Studies (CLSPS) have been awarded a five-year, approximately $900,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health/Montana IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) to bolster the pipeline for undergraduate students trained in the field of data science at Montana Tech. INBRE grants are given to eligible Ph.D. and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions nationwide to support increasing biomedical research capacity that includes faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as resource infrastructure.
Now entering its 20th year of funding, Montana INBRE has established a Data Science Core (DSC) led by Dr. Jeff Good at the University of Montana and Dr. Eric Raile at Montana State University that was formed in response to the increasing need for data science skills in the workforce. In collaboration with the DSC, Montana Tech will take the lead in fostering quality undergraduate education in data science through project-based learning and other active learning approaches to instruction. Additionally, Montana Tech will be actively engaged in efforts to bolster teaching capacity across the Montana INBRE network, and including the Regional Alliance of INBRE Networks (RAIN) using flexible formats to ensure accessibility, for example online asynchronous, hybrid, and remote delivery.
This funding also will allow program faculty to enhance research programs in data science. The effort will be led by Principal Investigator/Mathematical Sciences Department Head Dr. Hilary Risser and Professor of Mathematics/Data Science Program Director Dr. Atish Mitra.
Want
ELGREN HITS THE GROUND RUNNING
by Megan Strickland
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Tim Elgren joined Montana Tech on July 15, 2024, and says a theme emerged in his early days on campus: nonstop meetings.
“It’s been a great few weeks getting to know folks, and an introduction to the University,” Elgren said. “Now that student s and faculty are back on campus, it has been exciting to meet them and share their excitement for being at Montana Tech.”
Elgren is in the process of meeting with each department. “I ask them, ‘What are you most proud of in your graduates and in your programs?’” Elgren said. “For me that gives me talking points when I’m talking to others. It shares their authentic voices and experiences.”
Elgren then asks what the educational touchpoints are in the different programs that led to these outcomes they are most proud of.
“That gives me an idea of what the components of the curriculum are and the educational experiences that they really believe are having the highest impact,” Elgren said. “We assess these things and think about how to build out measures to demonstrate our success and identify areas of opportunities to grow and strengthen.”
Elgren says the third thing he asks faculty and staff is to describe their vision for their department and what will be required to realize that vision.
“That’s the full-time job right now,” Elgren said. “The job of the provost is to oversee all academic affairs and enrollment management. Enrollment management isn’t just admissions, it’s also keenly focused on student success. It’s one of our to p strategic priorities for our institution. That’s a broad charge .”
Enrollment management is tasked not only with marketing, branding, and strategy to attract new students, but also how to retain them. This involves a number of support programs, initiatives, and facilities. So far, Elgren has been impressed and encouraged by the campus environment.
“All of these things are built around a tremendous staff and faculty who are deeply committed to student success,” Elgren said. “Our goals also involve helping them grow as professional s to build capacities across campus.”
Elgren hopes to build on the work done during last year’s accreditation process, where a tremendous amount of data was collected, submitted, and acted upon to be accredited for another seven years.
“We have a robust process for collecting student success and admissions data,” Elgren said. “What we can improve is how those data are used to inform decision making and then ultimately not having that be a process that leads to a report that sits on a shelf, but instead becomes an active framework for addressing those things. We want to create a system of continuous improvement. That’s my goal, to start to create a process that uses our strengths in data collection and starts t o ask better questions about how we can improve the student experience.”
When asked about student success, he says one conversation stands out. “We had 170 employers coming to our Career Fair this fall. In a meeting with the engineering department chairs, I asked them to encourage their students to attend. One chair responded by saying that they have a hard time getting our seniors to attend because they already have jobs. That’s extraordinary!”
by Megan Strickland
As Margeaux Black, DDS, MSD grew up in Butte, Montana, her orthodontist, Dr. Timothy Ballweber, DDS, joked that she should shadow him when she got older to see if she too might want to go into orthodontics. When Black found herself in a pre-professional health class as a freshman at Montana Technological University years later, her mother suggested that she follow up with Dr. Ballweber to see if Margeaux could take him up on his offer.
“He ended up giving me a job,” Black remembers. “I was trained as an orthodontic assistant in that practice.”
When Dr. Jonna Laslovich, DMD took over the practice from Dr. Ballweber, Black stayed on until she graduated with her B.S. in Biological Sciences (molecular and cellular biology track) with a minor in business. By working and earning scholarships from the Montana Tech Foundation, Black was able to graduate debt-free in 2017. Black also was selected for the highly competitive Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Professional Student Exchange Program, which selects two to three students from Montana every year to study at an out-of-state dental school for in-state rates. The program saves students $39,700–$139,800 on tuition for professional school, depending on the institution attended.
“That relieved a massive amount of financial stress,” Black said. “It is a financial burden to go to a professional school.”
Black packed her bags for the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. She learned to be a dentist during one of the most trying healthcare challenges of a lifetime, the coronavirus pandemic. The clinic had to figure out how to see patients safely and deal with challenges like sourcing enough N-95 masks so clinicians could see patients.
“That was really hard,” Black said. “That was the most challenging part of dental school.”
When Black graduated from dental school, she was accepted into the University of Colorado’s 30-month Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics residency program, which provides training in braces and aligners.
“Orthodontists make mouths healthier and more functional,” Black said. “The smile transformation is the best part of what we do.”
Black says her undergraduate education at Montana Tech set her up for success in dental school and orthodontics residency. Her résumé was packed with research experiences conducted under Dr. Marisa Pedulla and Dr. Amy Kuenzi that set her apart in the admissions process. Her
“When I took that exam, I was astounded at how well prepared I was just from my education at Tech.”
letters of recommendation were personalized because her professors knew her. She sailed through the Dental Admissions Test.
“When I took that exam, I was astounded at how well prepared I was just from my education at Tech,” Black said.
In her first year of dental school, Black took courses in immunology, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology. She messaged her former professors to tell them that much of the material was a review of what she learned at Montana Tech.
Black currently practices in Westminster, Colorado. She says students considering orthodontics or dentistry should do as much job shadowing as possible. In addition to her work for Dr. Ballweber and Dr. Laslovich, Black also shadowed other dental professionals to ensure she wanted to invest four to seven years of her life into the career choice.
Black says that she was a bit intimidated by the thought of studying for that length of time, but there were many, including individuals at Montana Tech and in her dental cohorts, who helped boost her spirits and carry her through because of their shared determination to reach the finish line.
“You make friends very quickly,” Black said. “They become your community. You’ll have classes that are tough, but it helps that you are surrounded by like-minded people.”
Black says Montana Tech students are wellpositioned for dental school and other healthcare professions, if they choose to pursue that path.
“Never underestimate the power of the education you receive at Montana Tech, because it can take you so far,” Black said.
Message from Montana Tech Foundation CEO, Jaime Heppler
Hello, Oredigger alums, friends, and community partners!
It’s been an incredible start to the 2024–2025 academic school year here at Montana Tech! Seeing so many new faces on campus with aspirations to achieve in-demand degrees that change the world is inspiring.
In 2023–2024, the Montana Tech Foundation saw continued growth in individual and corporate giving, alumni and friends’ engagement, and support for research. In total, the Foundation raised $8,247,641 in philanthropic funding from 2,341 donors The lion’s share of the funding went towards student scholarships, advancement of degree programs, recruitment, technology, and expansion of the academic and student-life experience.
Over the past four years, the Foundation has experienced historic levels of giving and investment, including two of the largest philanthropic gifts in the University’s history, multiple transformational investments, and bedrock annual support. As a result, I am excited to report that the Foundation’s overall endowment has grown from $50,406,000 to $84,604,000 as of last fiscal year-end, a 68% increase.
As a premiere boutique STEM University, we are fortunate to have an alumni and friend base that recognizes the power of a Montana Tech degree, its return on investment, and its impact on the world. On behalf of the entire Montana Tech Foundation staff, Board of Directors, and University leadership, THANK YOU. Your generosity, enthusiasm, and pride for Montana Tech allow us to share a timeless, unmatched academic and student experience in perpetuity.
As the new academic year is in full swing, the University marked its largest incoming freshman class since 2008! A notable influence on the numbers was the inauguration of the Lance Scholars program Alum Ryan ‘84 and Lisa Lance created this scholarship program, which provides an annual $4,000 renewable scholarship for Montana resident students interested in pursuing a degree at Montana Tech. The scholarship program is unique in that, along with receiving support for their education, students are encouraged to take advantage of civic
engagements on campus and in the community, promoting a sense of paying it forward, a value dear to the Lance family.
We anticipated 50 incoming students for the first class of Lance Scholars, but we are happy to share that by the first day of class, the University enrolled 92 Lance Scholars. This total includes 82 first-time freshmen, 12 transfer students, and 3 Highlands College student transfers representing 24 counties in Montana and 18 Montana degree programs. Ryan and Lisa Lance were so encouraged by the numbers they made a special trip to campus in October to meet the inaugural class, one both the students and the Lances will remember forever.
In other news, the Montana Tech Foundation celebrated its 8th annual DayOne giving event, raising a historic $518,555 from 688 donors a 6% increase in dollars, and a 7% increase in unique donors from 2023. The event also saw its largest gift in event history, a $50,000 one-time donation to the Dr. Dennis Haley Scholarship. The alum, who has asked to remain anonymous, shared that Dr. Haley made an incredible personal impact on his life, and this was an opportunity to thank Dr. Haley’s quiet generosity.
