Seed Grants Past Awardees and Projects
The Seed Grants program is a competitive funding opportunity available each spring semester for tenure-track or MBMG faculty in their first or second year of employment at Montana Tech
The purpose of the program is to “stimulate research and scholarly activity among new additions to the Montana Tech faculty by providing all new faculty the opportunity to compete for seed-money grants to help them embark on a program of research and/or scholarly activity at Montana Tech.” These one-time, $7,000 awards are considered a “starter” and are expected to lead to active research projects, grant proposals, publications, and/or products of research. Proposals are typically due in March
Seed-grant proposals are reviewed by the Research Seed Grant Committee with members from each of the Colleges at MTech.
Past Awardees and Projects
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Bongsuk, Park | Civil Engineering | "Software Development to Evaluate the Asphalt Mixture Performance based on the Volumetric Properties and Gradation Characteristics" |
| Atkinson, Dawn Corbitt, Stacey |
Writing | "APCs for Publishing Textbook Research" |
| Berrington, Blaine | Chemistry & Geochemistry | "Montana Technological University Molecular Foundry: Sequence Programmable Polymeric Materials" |
| Pedulla, Marisa | Biological Sciences | Development of a Proposal to the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award Intended grant title: "SCOPES: Seeing Can Open People's Eyes to Science" |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Quante, Steven | MBMG | Camera [Outreach to showcase Museum] |
| Yong Choi, Jin | Environmental Engineering |
Use of Membrane Concentrator for Resource Recovery from Acid Mine Drainage Water: Beyond Wastewater Treatment |
| Brandl, Rayelynn | CFWEP | Salary (Chris Pavlovich) and wages for student worker to organize & build database of historic field trip data sets |
| Danielson, Chris | Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences | Book-length manuscript: Moral and Satanic panics of 1980s |
| Atkinson, Dawn Corbitt, Stacey |
Writing | Research into open textbook production (time transcribing data) |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Caccia, Mario | Metallurgical & Materials Engineering | Next Generation Silicon-free CMCs Produced by Displacement Reactions Between Refractory Metal Carbides and Silicon |
| St. Clair, Brian | Chemistry & Geochemistry | Complexation and Environmental Fate of Metal – Carbonate and Bicarbonate Complexes |
| Viviani, Gary L. | Metallurgical & Materials Engineering | |
| LaDouceur, Rick | Mechanical Engineering | Low-Cost Carbon Capture Using Agriculture Waste Biochar |
| Danielson, Chris | Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences | Funds to Hire Research Assistant in DC for Upcoming Book,” Brother Outsider, Brother Insider: A Political Biography of Lawrence Guyot, Jr. |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Gavillott, Yann | MBMG | Paleoseismic Investigation of the Bitterroot fault to Improve Seismic Hazards Assessments of the Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys, western Montana |
| Huft, Nathan | Mechanical Engineering | Cold wire gas metal arc welding for additive manufacturing, cladding, and joining |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Irons, Trevor | Geophysical Engineering | Next generating batteries for geophysical and remote sensing applications |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Atkinson, Dawn Corbitt, Stacey | Writing | Create & Investigate the development of an open textbook for a co-requisite pairing of Writing Fundamentals and Introduction to Technical Writing |
| Gilkey, David | SHIH | EHAC survey analysis |
| Gotkowitz, Madeline | MBMG | Groundwater recharge estimates informed by stable isotopes of water |
| Oppong Anane, Akua | Freshman Engineering | Tabletop university game to increase freshman engineering student engagement at Montana Tech |
| Staple, Ryan | Biological Science | Blood storage lesion |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Curtiss, Phillip | Computer Science | Fusing Data Sets from the VAO using a modified 2D DWT for viewing in the NASA FITS Liberator |
| Graff, Joel | Biological Sciences | Identifying and prioritize novel mycobacteriophage proteins that warrant further investigation in the laboratory |
