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Lost & Found
No full textLost & Found is a coming-of-age memoir centered around the first-person narrator Amber’s relationship with her dog Buddy. Months after six-year-old Amber and her family go through the loss of her maternal grandmother her parents surprise Amber and her two younger siblings by gifting them a puppy on Christmas Day. Amber struggles through her faltering belief in religion being raised Catholic, and witnessing cracks form in the foundation she once considered solid. She encounters the joys and pains of growing up as Buddy offers all the unwavering love and support he can muster as an eight-pound miniature poodle mix. He is an intelligent dog who never loses his spark even as he ages. Buddy bullies her for treats and diligently keeps guard while she naps. Amber gets confirmed in the Catholic church, cementing her uncertainty of the faith she was raised with. After fourteen years together, Buddy passes away in Amber’s arms a few short months after she moves away from home to go to college. This brings the realization that Buddy was her protector more than she ever was his. Dreams of Buddy bring Amber solace as she works to finish getting her degree with him no longer by her side. Life can be difficult, scary, fun, and confusing, but Buddy creates a sense of emotional stability that no human or religion offers. His life is so closely intertwined with Amber’s that through her relationship with him, she can examine her relationship with herself
Effects of Ethical Teaching in Conjunction with Mindfulness Meditation Training (MSBR)
No full textThis study explores the integration of ethical teaching within Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs to address both practical outcomes and ethical concerns related to the adaptation of cultural practices. While MBSR has been widely adopted for stress reduction and mental health improvement, the current body of literature reveals persistent methodological challenges, including inconsistent definitions, a notable lack of longitudinal studies, and ethical concerns regarding cultural appropriation. This proposal examines three approaches: maintaining the integrity of traditional Buddhist ethical values, implementing secular ethical values, and excluding ethics training from MBSR instruction. To contribute to this growing body of research a four-year, longitudinal randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 600 university students is proposed. Participants will be divided into four groups: MBSR with Buddhist ethics (BE), MBSR with secular ethics (SE), MBSR without ethics (NE), and a waitlist control group (WL). The study will measure outcomes related to subjective well-being, ethical decision-making, and stress reduction using validated instruments. A pre-registered hypothesis states that participants in the MBSR groups with ethics components (BE and SE) will experience statistically significant positive outcomes in well-being and ethical decision-making than those in the MBSR-only group (NE) or the waitlist control group (WL). The research aims to provide empirical evidence on the differential effects of ethical frameworks in meditation practice while maintaining cultural sensitivity and methodological rigor. By addressing significant gaps in current research, this study has the potential to inform future adaptations of meditation programs in diverse contexts, balancing secularization with respect for traditional practices
Department of Mathematical Sciences Newsletter, Spring 2025
Full text linkAt the Intersection Between Choreography & Calculations / Dominic Beccari -- Christian López Mercado: From Meteorology to Math / Fred Peck -- Robert McKelvey 1929-2025: In Memoriam -- Notes from the Chair / John Bardsley -- UM Math Day Returns / Matt Roscoe -- Richard Lane 1941-2025 -- The Mathematics Enthusiast’s Worldwide Readership in 2024 -- An Unusual Visitor to the Math Department -- Donations to the Math Department -- Degree Recipients 2024-2025 -- Spring 2025 Scholarships & Awards -- Servus from Austria! / Mary Catlet
Plasma and Magnetic Coil Optimization
Full text linkLachlan Dean Coil Optimization for a High-Beta Stellarator-Tokamak Hybrid Magnetic coil configurations are developed for a tokamak-stellarator hybrid that is stable to both pressure- and current-driven modes for high values of beta. Previous work on this configuration [A. S. Ware, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett, 89, 125003 (2002)] was carried out using a fixed-boundary equilibrium (i.e., with no set of external coils) and prior attempts to develop an initial coil set using the COILOPT code were not successful. In this work, the recently developed SIMSOPT code [M. Landreman, et. al., J. Open Source Software 6, 3525 (2021)] is used to optimize coils for this configuration. Since this is a hybrid device, the goal is to develop a modular coil set that is simpler than modular coils for stellarator such as W7-X and NCSX. Further optimization including targeting quasi-symmetry will be discussed. Will Austin Variation of the Number of Field Periods for Symmetric Stellarators Research is presented analyzing the optimization of certain