As the University prepares to celebrate its 125th Anniversary next fall, I’m proud to be a representative of an institution that has stayed true to its core. Montana Tech has grown its reputation by being nimble to societal change, industry disruption, and evolution. It’s the quintessential definition of being a Montana Tech Oredigger—tough, practical, skilled, hardworking, educated people prepared to tackle the world’s most ambitious opportunities then, now, and into the future.
It is an incredibly exciting time for Montana Tech and the Montana Tech Foundation—thank you for making it all possible!
Roll Diggs, Jaime Heppler CEO, Montana Tech Foundation
Campus Buzz: Record-Breaking Move-in
by Megan Strickland
A record-breaking 469 students moved into Montana Tech’s three residence halls for the fall of 2024, raising the energy on campus and enhancing the student experience.
“Even with a remarkably high number of students moving in, move-in and check-in went smoothly,” Vice Provost and Dean of Students Joe Cooper said.
This year’s move-in was complicated due to the closure of Park Street, which runs through the heart of campus. Construction on the University’s heating system was still underway. The residence life and new student orientation staff members embraced the larger crowds and the blocked-off street. Each new student was assigned a staggered move-in time and specific route to get to campus. Sandwich boards aided families as they arrived on campus, and directed them to a centralized check-in.
“The feedback we received was that the process was pretty smooth and that students were able to get moved in quickly, and with lots of help,” Cooper said.
Senior Orientation Leader and ASMT President Taylor Liva played a key role in planning the move-in and making sure it went smoothly.
“Although orientation move-in can be stressful and chaotic, I am very proud of the orientation leaders and how they kept the energy high and positive,” Liva said. “I am also extremely grateful for my co-worker, Maggee Nielsen. Together with our outstanding boss, Joe Cooper, we were able to ensure everything went according to plan.”
Around 75% of the students living in the dorms are first-year freshmen or new transfer students. The Housing and Dean of Students’ offices began to get a sense that a large class was incoming in fall 2023, as housing applications and housing deposits were on an upward trend. At first, staff thought that it might be because of issues with the FAFSA leading students to want to secure housing early, but as move-in approached, numbers continued to trend upward.
Having more students on campus can be challenging, but it also brings benefits.
“It really does bolster the energy,” Cooper said. “I’ve noticed it. From Orientation through the first day of classes, there’s a heightened level
of engagement on campus. Everybody can feel it—students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Campus is very much alive and awake.”
Cooper says outstanding resident assistants and orientation leaders are critical to getting students to campus. This semester sixteen orientation leaders provided a reconfigured orientation process that followed move-in.
“Most days they were working 12 hours if not more,” Cooper said. “They nailed it. We already have students saying they want to be an orientation leader next year.”
Twenty resident assistants will continue to guide students living in the dorms throughout the year.
“Our RAs do a stellar job,” Cooper said. “They are tasked with building a community and facilitating an environment that is fun, conducive to academic success, and healthy. It’s a hard job, but it can also be a fun job, and they have really knocked it out of the park.”
Students moving in will also enjoy more upgrades to the dormitory experience. Over the summer, Prospector Hall’s second-floor lounge was upgraded.
“It’s a much more usable and comfortable space,” Cooper said. Also, the window screens in Prospector Hall will all be replaced. In Prospector and Centennial Halls, the dated coin-operated laundry machines will be replaced by brand-new, free to use commercial grade machines. The machines are sourced locally from Steele’s Furniture.
“This was long overdue,” Cooper said. “This is a significant investment to make the student experience better. I’m thrilled that with our team on campus, we were able to make this happen.”
Cooper says all of the work and improvements are important to the student experience.
“Our residence halls are a place for our students to be when they are not in classes,” Cooper said. “For a lot of their time that’s where they are. It’s their second home, or for some of them it’s their primary home after they moved to campus. Having a great living environment really gives a more holistic experience to the college journey because it’s so much more than just going to class.”
P.S. SAVE THE DATE, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3 RD
—THE MONTANA TECH FOUNDATION WILL FOCUS ITS GIVING TUESDAY EFFORTS TOWARDS THE KASPERICK STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND THIS YEAR.
A long-time Montana Tech administrator and faculty member, Joe Kasperick, saw firsthand that, at times, students face emergencies or financial needs that they cannot tackle alone. With this in mind and in true Oredigger fashion, Joe created the Kasperick Emergency Fund to provide immediate funds for emergent situations. The Kasperick Emergency Fund offers compassionate assistance to students who encounter unforeseen financial emergencies or personal catastrophic events that disrupt their progress toward completing their degree program. Thank you for being so willing to support!
SCAN HERE For More Info about the Kasperick Student Emergency Fund
THE FIRST CLASS OF LANCE SCHOLARS AT MONTANA TECH
THE CALCULATED ADVENTURER
by Jodie DeLay
In May of 2018, DJ Moritz set out from Antelope Wells, New Mexico with a plan and a commitment to himself, his family, and friends to hike through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana to Chief Mountain Border Crossing in Glacier National Park, 3,100 miles with 457,000 feet of elevation gain and loss.
As an undergrad assisting Professor Martha Apple with botany research in Glacier National Park back in 2012, DJ Moritz had a Kairos moment when he crossed paths with a hiker making his way along the full length of the famed Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT). The encounter planted a seed that lay dormant for about five years before he started seriously planning to make the trek himself.
It takes a left-brained, analytical thinker to complete a double major in Math and Statistics in three years. That’s just what Moritz did at Montana Tech, before earning his Masters in Math at the University of Montana shortly after. This is also the kind of thinker who excels at, and enjoys, logistics, so it’s no wonder that Moritz jumped into planning the details, researching the best gear, and preparing for his own CDT journey with fervor.
In May of 2018, Moritz set out from Antelope Wells, New Mexico with a plan and a commitment to himself, his family, and friends to hike through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana to Chief Mountain Border Crossing in Glacier National Park, 3,100 miles with 457,000 feet of elevation gain and loss.
For the most part he took his time, enjoying the wildlife, the solitude, and the people he met along the way. This included a stay at the Toaster House in Pie Town, New Mexico where, over decades, the renowned “Trail Angel,” Nita Larronde, welcomed hundreds of thru-hikers with a hot shower, fellowship, and yes, pie. Ultimately, it was this kindness of strangers and the connections with other hikers that left the biggest impression upon him.
One of the rites of passage, so to speak, for thru-hikers is to earn or choose a trail name. A couple he met along the way, Mould and Mildew, helped select Mortiz’s trail name. When he got bored, he would
sometimes sing. That, along with perhaps his optimism, led to Moritz becoming Jean Valjean, after the protagonist in Les Misérables. The character, hardened from 19 years of prison for stealing bread for his starving sister, was changed forever by the benevolence of a deacon who defended him, and challenged him to become a kind and generous benefactor for those around him. Moritz experienced many examples of this altruistic behavior along the alluring, yet grueling, trail. He was also that helper for others. The nickname stuck.
As snow began to threaten his trip, Moritz had to hustle a bit near the end. He completed the 3,100-mile trek on the Canadian border, five and half months after he began. It’s not required to report a completed CDT thru-hike, but it’s estimated that less than 300 people do this monster hike annually, compared to three times as many who do the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail, the other two legs of the long-distance “Triple Crown” for hikers. Its wayfinding requirements, scrappy climbs, varied wildlife, and isolation make the CDT one of the most difficult long-distance hikes in the world. Moritz is forever part of a truly elite club.
For him, however, this south- to north-bound trip, in which he wore out five pairs of shoes (should have been six), didn’t fully satisfy his spirit. Having battled through moments, hours, and days when he just wanted to be done, his confidence had grown exponentially. He decided to complete his Masters in Statistics at Montana State University, and later, begin his PhD there. And, why not try the CDT the other direction, this time on a bike?
On June 14, 2024, Moritz began the Great Divide Mountain Bike Tour in Banff, British Columbia. The path roughly parallels the hike, frequently diverting to backroads and trails where bikes are allowed. He finished on July 18, 2,730 miles south in Antelope Wells. The overriding feeling this time was the same. The views were exceptional, the wildlife plenty—he saw it all, including, unexpectedly, turtles. The challenge was up to his expectations.
Still, despite the many miles of solitude, it was again the people who made the tour. From cowboy camping and waking up to a moose standing above him, to riding parallel with deer and elk running alongside him, the memories will endure, along with the friendships.
His next great accomplishment will be that PhD. After that, who knows? Moritz, er, Valjean, isn’t sure. But whatever it is, he has proven he’s up to whatever he puts his mind to.
The Helmet Vanga, or Euryceros prevostii, is what Montana Tech Biological Sciences senior Caleb Lashway calls a special bird.
Found only in the virgin rainforest of Madagascar, the black bird with a blue bill and rust-colored wings and tailfeathers is rare.
“If you find them, it means you have gotten away from everything in the beautiful, uncut forest,” Lashway said.
Lashway, a native of Helena, has fond memories of watching the gorgeous creatures years ago while he was growing up in Madagascar. He spent the first seven years of his life in Helena. His parents then decided to become missionaries so his family moved, first to France and then to the island nation off the coast of Africa, for the next decade.
“The birds there are amazing,” Lashway said.
He came back to Montana for college after high school graduation, but ended up pausing his studies after five semesters.
“I was burnt out,” Lashway said. “I had not really given myself a break from Africa before adjusting back to Montana.”
