MSU Professional MS in Land Resources & Environmental Sciences

01/04/2022

Congratulations to Professional MS in LRES graduate Madelyne Willis!

Madelyne Willis, a doctoral candidate in MSU's ecology and environmental science program, spent 45 days in a mock space capsule as part of NASA's Human Exploration Research Analog.

12/02/2021

Let’s support and celebrate your fellow students who are finishing their graduate program and presenting their professional paper! The Fall 2021 Professional MS in LRES Symposia will occur virtually on December 7th and 8th between 9 and 11 am (MST). Most presentations will be 15 minutes long + 5 min Q&A. The links are included below; there’s a different link for each day.

December 7, Tuesday, MST
9:00 – 9:20 Isaac Newell Rew, Instructor Sagebrush Steppe plant resilience to fire and mechanical soil disruption 9 years post-disturbance in Southwest Montana
9:20 – 9:40 Edward Sprigg Mangold, Instructor Integrated Pest Management plan for Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge
9:40 – 10:00 Sarah Beard Sterling, Instructor Factors influencing the effectiveness of Canada goose relocation in Georgia
10:00 – 10:20 Virginia Hamilton Sigler, Instructor Citizen science and benthic macroinvertebrate population trends in the mountains of Western North Carolina
10:20 – 10:40 Drew Howing Powell, Instructor A Conservation Guidance Report for Blanding's Turtles in Northwest Iowa
10:40 – 11:10 Exit Interview

https://montana.webex.com/montana/j.php?MTID=meffe9398385040deaa51e8c5334d564e
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December 8, Wednesday, MST
9:00 – 9:30 Kendall Wojcik Ewing, Instructor Assessing soil organic carbon cycling on semiarid grasslands using SOC inventories, C4 grass establishment, and d13C and d15N values
9:30 – 9:50 Katelynn Little Powell, Instructor Elk harvest and hunt district accessibility: how does accessibility influence hunter harvest success?
9:50 – 10:10 Rebecca Oliver Rupp, Instructor Making the shift from grey to green infrastructure for storm water management: A case study of Austin, Texas
10:10 -10:30 Chris Bilbrey Powell, Instructor Using remote sensing indices to analyze influence of bare ground in dust source areas to total dust-on-snow load in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado
10:30 – 10:50 Lauren Hillmer Hook, Instructor Assessment of Miller Fork Watershed soil burn severity mapping following the Cameron Peak Fire
10:50 – 11:15 Exit Interview for online students

https://montana.webex.com/montana/j.php?MTID=ma4ccf0a7655b80edd9a47b78b87b8275

Simple, modern video meetings for everyone on the world's most popular and trusted collaboration platform.

09/14/2021

Dear students, faculty, and supporters of the Professional MS in LRES program:

The 2021/2022 academic year marks the tenth year of our online Professional MS in LRES program. During these ten years, 93 students have graduated and we will have our 100th graduate at the close of this fall semester! We also have a record 100 students currently enrolled in the program this fall semester.

The success of the program has exceeded our expectations. We have been able to educate place-bound professionals throughout the U.S.—and even a handful outside of the U.S. Our success has been because of the excellent students in our program, the dedicated faculty, and a diverse group of supporters.

As we celebrate our tenth year this academic year, we would like to draw everyone’s attention to our fall, spring, and summer Professional Paper Symposia. All former and current students, colleagues, and faculty are welcome and encouraged to attend these symposia via WebEx video session. These symposia are great for celebrating our program, learning more about fascinating topics in the environmental sciences, and supporting the students presenting their professional papers and graduating from our program. We will be sending out more information about the symposia before they occur.

Finally, we would especially like to thank our graduates and current students. Without you and your amazing dedication to your education, there would be no program.

Sincerely,

Robert K. D. Peterson, PhD (Program Director)
Scott L. Powell, PhD (Program Coordinator)
Marni G. Rolston, MS (Program Manager)
Tracy M. Sterling, PhD (Department Head)

08/20/2021

Here's a nice MSU Communications article about Erik Norderud's journal article on the Asian giant hornet. The journal article is from Erik's professional paper in our program. Great job, Erik!

Graduate Erik Norderud, entomologist Bob Peterson and spatial scientist Scott Powell conducted a county-by-county risk assessment for four states in the Northwest focused on Asian giant hornets.

08/09/2021

Alum Erik Norderud (MS Fall 2020) has just published his professional paper: Risk Assessment for the Establishment of Vespa mandarinia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in the Pacific Northwest, United States. Way to go Erik! Vespa mandarinia is the Asian giant hornet (aka murder hornet). The link below should connect directly to the open-access paper.

Abstract. The recent introduction of the Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia Smith, in the United States in late 2019 has raised concerns about its establishme

11/23/2020

Here's the schedule for this fall's professional paper presentations. Join us if you can!

Monday, November 23rd
LRES Professional Paper Symposium, 10 AM
“Water quality impacts from leaking coal ash ponds at two superfund sites”
Aeriel Rozwara, M.S. candidate
“The application of remote sensing for monitoring vegetation disturbance and reclamation for Appalachian surface mines: A case study on the Fola Mining Complex in West Virginia”
Erin Walaszcyk, M.S. candidate
https://montana.webex.com/montana/j.php?MTID=mb7287353d78293b18c2428edc0beede4

Tuesday, November 24th
LRES Professional Paper Symposium, 10 AM
“Investigation of the optimal consortia of microbial bioremediation agent for the removal of heavy metals in surface sediment from the superfund site at Newtown Creek in Brooklyn, NY”
Danielle Korecki, M.S. candidate
“Ecological and economic risk assessment of the establishment on the Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) in the American Pacific Northwest”
Erik Norderud, M.S. candidate
“Timber harvest effects on the intermittency of Headwater Streams in Western Washington”
Welles Bretherton, M.S. candidate
https://montana.webex.com/montana/j.php?MTID=m5a23f4fdab49fc591184f6166c6d3ad1

Simple, modern video meetings for everyone on the world's most popular and trusted collaboration platform.

