MSU Student Innovation Road Show

Montana State University’s Office of Research, Economic Development and Graduate Education and the Year of Undergraduate Research will host its inaugural 8×8 Student Innovation Road Show: “From the Environment to Our Security” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, at the Museum of the Rockies. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and a reception will follow at 7 p.m.

The road show will feature eight undergraduate students speaking about their creative and research projects in eight-minute segments. The event is a spin-off of MSU’s faculty-oriented 10×10 Innovation Road Show.

“With this being the Year of Undergraduate Research — and as we ramp up to NCUR 2020 — we are pleased to host this event that will feature undergraduate research being conducted across campus,” said MSU Vice President of research, economic development and graduate education Jason Carter, referring to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, which the university will host March 26-28.

“All eight presentations will focus on scholarship within our four grand challenge areas identified in the MSU strategic plan: caring for the environment, promoting community wellness, food and fuel security and securing the future of Montana. It will be a fun event,” he said. 

Topics and presenters include:

• “Black Raspberry Extracts: A Potential Intervention for Stomach Cancer” — Katrina Lyon, microbiology major.
• “A Growing Threat to Organic Agriculture: Herbicide Contamination of Unknown Origin” — Lilianna Bento, crop science and sustainable food and bioenergy systems crop production major.
• “The American Warfighter: Cost Benefit Analysis of a Surrogate Training Plate System” — Keith Fuge, industrial and management systems engineering major.
• “Embracing Cultures Through Research” — Brianna Bull Shows, microbiology major.
• “Saving Earth’s Biodiversity: Communicating Science and Inspiring Change” — Miles Maxcer, interdisciplinary studies in environmental science, science communication and political science major.
• “‘Farmacy’ – Cultivating Nutrient Dense Crops to Ensure Food Security” — Natalie Sturm, sustainable food and bioenergy systems major with a concentration in agroecology.
• “Fuel Security: Phase Change Materials for Energy Storage” — Brenden Pelkie, chemical engineering and applied mathematics major.
• “Securing the United States Border: At What Cost?” — Rachel Dunlap, global and multicultural studies major.