Droughts and wildfires are persistent threats in states like Montana. Can high-flying bacteria potentially mitigate such natural events by inducing more rainfall through formation of ice crystals needed to produce rain? Dr. David Sands, professor of Plant Pathology at Montana State University, discusses the possibilities of such “bioprecipitation” in the winter/spring 2018 Science Inquiry Lecture Series of the Gallatin Valley Friends of the Sciences.
Ed Adams is a widely recognized expert in the field of snow science. It wasn’t always like that. Now a distinguished professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at MSU, Adams tells some of the stories of how he learned the ways of this fascinating, delightful, dangerous, and often surprising state of matter in this Provost’s Lecture. For more of the science of snow, see this lecture by Adams on YouTube.
On August 21, 2017, student teams across the country sent balloons aloft to conduct scientific studies of the total solar eclipse. Angela Des Jardins, principal investigator of the NASA-sponsored Eclipse Ballooning Project and director of the Montana Space Grant Consortium, discusses early results of what the students learned and how it contributes to our understanding of eclipses and their effects.
Dr. Robert Garrott, professor of wildlife ecology in MSU’s Ecology Department, describes the conservation history of bighorn sheep and mountain goats in the Greater Yellowstone Area and Montana. He shares ecological insights from his ongoing research project involving long-term studies of these two iconic mountain ungulates. He also discusses an exciting bighorn sheep restoration effort in the Madison Range.
This lecture was sponsored by Gallatin Valley Friends of the Sciences. Recorded at the Museum of the Rockies on September 20, 2017.
In the American West, history, myth, and landscape are bound together in the formation of a geographical imagination, producing place identities that are deeply entrenched. Place identity is intimately linked to awareness of the past and the construction of heritage. Heritage is constructed and inscribed into place identity via the production of cultural texts, including landscape, literature, popular media, and promotional materials, and, significantly, highway maps.
In this presentation, Rob Briwa introduces the key geographic concepts of place identity, heritage, and critical cartography by examining Montana’s Highway Commission and its Department of Transportation and how it contributes to Montana’s heritage through its highway map program.
Montana has a rich history of growing fruit including apples, pears, apricots, plums and cherries. Historically, orchards were planted throughout Montana by orchardists and homesteaders just trying to make a living. Although the orchardists and homesteaders may be gone, many of those orchards may still be intact today. Toby Day describes those heritage orchards, the ongoing research there, and how Montana State University Extension is working across the state to identify and preserve such orchards that still exist.
A native Montanan and an acclaimed novelist (In Open Spaces, High and Inside), Russell Rowland spent the better part of two years studying and traveling around his beloved home state, from the mines of Butte to the pine forests of the Northwest, from the stark, wind-scrubbed badlands of the East to the tourist-driven economies of the mountain West. Along the way, he considered our state’s essential character, where we came from and, most of all, what we might be in the process of becoming. In this presentation he read from his newest book, Fifty-Six Counties: A Montana Journey.
As a linguistic historian, Chrysti M. Smith revives the myths of the ancients and explains how those stories live on in dozens of common English words. Combining images of Western mythological characters and contemporary culture, Smith reveals an often forgotten world of words. You can find more from Chrysti the Wordsmith at her website, wordsmithradio.org. … Continue reading Nike’s Echo
The Northern Plains region of North America, widely regarded for its sublime combination of majestic mountain ranges and sweeping prairies and stunning endless blue skies, is truly Medicine Wheel Country. … Continue reading Cultural Geography of Medicine Wheel Country
From Afghanistan to Yemen, civil war is now humanity’s most destructive, most widespread, and most characteristic form of collective organized violence. Yet civil war is not just a contemporary problem but one with a two-thousand-year history. … Continue reading Professor David Armitage – Civil Wars: A History In Ideas
It’s one of the most revered movies of Hollywood’s golden age. Starring screen legend Gary Cooper (who attended high school in Bozeman) and Grace Kelly in her first significant movie role, High Noon achieved instant box-office and critical success. But what is often overlooked is that High Noon was made during the height of the Hollywood blacklist, a time of political inquisition and personal betrayal. In the middle of the film shoot, screenwriter Carl Foreman was called to testify about his former membership in the Communist Party, facing the painful dilemma of whether to name names or sacrifice his brilliant career. … Continue reading High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic
John Colter craved adventure, and when he signed on with the Lewis and Clark Expedition for five dollars a month, he got his fair share of it – and then some. Colter is best known for his infamous run from Blackfeet Indians near the Three Forks in 1808, but his role with the Corps of Discovery, the northwest fur trade, and early explorations of what is now Yellowstone National Park are just as important. Local broadcaster/historian John Russell will give an overview of Colter’s exciting, albeit brief life. … Continue reading John Colter: Hunter, Trapper, Long Distance Runner
Livingston, Montana has long been a legendary arts center–home to actors, writers, painters, musicians, photographers and film makers. Wonderlust, Journeys of the Mind, an organization of lifelong learners sponsored by Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University, and Country Bookstore presented a panel on February 27, 2012 that discussed whether the extraordinary scenery of the Paradise Valley draws artists to this small town or whether it all happened accidentally. Residents from all these fields talked about the near-mystical draw of Livingston.
Moderator: Joanne Gardner, an award-winning video director and producer of music videos, singer, performer Members of the Panel
Clyde Aspevig–artist who has exhibited in many museums, including MOR
Tim Cahill–outdoor and adventure writer, author 12 books including Lost in My Own Backyard founding editor of Outside Magazine.
Carol Guzman–artist who has exhibited in sundry galleries and museums
Margo Kidder–actress “Lois Lane” of the Superman series, starred in many films including costarring with Robert Redford and Peter Fonda.
Scott McMillion–author Mark of the Grizzly, senior editor of Montana Quarterly
Bill Payne, musician and photographer. He has been referred to by Elton John as one of America’s finest rock and blues musicians and is regarded as one of the best on piano and Hammond B3 organ.