| Jiang, Daqian | Environmental Engineering | Bio-Electrochemically Induced Degradation of 8:2-fluorotelometer alcohol: Feasibility and Mechanisms |
| Lucon, Peter | Mechanical Engineering | Acquire instrumentation, build proof of concept devices, and generate initial data for NSF, DARPA, DOE and NSF MRI |
| Prieto, Dario | Mechanical Engineering | In-operando study of mining byproducts as catalysts for natural gas upgrading |
| Thomson, Connie | MBMG | Determining surface water influences on groundwater near the Montana Resources process water pond |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Birkenbuell, Lorrie | OSH | Assessing Particulate Matter Wall Loss with Conductive vs. Non-Conductive Cassettes used for Airborne Mineral Dust Sampling |
| Shrestha, Kishor | Civil Engineering | The Performance-Based Contracting for Road Maintenance Activities |
| Yakovlev, Petr | MBMG | Constraining Cenozoic Extension in the Swan Range using Low-Temperature Thermochronometry and Cosmogenic Radionuclide Dating. |
| Zodrow, Katherine | Enviro Engineering | Living Microfiltration Membranes: From Biomimetic to Biological |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Autenrieth, Dan | OSH | An Intervention Study to Improve Hearing Protector Use in the the Montana Logging Industry: A Point-Source Approach |
| Cox, Alysia | Chemistry | Merging Microbial Activity with Geochemistry in Hydrothermal Ecosystems |
| Korzeb, Stanley | MBMG | Lead Isotope Study of the Boulder Batholith Mineral Deposits and Volcanic Host Rocks, Southwestern Montana |
| Pal, Robert | Biology | Biogeographic Research on Exotic Plant Invasion |
| Wang, Lei | General Engineering | Reliability-Based Design Framework for Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Structures |
| Yang, Xufei | Environmental Engineering | Characterization of Fog Samples at and Downwind from the Berkeley Pit |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| English, Alan | MBMG | Using Stable Isotopes, Major Ions, and Trace Elements to Evaluate Recharge Areas and Flow Paths for Cold-Water Springs and Geothermal Springs Adjacent to Yellowstone National Park |
| Miah, Khalid | Geophysical Engineering | Ice Energy - a Renewable and Sustainable Energy Source to be Harnessed in Terrestrial and Space Environments |
| Nagisetty, Raja | Environmental Engineering | Application of QUAL2Kw Model to Estimate In-stream Dissolved Oxygen Response to Different Nutrient Load Scenarios for Upper Silver Bow Creek, Montana |
| Pramanik, Brahmananda | General Engineering | High-Strain Rate Mechanical Characterization of Engineering Materials Via Developing Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Test Facility in Montana |
| Rosenthal, Scott | Mining Engineering | Investigation of Current Underground Mine Industry for Safe Design of Mobile Equipment Entries, Adits, Drifts and Haulageways |
| Sorenson, Karen | PTC | The Rhetorical Construction of Extraterrestrial Life and the Paranormal |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Bayat, Jahan | General Engineering | Modeling the Mechanical Properties of Biological Cells and their Connectors |
| Capoccia, Stella | Biology | Territory, Dispersal, and Population Estimates of the Urban Pidgeon in Uptown Butte, Montana |
| Hawthorne, Nick | PTC | Interactive Glassware Application Development for Google Glass |
| Hill, Bryce | Electrical Engineering | Acoustic Feedback for Object Tracking |
| Mosolf, Jesse | MBMG | Deciphering the Helena Volcanic Fields and Eruptive and Techtonic History Using Modern Analytical Techniques |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Crowley, Jack | MBMG | Mobile Field GIS Deployment for Seamless Data Integration with the Ground Water Information Center: Potential Efficiencies as Compared to Traditional Paper-based Manual Data-entry Data-processing Models |
| Scarberry, Caleb | MBMG | Stratigraphy of the Eocene Lowland Creek Volcano Field, Southwestern Montana |
| Skinner, Jack | General Engineering | An Investment in Emerging Nanotechnology at Montana Tech |
| Yan, Qi | General Engineering | Reliability of Bluetooth Travel Time Data |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Rawashdeh, Waleed | Mathematical Sciences | Weighted Composition Operators Between Weighted Bergman and SP Spaces |
