2025 UGP Awardees
The Office of Research and Creative Scholarship awarded a total of 12 grants in the 2025 cycle of the University Grant Program. The awardees are listed below, along with their unit, the title of their project, and their project abstract.
If you'd like to learn more about past UGP recipients, you can view .
Career Enhancement (2025)
Lisa Krantz; Journalism; Professional Conference
Participation in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) annual conference, the AEJMC Pre-Convention Workshop Women Faculty Moving Forward, and the 7th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC). These three professional development opportunities will be held concurrently in San Francisco, CA from August 6 to August 10, 2025. Participation includes serving on panels, potentially presenting research, attending panels and research presentations with leading scholars in my field; and pedagogy presentations from fellow journalism educators. This is also an opportunity for mentorship from the best in my field and building relationships for future research partnerships.
Seed Grants (2025)
Jenna Griffin; Speech, Language, Hearing, and Occupational Sciences; Telehealth Aphasia Group
Aphasia, a chronic communication disorder, affects over two million Americans, with rural stroke survivors facing limited access to rehabilitative care. Community Aphasia Groups (CAGs) provide essential linguistic, social, and psychological support but are often unavailable outside urban areas. This project establishes a telehealth-based CAG to serve rural Montanans with aphasia, providing technology access, professional facilitation, and student training. Outcomes will assess participant satisfaction, communication improvements, and student learning. Findings will inform future efforts to expand sustainable, remote aphasia support across Montana.
Micah G. Scudder; Bureau of Business and Economic Research; Drone Remote Sensing for Forestry: An Economic Assessment
While drone use in forestry is growing, economic comparisons with traditional methods are needed. This project establishes a standardized framework and financial tool to analyze the cost-effectiveness of drone-based versus conventional forestry operations. A comparative case study of drone and manned aircraft mapping will be conducted at the 91次元's Lubrecht Forest, utilizing data from the University's Autonomous Aerial Systems Office and commercial aerial survey companies. Results, including the validated framework, tool, and cost analysis, will be disseminated via publications and presentations, enabling forest managers to objectively evaluate drone technology for various applications and facilitate integration into sustainable forestry.
Daniel Decato; Chemistry and Biochemistry; Crystal Engineering Reactions
We propose a new method to build highly organized, porous, crystalline materials called covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Our method moves beyond traditional techniques, which will enable novel designs. This grant focuses on the acquisition of preliminary data to show feasibility of our method in future grants.
Siwen Z Minero & Krista Goldstine-Cole; School of Public and Community Health Sciences; WA Family Policy Council Success
While expert-driven interventions show promise in addressing widespread developmental adversity and its health, social, and economic costs, they remain costly and difficult to scale, particularly in low-resource areas. Place-based approaches offer an alternative by leveraging local networks and resources to create lasting change. This archival study examines one such effort: the Washington State Family Policy Council (FPC), to identify the mechanisms behind its success in reducing risk factors and improving public health outcomes. Using thematic and discourse analysis, we will analyze archival records alongside insights from former FPC leaders through a Community Advisory Board (CAB). Findings will inform systems change, participatory governance, and sustainable public health strategies.
Hilary Faxon; Society & Conservation; Militarized Landscapes
In rural communities where people depend on land for livelihoods and sense of identity, war is experienced through ruptures in everyday relations of love, labor, and land. This project brings together political ecology, peace & conflict studies, and participatory methodologies to investigate militarized landscapes in Myanmar and Colombia. By supporting preliminary fieldwork, a grant-writing workshop, and publication and presentation of findings, this seed grant will support the development of a larger project that advances knowledge about how wars are embedded in landscapes; how landscapes shape war; and how these experiences are tightly connected to existing social structures in rural communities.
Small Grants (2025)
Valerie Moody; Integrative Physiology & Athletic Training; Head Contact Ice Hockey
Ice hockey has one of the highest concussion rates in youth sports, often resulting from a blow to the head. With growing concern around concussion, it is vital to understand how head contact occurs, how frequently it occurs, and what player behaviors result in head contact. Much of the existing literature focuses on Canadian male ice hockey players, as well as ice hockey players older than 12 years old. We plan to observe the incidence and contextual factors leading to head contact in adolescent ice hockey players ranging from U6 to U19 age groups, including both male and female players.