Lashway spent five years as a janitor for a Holiday Inn before making his way to Montana Tech. Lashway has been an avid birder since he was a young child. He remembers that he was born at just the right time to catch his grandfather’s renaissance in birding. Gary Swant had been a teacher and got into birding in retirement. Swant quickly became one of Montana’s top birders; it’s something he passed down to young Caleb. When he returned to Montana, Lashway continued to grow his birding experience, and became a co-owner of Swant’s business GoBird Montana, which gives birding tours of southwestern Montana and is also contracted to do bird surveys with Federal agencies. Today, Lashway competes for the rank of top birder and is a growing scientist as well.
“I got a job doing bird surveys in Butte for the Superfund cleanup site,” Lashway said. “That was really more in line with the biology I always wanted to be a part of. I spent years doing surveys, and did really well, and started to do more and more surveys and doing more stuff for GoBird Montana. I ended up in a position of sitting at roundtables with everybody who had a masters or doctorate degree.”
In some meetings, it became apparent that his lack of a degree was holding him back. Montana Tech Biological Sciences Professor Dr. Stella Capoccia was in some of those meetings and saw where Lashway was facing a roadblock. She asked Lashway to stop by her office so she could help him figure out what it would take to get a degree. In Spring 2022 he enrolled as a transfer student in a four-credit class to get back into the swing of things. He enrolled full-time the next semester and is now expected to graduate in Spring 2025.
Lashway is a member of Capoccia’s research team, which conducts bird counts on local waterbodies as part of the Berkeley Pit Waterfowl Protection Program. The program uses data collected by Capoccia’s students to help prevent birds from landing on the toxic Berkeley Pit. Waterfowl surveys involve glassing with a spotting scope across a water body and counting every single bird, by species, that’s on the water at that time. The numbers are inserted into an Excel spreadsheet. Another type of survey, point-count surveys, involve standing in one spot for 10 minutes and counting every single bird seen or heard.
“That’s more of a long-term study survey tactic,” Lashway said. “In a restoration area, what you see or hear should change over a 20-yearperiod as the willows grow and the grass comes back. If it doesn’t start changing then it might be time to start asking ‘why after nine years does this site only have meadowlarks and grassland sparrows?’”
Lashway says the surveys are important.
“Undeniably, waterfowl are using this part of Montana, especially the Warm Springs area, more,” Lashway said. “We also survey the Clark Fork and other areas that are being cleaned up. You can look at birds that were there before the cleanup, and you can look at the birds after. Hopefully you see a diversity in bird numbers as the vegetation grows back.”
Lashway says local water bodies are incredible resources for birders.
“Warm Springs is crazy because it has all the ducks,” Lashway said. “Those ponds have shallow water and deep water so you have some of everything. I get kind of infamous for having bird lists that have every single waterfowl species in the State consistently.”
Warm Springs can also be challenging, because the area is large and unless you know where to look or have the right equipment, it can be hard to see what’s out there.
STUDENT BIRD COUNTERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
by Megan Strickland
“One of the tricks is that there are 16,000 waterfowl there right now, but they are all up the middle, so unless you look through a spotting scope, you wouldn’t know because you can’t see them with the naked eye, because they are half a mile out,” Lashway said.
Lashway and Swant give free public tours several times per year and educate the public about the local ecosystem.
“If we ignore repeat customers, about 80% of participants have never been out to Warm Springs before or even know it was there, and a lot of them are from Deer Lodge, Anaconda, or from Butte,” Lashway said.
Part of the reasons it is great to have Lashway as a student at Montana Tech is that he’s sharing his deep knowledge of birds with other students who are just beginning to identify them.
Ian Barville is a Biological Sciences senior from Spokane, Washington who chose Montana Tech because of an opportunity to participate on the University’s first track and field team.
In Spring 2023 he contacted Dr. Capoccia to see if he could join her research group.
“I kind of figured it would be fun,” Barville said.
Barville’s assumptions were partly right.
“Sometimes they are boring, but sometimes they are really fascinating as you are trying to figure out what they are trying to do,” Barville said. “I saw a group of ruddy ducks in the breeding season get into a brawl. They were pushing each other into the water with one single female off to the side. They look really goofy because they have these bright blue bills, and they were out there wrestling each other in the water.”
Mostly though, learning to identify and count birds is hard work. In the summer there were some days where Barville would meet Lashway at 6 a.m. to do counts before the 100-degree heat set in.
“Like any science there’s always a lot to learn,” Barville said. “There are a lot more bird species locally than most people are aware of. It definitely gets easier to learn the more you learn. You just kind of have to keep at it, be a sponge and soak up information.”
One challenge is the fact that birds often have beautiful spring plumage that stands out, but when fall comes, they molt into drab winter colors that all look the same. Also, birds sometimes end up in places they aren’t supposed to be, throwing their counters for a loop.
Barville was with Lashway when a least tern was spotted. The bird is only found along the Missouri River in Montana, but one showed up during one of the local counts.
“The birds don’t always fly where you expect them to,” Barville said. “They don’t have a sheet telling them where to go.”
Lashway also spotted a whimbrel recently. The birds usually are found in Hudson Bay, the east or west coasts, or in South America. They are rarely spotted in Montana.
“That bird is on an adventure,” Lashway said.
In addition to conducting counts locally, Barville, Lashway, and another Montana Tech student, Anika Ploeger, were able to travel to Billings to assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with surveys on the Yellowstone River.
Barville says the wide variety of research he’s been able to do as an undergraduate is among the best experiences he’s had in college.
“If you are interested in research, Montana Tech has a lot of research opportunities, and it’s definitely a great way to further your education, as well as your connections within the school, and to gain experience. I would highly recommend just being open minded to pursuing research. There are a lot of opportunities here.”
Barville is working on applications to the Peace Corps, and he plans to go on to get a masters degree.
Lashway says he would like to eventually get a master’s degree too, thought it might be more naturalist focused than ornithology focused.
No matter what the future holds, neither one figures they will go too long without having birds on the brain.
“Once you get to a certain level, you just can’t stop,” Lashway said.
by Megan Strickland
An estimated 20 million people die by preventable deaths each year worldwide, though primarily in low- and middle-income countries and an Oredigger has worked her way onto the front lines of researching and implementing ways to help reduce those numbers.
Tara Rava Zolnikov, Ph.D., M.S., M.S., M.S(c) (Biological Sciences ’04, Industrial Hygiene ’07) initially wanted to go into forensics when she chose Biological Sciences as her major.
“I chose Montana Tech as I received a full academic and athletic scholarship to play volleyball,” Zolnikov said. “After my first graduation, went on an exploration of the world. moved to Mexico to learn Spanish. After that, I moved to Greece, where I modeled and learned Greek. While living in Greece, had a moment where I realized my life was not necessarily being fulfilled and that I wanted to have a greater positive role in people’s lives, so decided to return to Montana Tech and get my M.S. degree in Industrial Hygiene. At the time, didn’t even know what it was, but safety seemed like an important choice and an aspect of work that all people should have access to.”
Zolnikov worked as an environmental risk scientist for a year, but she still wanted to help people on a larger scale.
“I applied and got into Harvard to study environmental health,” Zolnikov said. “I began and finished my M.S. degree and then went into the doctorate program there. Throughout my time at Harvard I lived and worked in India and Kenya and traveled worldwide. During these moments, I finally found myself and an innate desire to help people but realized that Harvard didn’t necessarily lay out the right path for me, so I left the doctorate program and transferred into the Developmental Science Ph.D. program at North Dakota State University. This program allowed me to pair elements of psychology and culture into a global health setting.”
Zolnikov said her growth in the field of global health emerged over time.
“This happened throughout my life, while I was living, traveling, and experiencing life with people around the world,” Zolnikov said. “Through these moments, I lived in mud huts, didn’t have access to
water or electricity, cooked over a fire, had no money, walked miles on dirt roads to the nearest town, took buses for hours across countries—and saw how most people of low socioeconomic status lived their daily lives. I discovered that loved these times and the people next to me during these challenging experiences. I decided to make it my life’s goal to try to raise the status of health and well-being for these amazing people in the world, and that’s how I became a professor of global health and have published on so many issues. When you believe and have passion for what you do, the path becomes clear on what your mission in life needs to be ensure that it’s rooted in goodness, because goals like money will never bring you happiness.”
Zolnikov has conducted research on a breadth of issues worldwide and published more than 100 peer-reviewed studies in some of the world’s leading journals, including The Lancet Oncology, American Journal of Public Health, AIDS and Behavior, Waste Management, Science of the Total Environment, and other high-impact-factor journals. She’s had three books published by Palgrave, MacMillan, and Springer. She proposed and is now editor of Elsevier’s Dialogues in Health, a journal created to support qualitative research in health. Zolnikov is a full rank professor at the
National University in the Healthcare Leadership Department. She works as a consultant with the World Health Organization, and has also received grants from that organization. Her nonprofit, Water 2 Schools, seeks to get children access to water in Kenyan schools.
Zolnikov’s work takes her into some of the most impoverished places on the planet. Photos show her on a waste picking line in Brazil, working on a project funded by a World Health Organization grant. Waste picking is a common practice in developing countries, where impoverished individuals pick through piles of open air garbage to find something of value that is salvageable to exchange for money. In Brazil, a conveyor belt system had been assembled to take those workers off the streets. While the intervention of the conveyor belt may have helped in some ways, Zolnikov and her fellow researchers are concerned that the waste pickers are still being exposed to vector-borne diseases and ergonomic, and negative social risks.