08/25/2020

Here's a nice article written about our program, featuring recently graduated student, Jerin Borrego.

08/19/2020

Our very own Dr. Scott Powell!

Who says you need to be in a classroom to have class? Weather has been PERFECT in Bozeman for the first week of classes, and Professor Scott Powell of the LRES department has been taking advantage to get some socially-distanced teaching in.

Welcome back, Bobcats, we are so glad to see you!

07/28/2020

Here's the schedule for the online Professional MS in LRES Professional Paper Symposium, which will be held on Friday, July 31, 2020 at 10:00 am MST. Click on the link to attend this symposium and listen/participate remotely.

Iris Avila Paul Hook, instructor

THE EFFECT OF URBANIZATION ON STREAM-FLOW PATTERNS: A CASE STUDY ON BIG CREEK WATERSHED IN ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA

Heather Supplee Anthony Slominski, instructor

THE IMPACT OF RECREATIONAL HUNTING OF WHITE-TAILED DEER ON PLANT COMMUNITY COMPOSITION IN NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA

Meeting Link:

Simple, modern video meetings for everyone on the world's most popular and trusted collaboration platform.

12/02/2019

Hi everyone,

Here’s the schedule for the online master’s LRES Fall 2019 Professional Paper Symposium that will be held the first week of December. You can attend the symposium in person, in Barnard Hall room 126, or you can attend remotely by clicking on the link that is associated with the day for each symposium. There is a different link for each of the three days. All times MST.

December 3:
https://montana.webex.com/montana/j.php?MTID=m9b90644e32eea1606eb5273db17b18cf

1:30 – 2:00; Patrick McGunagle; Bob Peterson, Instructor; Hillslope Erosion Risk After Wildfire and Implications for Water Quality and Watershed Ecology


December 5:
https://montana.webex.com/montana/j.php?MTID=mbd2f4cda289a983143b2cd901f969c81

1:00 - 1:30; James Douglas; Paul Stoy, Instructor; Analyzing the ability of geosynchronous satellites to detect plant phenology transition dates as compared to near surface remote sensing: A preliminary study of GOES EAST & GOES WEST

1:30 - 2:00; Mark Schnee; Bob Peterson, Instructor; Long-Term Effects of Rotenone on the Assemblage of Aquatic Benthic Macroinvertebrates at a Local Level of Disturbance

2:00 - 2:30; Kelsey Smith; Scott Powell, Instructor; eDNA Analysis as a Survey Tool in Stock Tank Biomonitoring

December 6:
https://montana.webex.com/montana/j.php?MTID=mc51181d6e69a7a809269f367550a300b

1:00 - 1:30; Stephanie Davis; Lisa Rew, Instructor; The role of tree diversity and dominance in understory plant richness and tree sampling abundance

1:30 - 2:00; Gant Massey; Bill Kleindl, Instructor; Block P: Soil pH and Plants 14 Years after Restoration

2:00 - 2:30; Nicholas Sovner; Bill Kleindl, Instructor; Condition Assessment of Tailings Impacted Wetlands at the Carpenter-Snow Creek Mining District Superfund Site; Neihart, Montana

07/22/2019

Please join us this week for the summer term professional paper symposium:
Tuesday July 23rd, 1:00 - 2:30 MST
Barnard Hall 126, or join remotely at: https://zoom.us/j/188411121

1:00 - Jerin Borrego: Registration Analysis of Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Exempted 25(B) Minimum Risk Pesticides

1:30 - Sean Carroll: Spatial Analysis of the Recovery of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Hudson River Estuary following the 2011-2012 Hurricane Seasons

2:00 - Madelyne Willis: Prospective Technologies for in situ Measurement of Organic Matter in Polar Ices

04/22/2019

Please join us this week for the professional paper symposiums.

Session 1: Tuesday, April 23rd, 2:00 pm, Barnard Hall 126 or remotely at: http://montana.adobeconnect.com/apr232019/

“Remote sensing NDVI for wetland restoration analysis: Napa-Sonoma Marsh as case study”
Charles Byrne

“Vegetation Biodiversity following wildfire in a Sierran mixed conifer forest: A comparison between private and federal timber land management”
Caitlin Dalby

“Impacts to water quality and physical parameters of the Barnegat bay post Hurricane Sandy (October 29, 2012)”
Taylor Rodenberg

“The impact of elevation on biodiversity in mountain ecosystems”
Dawn Morford-Graziano

Session 2: Wednesday, April 24th, 2:00 pm, Barnard Hall 126 or remotely at: http://montana.adobeconnect.com/apr242019/

“Field assessment of tritrophic responses to plant signaling for formulations sprayed in wheat stem sawfly infested plots”
Christopher Caron

“Evaluating growth-defense trade-offs in Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosaI) in response to simulated bark beetle attack”
Jessica Hull

“Assessment of road construction impacts on water quality parameters and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) population numbers in three Montana water bodies”
Hannah Thatcher

“Native desert shrub dynamics at restoration plots in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California”
Landon Peppel