properties of nuclear fusion stellarator reactors using computer simulations conducted with the Perlmutter (NERSC-9) supercomputer located at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center. These optimizations focus on the symmetric geometry of stellarators to produce more quasisymmetry. Better quasisymmetry in a stellarator means the strength of a magnetic field is more uniform about the reactor. It has been hypothesized that a quasisymmetric stellarator is better capable of containing the hot plasma which allows the reactor to produce energy. To accomplish optimization, computer code was constructed utilizing SIMSOPT, an open-sourced Python-based framework specializing in stellarator optimization. These codes were run on preexisting cases of stellarator design created by Matt Landreman and Elizabeth Paul, varying the geometry and number of field periods to optimize quasisymmetry. The goal of this project was to optimize the separate variations of the stellarator\u27s field periods enough so their quasisymmetry is on par with the original four field period case given by Landreman-Paul. This research is important as much of quasisymmetry optimization is still unknown. By better understanding how the geometry and properties of the magnetic field affect plasma containment, those testing nuclear fusion reactors have access to better data to implement better designs. This research helps contribute to the global push for fusion power which, if successful, will revolutionize energy technology
Describing and Understanding the Use of Coaches for Eating Disorder Recovery: A Mixed Methods Study
Full text linkIndividuals with eating disorders (EDs) experience high rates of relapse and delays in accessing treatment. Considering these factors, individuals with EDs may seek out non-traditional support, such as coaching services (e.g., an unlicensed individual providing support). However, there is currently no research on individuals with EDs’ experiences with using coaching services for ED recovery. The current study aimed to a) describe who is utilizing coaching support, b) describe coaching services received, c) evaluate the motivations for seeking coach support, and d) evaluate the perceived impact of coach support on an individual’s ED recovery. Participants included 86 adults with a self-reported current or past ED who had used or were currently using a coach for ED recovery. Participants completed online informed consent and then completed a survey that included demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment history, coaching service experiences, motivations for seeking a coach, and the impact of coaching services on ED recovery. Mean, standard deviation, and range were reported for all continuous or discrete variables and frequency and percentage were reported for all categorical variables. Inductive thematic analysis was used for all qualitative questions. The data was coded by two coders and was then sorted into overarching themes related to each aim. Participants were primarily White, not Hispanic, and cisgender women with a mean age of 30.93 years old. Most of the sample reported their ED diagnosis as anorexia nervosa. ED recovery coaches and nutrition coaches were the most common types of coaches used. The average lifetime amount spent on coaching services was $11,571.12. When exploring motivations for seeking coaching services in general, analyses of the qualitative responses revealed Needs Unmet by Formal Treatment, Outside Influence, and Addressing Barriers to Treatment as the three primary themes. Finally, the qualitative responses about the impact of coaching services on ED recovery revealed three primary themes, including Positive Impacts, Minimal Impacts, and Negative Impacts. The findings highlight that individuals with ED primarily find coaching services to be beneficial to their ED recovery, with some exceptions. Additional research and guidelines are needed to identify those well-suited for coaching services versus those where coaching could be contraindicated
The Carbon Challenge
Full text linkThe grant was awarded, i) to explore collaborative possibilities with the Arctic Sustainability Lab at UiT on the topic of carbon sequestration using ‘natural climate solutions,’ ii) to encourage exchange possibilities for students and faculty with the environmental philosophy research group in UiT’s philosophy department, iii) to develop my role in a grant under preparation on biotechnology with colleagues at NORCE, a research institute adjacent to the UiT campus on perennial agriculture as an environmental solution
Microbial Opsins: the Potential for Neurodegenerative Therapies
Full text linkOptogenetics is a new field utilizing light to manipulate cells. The produced symptoms mimic those of classic hibernation performed by many mammalian species, supporting the term “artificial hibernation”. Hibernation experienced by animals allows the organisms to maintain cell latency. These tools can be developed by applying novel techniques to laboratory mammals. Introducing stem-cell derived model organs to these kinds of studies may provide more insight on how optogenetics could advance medical therapies for neurodegenerative disorders.