Zolnikov says exposure to people living in conditions like these challenged her view of the world.
“There was a difficult part of my life where did not like people in high socioeconomic societies who were chock full of available opportunities,” Zolnikov said. “This anger was because of my international relationships and experiences, as I was living and working alongside people who had nothing per our societal expectations. After years, I realized they were richer than us in so many ways. My vision changed and I am now at peace, knowing that people experience joy and are suffering differently, and I no longer invalidate the origin of these moments in life and subsequent challenges faced by all people throughout the world.”
Zolnikov said her time in Montana and at Montana Tech helped give perspective to her work.
“Me and most of my colleagues and friends—and even professors—at Montana Tech are from humble beginnings,” Zolnikov said. “We were and are Montana kids, who lived through elements of poverty, escaped through sports, and experienced outcomes related to inclement and challenging weather. We are tough, and it takes a strong person to live in the poor countries and areas, as I have. While I was doing the research, knew the people from back home or at Tech were standing in solidarity with me. We may not know exactly what the Kenyans feel when they don’t have access to water, but we can imagine it when our pipes freeze in the winter, or how it feels to travel hours to get a hospital, not to have health insurance, to work jobs that barely pay the bills, to be exposed to diseases/disorders and treat them with household items, and to find life and purpose through our neighbors. We may be worlds apart, but we are brothers in arms when you boil it down.”
Zolnikov said students interested in public health should be ready to face failure.
“I get rejected almost every day of my life, from grants, papers, ideas, etc.,” Zolnikov said. “Going against the grain and fighting for something that you know needs to change, like inequities in the world, is not easy. There is no easy way to solve difficult problems like these, but be strong. I have always believed that my research, knowledge, or ideas could create a ripple effect and do something positive somewhere. Standing tall in the face of constant rejection is difficult, but it makes you and your ideas valid. Join the fight—we need you.”
Zolnikov had some final advice on how to truly succeed.
“Find the beauty in the people and things around you,” Zolnikov said “Enjoy your successes fully, as there are so many failures and challenges in life. Give more than you take. Everyone has a story, so be kind to everyone you meet, because it might go farther and be more needed than you think.”
A HEAD START ON HEALING
by Megan Strickland
In her final semester at Butte High, Ava Evankovich spent two days working 12-hour shifts on the medical–surgical unit of St. James Hospital, completing the clinical requirements for a certified nurse assistant (CNA) license. Evankovich says the experience solidified her desire to enter the field of healthcare after graduation, and earn a bachelor of science in Nursing from Montana Technological University.
“It made me want to provide the best care I could,” Evankovich said. “It made me want to be the person there to help.”
Evankovich’s clinical experience was the capstone piece of the Foundations of Health Care Certificate program at Highlands College. The 15-credit program launched in fall 2022 with funding from Accelerate Montana, Futures at Work, and Butte Silver Bow ARPA. It allows high school students to take dual enrollment classes and earn their CNA license prior to high school graduation, and takes one year to complete.
“The mission of the Foundations of Health Care Certificate is early career exposure, valuable education, and work experience, in addition to developing skilled, compassionate, and professional certified nurse assistants who are dedicated to improving patient care and positively impacting the healthcare system and community,” said Public Education Coordinator Kinsley RafishBennett. “The program was developed in response to a growing demand for certified nurse assistants in the community and provides improved access to care, economic benefits, and support for healthcare systems. Certified nurse assistants support the broader healthcare system by working in various settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, and home healthcare. The demand for certified nurse assistants is expected to remain high, and provides career stability for those entering the field.”
Thirty-eight high school students have completed the program so far, with 10 registered for fall 2024 at Montana Tech’s campus. The program will also expand to Billings this fall and spring, through a partnership with Montana State University–Billings. Ten students will start in Billings in fall 2024, and that number will expand to 20 in spring 2024.
Students become First Aid/CPR certified and complete clinical rotations at facilities around the State. Classes students earn credit for are College Writing I, Mathematics (Contemporary Math, College Algebra, or Math for Health Care), Intro to Health Careers, and the Certified Nursing Assistant Course.
“Some of the classes do count toward the nursing prerequisites,” Evankovich said. “I believe this is a very good option for anyone with an interest in healthcare to get their foot in the door. I found it to be very beneficial. It definitely made me want to become a nurse even more. I learned what the nurses deal with and how they feel about their job. The experience was great.”
Students who would like to take part in the program can contact Kinsley RafishBennett at krafish@mtech.edu
by Megan Strickland
More than $1 million in recent equipment acquisitions by Montana Technological University’s Mechanical Engineering department has catapulted its capacity for 3D printing to a level that is attracting collaborators from around Montana.
“We have some of the finest additive manufacturing capabilities in the area,” said Associate Professor Dr. Nathan Huft, who leads the Montana Tech Advanced Manufacturing (MTAM) Research Group with Dr. Peter Lucon.
The equipment includes an Xact Metal and two One Click Metal MPrint laser powder bed fusion printers and two MPURE power handling systems. The combined capabilities of all three pieces of equipment give MTAM members the ability to print stainless steel, titanium, and nickel-based alloys. Funding for the printers was obtained through a cooperative agreement with the Army Research Laboratory. The three machines totaled more than $630,000 and arrived on Montana Tech’s campus in 2023 and 2024.
Other recent equipment purchases include a 3D scanner that cost $46,000 and high-speed infrared camera that cost $170,000. They join a high-speed camera that cost $110,000 that was purchased seven years ago.
A handheld X-ray fluorescence machine sits in its crate, newly arrived from Germany, ready to be assembled. The $41,000 machine can rapidly analyze metal compositions. The lab also contains an arc spark optical emission spectrometer that performs a similar function, but leaves the sample dented and damaged. They both play important roles.
“We mix our own feedstock powders, so we want to verify compositions before we start our printing process,” Huft said.
Several pieces of equipment are available to mix powdered alloys. They include multiple vibratory mixing machines that Lucon patented and a powder rheometer.
The lab is also home to a large printer that can print polymers on a large scale of up to 1.5 meters wide by 0.75 meters tall. Another printer is able to print specialized inks that are used for circuit boards. Five others are able to print resins.
Evidence of student work abounds in the lab. There’s a case of artistic 3D printed items on display, but there are also parts and pieces lying around that have more practical uses. Outside a professor’s office students took the time to scan a broken ornate nameplate and replace it with a good-looking printed replica.
“We really try to give the students the ability to learn the printer, because they can’t do the research unless they really understand,” Huft said. “We encourage them to do their own projects, because if they just do the research they will never learn what the printers are capable of.”
Researchers from Montana State University in Bozeman have used the facility, and private businesses have also expressed interest in collaboration. Graduate student Emily Maynard is
focusing her research efforts on testing the strength of the different printed parts as part of a project for Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport. Another graduate student, Layton Bahnmiller, was recently contacted by a local theater group to produce replacements for antique metal parts of its historic theater seats. Bahnmiller 3D scanned the antique parts and produced digital models of the parts. He then used the digital models to 3D print resin patterns to be used by a foundry to cast metal replacements.
Huft says prospective students or collaborators can contact him at nhuft@mtech.edu.
Scan this QR code to Learn more about the Montana Tech Advanced Manufacturing
by Megan Strickland
“We can really do a lot of wonderful work with this equipment that we have,” Zhou said. “Regionally there are great possibilities for airborne work.”
Whether he’s conducting missions at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest in Greenough, the Bear Paw Mountains on the Hi-Line, the Moulton Reservoir Ski Trails, or the mountainous areas of the Sheep Creek district in southern Ravalli County, when Geophysics Professor Dr. Xiaobing Zhou uses any of his drone systems, folks nearby often stop and take notice. It would be hard not to. His drones and drone-borne equipment are large, and carry what Zhou says is some of the best aero-geophysical and remote sensing equipment in Montana, used in his geophysical research focused on both hydrological impacts after wildfire, and identifying areas where rare earth minerals occur in Montana.
“Quite a few people are interested in what we are doing with our remote sensing research,” Zhou said, as he gave a demonstration with the GEM AirGRAD magnetic gradiometer. “This is a big, important instrument for us. It’s used to detect magnetic minerals. Some minerals that contain rare earth elements have magnetic signatures we can detect when flying the drone with the magnetic system.”
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. For the past two years Montana Tech’s research facilities have been conducting more than a dozen projects funded by the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL), focused on exploring, extracting, and processing critical minerals and rare earth elements. Zhou’s research is one of those projects.
“These minerals are very important,” Zhou said.
His magnetic gradiometer setup is comprised of a custom drone measuring a couple of feet tall, with a 10-feet-long tow cable to carry a payload of an approximately 8.5-kg, 12-feet-long fiber glass tube that has an oblong head at one end with electronics inside, with two sensors set up at the other end, 5 feet apart. When it lifts off, it looks like the drone is towing a giant orange and white arrow in the sky. The instrument is so long it takes two tripods to hold it when it’s not flying. The magnetic gradiometer holds a pair of high-precisionsensitivity potassium UAV magnetometers, a laser altimeter to record the drone’s height above ground, and a GPS for location tracking. An inertial navigation system is constantly tracking yaw, pitch, and roll. All of the data collected are transferred in real-time to the computer on the ground, where Starlink internet provides real-time surface topography data so that the drone can fly at almost constant altitude in remote areas. The drone battery lasts about 10 minutes, so to fly for a long time in remote areas, Zhou carries a set of 10 batteries and four gasoline-powered generators.