Michelle Nemetchek; CBSD Biomedical Sciences; PPARg-Coregulator Interactions by AUC
This proposal investigates the molecular interactions between PPARy and its coregulator proteins using analytical ultracentrifugation (AUG). Despite PPARy's critical role in diabetes treatment, its interaction with intrinsically disordered transcriptional cofactor proteins remains poorly understood. Using UM's newly acquired Beckman-Coulter Optima AUC, we will characterize PPARy oligomerization states and examine its complexes with coregulators, with particular focus on proteins containing multiple nuclear receptor binding sites and condensate formation. This research will provide unprecedented insights into how these proteins form biomolecular condensates, potentially explaining differential drug effects and enabling more targeted therapeutic design for metabolic disorders.
Cory Palmer; Mathematical Sciences; Coarse Graph Theory
This proposal will explore questions in the newly introduced field of Coarse Graph Theory. This subject is a bridge between Graph Theory and Coarse Geometry. The primary goal will be to find a prove analogues of classic theorems in Graph Theory in this new "coarse" setting, with an emphasis on extending results from the topic of graph colorings.
Jeremy Lurgio; Journalism; Native News Retrospective Book
Too often traditional news paints Native American reservations as plagued with problems. Other times coverage romanticizes Native American life. Each spring since its inception in 1991, the Native News Honors Project at the School of Journalism bucks this trend by documenting a rich range of stories which provide a more nuanced picture of our state’s tribal communities. I plan to curate a retrospective book of the best photography from this project, weaving together a tangible visual record of the project’s history, while also honoring the legacy of the tribal people, places and stories that have graced the project’s pages.
Jannine Montauban; World Languages and Cultures; Complete Poetry of Eduardo Chirinos
In 2024, the Valencian publishing house Pre-Textos began publishing the complete poetry of Eduardo Chirinos. An internationally recognized voice in Latin American letters, Chirinos served as Professor of Spanish and Latin American literature at the 91次元 from 2000 until his untimely death in 2016. Publishing the first two volumes of his work received private support. I am requesting a UGP grant to enable the publication of the third and final volume.
Jule Banville; Journalism; The Obit Project
The Obit Project is a public-radio and podcast endeavor combining the work of 91次元 students with professional writers and producers in making true and creative stories about people's lives after they die. It's a collaboration with UM Journalism Professor Jule Banville, the Montana Media Lab at UM and Radiolab founder and podcast professional Jad Abumrad, who will co-host and co-edit the series. The work will air on Montana Public Radio and as a podcast. The proposal for this small grant will cover contracted services needed for an audio producer.
2024 UGP Awardees
Career Enhancement (2024)
Brooklyn Draper; Theatre and Dance; Dance Screenings
Assistant Professor of Dance, Brooklyn Draper and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance Tara McFarland, are applying for funding to support attendance at the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) Conference in October 2024. Attendance to the 2024 IADMS Conference will support Draper and McFarland's current research: "Creating Performance Enhancement Curriculum via Dance Screening Data for Pre-Professional Dancers." After attending, hopefully presenting, and cultivating invaluable communities, Draper and McFarland hope to create opportunities that assist in further chances for presentation and/or publication of their research to many organizations with a shared interest in the field.
Global Research Program (2024)
Mark Hebblewhite; Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences/Wildlife Biology; Tracking the Taruca
Our project aims to enhance basic scientific knowledge and conservation of the IUCN red list threatened Taruca, an IUCN data deficient species in South America. First, we will address the data-deficiencies of the Taruca, a species that has never been radiocollared, and yet is sliding towards endangerment. With the strong field record of PI's Hebblewhite and Ovejaro, we are assured success in achieving this first critical objective. However, once radiocollared, our goals are to harness these data to build a truly international collaboration between Argentina's CONICET, through the Global Initiative on Ungulate Migration (GIUM) that Hebblewhite and Ovejero participate in, to develop funding for joint PhD students to advance conservation for this species.
Jessica Liddell; Social Work; A Mixed-method Evaluation of the Australia Doula College Groundwork Program
This project uses a mixed-methods approach to assess the Groundwork Program, an innovative doula program conducted by the Australia Doula College, in Sydney, Australia. Doulas, non-medical support persons, provide emotional, physical, informational and advocacy support to perinatal people and their families. The Groundwork Program focuses on supporting complex high-needs families, particularly those impacted by Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) throughout the perinatal time period. This project will analyze existing survey data collected by the program and conduct qualitative interviews to complete evaluation, provide recommendations and develop a framework for continued evaluation. Findings will be showcased in a short film documentary.