This literature review analyzes the research completed in the biochemical origin of microbial opsins and their function. The channelrhodopsins (ChRs) from the microorganism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been used to introduce optogenetics as a field of study. The biochemical functions can show how ChR-2 can be utilized in discovering new therapies and treatments for neurodegenerative disorders with the technique “deep brain stimulation” (DBS). The potential for using human brain organoids (HBOs) to further studies of optogenetic procedures is novel in terms of research ethics. It proposes that, before human trials with medical research, trials should be completed on non-human organoids produced in labs to see general responses of human organs to new treatments.
Research from the past century corroborates the biochemical functions of C. reinhardtii and how the metabolic changes in hibernation can support new medical treatments for neurodegenerative disorders
Queer In & Out of Montana: Oral Histories of the LGBTQ+ Exodus from Montana
No full textThis presentation will summarize findings from six oral histories of LGBTQ+ people who lived in Montana, but have left or are leaving in the near future. This presentation will explore the questions: Why are queer and transgender people leaving Montana? What are common experiences for LGBTQ+ people living in Montana? The answer to these questions will be derived from the stories of the Narrators who provided their oral histories. The questions utilized in the oral histories covered topics of identity, “coming out,” living history, cultural observations, community experiences and perceptions, well-being, healthcare, laws, and reasons for leaving. Thematic Analysis was derived from an inductive coding process. Themes explored throughout these six oral histories include the importance of community, importance of representation, pride in identity, concern for safety, political rhetoric, and the intersection of Montana culture with queerness. It is predicted that healthcare access, resource opportunity, and queer community will be factors that pull queer and transgender people out of Montana, while state level laws and hostile environments will be factors that push LGBTQ+ people out of Montana. This presentation will share stories that are often untold, creating new avenues of representation for LGBTQ+ Montanans. Additionally, it will be explored the impacts on the individual leaving Montana has, and the despondent loss Montana faces when queer and transgender people leave. Overall, this presentation will document and discuss a historical phenomena occurring among LGBTQ+ people in Montana
Videocassette Records
No full textVideocassette Records is a novella spanning roughly 50 pages focusing on interpersonal familial and congenial relationships. This novella will be a spiritual bildungsroman, exploring themes of identity, love, and loss as Michael returns home from his first year of college to find everything in his childhood home blissfully untouched. His return to familiarity is a welcome one, as the stark change that was college was not the liberation everyone promised. Finding an old stack of cassettes in the garage, Michael will get to see his mother’s childhood--the friends she loved and loves still, and how she coped with the loss of her childhood. Through her memories and Michael’s experience the reader negotiates the ups and downs of growing older, the work of maintaining relationships, and the process of letting people go. Videocassette Records seeks to shed light on the work to maintain the ever important bonds between family and friends, and how, sometimes, we are more a reflection of our parents than we know
For the Marginalized: A Purposeful Path to Social Work
Full text linkIn For the Marginalized: A Purposeful Path to Social Work, I reflect on the journey that led me from education into social work, grounded in a commitment to advocacy, ethical practice, and systemic change. Using my experiences in a therapeutic day-treatment school setting, I integrated trauma-informed, culturally responsive approaches with evidence-based practice to support marginalized students navigating mental health challenges, systemic barriers, and educational inequities. My portfolio highlights growth across the Five Elements of Advanced Integrated Practice, focusing on self-reflection, social justice advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, research-informed practice, and leadership. Throughout this journey, I remained anchored in the belief that social work is about more than services—it\u27s about connection, empowerment, and challenging systems to better serve those often left behind. This portfolio captures not just what I learned, but how I hope to carry these values forward into my future practice.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/grad_portfolios/1450/thumbnail.jp