| Revenaugh, Lance | Business & IT | The Role of ERP in Strategy Alignment: Examining the world’s largest ERP implementation |
| Vertanen, Keith | Computer Science | Prototype Recognizer for Dwell free Eye Typing |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Getty, John | Petroleum Engineering | Developing standardized methodologies, quantifying instrument accuracy and designing an instrument calibration protocol for use in measuring static gel strength in oil well cements |
| Shyba, Lori | Professional and Technical Communication | Book, Pathmaze: Travel, Technology and Our Changing Times |
| Hailer, Katie | Chemistry | Determining the role the putative lactam utilization protein ybgL plays in the recognition and repair of the exidized guanine lesion spiroiminodihydantoin in hexavalent chromium treated E. coli |
| Shaw, Glenn | Geological Engineering | Monitoring the Response of Groundwater Recharge to Climatic Variation in the Headwaters of the Boulder River, Montana |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Danielson, Chris | Liberal Studies | Moral Panics, Popular Culture, and the Mobilization of the New Right |
| Klem, Michael | Chemistry & Geochemistry | Synthesis and Hyperthermic Study of Magnetic Nano-Materials for Potential Anti-Cancer Applications |
| Shearer, Heather | Professional and Technical Communications | Organizational Communication in the 'Promised Land': How texts mediated the life cycle of Peoples Temple Agriculture |
| Smith, Larry | Geological Engineering | Preliminary Age-dating of Glacial Lake Missoula Sediments with the Use of the Optically Stimulated Luminescence |
| Sudhakar, K.V. | Metallurgical & Materials Engineering | Characterization and Comparison of Beta-Tiatanium (B-Ti) Alloys for Biomedical Applications |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Elliott, Colleen | MBMG | Purchase and Implementation of Digital Field Mapping Technology |
| Kukay, Brian | General Engineering | Proof Loading, a Non-Destructive Approach to Post-Fire Assessments |
| Meredith, Elizabeth | MBMG | Methanogen Nutrient Assessment of Montana Coal Aquifers |
| Risser, Scott | Liberal Studies | Tangled Web: An Investigation of Online Interactions |
| Smith Risser, Hilary | Mathematics | Technology Counts: An examination of the uses of technology in the teaching of K-12 mathematics |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ackerman, Frank | Computer Science | An Investigation into the use of scriptable commercial computer games in teaching Computer Science and Software Engineering |
| Battle, Laurie | Math | Stochastic Simulation Modeling of Native-Nonnative Trout Interactions |
| Cox, Lief | Geophysical Engineering | Finite element modeling and visualization software to design and interpret 3D electrical and electromagnetic surveys |
| Van Dyne, Michele | Computer Science | Intelligent Multi-Agent Research Lab |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Downey, Jerome | Metallurgy | Control of PIC Emissions During Fluid-Bed Combustion of Tire-Derived Fuel |
| Good, William | Biology | Life History and Stadia Form of the Mayfly, Ephemerella inermis Eaton |
| Jaansalu, Kevin | Metallurgy | Thermodynamic Property Measurement of Metastable Forms of Metallic Elements |
| Kasinath, Rajendra | Environmental Engineering | Collodial Apatite nanoparticles with active luminescent and magnetic properties for biotechnology applications |
| Pedulla, Marisa | Biology | Mycobacteriophage characterization: morphological, genomic, and protein profiling of viruses isolated by Montana students. |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Alvarado, Arlene | Biology | Is mate choice in wild deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) affected by infection of the male by Sin Nombre virus (SNV)? |
| Icopini, Gary | MBMG | Enhancing in situ Biodegradation of Organic Contaminates |
| McGrath, Steve | MBMG | Recovery of Copper and Zinc from AMD Treatment Sludges |
| Tucci, Nicholas | MBMG | Microbial Characterization of Iron-, Manganese-, and Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in the Orphan Boy Mine Shaft, Butte, MT |
