This report details the foundational development of a unified splatting ecosystem designed to enhance spatial mapping and 3D reconstruction accuracy for autonomous aerial systems. The primary objective was to bridge the gap between academic neural rendering algorithms and practical autonomous operations by building a decentralized, verifiable infrastructure. Methods included deploying containerized GPU workloads via the Akash network, integrating Solana-based on-chain data provenance, and shifting focus toward a photo/video-centric backend validation layer to ensure data sovereignty. Results indicate that the 3D rendering pipeline and core microservices architecture are functional in isolation, with the distributed network components successfully wired for future end-to-end testing. The project purposefully pivoted from immediate full-scale aerial deployment and 3D/4D model reconstruction to solidifying the hardware validation and provenance infrastructure, creating a sturdy foundation for user-facing applications. Future work will focus on integrating these validated backend processes into real-time image-to-3D/4D reconstruction pipelines.

Keywords: Convex Splatting, decentralized compute, data provenance, autonomous systems, spatial mapping

Advances in genomics now allow us to obtain multiple completed genomes for a given species. A major outstanding knowledge gap in population genomics currently is whether a ‘local’ reference genome is important to use. The use of a reference genome from a distant population may lead to bias in estimated population genomic parameters, something referred to as ‘reference bias’.

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) exist in a native range that extends from the upper reaches of eastern Canada to northern Georgia. Due to this range extent, it has been found that some genetic differentiation exists between the northern and southern extents of the range (Kazyak et al. 2021). The current reference genome used when mapping brook trout is built using individuals from the northern extent of their range. As a result, when mapping individuals from the southern extent, we hypothesized that there may be bias in the mapping of the reads, resulting in differences in metrics such as heterozygosity, and nucleotide diversity.

Thirty-two individuals from Virginia were mapped to the reference genome built based on Canadian brook trout. They were then subsequently mapped to a reference genome built from the same population in Virginia. Using VCFtools and downstream analyses in R, we tested for detectable reference bias between the two reference assemblies. This work will serve to help researchers better understand the effects of the reference genomes they choose and how they may affect conclusions that are drawn using genomic data.

Previous research has established that climate change poses a serious threat to physical and mental health. Increases in climate change-related mental health concerns, including traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression, highlight the need for climate-aware approaches to mental healthcare. Many mental healthcare providers already report encountering clients with climate-related concerns, but few feel adequately prepared to support these clients. Additionally, providers have expressed the need for further information, training, treatment, and assessment options to assist individuals with climate-related mental health concerns. The present study aims to investigate existing therapeutic strategies used to address climate-related concerns in clinical settings. Data collection from a sample of mental healthcare professionals in the Western United States and Canada began in early February 2026. Using thematic analysis, we will examine responses to open-ended questions related to providers’ approaches to addressing climate concerns in therapy. The qualitative research presented from this study will provide insight into current strategies used by mental healthcare professionals. The dissemination of these data could be imperative for individuals pursuing careers in the mental healthcare workforce amidst a changing climate. These findings may be particularly useful given the rising demand for climate change-related mental healthcare and limited guidance on climate-specific interventions.

This project produced a guidebook focused on providing instructions on proper technique for laboratory analysis, collections management, and cataloging practices pertaining to American military medals and fraternal insignia. While fraternal phaleristics is relatively unstudied, military medals and awards have been extensively studied and are fairly common in museum collections. Both are important sources of historical information and thus should be treated with respect and handled with care. Fraternal and military insignia indicate membership or achievement within a social group and hold different meanings for different members of the public. Their conditions vary depending on various environmental factors including humidity, temperature, and exposure to noxious gases. Many of these insignia are of mixed-material composition– typically metal medallions with textile ribbons– which presents a unique challenge to the analyst, as different environments are best for different materials. Proper storage and housing for these objects can help alleviate the deterioration inevitable in all material culture. Keeping good records on museum objects can help professional conservators and collections managers monitor the condition of these objects through high-quality and informative photographs, illustrations, measurements, and descriptions.  This information was compiled through a combination of research, personal experience, and consultation of conservation resources and experts. The final guide should assist any museum worker or volunteer with basic familiarity with the museum field in the best ways to identify and care for unknown insignia of both types.