“We are limited in flight time by the battery right now, but as technology has advanced, sensors have become much smaller. It has expanded what we can do with our drones,” Zhou said.
Zhou demonstrated by showing a small, 3-D printed gadget that holds several circuit boards, a radar system a student built. In contrast, the world’s first radar system, constructed in 1935, included four steel towers 360 feet tall set in a line about 180 feet apart. The student’s version of radar fits in the palm of a human hand.
Integrating the technology prior to takeoff was a challenge. In addition to using the magnetic gradiometer to seek out minerals containing rare earths, Zhou also has drones equipped with instruments that collect hyperspectral and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. Whereas most drones on the hobbyist market are fully integrated together, Zhou’s drones are made up of systems made by different companies in different countries that take a bit of expertise to piece together so they operate in sync.
However, Zhou is two years into the ARL project, and at this point using the systems has gotten much easier. Zhou first earned his drone pilot license in 2017. Even though he’s an experienced pilot, flying his research drones is still a bit nerve-wracking at times.
“We want to prevent crashes,” Zhou said. “This drone, along with the hyperspectral and LiDAR system, costs more than $300,000. It is a bit stressful to fly it because of its high cost.”
Zhou usually flies the drone, taking care to maintain a constant altitude from the ground despite any topography changes, while his students monitor data and assist in other ways.
In September, second-year Earth Science and Engineering student Umer Masood, of Pakistan, had the opportunity to go with Zhou to the Sheep Creek area of the Bitterroot National Forest, which has been identified as an area that could contain significant rare earth element deposits. The trip required camping at the beautiful Alta campground.
“I enjoyed it,” Masood said. “We do cool stuff. We go fly drones in the woods. We get to camp when we are working. That’s one of the best parts for me. I come from a really huge town of 2 million people where there’s not a lot of outdoor stuff to do.”
While much of Zhou’s focus is on minerals containing rare earths elements, he also uses his drones to gather data useful in forest management, particularly in measuring the impact of wildfires on the snowpacks in the forest. When trees burn it reduces cover for winter snowpack, which may in turn cause snow cover changes for the watershed. Zhou’s sensors have the ability to estimate biomass, snow coverage, moisture content, and more.
Students have also shown interest in using drones for projects involving search and rescue functions. Zhou says he’s focused on using the larger, more expensive drones for his research, just because it would be difficult to replace the expensive equipment in the event of a crash. There are a number of smaller, less expensive drones that students train on at Montana Tech. There are more than a half dozen different types of small drones with varying functions and payloads, including fixed wing systems that resemble small model airplanes. One consists of a small, remote-controlled boat that has seven sensors on its underside that can monitor a bevy of water-quality datapoints. In addition to operating drones, students can learn to develop sensors.
“We’ve built sensors to measure air quality and other things over the years,” Zhou said.
Montana Tech has two drone certificate programs and a number of classes available to students that focus on drone skills. The Unmanned Aerial Systems Development and Analytics graduate certificate and the Unmanned Aerial Systems Applications and Design undergraduate certificate are designed to vastly increase students’ skills and knowledge while minimizing the number of additional credits needed to earn the credentials.
Montana Tech is also part of the Montana Space Grant Consortium, which works to strengthen education in Montana in NASA-related fields, including remote sensing.
Zhou said the equipment, expertise, and programs housed at Montana Tech for remote sensing and drone work hold tremendous potential for students, researchers, and the community.
“We can really do a lot of wonderful work with this equipment that we have,” Zhou said. “Regionally there are great possibilities for airborne work.”
ESTABLISHING MONTANA TECH AS A NATIONAL ENERGY LEADER
by Bob Morris
“Enhance Tech’s prominence as a national energy leader”— that’s my job description. Punch above our weight—that’s what it will take to get the job done. As Orediggers, we welcome the challenge.
My strategy as the first-ever Lance Energy Chair at Montana Tech is to leverage private funding and deepen our relationships with industry, trade organizations, national labs, and State and Federal agencies. The position is funded by a thoughtful donation from Ryan and Lisa Lance. Although my work is funded by a private source, I am an employee of the State of Montana and a member of the Montana Tech faculty. Being on the faculty keeps me connected with the University. The private funding allows me to think long term for the success of Montana Tech.
The purpose of the Lance College of Mines and Engineering is to develop engineering leaders to benefit humanity. With today’s emphasis on sustainable energy, the need for Montana Tech’s graduates has never been more acute. World energy consumption continues to rise as our population increases. Only one in five people on the planet enjoys abundant energy. Four out of five (six billion people) live in energy poverty and are working hard to lift standards of living. This takes energy—a lot of energy.
Every form of energy conversion has negative environmental impacts. Fossil fuels emit carbon. Wind, solar, and batteries require six times as much minerals and thousands of times the land as fossil fuels. Our job as energy engineers is to use our training and creativity to deliver reliable, economical, and sustainable energy. Montana Tech’s job is to provide our students with the fundamentals necessary to become skilled in the art of energy production.
Montana Tech is perfectly positioned to lead the world’s energy evolution. With Petroleum Engineering, Mining Engineering, Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Occupational Safety and Health, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, and more, we provide the fundamentals to develop and deliver energy. We have the expertise to design reliable, economical, and sustainable energy systems.
We have all the energy we need to punch above our weight.
While world energy consumption will continue to increase, the demand in any one industry will ebb and flow. We certainly see this with commodity prices and hiring trends. We also see this on the Montana Tech campus as our energy field enrollments can be cyclical. In today’s market, we see strong demand for any energy-related field. Materials demands for wind, solar, battery storage, electric vehicles, gas turbines, diesel engines, transmission lines, power transformers, protection and control electronics, and communications networks mean we need more geologists, mining engineers, metallurgists, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, and more. Large-scale wind (onshore and offshore), solar farms, and pumped hydro storage facilities need more civil engineers. Converting U.S. electric power generation from coal to natural gas turbines has reduced carbon emissions by 40%—the largest reduction in the world. We need more cleanburning natural gas, and more petroleum engineers. Our electrical supply systems could see unprecedented demand for electric vehicle charging, space heating, and data centers. With increased penetration of intermittent generation sources, maintaining electric network stability will take more electrical engineers.
Lisa and I are so pleased to have Bob Morris as our first Lance Energy Chair. Bob brings a wealth of industry experience and a passion to build on our school’s 125-year history and reputation. Working alongside our Deans and the administration, Bob is expanding our reach within Montana, to other states, and to Washington DC. We are only just getting started and we look forward to the contributions that Bob will make to our school and the Lance Energy Chair. Thank you, Bob!
Since we know Montana Tech graduates will always be in demand, we want to smooth out the peaks and valleys by leveraging private funding to supplement State funds. With private funding, we can provide scholarships for students and pay to keep our faculty on staff.
Where do we start? We start by building relationships with industry partners, trade organizations, national labs, and State and Federal agencies. One project currently underway in the Petroleum Engineering department is to reduce methane emissions on Montana’s 42,000 oil and gas wells. We are partnering with the Montana Petroleum Association, Montana’s oil and gas owner/operators, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Montana Department of Commerce, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The U.S. Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency have established rigorous methane emissions reporting standards. We are working to help Montana’s oil and gas industry understand and comply with the new regulations. Montana Tech is also pursuing DOE grant funding to offset some of the compliance costs for our local producers.
One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is to bring together interdisciplinary discussions on energy technology and energy policy. We have speaking engagements that bring together petroleum, electrical, mining, materials/metallurgy, environmental, business, and elected leaders. We use these sessions to teach energy fundamentals and sell Montana Tech. Look for more of these as part of our 125-year celebration in 2025.
am honored and excited to be a part of the Oredigger family. The world’s energy evolution provides many opportunities. As Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” I know Orediggers won’t miss out! If you have ideas on Montana Tech’s energy programs, please reach out to me at rmorris4@mtech.edu.
Ryan Lance ‘84 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ConocoPhillips
Field Campus Development Underway
by Megan Strickland
Recent major investments will provide initial funding towards an expansion of projects at the Energy, Environment, and Innovation Field Campus (EEIFC) west of Montana Tech, with an early focus on developing a smart photonic sensing systems test bed.
In July, the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded a total of $504 million to only 12 Tech Hubs across the nation out of more than 300 initial applications. The Headwaters Hub, one of the 12, includes the Butte, Bozeman, Missoula, and Kalispell areas. Its focus is smart photonic sensor systems.
The EEIFC area offers opportunities for users to test drones in and around a mine, in an environment with a wide range of temperatures and elevations. The idea is to allow drones to fly, crawl/walk, and swim in one area that will test maneuverability, as well as connectedness for data access and sensors to obtain relevant datasets.
“The testing facility expands Montana Tech’s footprint as a STEM-focused institution, providing access to experiential learning and expanding opportunities for Montana Tech students to see the translation and application of cuttingedge technologies,” Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Angela Lueking said. “Increased industry partnerships, in particular those that rely on a test facility to validate their technology, will expand interactions, projects, collaborations, and employment opportunities for our students. This is a statewide project, and increased economic development in Montana’s high-tech sector further supports the STEM workforce pipeline, and increases demand for local/regional employment to ensure our students can be employed in Montana, if they choose to stay. The Butte Local Development Corporation (BLDC) is also a partner on the Tech Hub; in addition, there are opportunities on how the testing site may synergistically support the local economic development of Butte–Silver Bow.”
While the test bed development is a major focus of the EEIFC, the Field Campus goals are much wider-reaching and are the product of long-term efforts of the University and its partners.
