REU: Missoula
Students, working in collaboration with their mentors and the University of Montana's School of Journalism, produced a series of radio pieces featuring their labs and summer research projects. Click on the links below to hear more about their exciting and diverse research.
Identifying an unknown side product at Rivertop Renewables
Missoula-based company Rivertop Renewables has a strong committment to manufacturating environmentally responsible products. For the past eight weeks, REU student Laura Bancroft has made it her mission to help the company identify one of the unknown side products from its nitric acid oxidation process.
Listen to the story by clicking HERE.
Scaling down: Measuring ocean acidification affordably
As the level of CO2 in our atmosphere continues to rise, researchers at the University of Montana have been working diligently to understand the relationship between CO2 levels in the atmosphere, and ocean acidification. In order to understand how CO2 is affecting our oceans, researchers must gather copious amounts of data samples from all over the world.
REU student Catie Wielgasz has been working to test small collection devices known as SAMIs, or Submersible Autonomous Moored Instruments.
Listen to the story by clicking HERE.
Fire in the home: Cleaning the air we breath
Air in rural areas can be just as polluted as the air in cities. Tony Ward, Curtis Noonan and students Robin England and Sheridan M'Kayle Running Rabbit have been working hard to collect data on air quality in homes with wood burning stoves.
Researchers will begin working with members of Blackfeet Community College this fall to begin cleaning up the air in and around Browning.
Listen to the story by clicking HERE.
Our Projects
The Quest for Reusable Catalysts
Sometimes it takes up to three days for REU student Gail Crawford to make one catalyst to test. Even though the work is tedious, the mission of researcher Ed Rosenberg is right up Crawford's alley.
One of the goals in Rosenberg's lab is to make a catalyst that can be reused in mine waste clean-up projects. Crawford says her ultimate goal is work on projects that ensure the beautiful lands she loves are around for future generations to enjoy. She's wants to use science to clean up the environment.
Listen to the story by clicking HERE.
Finding the difference: EPA-certified vs. standard model stoves
Air quality is a big deal. If we can't breath clean air, our health can quickly fail. Resercher Virginia Porden and REU student Amari Guardipee have spend numerous hours extracting samples from air filters placed within wood burning stoves. The goal is to see how EPA-certified stoves differ from the standard model in terms of particulates given off.
Listen to the story by clicking HERE.