High elevation environments are characterized by a harsh climate, including a short growing season, wind and storms, and cold temperatures. Thus, higher elevation habitats often show lower insect abundance and diversity, and so insect pollination to alpine plants might be limited. Additionally, insect pollination should increase with increased floral abundance, but environmental stress may limit available floral resources for pollinators. In summer of 2025, we collected and processed a series of video recordings of pollinator visits to three alpine plant species, Phlox condensata, Minuartia obtusiloba, and Silene acaulis, across five field sites at the Niwot Ridge LTER, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The sites vary in exposure, snowmelt timing, and temperature. We investigated how pollination rates vary across species, sites, time of summer, and number of blooms. Our initial data suggest that pollination may vary between species, with more visits to Silene and Phlox than to later-flowering Minuartia. Our data also shows lower visitation rates in the early season compared with later season, and peak visitation aligns with when each focal species is in peak bloom. However, we saw relatively low pollination rates across the board. This could be due to either limited pollination or our methods. Future work should explore a variety of pollinator observation techniques (e.g., timed person surveys). Understanding the importance of pollination by insects can help us predict how changes in pollinator numbers and activity could impact alpine cushion plant populations.

Social work is not generally seen as a research-based field, yet social workers rely on evidence-based practices to address clients’ needs (Council on Social Work Education [CSWE], 2022; National Association of Social Workers [NASW], 2021). Research has shown that social work students often avoid research due to disinterest or anxiety (Gredig et al., 2022). Professors typically favor master’s-level students, providing few hands-on research opportunities for undergraduates (Inoue et al., 2017; Sidell, 2007). This creates a gap in understanding undergraduate experiences.

This qualitative study explores the experiences of 5 undergraduate research assistants in the social work department at The University of Montana, focusing on factors that motivated them to engage in research and how their expectations aligned with the realities of the role. Participants engaged in a single focus group lasting 49 minutes, and I participated as both researcher and peer. During the session, they discussed their initial interest in research, shared mentors who shaped their engagement, reflected on research class experiences, offered critiques, and described the tasks they perform as research assistants.

The deidentified focus group transcript is currently being analyzed for themes using thematic coding. Emerging themes highlight tensions in participants’ experiences of “access to research opportunities” and their “perception of research class structure,” pointing to possible challenges in undergraduate research participation. These emerging themes suggest that both access to research and course structure influence student engagement in research. Implications for social work education include the need for intentional mentorship and structural support to foster research participation.

Science Fiction (SF) offers its readers a means of confronting climate anxiety by transforming the creeping, yet daunting threat of climate change and natural disasters into an unfortunate but manageable reality. Drawing on trauma theory, this paper examines how SF engages with Anticipatory Trauma Reaction (ATR) and works to mitigate it. Theorized by Tanya Hopwood, ATR is a pre-trauma response characterized by stress and anxiety over potential catastrophe. It is especially relevant in an environmental context, as individuals grapple with the potential irreversibility of climate change and its detrimental effects on society. SF provides the necessary tools to immerse its readers in a world shaped by ecological collapse and to help them confront it. In this paper, I will analyze Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven as a case study to argue how SF can mediate the anxieties of climate-induced ATR and how collective memory and history allow characters and the audience to confront trauma and pre-trauma. Drawing on Cathy Caruth's trauma theory and Tanya Hopwood’s studies on ATR, I will contextualize how The Lathe of Heaven functions as a therapeutic tool, despite not being labeled as “climate fiction”. By exploring both individual and collective experience with trauma and memory, SF becomes a  space for its audience to embrace the anticipation and redirect their anxiety. The abstract threats of large-scale destruction become more realistic and tangible threats, allowing for empowerment and control. SF is an avenue for future exploration, and irreversibility becomes a slight possibility, rather than a guarantee.