The lands located immediately west of the Montana Tech campus were once a bustling hub of mining activity, but the area sat underutilized after the closure of the Orphan Boy and Orphan Girl mines in the 1950s. Over the past 15 years, the University has worked to repurpose and transition this area from inactive underutilized lands to a site used for cutting-edge scientific research and hands-on learning opportunities.
The concept began through the efforts of Professors Chris Roos, Robert Pal, Kumar Ganesan, Mary MacLaughlin, Raja Nagisetty, Scott Rosenthal, and Glenn Shaw, who wanted to expand learning opportunities in mining, energy development, and environmental restoration.
In 2010, the Underground Mine Education Center was created. The UMEC is a hands-on, interdisciplinary educational space consisting of the former Orphan Boy and Orphan Girl Mines located immediately west of campus. It is home to courses for Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, and Occupational Safety and Health. It also serves as a research facility.
In 2018, a memorandum of understanding was developed between Butte–Silver Bow, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, and Montana Tech to create an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) training and research area that encompasses the Montana Tech campus and portions of Butte–Silver Bow’s Big Butte Open Space Park.
The vision for the EEIFC includes numerous components including solar panel demonstration areas, solar panel terraces and soil sampling, a construction management and training site, a remediation and restoration trials area, geothermal energy sites, and a potential greenhouse. Many of the proposed elements of the EEIFC mark a progression into broader energy initiatives and curriculum through the creation of the Lance Energy Chair and appointment of a director for this Field Campus.
The barren top of Sugarloaf Peak towers above much of the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area, located southwest of Anaconda. The peak is painted red and milky white by loose soils on mostly unvegetated hillsides that contrast starkly with the conifer forest below. It’s been 141 years since smelting began in the area in 1883, and the landscape of the top of Sugarloaf is a lingering fingerprint left by anthropogenic influence during decades of mining, logging, and smelting.
RESTORING THE ECOSYSTEM AT BARREN SUGARLOAF PEAK
by Megan Strickland
Daniel Kelly (B.S. Biological Sciences, 2023) is a second-year graduate student in the Ecological Restoration program at Montana Tech, working with Dr. Robert Pal. He explains the forest was logged to feed the smelters that processed the mining materials, and the smelter spewed toxic materials into the sky (aeolian contamination) that deposited onto the mountainsides near Anaconda; this made it nearly impossible for plant life to continue emerging and persisting. Over a century later, Sugarloaf Peak is still barren, and with every passing season of rain and snowfall, more sediment continues to pour off the mountain and into nearby streams.
“These are moonscape conditions,” Kelly said. “It just looks like white creamy moon soil and sedimentary material, and for quite some time now there’s been a lot of sediment deposited into California Creek, Mill Creek, Oregon Creek, and other areas where we have these eroding steep slopes with very homogenous landscapes.” Heavy runoff of contaminated and noncontaminated sediments can disrupt aquatic life in the creeks. It’s a significant threat to macroinvertebrates and fish.
“I remember how fascinated Daniel was when we covered steep slope bioengineering techniques in our restoration classes,” Professor and Director of Restoration Robert Pal said. “He was eager to try them out on his own property, which is near the current project site. That enthusiasm immediately showed us that he was a determined and proactive student, with great potential to apply these techniques in a research setting. With his drive, we were able to secure funding from the Natural Resource Program (NRDP) to move forward. I think he surprised us all with what he accomplished.”
Kelly is working to stabilize and retain the soil on the hillside and revegetate the area with native plants. He started a project in June that installed 412 so-called “modified brush layer” (MBL) log structures across seven locations at Sugarloaf Peak. To complete the project, Kelly cuts down nearby deadfall with a chainsaw. He then cuts the trees into smaller pieces measuring one to three meters in length. Kelly proceeds to do a layout for where the material will be placed as MBLs once it is cut into specified lengths. He then uses an auger to drill, place, then secure the “anchoring log,” with an 8- to 10-inch target to anchor the logs as deep as possible.
Once the anchoring logs are in place, Kelly proceeds to place the catchment log upstream to hold this critical component in place, matching the contour of the slope. The catchment log is what Kelly hypothesizes will assist in mitigating sheet erosion and will thus hold the highly mobile soil in place. The primary study site measures 100 meters by 25 meters. While the technique is not new, Kelly’s idea to anchor the logs is novel.
“Our primary objective is not only trying to hold that hillside together, but also to catalyze soil recovery, and revegetate those hillsides. It’s a multidimensional project,” Kelly said.
Kelly’s project is sponsored by the NRDP and is done with the permission of Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, which manages the wildlife management area. The Big Hole Watershed Committee has provided crews to help install the structures. Montana Conservation Crew volunteers completed gully work and members of Youth Employment Crew (YEP) out of Dillion also chipped in on labor. Kelly has plans to fertilize and conduct native seed augmentation. He also did 20 live stakings of willow, aspen, and poplar trees.
In the short time between June and August, Kelly’s already seen new emergent native seedlings root themselves to the hillside. He points out sprigs of fireweed, lupine, Idaho fescue, and others with a big grin. The plants appear to be making headway, centimeter by centimeter.
Kelly is a botanist at heart, and while he has to wait to scientifically evaluate his results, every tiny plant gives him hope that his project will help restore the environment near his hometown of Anaconda. Kelly does not have any historical photos of Sugarloaf Peak to use as a reference for what a restored landscape should be, but he has a good idea of what progress would look like.
“I’m hoping in 5–10 years it looks nothing like the white, creamy conditions we are so accustomed to,” Kelly said.
In his mind, he pictures a nice mix of native trees thriving, maybe even some of the rarer ones sometimes found nearby, like the threatened whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis. There’s a robust understory of flowers and grasses. Most importantly, Kelly hopes the restoration method can be used to treat other areas facing the same problem.
“I hope we are able to scale this idea up to tackle more moonscape sites, if the structures and approach works.”
‘DOC ROCK’ REMEMBERED AS HARD AS ROCKS PROFESSOR
by Megan Strickland
Montana Tech students had a nickname for Geological Engineering Professor Hugh Dresser: around campus he was known as “Doc Rock.” This nickname was a sign of respect for his notorious reputation as an instructor that pushed his students to their mental and physical limits in pursuit of a highquality, hands-on education that would prepare them to lead successful careers.
Dr. Dresser passed away on July 14, 2023, and those who knew him best say he packed an incredible amount of life into his 93 years, including a teaching career that left a lasting mark on hundreds of students.
“He lived and breathed geology,” said Hugh’s son, Doug Dresser (B.S. Geological Engineering ’80, M.S. Geophysical Engineering, ’82).
Hugh, the son of Myron Dresser, geological advisor to Exxon’s Worldwide Exploration, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati, where he met his wife, Joyce, before earning his doctorate from the University of Wyoming in 1959. He worked for Carter Oil Company (now Exxon) for a number of years, and even then, it was clear he did geology through his own lens. While others preferred desk work, Hugh convinced the oil company to purchase a truck, which he fit with a horse rack. Dresser purchased a donkey with his own money and took it into the field with him to carry his supplies for days or weeks at a time, as he hunted for petroleum reservoirs in the Muddy Sandstone of Wyoming.
“He was very unique,” Doug remembered. “He loved geology and he did it his way—whether it was buying a donkey to do field work, buying a plane and learning to fly so that he could take pictures to use in his classes, or making his students wear corny 3D glasses so that they could view his lectures in 3D. He was a bit on the gruff side, a product of the Depression, but he showed how he cared by the personal effort he put into teaching his classes.”
Hugh joined the faculty of Montana Tech in 1965. By 1966, the hands-on nature of Doc Rock’s classes had already gained notoriety in the university’s newspaper, with a photo of students scrambling up a rock face, and a report of students “roughing it” and “struggling up steep slopes to Dr. Dresser’s cries of ‘It’s character building,’” on a field trip to Upper Gallatin Valley. Hugh was proud of the fact that he could just about outhike anyone, including his young students, up until his 60s.
“He was known for being a tough teacher,” Doug said. “He wanted to get the best out of everybody. Because of his time with Exxon, he knew what the managers and company men wanted for those students when they hired out of college, so he made his classes so you had to be pushed. He taught to challenge the best students in his class.”
In 1968 Hugh purchased a Cessna 150 two-seater plane so he could take 3-D stereo-photographs. Phyllis Hargrave (M.S. Geology, ’90) remembers taking Hugh’s class where she and her classmates had to wear 3D polarizing glasses, trying to tell
Hugh what they saw in his impressive slide collection. He also gave free plane rides to co-workers and students to observe geology from the air.
“I was intimidated by him at first,” Hargrave said. “But, I learned that he didn’t care what you saw; he cared how you thought, and he tried to guide you the right way. He was the sharpest guy in the world.”
Not everyone appreciated Hugh’s high standards. In addition to rigorous fieldwork and 3-D analysis, students had to be able to write and express their thoughts clearly in essay exams. Not being able to articulate one’s thoughts led to docking of points.
In 1988, Dresser was removed from teaching Physical Geology 101 because of complaints. In a letter to administration he addressed the situation: “For an observational science, illustrations are essential, and over two decades of heavy personal expense and time were invested in producing some of the finest illustrations of geologic features and processes. Indeed, because many students have difficulty visualizing in three dimensions, the slides were taken and projected in stereo. It may well have been the only stereo physical geology course in the world. Certainly, as an educational experience it stood apart from the traditional physical geology courses taught at most universities. I like to think that it was one of the courses that students remember, and that it helped to set Tech apart as a special place to be educated.”
