| Bozeman ranked number two on Bizjournals.com list of top 10 "dreamtowns" that offer the best quality of life. The highest scoring cities were "well-rounded places with light traffic, healthy economies, moderate costs of living, impressive housing stocks, strong educational systems and easy access to big-city attractions." |
 |
MSU scientists have helped confirm that protein from dinosaur bones can be preserved for millions of years and that birds and dinosaurs are close relatives. The discovery of a bone in an 80-million-year-old hadrosaur in Malta, Mont., showed that a previous, similar find in a 68-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex wasn't a fluke. The breakthrough was published in the May 1, 2009 issue of "Science," a weekly journal that publishes scientific news, as well as the most significant breakthroughs in global research. Related Information |
 |
Sixteen years of MSU research in Yellowstone National Park was summarized in a new book titled "The Ecology of Large Mammals in Central Yellowstone: Sixteen Years of Integrated Field Studies." Ecologist Robert Garrott edited the book to provide readers a synthesis of a diverse body of research. Wolves were reintroduced halfway through the study, so the researchers were able to document their effect on the behavior and population dynamics of elk and bison. Related Information |
 |
Architecture students at Montana State University designed a picnic pavilion that was built in the summer of 2009 near the popular Hyalite Reservoir Dam. The pavilion, a joint project of the MSU School of Architecture, the U.S. Forest Service and the Gallatin Empire Lions Club, was built at the Hyalite Day Use Picnic Area. Related Information |
| MSU has become known as Trout U because of its proximity to premier angling and diverse research and creative projects related to trout. Academic interest in trout spans from the study of whirling disease and stream restoration to creative literary works and one of the world's largest Trout and Salmonid Collections at Renne Library. Related Information |
| MSU's Western Transportation Institute is helping to reduce the number of wildlife vehicle collisions through its road ecology research. Wildlife-related crashes are a growing problem on rural roads around the country as more subdivisions are constructed in outlying areas. The work of the WTI is increasingly important and was recognized in a December 2007 New York Times article. |
| Montana State University hosted the 2008 NCAA™ men's and women's skiing championships in partnership with Bridger Bowl (alpine) and Bohart Ranch (nordic). Six Bobcat athletes qualified and competed in the event. MSU was also listed in the March 2008 edition of Transworld Snowboarding for its close proximity to world-class snowboarding. |
| MSU and Yellowstone National Park are lead partners in planning for an ecological observatory that will be one of 20 locations in the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). NEON sites in diverse climate domains around the country will monitor ecological and climate conditions to understand and forecast the impacts of climate, land use and invasive species. Related Information |
| MSU is gaining recognition as "The University of Yellowstone." In recent years, MSU received more than five times the number of National Science Foundation grants for Yellowstone studies than its nearest competition, Stanford and UCLA. MSU scientists across a range of disciplines study Yellowstone to provide insights into the ecosystem and the interaction of the people with the region. Related Information |
| Six new projects inspired by the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem received grant funding in fall 2007 and help to bolster MSU's reputation as University of the Yellowstone. The Thermal Biology Institute and Big Sky Institute funded the grants, which will result in musical productions, art, essays, a book, exhibits, podcasts and other new media productions related to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Related Information |
| The Western Transportation Institute assisted Utah DOT in an evaluation of its Weather Operations program that resulted in an estimated $2.2 million per year savings for snow and ice removal. The Utah DOT and MSU's Western Transportation Institute were recognized for innovation by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) for the Evaluation of its Weather Operations/RWIS (WO) Program. Out of 60 entries, Utah DOT was one of five winning programs that honor the most innovative and effective uses of advanced technologies in surface transportation. |
| The Big Sky Institute provides funding to students in ecology, earth and environmental sciences with active research projects in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem through the NSF funded GK-12 Science and Society Fellows Program. Graduate student fellows develop a year-long collaboration with a middle or high school teacher in schools in Paradise Valley, Gallatin Valley and Big Sky. Related Information |
| A Forbes magazine Nov. 28, 2005, column about the advantages of living in a college town, lists Bozeman and MSU first when demonstrating that "Colleges that are big on research and engineering will be the stars of tomorrow." Related Information |
| Montana State University was ranked No. 1 in the country for undergrads angling for an education near trout streams by Fly Rod & Reel magazine, July-Oct. 2005. Bozeman was also ranked No. 5 in Outside magazine's "40 Best College Towns," No. 4 ski town by Skiing magazine, and in the top 10 hunting and fishing universities by Outdoor Life magazine. More than just a recreational center, the local vibrant community offers extensive cultural offerings including the Bozeman Symphony, Bozeman Intermountain Opera, Montana Ballet Company, the Vigilante Theatre Company and numerous art galleries. Related Information |
| Research conducted by the Western Transportation Institute is leading efforts to protect wildlife, conserve habitat and reduce traffic accidents at wildlife crossings. Undergraduate and graduate students working on these projects obtain firsthand experience in preserving the unique animal habitats of Montana. Recently, students have studied fish passages at road crossings in the Clearwater Basin (Missoula); deer and bear crossings at Bozeman Pass (Bozeman/Livingston); deer and elk crossings near West Yellowstone; and wildlife crossing structures on U.S. 93 (Flathead Valley). Related Information |
| Bozeman was selected as the best small-business market in the United States among cities with fewer than 100,000 people, according to a new study by a national publisher of metropolitan business journals. American Cities Business Journals, which publishes business newspapers in 41 major American cities, ranked Bozeman first among the nation's top 16 small-sized markets. |
| ASMSU Outdoor Recreation Program offers students numerous options for enjoying the great outdoors. Students have the opportunity to rent gear and participate in workshops or guided trips. The outdoor recreation center houses a bike and ski tuning workshop as well as resources such as topo maps, trail guides, magazines and other publications. |
| Brick Breeden Fieldhouse has hosted national headliners such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Keith Urban, Harry Connick and Sesame Street Live. This season the fieldhouse continued its Broadway in Bozeman series, featuring national productions of Rent, Cats, Grease and Tap Dogs. |
Download the Fall 2009 Points of Excellence Highlights
Hands-on Learning