Kyrgyzstan was once hailed as Central Asia’s Island of Democracy, as one of the realms in which hope for a democratic post-Soviet world seemed brightest. Today Kyrgyzstan is near-forgotten, with next to no western media attention, significantly less economic support, and rampant internal problems. Kyrgyzstan today suffers from corruption, disastrous minority relations, and a generally high level of poverty. The focus of this paper is to examine how minority relations, primarily Uzbek-Kyrgyz, have deteriorated in Kyrgyzstan, and what can and should be done, politically, socially, and economically to help ease the tension in Kyrgyzstan. The primary points of focus for the historical deterioration of minority relations are Soviet policy, economic conditions, foreign relations, and some added historical context.

The infamous four-color problem (4CP) dates back to 1852 and asks whether four colors suffice to color a map so that countries sharing a border receive distinct colors. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the problem's resolution. The 4CP inspired a bountiful collection of mathematics in the subject now known as "graph theory." A graph models any sort of network such as the Internet, transportation systems, and the neural networks that underpin modern AI. Graphs consist of two components: "vertices" and "edges." We visualize the vertices as dots on a page and the edges as lines connecting pairs of dots. Analogous to the 4CP, coloring the vertices of a graph means to assign each vertex a color so that any two vertices sharing an edge receive distinct colors. Given enough colors, it might be possible to color a graph in numerous ways. In honor of the 4CP, this project seeks to count those ways, taking into account the underlying symmetries. For example, consider a beaded necklace where the beads are vertices and adjacent beads correspond to edges. With colored beads, that necklace may look the same after a rotation or a flip. We want to count the number of distinguishable necklaces. Somewhat surprisingly, a tool from algebra plays a crucial role in determining the desired count.

Within the last three years, Missoula, Montana, has developed a culture of pervasive, systemic, and negative actions against people experiencing houselessness. The transition from funding multi-tiered approaches, including encampments, shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing, has been replaced by decreased resource-availability and an over-funded policy enforcing fines, misdemeanors, and arrests on anyone unsheltered and experiencing houselessness. At the root of this public sentiment is stigma, which manifests itself at all levels of the socio-ecological system and negatively impacts the health, housing, employment, social, mental, and physical outcomes of people experiencing houselessness. To combat stigma, Meet Your Neighbor is a program that seeks to foster online and in-person education, storytelling, and relationship-building engagement with community members and people experiencing houselessness. Through a combination of consistent, cohesive, and engaging online strategies, along with in-person events and activities that bring together both housed and unhoused neighbors, this program expects to see an increase in the participation of nonprofit organizations serving people experiencing houselessness as a measure of stigma reduction. The socio-ecological model, intervention mapping, theory of reasoned action, intergroup contact hypothesis, peer-reviewed studies, similar non-profit strategies, and news articles have guided this program proposal’s creation and perspective. The program’s development of increased online and in-person positive interactions is anticipated to result in systemic reductions of stigma, contributing to better overall outcomes for people experiencing houselessness.

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are rapidly expanding their range towards South America, potentially threatening the world’s highest canid diversity. A better understanding of their interactions with native species is needed to anticipate impacts. In Costa Rica, native gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) likely occupy a similar niche to the coyote newcomer, yet little data exists on their interactions in tropical ecosystems. We hypothesized the two segregate temporally, given preliminary data suggesting high spatial overlap. Camera-trap analysis revealed moderate temporal overlap (Δ4 = 0.57). Detection frequencies varied significantly across diel periods (Chi-square: p < 0.001); foxes were primarily nocturnal, while coyotes were more diurnal and crepuscular than expected. Permutation analysis (10,000 iterations) revealed significant temporal segregation in site use across three temporal scales reflecting scent persistence: untruncated, 14-days, and 7-days. At the untruncated scale, observed medians for time-to-encounter were longer than chance for coyote-then-fox (observed: 27.4 days; expected: 16.8 days) and fox-then-coyote (observed: 26.0 days; expected: 12.0 days), though given the large delays at this scale, results may reflect factors beyond avoidance. The effect was strongest at the 7-day scale for coyote-then-fox (observed: 3.78 days; expected: 1.38 days) and fox-then-coyote (observed: 3.15 days; expected: 1.08 days), suggesting mutual avoidance of recently visited sites. While activity patterns moderately overlap, the two species may maintain coexistence through mutual avoidance and diel segregation. Behavioral adjustments imposed on gray foxes may represent a stress cost that foreshadows disruption to native canid communities as coyotes advance toward South America.

Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale features a curiously specific bear among the pastoral romantic comedy, a bear that chases a character off stage and ends up eating him and another character. This bear’s symbolism and significance to the narrative will be the focus of this essay. This event occurs in the simple stage direction “Exit, pursued by bear” to close out the third act and court setting of the play. A description of the murders come from a character introduced from the pastoral latter half of the narrative, with the bear acting as the hinge between the two. The bear also follows the trend in Shakespeare’s later romantic plays of tying feminine power and agency to mystical and spiritual forces, connected by ancient observations of bear mothers seemingly licking their cubs into form. Through the influence of ancient myth and classic literature, it also indicates as well as act out a powerful and sudden breakaway from the standards of storytelling. This breakaway expands upon deeper environmentalist bearings at stake in the play. I then connect these links and concerns of the bear symbolism to the modern media of the 2023 film “Cocaine Bear” and William Kotzwinkles’s novel The Bear Went Over the Mountain, where the title animals being bears is crucial to how they create sudden, unexpected ripples in the plot and writing.

In this presentation, I consider some benefits and issues of the use of narrative texts for linguistic research. The discussion is framed by the analysis of the Séliš-Ql̓ispé suffix -m based on narratives transcribed by Hans Vogt in 1937. The stories were recounted by One-Eyed Tom and translated into English for Vogt by Joe Abrahamson. The data in this presentation is taken from Camp 2007 and Ward 2008, two interlinearizations (morpheme by morpheme analyses) of several of the Vogt texts. The analysis of -m provides an opportunity to demonstrate the usefulness of narratives in linguistic work, as Camp (2007) and Ward (2008)’s description of the suffix’ function sometimes differ. I argue, based on an analysis of dialogue in one of the narrative texts, that -m is unilaterally a passive suffix. Furthermore, in this presentation, I explore how to treat translations in the use of narrative texts. Translations in the metalanguage may express a linguistic structure different to that of the target language so that the translations sound “natural” in the target language. However, basing one’s analysis off of the translation may impact the interpretation of the target language’s grammar. This becomes relevant in the analysis of the -m suffix in Séliš-Ql̓ispé, as the structure of English grammar in the translations appears to support the description of -m as an antipassive suffix, even as the Séliš-Ql̓ispé sentences demonstrate that it functions as a passive suffix. The analysis proposed in this presentation shows how narrative texts are an excellent opportunity for linguistic research, and may nonetheless present issues in their use that should be recognized and examined.

Gas exchange velocity (K) was measured on the Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR) across three seasonal flow regimes to constrain estimates of K used in a dissolved radon groundwater flux model. Dissolved oxygen sensors were deployed at two stations 75 km apart during June (peak runoff), July (irrigation-induced low flow), and October (natural baseflow) for periods of 3-10 days. Gas exchange velocity normalized to a Schmidt number of 600 (K600) was calculated using a two-station Bayesian model, a one-station Bayesian model, nighttime regressions of dissolved O₂ and O₂ saturation deficit, and energy dissipation scaling relationships. Bayesian models failed to produce physically meaningful parameter estimates due to parameter equifinality between K600 and ecosystem respiration. Nighttime regressions yielded an average K600 of 10.1 ± 5.0 m d^-1 during peak flow, 9.5 ± 1.1 m d^-1 during irrigation induced low flow, and 8.7  ± 0.7 m d^-1 during natural baseflow with differences of up to 5.5 m d^-1  between the upper and lower stations. Nighttime regression k600 values fell within the expected range based on established energy dissipation scaling relationships, and significant differences between upstream and downstream stations indicate that gas exchange varies spatially across the 75 km reach. These findings provide seasonal k600 constraints for radon-based groundwater flux modeling on the Upper Clark Fork River and demonstrate that a single reach-averaged value would inadequately represent the spatial variability in gas exchange across this system.