Doug Dresser said that once, while he was working in a tiny town in New Zealand in 1996, far from Butte, a petroleum engineer walked in into his office and asked “Are you Hugh Dresser’s boy?” The Canadian said he was proud to have squeaked through Hugh’s Structural Geology class in 1968 and that he would never forget that Bump Coal problem he had to do. Over the years, others relayed to Doug or his father that they were glad for the knowledge they gained, even if the class was difficult.
In his later years, Hugh enjoyed travel with Joyce to places like the Galapagos Islands, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Iceland, all for the rock formations.
“The only places he would ever go was somewhere that had interesting geology,” Doug remembered.
Hugh always had a soft spot for animals. Hargrave recalled one class when Hugh showed up late, which was unheard of. He apologized and explained that he had found a pack rat in his basement, and needed to quickly find it an appropriate home on Pipestone Pass. Hugh taught his students to appreciate and protect nature.
“We never killed a rattlesnake on any of our field trips,” Hargrave said.
In retirement, Hugh volunteered at the animal shelter in Butte. He would volunteer 3-4 times a week and groom and care for the cats. He was such a fixture that the staff honored him by hanging his photo on the wall with the caption “Hugh’s cat house.” Hugh would also regularly feed the ravens behind the World Museum of Mining.
Whether it was the creatures he tended to or the students in his class, Hugh committed himself to doing what he loved and serving those around him. Doug thought he would like to be remembered as someone who made a difference. “He lived a really good life.”
ADVANCING SCIENCE AT NEAR LIGHT SPEED
Two groups of researchers from Montana Technological University were able to secure beam time at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) this summer, a highly competitive achievement that only 1,700 users get to experience each year. The researchers will use data collected and experience gained at the facility to develop fuel cell technology and understand the origins of sphalerite, a critical mineralcontaining ore found in southwestern Montana.
Celine Beaucamp is an Earth Science and Engineering Ph.D. student working with Dr. Chris Gammons on a $365,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study sphalerite. Beaucamp has been conducting research in the Philipsburg Mining District since 2020, and the grant was awarded in Spring 2024. The pair want to understand how the ore forms, as it contains elevated amounts of gallium, tungsten, germanium, and indium, some of which are critical metals.
“For part of the NSF grant, we want to run the samples through the synchrotron lab because we want to know how the trace
elements get into the sphalerite’s lattice. One major criterion is the valence they have. For instance, copper (Cu) can be Cu2+ or Cu1+. We are the first in the world mentioning tungsten in sphalerite in meaningful amounts, and tungsten (W) can be W4+ or W6+. The amount of protons changes the atom’s size, and it impacts the crystal’s structure. Furthermore, the charge balance has to stay equal. Therefore, we are looking into what atom association is needed to achieve all these requirements. To be able to do so, you need to run the sample through a synchrotron to know each atom’s valence.”
Beaucamp and Gammons submitted a proposal to run her samples through the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. Earlier in June, a colleague at the U.S. Geological Survey offered to have Beaucamp volunteer for one of the agency’s projects being run through the synchrotron. She jumped at the chance to participate in order to learn how the machine works. Projects at the synchrotron run 24 hours a day, so teams need both a dayside scientist and a nightside scientist to monitor their experiments. Beaucamp served as the nightside scientist. For three nights she completed her shift and paid close attention to the process so that she could write the best proposal possible for her own sphalerite research.
“I didn’t have the pressure of decision making because it was not my project,” Beaucamp said. “I could just be an observer and learn. It was an amazing opportunity.”
The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is a directorate of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and is a Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility. These facilities exist to promote advances in a wide range of scientific fields that would not be possible with only lab-scale experimentation. Researchers do not pay for beam time at the lab because user facilities are funded by the Department of Energy.
The x-rays at SSRL are produced in the synchrotron, a roughly circular particle accelerator called the Stanford Positron Electron Asymmetric Ring (SPEAR3). Inside SPEAR 3, electrons travel around at relativistic speeds just under the speed of light, accelerated and steered by a series of magnetic devices.
by Megan Strickland
There is a fresh pulse of electrons every five minutes, and one of the byproducts created is broad-spectrum x-rays that can be extracted and fine-tuned by insertion devices and monochromators for use in diffraction, scattering, and imaging experiments. The product that researchers obtain at SSRL varies, depending on the experimental technique used.
The x-rays produced by the SSRL are of far higher intensity than those that can be produced using the laboratory-based tools at Montana Tech. The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) at Montana Tech maintains and supervises an x-ray diffractometer that researchers can experiment with, and provides good data, but sometimes researchers need more.
CAMP Materials Testing Lab Manager Dr. Julie Muretta and Associate Professor of Chemistry and Geochemistry Dr. John Kirtley had very specific needs that only the synchrotron could fulfill as they researched whether the synthesis gas released during the gasification of biochar might be used to power a fuel cell. The presence of sulfur in the synthesis gas would be a huge problem for the project, as the sulfur eventually will deactivate the fuel cell.
“For our research goals, very low levels of sulfur is very detrimental,” Kirtley said. “The detection limit is critical.”
After researching other techniques, the team submitted a detailed proposal that scored high enough to earn time at SSRL.
“X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) was the technique John and I used at beamline 4-3 at SSRL,” Muretta said. “Beamline 4-3 produces ‘tender x-rays,’ meaning fairly low energy compared to other beamlines. This low energy was necessary to ‘see’ the sulfur (S) in our samples.”
During the experiment, Muretta experienced a situation where she was working alone on the beamline when the electronics within the synchrotron glitched due to the intense heat outside (it was >100°F), and the machine stopped collecting data. She said the beamline staff went above and beyond to get everything running again within half an hour.
“It was a Herculean effort on their part,” Muretta said. “The beamline scientists are experts in their field. I cannot say enough good things about SSRL. It was a fantastic experience.”
For Muretta, time at the SSRL was about more than this project. It was about growing as a scientist.
“Conducting experiments at a synchrotron or neutron facility has always been on my radar as a researcher,” Muretta said. “The science they do at these facilities is phenomenal and it is really fun to be part of that. I attended the 2020 National School for Neutron and X-ray Scattering, put on jointly by Oak Ridge and Argonne National Labs, and that in itself was an awesome experience. It only piqued my interest. am so happy to have had the opportunity to travel to SSRL and to collaborate with John on these experiments. I look forward to returning in the future.”
Kirtley and Muretta hope to publish a paper in spring about their findings. They are being assisted in their research by Chemistry senior Thea McCurdy and Worcester Polytechnic Institute Chemical Engineering senior Paige Agostini, who spent the summer of 2024 enrolled in Montana Tech’s Research Experience for Undergraduates.
Kirtley spoke highly of the facility and the staff at SSRL, who helped move the team’s research forward.
“The whole institution really seems focused on serving their clients,” Kirtley said. “We went into this with a lot of unknowns and we did as much as we could to learn about the technique. At the end of the day there is so much we didn’t know. The scienti sts there were very helpful and will do their best to help you succeed.”
Celine Beaucamp stops to take a photo at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, where she conducted research in summer 2024.
PETROLEUM ENGINEERS FIND SUCCESS ABROAD
by Megan Strickland
The partitioned zone between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia is approximately 7,100 miles from Butte, Montana, yet multiple Orediggers have found a home working in the rich oilfields for Chevron Corporation. Chevron is a 50% partner in the Partitioned Zone with Kuwait Gulf Oil Company.
Don Stelling
Don Stelling (B.S. Petroleum Engineering, 1988) says key reasons he’s devoted 36 years to the company include incredible opportunities to advance, tackle new challenges, live abroad, and explore the world, as well as strong global demand for petroleum. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Operations for Saudi Arabia Chevron.
“It’s kind of amazing that Montana Tech is a small school, yet you end up running into Orediggers over here, so far away,” Stelling said.
Stelling, a native of Missoula, spent four years after graduation working in Bakersfield, California, for Texaco, Inc. before transferring to Oklahoma for a year. By that time, the Middle East had transformed into a literal tinderbox in the throes of the Persian Gulf War, with more than 700 oil wells ignited in Kuwait. What may have deterred other workers sounded like an opportunity for Stelling, and he took his first overseas assignment.
“I volunteered, and was picked,” Stelling said.
Since then, he’s continued to climb the ladder, working in the U.S. and abroad. Texaco merged with Chevron in 2001. Over the years, Stelling has lived and worked in the following countries: Kuwait (twice), Indonesia (twice), Venezuela (twice), England, and Kazakhstan.
“Once you get experience doing expat roles, it helps you be successful in other roles,” Stelling said. “The technical part of the job is the easier part of it. Montana Tech gives you a great technical education in petroleum engineering.”
The more complicated part is dealing with the numerous competing interests on the business side.
“We have to deal with foreign oil companies, partners, governments, and regulators,” Stelling said. “Sometimes their values around safety and economics are not the same as ours. For example, the Kuwaitis don’t have taxes on their production, whereas Chevron has a high tax rate. Our margin is small, so we are like McDonald’s. We have to produce a lot of barrels to create value, so getting along with partners and getting government approval are some of the biggest challenges.”
The heat is another significant hardship, with temperatures up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit in July and August.
“You also have regional security issues in the Middle East,” Stelling said. “Everyday living in Kuwait is very safe overall, but historically there have been a variety of conflicts in the region.”
