This collection includes 302 University of Montana graduate student portfolios, papers, and capstone projects, which some departments utilize as an alternative to the traditional thesis option. Use the following links to search discipline-specific portfolios:
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ADAPTING SUSTENANCE: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE PRESERVE TRADITIONAL FOOD SOURCES
Mary Katherine Auld
Traditional foodways of Indigenous people around the world are being changed by human-caused climate change, environmental policy, and land management. For Indigenous people in interior Alaska and Montana, culture and survival are tied tightly to hunted and gathered food. The average American gets their food ... Read More
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A Midwest Migration with Endangered Whooping Cranes
Katherine Anne Hill
In 1941, the world’s last migratory flock of whooping cranes was just 15 birds strong. Today, that flock has grown to over 500 birds and is increasing exponentially every year. But even as the flock continues to recover, their migratory corridor continues to shrink, due ... Read More
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Utilizing Suicide Death Certificates to Evaluate Suicide Prevention Programs: A Descriptive and Ecological Study
Nathan A. Munn
Objective: Suicide rates continue to increase despite various suicide prevention efforts. This study’s objective is to examine suicides in the State of Montana to ascertain suicide decedents’ demographics and the effectiveness of interventions to guide future prevention programs.
Method: Data from 1,665 suicide decedents’ death ... Read More
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THE WILD THAT REMAINS: A ONCE IN A GENERATION FOREST PLAN REIGNITES THE WILDERNESS DEBATE IN MONTANA’S GALLATIN RANGE
Anthony Stephen Pavkovich
The movement to preserve Montana’s Gallatin Mountains, which stretch north from Yellowstone National Park, has been ongoing since the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964. Largely undeveloped, the range’s sinuous, rocky crest, fertile meadows and thick lodgepole forests are vital to one of the ... Read More
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The Intersection of Past and Present
Hannah Welzbacker
Science often faces a crossroad between the past and present. Ever changing technology allows us to make new discoveries while at the same time, elements from past cultures need preserving. The three stories in this portfolio all highlight the intersection of past and present and ... Read More
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Managed: Examining the Relationship Between Montana's State Government and Its Natural Resources
Peter Dempsey Zimmerman
The three stories in this portfolio examine the relationship between Montana's government and its natural resources. Chapter one is a narrative outlining the stories, my reporting and publication. Chapter two: New Governor Greg Gianforte makes his picks for the heads of state environmental regulatory agencies, ... Read More
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Development and Demand: Businesses and Organizations Through the Lens of Community Economic Development
Olivia S. Alexander-Leeder
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Snapshot into the Prevalence of Youth Vaping and Tobacco Use
Austin Bankston
To best prepare for the future of healthcare, it is important to understand and predict youth health trends. This data set specifically targets the demographics of youth using tobacco and vaping. Outcomes of thisdata set will assist in targeting and creating marketing for prevention of ... Read More
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Stock Price Risk Analysis and Forecast
Alistair Bernhard
Many Americans do not own a stock or have not even thought about creating a financial portfolio. This manual will guide a user to better understand the stock market, how to reduce the risk of their portfolio, and forecast closing stock prices a couple days into the future.
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Equitable Hiring Policy in Higher Education at the University of Montana
Victoria McKinley Bigelow and Kinsey Anderson
Higher Education; University of Montana; Equity; Hiring; University; College; Montana; Missoula; Public Administration; Organization; Missoula; Diversity; Women; Policy
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Introductory Calculus: Through the Lenses of Covariation and Approximation
Caleb Huber
Over the course of a year, I investigated reformative approaches to the teaching of calculus. My research revealed the substantial findings of two educators, Michael Oehrtman and Pat Thompson, and inspired me to design a course based upon two key ideas, covariation and approximation metaphors. ... Read More
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MSW Portfolio
Sean Patrick Kavanaugh
My written explanation for how my life, work, and MSW experience has led me to be a well rounded social worker through the 13 NASW core competencies.
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Mountains to the Sea: How Climate Change Influences People, Cultures and Communities
Stephanie L. Maltarich
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Ghost Forests: The Decline of the Whitebark Pine
Breanna (Roy) McCabe
Whitebark pine habitat in the high elevation is rapidly becoming "ghost forests." As outbreaks from white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle target the tree at increasing rates, forest managers and scientists are using genetics to try to save the tree.
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Social Media Engagement for 2020 Presidential Candidates
Jordan McNea
Supporters of the various candidates for president use social media in wildly different ways. This project aims to create data pipelines to capture months of Reddit comments and Twitter mentions of the candidates, analyze the data using various Natural Language Processing techniques, and visualize the ... Read More
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A New Angle on Analytics
Aspen Runkel
The growing popularity of podcasts has given Justin Angle, Associate Professor of Marketing and host of A New Angle podcast the opportunity to share conversations with cool people doing awesome things. This project strives to analyze the podcast’s historical data from its humble beginnings in ... Read More
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Scraping for Jobs: An Exploration in Data Engineering & Dashboarding
Michael Schwartz
Whether a first-time job seeker or someone looking to re-skill and change careers, the goal of this project is to scrape job listings in the data (science, engineering, analytics) space to better understand the skills and technological proficiencies that companies are looking for in ideal ... Read More
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The Yellowstone River, How Much?
Ross Stokes
Various time series analysis techniques were used to predict the flows at the Yellowstone River during Spring runoff. These predictions were calculated using Snotel and weather data. It is important for river guides and fishing guides to have a good idea of what the flows ... Read More
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Exploring peak shaving for the University of Montana’s energy demand
Sarah Thompson
This project seeks to identify time intervals where The University of Montana’s energy demand is larger than 5500kW by collecting, cleaning, and displaying power data in near real-time. By providing UM Facilities with visibility into the university’s current power usage, they can utilize the tools ... Read More
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Analysis of Recidivism for Montana Department of Corrections
Taylor Toepke
Montana Correctional Enterprises, a division of DOC, provides vocational training to current inmates in the Montana prison system. This project aims to analyze the inmates that make their way through the system to better understand the success of MCE, recidivism, and the factors that contribute ... Read More