Catherine Off; Speech, Language, Hearing, and Occupational Sciences; International Aphasia Rehabilitation
High-intensity behavioral interventions improve communication and quality of life outcomes for stroke survivors who have a condition called aphasia. Thirty to forty percent of stroke survivors have aphasia and approximately 2-4 million people in the United States live with aphasia. Aphasia results from damage to the language networks of the brain impairing every day communication abilities. This project seeks to strengthen and expand international research collaborations to develop multi-site international clinical trial grant proposals to investigate patient outcomes for intensive interventions for stroke survivors with aphasia. This project will also foster relationships to promote bi-directional collaborations for doctoral students.
Christopher Preston; Philosophy; The Carbon Challenge
The proposal is for travel to Tromsø, Norway for three objectives. The first is to learn about the work at UiT's innovative Arctic Sustainability Lab to explore collaborative possibilities on the ethics of nature restoration and carbon sequestration. The second is to encourage faculty and student exchanges with UiT's environmental philosophy M.A.. The third is to explore a future grant collaboration with the research institute Norce (adjacent to UiT) on biotechnology and perennial agriculture. This latter involves partners at Birzeit University on the West Bank and the Land Institute in Kansas.
Seed Grants (2024)
Rachel Malison; Flathead Lake Biological Station, DBS; Pesticide Ecotoxicology
Rivers contain a huge reservoir of biodiversity that is at risk. A significant threat to aquatic biodiversity is the contamination of freshwater by pesticides from a wide array of land uses. However, only a small number of the pesticides on the market have been tested for toxic effects on non-target species, and if there are data, rarely do they include insects. I propose to use a multi-trait approach to conduct experiments on the tolerance stream algae and aquatic insects to commonly used pesticides to understand the impacts on pesticides on the health of aquatic systems in Montana.
Julia Mazzarella; Physical Therapy; Self Efficacy in Pediatric PT Education
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs must prepare students to treat patients across the lifespan. This necessitates comprehensive educational opportunities with pediatric patients. Pediatric curricula is inconsistent between DPT programs, and many pediatric educators find their curricula to be inadequate. We will address these gaps by partnering with 4 other DPT programs nationwide to gather information from key stakeholders on priorities in pediatric DPT education. Stakeholder input will be used to enhance the current pediatric curriculum at the 91次元 to maximize student outcomes. We will evaluate student self-efficacy in pediatric communication and handling skills as learning outcomes.
Margiana Petersen-Rockney; Environmental Studies; The climate-land-health nexus in Montana
Montana farmers and ranchers are on the front lines of extreme weather like droughts and wildfires. Climatic changes exacerbate the challenges farmers already face, like secure access to farmland, and remains an understudied catalyst for farmland transition. Extreme weather also poses risks to health and wellbeing for people who work outside and depend directly on natural resources, such as farmers. This study will be the first to examine the climate-land-health nexus by examining how climate change impacts farmland access and what that means for environmental and mental health in agricultural communities. We will use community engaged political ecology approaches.
Small Grants (2024)
Claire Arcenas; History; Teaching and Learning the Declaration of Independence
This project is a critical study of how, across the past 250 years, Americans have engaged with the Declaration of Independence (1776) in both formal and informal educational settings. Through its investigation of the contested meanings of the Declaration, my research illuminates the changing role that liberal and civic education have played in shaping how Americans conceptualize and enact democratic citizenship.
Hiltrud Arens; World Languages and Cultures; Ruth Rewald's Children's Literature written during Exile from Nazi Germany
My project focuses on the German Jewish writer Ruth Rewald (1906-1942), and her two novels written in exile during the Nazi period on the topic of exile and war meant for young readers. Pertinent material and her works are in the Bundesarchiv (Federal Archive) in Berlin. My fieldwork there will enhance the scholarly dimension of the resulting essay. The significance of this research is that it links several fields in interdisciplinary ways: Jewish cultural history; Holocaust Studies on individuals during the Shoah; and German literary history focusing on a female author of Children's Literature as a marginalized genre within Exile Literature.
