Teachers & Kids

Come experience Montana State University’s research at MSU Family Science Night (which was started as NanoDays in 2008). MSU faculty and students will showcase their research through educational hands-on activities. Participants can circulate at their own pace through a variety of engaging demonstrations and experiments in a science festival atmosphere.

This one-day conference includes hands-on workshops in the fields of math and science for girls in grades 6, 7, and 8. The purpose of the program is to encourage young women to participate in these academic areas.

Peaks and Potentials summer enrichment camp gives high potential students the opportunity to explore special topics of interest and work with experts in various subject areas. Academic, recreational and social activities offer students a chance to interact with their peers and sample campus life. Students may stay on campus or commute each day.

MSU Explore: Earth & Space Science Camp is a no-cost camp for students entering grades 6-8 in Fall 2016. It is a residential camp where participants will take workshops of their choice. Workshop topics may include black holes, life on Mars, weather and climate, microbes to gases, writing Sci-Fi stories and much more.

The introduction to Minecraft camp will focus on an introduction to the Minecraft gaming platform and how it can be used to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts.  Minecraft is an exciting, engaging, and flexible tool that engages students’ spatial skills, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.  Each day, students will be led through a series of workshops where they craft their own world by completing a series of design challenges. Applicants need to know that this is a camp designed for Minecraft beginners.

These FREE courses, Introduction to Robotics using LEGO Mindstorms and Arduino-Based Robotics, introduce robotics as a method for teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The courses are designed for pre- and in-service teachers, and are also appropriate for youth leaders, coaches or parents who are interested in integrating robotics and programming into their courses.Both courses were developed and are lead by Dr. Brock LaMeres, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Montana State University.

Sagebrush currently covers 120 million acres across 14 western states and three Canadian provinces, providing habitat for hundreds of different species of plants and animals. Wildlife such Greater and Gunnison sage-grouse, pygmy rabbits, mule deer and pronghorn depend heavily on sagebrush habitats. With funding from USGS and other sources, a multi-disciplinary research team used computer models to look at what may happen to big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) under various scenarios of climate change.

Using Technology to Research After Class (UTRAC) is a Montana State University, Montana EPSCoR, and Montana Institute on Ecosystems project to engage youth in scientific explorations relating to the water and carbon cycles – in their very own school playgrounds. In this project, youth in Montana will participate in hands-on, inquiry-based activities and data collection in informal educational settings, such as after school programs and summer camps.

Climate in My Backyard (CLIMB) is an educational outreach program serving K-12 schools and informal educators. These dynamic educational modules are designed to engage and inspire students by connecting them with climate science researchers in Montana and the Rocky Mountain West. Through hands-on experiments and personal interactions with scientists and university students, young people will learn STEM skills such as collecting and sharing data; developing models and making predictions; and communicating and collaborating with other classrooms.

BioScience Montana is an immersive health sciences project for high school-aged Montana 4-H'ers. BioScience Montana was funded by the National Institutes of Health to help Montana teens prepare for careers and studies in the health sciences and biomedical research.

The year-long program began in August when students spent an immersive week on the MSU-Bozeman campus, studying alongside faculty and students. Upon returning to their home communities, students spent the remainder of the school year fully engaged in experiments and science challenges. Participants also used interactive technologies to communicate with one another, to connect with MSU student mentors, and to present what they have learned to family, schools and the statewide 4-H community. The grant period has ended, but several educational resources remain.