Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan holds roundtable discussion with Montana Technological University leadership about possible collaboration

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States and Canada Baktybek A. Amanbaev toured Montana Technological University on May 29, 2024, and entered into a dialogue with University leadership on areas where the nation of Kyrgyzstan might collaborate with Montana in educating highly skilled labor force, exchanging faculty and students, and conducting research in areas of mutual interest.

The visit was co-facilitated by the Montana National Guard and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Bakyt Amanbayev shared information about Central Asia and Kyrgyzstan with university administration. He noted that the Kyrgyz Republic is a country rich in hydroelectric resources, key minerals, and human resources, located in the heart of Central Asia, surrounded by mountains.

“I think there are various ways that we can work together,” Amanbaev told the University officials after their presentation.

The presentation included a general overview of Montana Tech’s areas of expertise from Chancellor Dr. Les Cook, Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Angela Lueking, and Lance College of Mines and Engineering Dean Dr. Kenneth Lee. Information was also given on the specialties of individual departments within the Lance College of Mines and Engineering. Department Heads Dr. Scott Rosenthal, Dr. Glenn Shaw, Dr. Jerry Downey, Dr. Julie Hart, Dr. Kumar Ganesan, and Dr. Liping Jiang gave a brief list of projects underway on campus, and highlighted potential points of collaboration.

Several areas of interest were highlighted.

Ambassador Amanbaev explained that Kyrgyzstan has tremendous potential for up to 142 billion kilowatt hours of hydropower and a large amount of silicon deposits. To unlock the economic potential of these and other resources, the nation needs more highly skilled and educated workers. Montana Tech is on the cusp of rolling out a new asynchronous remote online micro-credential program that might be ideal for educating those workers, according to Lueking.

“Our partners are highly interested in leveraging this program to build international partnerships,” Lueking said.

Major Chris Cory of the Montana National Guard said a focus on projects that help obtain food and energy security are of utmost importance to the United States, and the Kyrgyz Republic.

“The reality is that if we are going to continue on the way we’ve been going, we are going to require 5 to 10 times what we have now from a resource standpoint and that’s just to maintain a relatively comfortable lifestyle, globally,” Cory said.

Ambassador Amanbaev promised the university's administration that he would discuss the meeting's outcomes with his country's Ministry of Education and Science and that he would sign  a mutual cooperation agreement between the Kyrgyz Technical University and Montana Tech in the near future.

The Ambassador also toured the Montana Tech campus, including the Mineral Museum and the campus underground mine.