Leora Bar-el; Anthropology, Linguistics Program; Séliš-Ql̓ispé Language Resources
The goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive, digital, searchable collection of resources in and about the Séliš-Ql̓ispé language that is accessible to the community and serves a variety of functions. We plan to host a two-day workshop with Séliš-Ql̓ispé language teachers, learners, and activists where our aim is to (i) share linguistic resources in/about the Séliš-Ql̓ispé language, (ii) learn about how these resources can be made more accessible to the Séliš-Ql̓ispé community, and, (iii) work with participants to build a community-driven toolkit whose contents can be used towards fulfilling their language reclamation goals.
Jinyang Du; Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group; Satellite and AI Enhanced Drought Forecast
We propose to develop a satellite and artificial intelligence (AI) enhanced regional drought forecast system for Montana that leverages synergistic environmental observations from satellites and regional weather stations to derive accurate field-level (30m) drought forecasts with up to 2-week lead time. We will validate and refine the forecast system through intensive sampling from field experiments, and develop web and mobile App prototype for facilitating accessible and timely forecasts for the user community. Our study will benefit applications in precision agriculture, rangeland and forestry management; and provide support for assessing potential fire risks and ecological drought impacts.
Mary Ellenbecker; Division of Biological Sciences; ProxyFISH: an innovative technique to visualize and quantitate RNA/protein interactions in vivo
In multicellular organisms, each cell contains the same genetic information. However, a neuron looks and acts quite different from a bone or muscle cell because of differences in the way the information contained in each cell is expressed in the form of messanger RNA (mRNA). The molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of gene expression are complex, but RNA-binding proteins interacting with their target RNAs plays a central role. Currently, our ability to observe or study these RNA/protein binding interactions in the context of a cell is limited. We propose to address this problem by developing ProxyFISH, a technique that will enable visualization and quantitation of RNA/protein interactions in vivo. This tool will be developed in the model organism C. elegans (nematode), but will be widely applicable to other tissues such as those found in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), mice and human cell culture.
Ulf Johan Eriksson; Music; UGP Practical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Music
This project will explore the current practical capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in music composition, sound engineering, performance, and pedagogy. The project will involve UM music students, helping raise their awareness to the current possibilities of AI. It will lay the groundwork for future courses on AI-use in music and find practical applications for the School of Music. AI will disrupt career paths in the music industry. This project aims to give our students the skillset and imagination to seize opportunities that AI presents. The project will culminate with a live performance by UM students of an AI created work.
Amy Glaspey; Speech, Language, Hearing, and Occupational Sciences; Adaptability Treatment
The purpose of the current study is to understand children's learning of speech sounds during a group preschool class model of speech therapy. The participants will include children ages 3-5 years-old with speech sound disorder. The therapy will combine methods of speech treatment (cycles, complexity, and adaptability). The Glaspey Dynamic Assessment of Phonology and a static single-word naming task will be used to monitor treatment outcomes. In addition, treatment intensity, which includes dose of teaching moments within sessions, will be documented to determine if there is a relationship between dose, intensity, and outcome measures.
Jesse Hay; Division of Biological Sciences; Subcellular Energy Flow and ER Stress
Neurodegeneration is an increasing threat. This proposal addresses that challenge by exploring cellular stress pathways that lead to neurodegeneration. When new proteins are not folding into their proper structures, an intracellular stress signaling pathway is activated, called ERS, whose goal is to restore proper protein production but can also lead to cell death and neurodegeneration. Based upon unanticipated preliminary results, we have formulated a new hypothesis for how cells could reduce or avoid ERS. The experiments in this project will directly test critical elements of the hypothesis and provide preliminary data to be used for a larger extramural grant proposal.
Levi McClelland; Division of Biological Sciences; A Novel Gα Subunit GEF: MAGED2
A genetic mutation of MAGED2 protein results in Bartter syndrome, a disease resulting in loss of salt retention, causing premature birth and perinatal mortality. MAGED2 acts upon an important cell signaling protein, Gαs. This proposal investigates the novel interaction between MAGED2 and Gαs. Utilizing Small Angle X-ray Scattering and Macromolecular X-ray Diffraction, we will begin characterizing the structural underpinnings of MAGED2:Gαs, of which there is currently no structure. Additionally, we will characterize the guanine nucleotide exchange activity of MAGED2 upon Gαs. These studies will have implications in treating Bartter syndrome and provide preliminary data for future extramural funding.
