Field Campus Development Underway
Recent major investments will provide initial funding towards an expansion of projects at the Energy, Environment, and Innovation Field Campus (EEIFC) west of Montana Tech, with an early focus on developing a smart photonic sensing systems test bed.
In July, the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded a total of $504 million to only 12 Tech Hubs across the nation out of more than 300 initial applications. The Headwaters Hub, one of the 12, includes the Butte, Bozeman, Missoula, and Kalispell areas. Its focus is smart photonic sensor systems.
The EEIFC area offers opportunities for users to test drones in and around a mine, in an environment with a wide
range of temperatures and elevations. The idea is to allow drones to fly, crawl/walk, and swim in one area that will test maneuverability, as well as connectedness for data access and sensors to obtain relevant datasets.
“The testing facility expands Montana Tech’s footprint as a STEM-focused institution, providing access to experiential learning and expanding opportunities for Montana Tech students to see the translation and application of cuttingedge technologies,” Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Angela Lueking said. “Increased industry partnerships, in particular those that rely on a test facility to validate their technology, will expand interactions, projects, collaborations, and employment opportunities for our students. This is a statewide project, and increased economic development in Montana’s high-tech sector further supports the STEM workforce pipeline, and increases demand for local/regional employment to ensure our students can be employed in Montana, if they choose to stay. The Butte Local Development Corporation (BLDC) is also a partner on the Tech Hub; in addition, there are opportunities on how the testing site may synergistically support the local economic development of Butte–Silver Bow.”
While the test bed development is a major focus of the EEIFC, the Field Campus goals are much wider-reaching and are the product of long-term efforts of the University and its partners.
The lands located immediately west of the Montana Tech campus were once a bustling hub of mining activity, but the area sat underutilized after the closure of the Orphan Boy and Orphan Girl mines in the 1950s. Over the past 15 years, the University has worked to repurpose and transition this area from inactive underutilized lands to a site used for cutting-edge scientific research and hands-on learning opportunities.
The concept began through the efforts of Professors Chris Roos,Robert Pal, Kumar Ganesan, Mary MacLaughlin, Raja Nagisetty, Scott Rosenthal, and Glenn Shaw, who wanted to expand learning opportunities in mining, energy development, and environmental restoration.
In 2010, the Underground Mine Education Center was created. The UMEC is a hands-on, interdisciplinary educational space consisting of the former Orphan Boy and Orphan Girl Mines located immediately west of campus. It is home to courses for Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, and Occupational Safety and Health. It also serves as a research facility.
In 2018, a memorandum of understanding was developed between Butte–Silver Bow, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, and Montana Tech to create an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) training and research area that encompasses the Montana Tech campus and portions of Butte–Silver Bow’s Big Butte Open Space Park.
The vision for the EEIFC includes numerous components including solar panel demonstration areas, solar panel terraces and soil sampling, a construction management and training site, a remediation and restoration trials area, geothermal energy sites, and a potential greenhouse. Many of the proposed elements of the EEIFC mark a progression into broader energy initiatives and curriculum through the creation of the Lance Energy Chair and appointment of a director for this Field Campus.