| Zhou, Xiaobing | Geophysical Engineering | Retrieval of Soil Moisture from Space-borne Radar Backscattering Data in Montana |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| North-Abbott, Mary | Petroleum Engineering | Development of the Coalbed Methane (CBM) Petroleum Engineering Research Program at Montana Tech |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Apple, Martha | Biology | Instrumentation for Field Measurements of Leaf Physiology |
| Hamon, Matt | Professional and Technical Communication | Enduring Legacy: A Portrait of the Basques |
| Heath, Leo | Petroleum Engineering | Small Diameter Tubing Design for Wellbore Gas-Water Unloading |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Bardsley, Sally | Safety, Health & Industrial Hygiene | An Evaluation of the Physiological Effects of Cooling Vests Worn Under Impermeable Clothing During Moderate Work |
| Conrad, Paul | Mining Engineering | Investigation of the Potential for Metals Leaching from Coal Ash Disposed in Reclaimed Surface Mines |
| Kuenzi, Amy | Biological Sciences | Baseline Studies of Bat Communities in Southwestern Montana |
| Parker, Steve | Chemistry | A Study of the Carbon and Oxygen Stable Isotope Fractionation Patterns During Diel Cycling in the Clark Fork River, Montana |
| Shirk, Henrietta | Professional and Technical Communication | Proposal to Support the Development of a Usability Testing Lab in the Professional and Technical Communication Department |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Carstarphen, Camela | MBMG | Conserving and Protecting Montana's Ground Water by Creating K-12 Educational Opportunities for Teachers and Students |
| Kennelly, Patrick | MBMG | First Steps Incorporating Geographic Information System (GIS) Technology into Montana's K-12 Earth Science Education Program |
| Kerschen, Mike | MBMG | Determine the source of CO2 in the flooded underground mines and Berkeley pit Using 13/C/12C |
| McIntosh, Allison | Nursing | Collaboration Between Montana Tech Nursing Department and the Belmont Senior Citizens' Center |
| Rose, James | MBMG | Age-Dating Groundwater Recharge in Springs Near Yellowstone Park |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Carstarphen, Camela | MBMG | Conserving and Protecting Montana's Ground Water by Creating K-12 Educational Opportunities for Teachers and Students |
| Donovan, Rick | General Engineering | Rocky Mountain Agile Virtual Enterprises |
| Jensen, Roger | SHIH | Signal-word Panel Formats for Workplace Safety Signs |
| Kennelly, Patrick | MBMG | First Steps Incorporating Geographic Information System (GIS) Technology into Montana's K-12 Earth Science Education Program |
| Praetorius, Pete | PTC | Technical Communications in the Northern Rocky Mountains |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| McNearny, Rich | Mining Engineering | Enhancement of InSAR Imaging Resolution |
| Olson, John | MBMG | Using Single Well Tracer Tests to Determine Site Specific Aquifer Hydraulic Conductivity: A New Method to Evaluate Septic Drainfield Impacts |
| Name | Department | Details | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross, Carl | Metallurgy | Development of a Weldability Testing Facility at Montana Tech | Awarded |
| Hanson, Klark | MBMG | Implementation and Evaluation of Methods for the Rapid and Efficient Speciation of Metals in Sediments | Awarded |
| Hobbs, David | Chemistry | Chemical Speciation and Molecular Modeling of Aqueous Metal Complexes | Awarded |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| English, Alan | MBMG | Source-Rock Determination Using Lead and Strontium Isotope Ratios |
| Jarvis, James | MBMG | High Sensitivity Application of Full-scan Gas Chriomatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) Screening Technique for Organic Contaminates near Lewistown, MT |
| Rutland, John | Business and Information Technology | Task Relevant Ability and Group Performance |
| Stierle, Andrea | Chemistry | Investigation of the Production of Bioactive Metabolites from the Yew-Associated Penicillium sp. |
| Name | Department | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Gammons, Chris | Geological Engineering | Hydrothermal Workstation |
| Keller, Barbara | MBMG | An Evaluation of Lead and Strontium Isotope Ratios as a Technique for Fingerprinting Southwest Montana Watersheds |
| Ziaja, Malgorzata | Petroleum Engineering | Application of an Experimental Technique for Measuring the Reactive Forces at the Bi-Center PDC Bit |