Infrastructure via Science- and Technology-Enhanced Partnerships (INSTEP)

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The Montana EPSCoR research infrastructure improvement project focuses on two research areas: Hydrogen and the Environment (HE) and Large River Ecosystems (LRE) that are each regionally relevant, nationally significant, and capitalize on the unique resources of Montana. The HE program, led by Montana State University (MSU), builds on existing HE studies and integrates research efforts across participating institutions. The scientific goals and questions of the program are: (1) to discover and understand the biological diversity of metal transformations and metal mediated catalysis, with a focus on hydrogen, using bioprospecting, genomics, and proteomics approaches; (2) researching mechanisms of metal transformations and metalloenzyme-mediated catalysis with a focus on hydrogen, using biochemical and physical methods and theoretical modeling; and (3) integration and implementation of process engineering and bio-inspired materials synthesis for hydrogen production and coupling to developing fuel-cell technologies. The Yellowstone National Park and the Berkeley Pit (Butte, MT) superfund environments provide unique laboratories for the study of how biological systems have evolved metal transport and transformation systems to thrive in high metal and gaseous (including hydrogen) environments. The selection of the HE emphasis aligns with national interest in developing alternative fuels sources and positions Montana for informing dialogue on a hydrogen fuel economy. The project coordinates statewide efforts in basic science, biochemical and chemical mechanistic understanding, and applied science. The next generation of researchers is promoted through new faculty hires and investments in graduate and undergraduate students. The newly developing Large River Ecosystems (LRE) effort, led by the University of Montana (UM), focuses on processes driving ecological systems of a free-flowing river (the Yellowstone) and the impacted Missouri and Columbia Rivers. Questions to be addressed relate to physical processes that control timing and quantity of snow melt runoff under changing climatic conditions; effects of nutrient sources and sinks on watershed dynamics; and differences between natural drivers of change in river systems vis-a-vis man-caused changes. These factors are important to watershed management efforts in the Northwest United States. The LRE program would also develop a new graduate program. The project presents a strong plan for integrating research and education. The LRE component incorporates notable research and education partnerships with Montana's Tribal Colleges that show promise for increasing Native American participation in study and research in scientific fields. The Science Learning Complex, which hosts lecture series and a public radio show, as well as other outreach efforts assure effective dissemination of EPSCoR research findings across the state. Partnerships with Immersion Presents and the Science and Natural History Filmmaking Program bring HE and LRE research and education products to a national audience. Immersion Presents, for example, is creating curricula and supplementary materials to increase understanding of extreme environments such as the thermal vents of Yellowstone Park. The National Science Teachers' Association, through SciLinks, provides linkages for educational web sites developed by Montana EPSCoR to some of the nation's most commonly used science and mathematics textbooks. Finally, the Montana Indians and Science Program is touring hands-on science exhibitions to tribal colleges and reservations throughout the State; a special focus calls attention to contributions of native peoples to science and technology in fields such as medicine, ecology, and preservation of Montana's rivers and other natural resources.