Highlights from 2017

Jean Pfau, microbiology, is quoted in this news story about her research on naturally occurring asbestos in Southern Nevada and nearby Arizona. Scientists concluded that exposure to the fibers should be kept to a minimum after tests on mice show they can contribute to pleural disease. Boulder City Review (12/6/17)

David Parker, political science, comments in this article about the potential creation of a new national monument, the Badger-Two Medicine near the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. NPR (11/26/17)

David Parker, political science, is quoted in this article about the Montana's 2018 race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Jon Tester and the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives currently held by Greg Gianforte. KBZK (11/22/17)

New story about a talk Bridget Kevane, modern languages and literatures, gave in Billings about the history of Latinos/Latinas in Montana. Billings Gazatte (11/17/17)

News story about research by Cody Warner, sociology, examining the link between young adults living with their parents and student debt and failure to graduate. Warner's finding were published in the journal Sociology of Education. USA Today (11/11/17)

This article on Phys.org discusses the rapid progress physicists have made in bounding the speed of gravity now that gravitational waves have been observed. Neil Cornish, physics, was part of the team of 1,000 scientists and engineers who discovered the existence of gravitational and is quoted in this article. Phys.org (11/1/17)

Jordy Hendrikx, earth sciences, is quoted in this Outside magazine article that asks, "How Young Is Too Young to Begin Avalanche Ed?" Outside (10/27/17)

Walter Fleming, Native American studies,is quoted in this article about an Annie E. Casey Foundation report showing that Montana stands as the second worst state for American Indian children’s access to opportunity in the West, narrowly ranking above South Dakota. Bozeman Daily Chronicle (10/25/17)

Walter Fleming, Native American studies, is quoted in this Al Jazeera article about the nationwide movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day. Al Jazeera (10/9/17)

This article in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle features Neil Cornish, physics, an MSU astrophysicist who is part of a team of more than 1,000 scientists and engineers worldwide who worked together on the project to prove the existence of gravitational waves, predicted a century ago by Albert Einstein but never before seen. The 2017 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to three American scientists for this discover. Bozeman Daily Chronicle(10/4/17), U.S. News & World Reports (10/7/17)

Angela Des Jardins, physics, was featured on the local ABC affiliate after she received NASA's National Space Grant Special Service Award for coordinating the Eclipse Ballooning Project. This project involved teams of college and high school students from across the country that launched balloons to live stream aerial video of the 2017 solar eclipse. ABC Montana (10/6/17)

Paleontologist David Varricchio, earth sciences, is quoted in this National Geographic article about the discovery of blue dinosaur eggs. Before this discover, it was assumed that all dinosaur eggs were white, and only birds laid colored eggs. National Geographic (8/18/17)

Isaac Swensen, assistant professor of economics, is quoted in this article about a research study he co-authored on college football games and the incidence of sexual assault. Vice Money (7/17/17)

Vincent Smith, agricultural economics and economics, provides commentary in this article about the impacts a new trade deal between the EU and Japan could have on Montana producers. Ravalli Republic (7/8/17)

Mary Hubbard, professor and department head in the Department of Earth Sciences, is interviewed regarding the 5.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Montana on July 6. NBC Montana (7/6/17)

Article about a report published by MSU researchers on a microbe found in Yellowstone National Park that thrives despite feeding on food with the the lowest energy supply. Maximiliano Amenabar, and student in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, is the lead author. John Peters of the Thermal Biology Institute and Eric Boyd of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology are both co-authors. Yellowstone Insider (7/3/17)

Franke Wilmer, political science, provides commentary in this article for channel WJLA in Washington, D.C. on the outcome of Montana's special election to for Montana's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. WJLA (5/6/17)

This Bozeman Daily Chronicle article about the history of MSU features Robert Rydell, professor of history in the Department of History and Philosophy. Bozeman Daily Chronicle (4/25/17)

David Parker, political science, is quoted in this Helena Independent Record article about the special election to replace Ryan Zinke for Montana's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Helena Independent Record (4/14/17)

David Varrichio, earth sciences, recently discovered a new tyrannosaur species, Daspletosaurus horneri, which means “Horner’s Frightful Lizard.” The newly discovered dinosaur is named after renowned former MSU paleontologist and Museum of the Rockies curator Jack Horner. Bozeman Daily Chronicle (4/4/17), ABC/FOX Montana (4/4/17), Billings Gazette (4/11/17)

David Varricchio, associate professor of paleontology, led a paleontology expedition at Montana’s Egg Mountain that unearthed two nearly complete fossils of a Late Cretaceous iguanomorph found in a nesting site. This is a new dinosaur species. Billings Gazette (3/16/17), Bozeman Daily Chronicle (3/6/17)

Paleontology research by L.J. Krumenacker, a doctoral student in the Department of Earth Sciences, is featured in this Casper Star Tribune article. Casper Star Tribune (3/3/17)

Chris Organ, an evolutionary biologist and assistant research professor in MSU’s earth sciences department, was a co-author on a paper about live birth in an ancient reptile called Dinocephalosaurus. The Guardian (2/14/17),  Bozeman Daily Chronicle (2/16/17)

A research project focused on the role decision making plays in deadly avalanches, by Jordy Hendrikx, an earth sciences professor and director of the MSU Snow and Avalanche Laboratory, and Jerry Johnson, a MSU political science professor, are featured in this article in the Billings Gazette. Billings Gazette (1/6/17), Bozeman Daily Chronicle (1/7/17)

David Varricchio, earth sciences, is mentioned several times in this article in The New York Times about dinosaur reproduction. The New York Times (1/2/17)