Charles Palmer; Integrative Physiology and Athletic Training; Grizzly Leadership Project
The Montana Grizzly Leadership Project will interview head coaches of varsity sports at UM to gather their insights on the topic of leadership. Interviews will be recorded in the One Button Studio in the Mansfield Library. With the assistance of a professional producer in Missoula, these audio/video files will be converted to a vodcast available on YouTube. This content will be of interest to coaches, and the broader UM community, and will serve as an important historical account of UM Athletics. Content from this project will also be utilized in a UM course, HTH 465 Leading HHP/IPAT Organizations.
Mark Plonsky; Theatre and Dance; Research, Development, and Teacher Training
I am proposing funding for attendance at Research and Development Seminars and a Teacher Certification workshop at Southeaster Missouri University that will support the development of a more inclusive curriculum, ambitious community outreach work, and the recruiting efforts that I am committed to within and on behalf of the University. The specialized training in inclusive physical theatre and stage combat afforded by this opportunity will bridge the final gap between my current achievements and the ambitious but realistic goals they lead towards. Building on a proven track record of teaching, creative scholarship, service, and community engagement, this teacher training will serve our current students, boost recruiting potential, and continue to support the outreach efforts serving the community we belong to.
Sarah Reese; Social Work; Evaluating a guaranteed income on maternal-child health: A community-research partnership
With this proposal, we hope to support the completion of an existing community-based research project with Mountain Home Montana (MHM), a 501(c)3 organization located in Missoula that provides shelter and support services for pregnant or parenting people 16-24 years old and their children. Many people who receive services from MHM have experienced intimate partner violence or domestic violence, intergenerational trauma, and mental health and substance use concerns. We aim to utilize this funding to support a current research assistant to aid in (1) completing data collection and analysis, (2) disseminating findings through two peer-reviewed manuscripts, and (3) developing a grant application for external funding to build on this community-academic partnership.
Michael Rothfuss; Chemistry and Biochemistry; Protein Engineering with EmCAST
Recently developed protein design strategies are applied to optimize a DNA polymerase. Thermodynamic stabilization of a protein has been shown to improve evolvability in directed evolution studies. Our protein design strategy have been shown to produce hyper-stabilized proteins with near-perfect accuracy. EmCAST, our protein design software, will be applied to produce a stabilized variant of a DNA polymerase. The evolvability of our stability-optimized DNA polymerase will be characterized throughout a directed evolution process. Improvements to the sensitivity, specificity, and speed of the DNA polymerase may prove useful for in situ pathogen surveillance.
Brent Ryckman; Center for Biomedical Structure and Dynamics, DBS; 2024 International Herpesvirus Workshop
Funds are requested to cover travel, accommodations and registration at the 48th annual International Herpesvirus Workshop (IHW), Portland Oregon (July 13-17, 2024) for one UM faculty (Ryckman) and one UM graduate student (Peterson). Dr. Ryckman has been invited as a symposium speaker. This is both a tremendous honor of past contributions to the field, and an important opportunity to enhance, 1) Ryckman’s future grant success, 2) Peterson’s career development, and 3) UM’s visibility an international platform.
Matthew Sydor; Center for Biomedical Structure and Dynamics; Development and Characterization of Giant Unilamellar Vesicles to Mimic Lysosomes
Lysosomes are key cellular organelles that function in the degradation of biomolecules. The function of lysosomes has been associated with a number of diseases such as Niemann Pick, Gaucher Disease, Fabry Disease, and others. Permeability and disfunction of the lysosome has also been implicated in inflammatory diseases caused by endogenous or exogenous particles. During these disease states, the lipid composition and function of the lysosomal is altered. This project aims to develop giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV) as systems to model the biophysical properties of lysosomal membranes. A better understanding of lysosomes will lead to the treatment and prevention of diseases.
Heather Voorhees; Communication Studies; Measuring and Understanding Relational Illness Identity
Forty percent of American adults currently experience two or more chronic illnesses (CDC, 2022). Scholars have long studied how illness and disability influence one’s sense of self, but there is less research on how illness changes close relationships by influencing other peoples’ perceptions and expectations of the patient (i.e., their relational identity). The goal of current project is to create, validate and publish a quantitative scale that measures relational illness identity acceptance, and to explore how relational illness identity may be connected to personal identity, health-related quality of life, and illness-related stigma.