Invection is the title of a prototype game I’ve been building within the Unity game engine to explore the implementation of visual effects (VFX). In this presentation I will discuss how I’ve developed Invection and the challenges I’ve learned from when creating a cohesive visual style for the game. Invection uses several outside software, such as Blender and Touchdesigner, and built-in rendering frameworks within the Unity Technologies engine to develop lighting and environmental effects. These effects are linked to the aesthetic quality of the game, and use worldbuilding to communicate to the player a sense of danger and unease. Compared to passive visuals, Invection gives the player the ability to explore and experience the game world. This prototype offers interactive visuals that complement gameplay, centered around the main loop of defeating a boss. This “boss” is the center of these implementations. Its attacks are created through the various systems mentioned before, accented by the implementation of a custom-built arena and lighting to convey that mood.

Creating these effects is challenging because VFX is a multidisciplinary field fragmented across tools and workflows. It's intimidating to work with since it relies on understanding the interactions between numerous different programs working in tandem. This requires technical knowledge to create, and artistic knowledge to deliver correctly. Through this, Invection is about building a cohesive visual style by experimenting with these interactions. It’s a real-time graphics workflow, demonstrating how to translate technical processes into an interactive environment for the player.

My UMCUR project will be a research paper that coincides with the capstone class for my political science major (PSCI 400 & PSCI 521). The subject of my research paper will concern itself with how and why the United States shifted from economic policy centered around free trade to one that features a renewed interest in economic nationalism and state intervention in the economy. Over the course of my study I intend to delve into academic articles and a few books that describe the results of some four decades of neoliberal policy in the United States, and how and why domestic political factors as well as global trends began the transition to economic nationalism, starting in the first term of Donald Trump. The examination of Joseph Biden’s administration will focus on why the US tariffs on China were not removed, and how the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the shift away from free market policies when it exposed global supplyline fragility. The Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act will also be examined. The discourse in my paper will also include other specific, important events or points that I uncover in my presently unfolding research. By the time of this project’s conclusion, I hope to be able to answer such questions as what caused the shift in US economic policy, and whether or not it is here to stay.

Despite wildfire's increased prevalence in the state of Montana, parts of the wildfire story in the West are rarely reported. As students in the School of Journalism's Magazine Production and Design class, we reviewed those underreported topic areas, covering behind-the-scenes support of dispatchers, forest recovery, ever-changing management practices, preventative measures, long-term ecological effects and positive impacts of fire. Over the course of the semester, students pitched, researched, reported, fact-checked, designed and copy-edited to produce Byline Magazine-The Wildfire Issue. Despite obstacles, such as a government shutdown, the class gave students the opportunity to produce an in-depth magazine and gain real-world experience in both reporting and writing long-form pieces and graphic design elements seen on each page. The magazine, distributed around Montana and the nation, serves the general public by uncovering and presenting wildfire stories and perspectives that are often overlooked or left untold in mainstream coverage.

Head Contact Patterns Among Youth and High School Ice Hockey Athletes
Naugle, H., Jefferson, S., & Moody, VJ: University of Montana

The prevalence of head contact among youth and high school ice hockey athletes continues to be a concern. While significant attention has been given to the identification of concussions, less research has examined the frequency and characteristics of head contact during normal gameplay. The purpose of this study was to examine where, when, and how head contact occurs in Bantam (14U), junior varsity, and varsity-level athletes to identify potential patterns associated with gameplay.

