Highlights from 2012

David Varricchio, a paleontologist in the Department of Earth Sciences, is quoted in these articles about which dinosaur meat would taste best. "When people ask me if a T-Rex would be good, well, I don’t think so," said Varricchio. "They’ve found jaw abnormalities that suggests they were eating fetid meat and had diseases that came about from prey items. They would be pretty parasite-laden." Popular Science (12/21/12) and Huffington Post (1/2/13)

Charles Gray, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, was highlighted in several news articles. Gray recently had a paper published in the journal Science and received a $300,000 Memory and Cognitive Disorders Award from the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience. Gray ’s project studied how visual objects were held in short-term memory. It focused on two key regions inside the brain’s cerebral cortex: the prefrontal and parietal areas, which are critical to cognition, attention and short-term memory. Bozeman Daily Chronicle (12/10/12) and Science Codex (11/2/12)

David Parker, Department of Political Science, is quoted in this New York Times article about the US Senate race between Denny Rehberg and Jon Tester. The New York Times (10/3/12)

Vince Smith, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, is interviewed for this article about the timing and contents of a new farm bill. Billings Gazette (9/19/12)

David Parker, Department of Political Science, was interviewed for the New York Times’ Presidential Geography series, a one-by-one examination of the economic and demographic peculiarities that drive the politics in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The New York Times (6/21/12)

Dave Lageson, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, visited several areas schools to share his experiences from his recent expedition to Mount Everest. Hundreds of students across the state and nation have spent weeks following the progress of an Everest expedition jointly sponsored by MSU, North Face, the Mayo Clinic and National Geographic. Missoulian and The Billings Gazette (6/1/2012)

Nancy Mahoney, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, was interviewed about her research on the Joseph L. Cramer and Oscar T. Lewis Collection of artifacts, which are housed in the Museum of the Rockies. The collection, originally owned by Oscar Lewis, includes 200 to 300 artifacts found at the Pictograph Cave complex near Billings, the Hagen site near Glendive and other places in Eastern Montana. The Billings Gazette (4/1/12)

David Parker, Department of Political Science, is quoted about the large amounts of money interest groups are pouring into the 2012 senate race in Montana. “My rule of thumb is that they want to ramp up (the spending) when you get closer to the election,” says Parker. “So if you’ve seen this much (spending) a year out … that’s just a taste of what’s coming.” Helena Independent Record (3/25/12)

Members of the Montana State University Everest Education Expedition, including Earth Science’s professor Dave Lageson, are interviewed on National Public Radio’s Science Friday. Science Friday (3/16/12)

David Parker, Department of Political Science, provides commentary in this article about the impacts Jon Tester’s voting record will have on the 2012 senate race in Montana. The Billings Gazette (3/4/12)

David Parker, Department of Political Science, is part of this National Public Radio interview about the 2012 Montana senate race between Jon Tester and Denny Rehberg. You can listen to this interview online or read the transcript. National Public Radio (3/1/12)

Bob Garrott, Department of Ecology, is quoted about a study that found that Non-native mountain goats are threatening native bighorn sheep in parts of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including the Teton Range bighorn sheep herd. The Missoulian (2/18/11)

David Parker, Department of Political Science, comments on issue of out-of-state campaign money and the senate race in Montana. Parker states that the debate over out-of-state money isn’t new. U.S. Senators make national policy, and so it only makes sense they collect interest from allies everywhere. Great Falls Tribune (2/19/12)

David Parker, Department of Political Science, argues that the 2012 election could be one of the most important elections in Montana in a generation. Politico, a Washington publication, ranked Montana’s Senate race as the nation’s most competitive Senate contest and called it essentially a draw at this point. Billings Gazette (1/1/12)