Chevron is also very committed to lowering carbon emissions.
“One of the newest challenges is dealing with the energy transition to lower carbonintense petroleum extraction techniques” Stelling said. “Carbon intensity of our operations is a key focus area around the world. Chevron is always searching for ways to produce energy using the least carbon intensity possible.”
Stelling said future petroleum engineers need to have skills in project management, teamwork, and good communication. While an energy transition to other sources of power has begun, Stelling sees a continued future for petroleum engineers.
“Petroleum will be around for a long, long time,” Stelling said. “Since the energy transition started 10 years ago, oil production has continued to increase every year, and it’s still on an increasing trend. Petroleum energy companies are working to be part of the global energy transition. Right now we provide safe, affordable, and reliable energy for the world. Wind and solar are a part of the future, but it will take more than that.”
Stelling points out that plastics and clothing are just a few items made with petroleum products.
“Petroleum touches so much in your everyday life beyond the oil or gas in your car,” Stelling said. “It will take a while for global economies to move away from that, and it’s Chevron’s intent to be part of the energy transition going forward. We’ve been around for more than 140 years and we intend to be around for a long time in the future.”
He predicts jobs will remain available in the U.S., and abroad.
“Some people like the adventure of living in challenging places with unknowns,” Stelling said. “It’s been a good fit for me and my family.”
Peter Spangelo
Peter Spangelo also works for Chevron, as a petroleum engineering consultant in Kuwait. He originally hails from Havre.
“I’m a Montana boy from the Hi-Line,” Spangelo said. “I went to Montana Tech because it was the best value. I worked on rigs in summers to help pay for college, and Career Services did a great job of helping me get internships, especially for someone who didn’t have prior connections in the industry. As far as value, Montana Tech was the greatest investment I ever made. I paid off all student loans with a signing bonus. It was a great way to put myself in a good financial position for the future.”
Spangelo (B.S. Petroleum Engineering, 2007) spent several years working in the Bakersfield, California area, and the Permian Basin of Texas. Just before the pandemic began, Spangelo applied to work in Kuwait. The pandemic slowed the move to Kuwait, but Spangelo hit the ground running.
“My job in our technology center is to help bring in innovative
technology,” Spangelo said. “We are looking for new technologies that can help us find ways to make production more cost efficient, that also help grow the workforce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Spangelo said the education he received at Montana Tech helped him become a problem-solver.
“The oil and gas industry is not just about oil and gas,” Spangelo said. “There’s a digital component, there’s a math component, and a science component.”
Montana Tech’s courses prepare graduates to be career-ready.
“Montana Tech is a small university, but it has global reach, and you can start out in Havre, Montana and with the help of Career Services end up overseas,” Spangelo said. “It’s a globally recognized university for petroleum engineering.”
It’s also an exciting time to be in the field.
“We are in an energy transition,” Spangelo said. “We are never going to fully rely on new sources of energy, and it will be a very long process to where most of our energy comes from other sources. During this time, to keep the world developing and to power our lives, people need petroleum, and smart petroleum engineers to make that possible with a lower carbon footprint.”
David Egedahl
David Egedahl (B.S. Petroleum Engineering, 1990) is a Butte, Montana native who attended Montana Tech directly out of high school while starting his family.
He worked full-time to support his family while attending the University. One of those jobs was an internship with North American Resources Co (NARCo) in Butte, Montana during his last couple of years of college. He recalled how the internship afforded him valuable insight into the various career paths within an oil and gas operator from production engineering, drilling and workovers, to property valuation. Upon graduation he took a position with Teleco in Lafayette, Louisiana, which was his first move out of Butte. “I’ve been moving around ever since,” Egedahl said.
He began working in the service industry in Gulf of Mexico offshore drilling operations as a field engineer. “I progressed from there,” Egedahl said. He graduated into positions of planning and coordinating directional drilling operations, and then eventually working for the oil and gas operator, primarily in drilling operations.
Egedahl’s career has allowed him to live and work in numerous areas from Louisiana and Texas (Gulf of Mexico) to the Rocky Mountain region, the Mid-Continent, the Permian Basin, the Northeastern U.S. (Appalachia), Canada, Alaska (Cook Inlet to the North Slope), and most recently the Middle East (see map to the right). He also spent some time working as a consultant for ConocoPhillips Alaska, which allowed him to move back to Butte for several years.
“In 2011 I joined Chevron and moved to Pennsylvania to assist with the development of the unconventional (shale) resources,” Egedahl said. “The industry has been fantastic. It has provided me the opportunity to work in various positions and live in a number of great places around the world. It’s been very interesting. ” Once his children flew the nest, he started taking international assignments. Egedahl is currently working in the Midde East and living in Kuwait, which couldn’t be more different from where he grew up.
“Everything here is so different,” Egedahl said. “The geography, the climate, and the culture. I now live on the beach in the Middle East, whereas I grew up in a small town in the Rocky Mountains.”
Egedahl tries to get back to the U.S. and Butte a couple of times per year, but he also enjoys short trips to other countries in the region.
“It’s provided an opportunity to see so much of the world because of the close proximity to Africa, Europe, and Asia,” Egedahl said.
He says opportunity is out there, if students work hard, leverage their education, and are open to new possibilities.
“I know petroleum engineers who have made a living in sales,” Egedahl said. “These are folks that make a living building relationships. Other individuals may spend their careers in a lab, doing technical design work, or working in operations. I would advise everyone to be open to opportunities that you didn’t see in your plan. Be receptive to cross-functional assignments where you can expand your knowledge and experience.”
Egedahl has had assignments varying from working on the rig with drilling operations, to engineering design and operations, leading teams of engineers and supervisors, to developing digital solutions. He has spent an average of 2.5 years on each different assignment, each of which has presented unique challenges and learning experiences.
“When I was studying Petroleum Engineering, I never thought I would be involved in developing digital solutions or global technical standards, but these have been great assignments,” Egedahl said. “The energy industry is, and always will be, necessary to provide the energy the world demands. But the industry is constantly evolving to deliver energy as efficiently as possible and with minimal impact to the environment. This will require engineers to solve these increasingly difficult challenges. Montana Tech is a reputable school that is well positioned to provide an education that will enable you to tackle these issues while pursuing any number of opportunities. Once you get your degree, you just have to be open to opportunities.”
Jerry Shupe has always had a passion for helping people. Throughout high school and college, he worked at the Butte YMCA as a lifeguard and swim instructor and taught CPR and first aid classes.
“When trying to decide what I wanted to do for my career, the Occupational Safety and Health program felt like a natural fit. had the opportunity to work in almost any industry, and I wanted to feel like I was making a difference in people’s lives—I wanted to help people,” Shupe said.
Shupe graduated with a degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Montana Technological University in 2002 and immediately started an internship with Hensel Phelps in Northern California. After successfully completing his internship, he was offered a full-time position as a safety engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. He then moved to Southern California as a safety manager and eventually was promoted to regional safety director.
“My favorite part of working in construction has been the incredible projects that I have been a part of. have worked on everything from high-end hotels to educational facilities, government projects, airports, and hospitals. Every project is so unique, and there is such a strong sense of pride in our industry knowing that you helped build something that is transforming a community.”
Currently, Shupe is working as the Chief Health and Safety Officer for Hensel Phelps, and is located in Northern Colorado. He has been recognized as the Safety Professional of the Year by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of California, received the prestigious Award of Excellence from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals and received the Alumni Recognition Award from Montana Tech.
“My career has been a wild ride, and I feel really fortunate to be where I am at today. still remember my first day as a safety intern on a parking structure in San Jose and feeling an overwhelming sense of uncertainty. I had absolutely no idea what was doing, but knew I had the educational framework and work ethic I needed to be successful.”
Shupe was one of the first safety interns ever hired by Hensel Phelps and now supports their safety recruiting efforts. Since he was hired, they have
had hundreds of interns go through their program—many being Montana Tech students.
“It’s been amazing to watch the level of competence and ability of our young safety professionals change over the years. Partnering with schools like Montana Tech and benchmarking with like-minded companies has really transformed the safety profession. Twenty years ago, we were seen as a luxury to have on a project; now we are integrated into operations and valued for what we do.”
Shupe no longer reports to a project every day and is based out of the corporate office. As part of his role, he regularly visits projects around the country and covers work from Washington, D.C. to Guam. His role includes OSHA compliance, claim management, program development, and implementation.
“I started my career with the goal of helping people and it’s incredible, some of the things that we have been able to do. Initially everything revolved around OSHA compliance, but as our industry has matured and organizations have seen the value we provide, our influence has significantly grown. We are now developing programs to support people and change organizational culture. My proudest accomplishment is an initiative we started to support mental health. It’s something I never thought I’d be doing, but it has had such a profound impact on not only our people but the entire industry.”
In addition to his role at Hensel Phelps, Shupe participates in key industry groups such as the Construction Safety Research Alliance and the National Construction Safety Executives, and is an Ambassador for the AGC of America’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Task Force, the Central Washington University’s Safety and Health Management Program, and the American Society of Safety Professional’s Construction Practice Specialty.
“The construction industry has some amazing people, and being part of industry groups that help shape the future of construction safety professionals has been a priority for me. It’s an opportunity to work with industry-leading experts who can change the way we do business. What have seen throughout my career is that safety is more than rules and regulations. It’s about helping people, transforming cultures, keeping companies viable, and building meaningful relationships.”
In Memory
We extend sympathy to the families of the following alumni who have passed away over the past few months.