To address this question, we observed 731 athlete exposures across multiple practices and games. Each head contact event was categorized based on rink location, timing, mechanism of contact, player activity, player position, and location on the head.

We identified 137 head contact events, with approximately 19% of athlete exposures resulting in head contact. High-traffic areas were most frequently associated with head contact, particularly Zone 1 (corner/behind the net) and Zone 5 (front of the net). The most common mechanism was contact with the boards or glass. The majority of incidents occurred while players were defending the puck, and impacts were most often directed toward the front of the head.

Understanding patterns of head contact in adolescent ice hockey may help reduce injury risk through improved education and the development of safer protocols for players, coaches, and youth sports organizations.

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), colloquially known as "forever chemicals," represent one of the most significant environmental and public health crises of the modern era. Engineered for extreme durability, these substances now contaminate the soil, water, and blood of approximately 95% of the United States population. This paper examines the evolution of PFAS litigation and evaluates the efficacy of toxic torts as a mechanism for corporate accountability. By analyzing the landmark trajectory from Wilbur Tennant’s initial 1999 claim to the current multidistrict litigation (MDL) involving over 15,000 pending cases, this research explores the tension between two competing theories of justice: the administrative-regulatory model and the private tort system.

The analysis acknowledges the substantial hurdles inherent in toxic torts, including the rigorous "double burden" of general and specific causation, the gatekeeping standards for scientific evidence under Daubert, and the restrictive nature of statutes of limitations. However, this paper argues that tort litigation remains the only viable solution for comprehensive solvency. Unlike regulatory frameworks, which are often reactive and susceptible to industry capture, the tort system uniquely addresses "information asymmetry" through the discovery process, forces the internalization of environmental externalities, and provides direct restorative justice to victims. Drawing on historical precedents such as asbestos and tobacco litigation, this project concludes that the judicial branch acts as the primary engine for systemic reform, transforming PFAS from a profitable industrial staple into a permanent corporate liability.

Their coos echo off the walls of skyscrapers and their wings beat faster than the cadence of footsteps. Whether dodging cars or pecking at food scraps, pigeons are a constant character of urban environments. Their unique history has allowed them to raise their young under bridges and on windowsills. Pigeons and humans are inextricably intertwined, to the joy and dismay of many. Once celebrated as couriers, pigeons carried messages of war, love, and survival across vast distances, shaping human connection and history. Today, they are more often dismissed as pests, their presence flattened into the city noise.

This narrative piece explores the historical relationship between pigeons and humans with emphasis on the use of pigeons in U.S. war time communications and how shifting public perceptions have gradually soured a once positive relationship. Accompanying this timeline are personal accounts of the attempts to build a training relationship with Jupiter, a domesticated pigeon. While reflecting on shared history and working through the feats and frustrations of animal training, the piece invites readers to reconsider assumptions about urban wildlife and to imagine more compassionate, attentive modes of coexistence with the gray doves who share our sidewalks.

This Honors Capstone Project explores the role of mentoring in education. It focuses on how mentorship affects 5th-grade students’ sense of self, sense of accomplishment, and long-term independence. The 5th grade students are part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Missoula International School (MIS). In the spring, they complete a project called “Exhibition,” which sums up the Primary Years Programme (PYP). The purpose of this project is to explore how structured mentorship supports students’ confidence, engagement with the material, and ownership of their project. The project examines how mentoring contributes to academic success and social-emotional development.

Throughout this project, I will directly mentor a group of 5th-grade students while also supporting the classroom during Exhibition work time. Individual meetings with the small group will focus on goal setting, understanding where students are in their project development, and helping them find ways to overcome obstacles they encounter. Social-emotional surveys administered before and after the project will provide qualitative and quantitative data, along with ongoing observations.

Early observations suggest that mentorship may increase student independence and encourage students to challenge themselves academically. This project aims to provide insight into how effective mentoring in elementary schools may support positive outcomes and overall academic success for students.