Montana NSF EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) announces new seed awards, enhancing the water quality research and education program of the Consortium for Research on Environmental Water Systems (CREWS) RII Track-1 project (OIA- 1757351). Three competitive seed programs provided opportunities for Montana researchers and educators to develop research, workforce development, and Tribal Collegeseed funding proposals that align with strategic goals of CREWS project. Seven research, four workforce development, and three tribal college proposals were selected for funding from the 30 proposals received across the three seed categories.
The CREWS Research Seed Award Program is designed to fund innovative research related to water quality and build research capacity across Montana’s higher education institutions. The research seed program was enhanced through supporting contributions from the research offices at Montana State University (MSU), Montana Technological University (MTU), and the University of Montana (UM). This collaboration with campus research offices showcases the unique statewide partnership with NSF ESPCoR and allowed the CREWS project to fund seven research seed projects that will enhance the water quality research program.
The Tribal College seed program builds partnership connections with Montana’s seven tribal colleges. Three new awards will be issued to researchers and educators at Salish Kootenai College (SKC) and Little Big Horn College(LBHC).
The workforce development seed program was open to two- and four-year campuses across the state. This program was designed to extend the institutional participation on the CREWS project beyond the state’s primary research campuses. New awards will be issued to faculty at Montana State University Billings (MSU-B), University of Montana Western (UM-W), and Rocky Mountain College (RMC).
The awarded proposals are listed below:
Tribal College: A STEM Summer Camp for Secondary Students on the Flathead Reservation
- PI: Heather Bleecker (SKC)
Workforce Development: Promoting Community Resilience Through Understanding: Social Perceptions of Water Quality and Contamination in the Upper Clark Fork River Watershed
- PI: Arica Crootof (UM-W)
Research: Seasonal anoxia under winter ice cover enhances mobilization, methylation and downstream transport of mercury from Georgetown Lake, Montana
- PI: John Dore (MSU)
- co-PI: Eric S. Boyd (MSU)
Research: Effect of nitrate and sulfate on the biotransformation of selenium, microbial diversity and multi-domain biofilm formation: implications for the remediation of selenium-laden waters
- PI: Erika Espinosa-Ortiz (MSU)
- co-PIs: Rebecca Muller (MSU), Ellen Lauchnor (MSU), Robin Gerlach (MSU), Brent Peyton (MSU)
Research: Preventing Environmental Impact of Metals Extraction Using Biocompatible, Magnetic Nanomaterials
- PI: Katie M. Hailer (MTU)
Research: ArduiNMR: a low cost infiltration sensor
- PI: Trevor Irons, Montana Technological University
- co-PI: Xiaobing Zhou (MTU)
Workforce Development: CREWS’ Montana State University Billings Water Quality and Environmental Impact Undergraduate Research Internship Program
- PI: Matt Queen (MSU-B)
Tribal College: Building Chemistry Curriculum Laboratories for Natural Resources and Environmental Science
- PI: Neva Tall Bear (LBHC)
Workforce Development: Baseline Assessment of Phase Four Proposed Remediation on the Upper Clark Fork Near Galen, Montana
- PI: Robert C. Thomas (UM-W)
Tribal College: Little Bighorn River Watershed Management Plan: Utilizing GIS technologies and analysis
- PI: Emery Three Irons (LBHC)
Workforce Development: Stakeholder visions of the past, present, and future of water quality in Montana coal country
- PI: Luke Ward (RMC)
Research: Technology Platform for High-Spatial-Resolution Monitoring of Water Quality with Redundant in situ Micro-Sensors
- PI: Stephan Warnat (MSU)
Research: Interactive effects of heavy metals and temperature on the survival, growth, and thermal tolerance of salmonfly nymphs from the Upper Clark Fork River
- PI: Art Woods (UM)
Research: Synergic field identification of heavy metal contaminants in mining tailings and exposed sediments using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and hyperspectral spectroscopy
- PI: Xiaobing Zhou, Montana Technological University
- co-PIs: Marvin Speece (MTU), Gary Wyss (MTU)