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Poor Little Woman and Sybil of the Rhine: Code Switching in Hildegard of Bingen’s Writing
No full textHildegard of Bingen (1098- 1179) was a twelfth century German Benedictine abbess, mystic, author, composer, and theologian. Despite the heavily patriarchal and restrictive culture of her day, Hildegard managed to gain autonomy and authority within her community. She benefited from a boom in popularity in the mid-1990s, which saw a broadening of research subjects, including focus on the gender dynamics at play in Hildegard’s life. This scholarship has died down significantly since. Given the breadth and depth of her work, Hildegard of Bingen’s work deserves to be revisited through more recent theoretical lenses that can provide significant insights into her relevance to understanding gender dynamics in the 21st century.
Throughout her letters, Hildegard writes in several different registers to construct her public persona, depending on the identity of her recipient. Her letters to men of higher authority adopt a self-deprecating tone, while she is vastly more confident when writing to women or men seeking advice. It is when Hildegard’s authority is challenged that these carefully crafted rhetorical personas fall apart, revealing the vulnerable and real Hildegard of Bingen underneath. Contemporary linguistic research uses the term “code-switching” to describe the practice of altering your behavior, speech, or appearance based on context to access authority. Most research has focused on code switching in bilingual contexts or with racial minorities and has rarely been applied to medieval context. Hildegard’s register changes reveal that she understood the gender dynamics of the 12th century and knew how to deploy “code-switching” to gain power and privilege
Injury reduction training programs for dancers
Get PDFThe most common dance injuries are those that come from overuse usually in the ankle, leg, foot, and lower back (Common Dance Injuries and Prevention Tips, Johns Hopkins Medicine). Since dancers are very active, especially at the collegiate level, injury reduction is critical to have in a dancers training program. Collegiate dancers who undergo dance conditioning training at least twice a week specific in strengthening their joints and balance may experience significant increase in strength and a decrease in injuries over the course of a semester, compared to when they did not have dance conditioning. At the University of Montana, nine dance majors and minors are enrolled in a Dance Conditioning course this Spring 2025 semester, which includes exercises designed to enhance their strength and stability. Overall, we expect that the dancers will show improvements in both strength and stability, and that new or recurring injuries will decrease over the semester. Dancers who participate in a dance conditioning training at least twice a week will hopefully benefit in gaining strength and stability and will be better prevented from getting injuries compared to those who are not in the conditioning course. This oral presentation includes two dancers from the conditioning class who will demonstrate the exercises and techniques practiced. This research will serve as a foundation for a more hands-on, experimental, and observational project that I plan to pursue next year
The Sedge
Get PDFThe artist\u27s work draws inspiration from the biology and behavior of Sandhill Cranes, focusing on themes of crane-like movement through ballet vocabulary, large migrations, and a deep reverence for these ancient birds. Recognized as the one of the oldest living bird species, Sandhill Cranes evoke a sense of timelessness, which inspired the creation of this piece. Combining ballet and modern dance, the choreography evolves through sections symbolizing the birds\u27 life cycle and behaviors. Heavily influenced by the cast’s artistic input, the piece integrates wildlife behavior into dance, reflecting the artist\u27s ongoing exploration of connections between choreography and wildlife biology
Situating Standing Doctrine in Environmental Litigation
No full textControversies over issues of standing in federal civil litigation are hotly contested, as they strike at the heart of separation of powers issues and broader notions of the intent of civil action. Here I identify two competing theories of the purpose of standing and its requirements as such. Restrictive standing, as argued by Professor Ann Woolhandler, seeks to inherently link civil redress with an injury-in-fact requirement for both public and private law claims. Expansive standing, as argued by Professor Cass R. Sunstein, seeks to ground civil redress exclusively within violations of Congressionally designated causes of action. I argue that the current interpretation by the Supreme Court of standing doctrine largely in accordance with a more restrictive view has left environmental litigation in a particularly dangerous place, as the often collective and diffuse injuries that are the subject of such litigation frequently fail to neatly match the requirements crafted by the Court. In this paper I will specifically situate the needs of environmental litigation within this discourse over standing doctrine, asserting that the expansive standing position and its dependence upon Congressionally designated causes of action is best able to accommodate the often multifaceted nature of environmental litigation
A Look Into the Past: What Historic Field Data Tells Us About Understory Succession Post-Fire
Get PDFAs wildfires grow in frequency and intensity, long-term records documenting responses to altered fire regimes are essential for understanding and predicting changes in vegetation communities in burned landscapes. Peter Stickney was a renowned ecologist, dedicating his life to studying understory species succession following wildfire. In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the MONTU Herbarium, we organized and analyzed Peter Stickney’s 50-year dataset to gain insight into how plant communities respond to disturbance. We added information on various functional characteristics for each species, including growth form (shrub, grass, or forb), native status (invasive vs. native), and conservatism value (c-value, a 1-10 value that describes how able a species is to tolerate disturbance). After analyzing these relationships, we found that native species outcompete exotics, forbs and grasses stabilize together, and disturbance intolerant species become more represented as time since fire increases. Moving forward, we would like to continue analysis for all of Stickney\u27s observed fires and tie these analyses to environmental conditions (precipitation, temperature, drought index). This dataset will provide a historic reference for future studies about wildfire and prescribed burn effects on plant communities
Grizzly Green Labs: Implementing a Green Lab Program at the University of Montana
Get PDFResearch laboratories are a major but often overlooked source of energy consumption and waste in universities. Labs rely on single-use plastics for sterility and energy-intensive equipment, resulting in a substantial environmental impact. Globally, laboratories consume significantly more energy than the average household and generate millions of tons of plastic waste yearly. To address this, many universities worldwide and in the United States have adopted sustainable initiatives through “Green Lab” programs, which have been found to successfully reduce resource consumption while maintaining research integrity. Despite the University of Montana\u27s commitment to sustainability, no university programs or regulations address lab sustainability, even as research activity grows following our R1 designation. To address this gap, we created the Grizzly Green Labs program. In the spring semester, we ran a pilot of this program, which assessed lab operations on campus, provided personalized recommendations for change, assisted with implementation, and created a timeline for future assessment of results. Seven labs participated, across various fields and housed in various buildings on campus. Following the pilot, we organized long-term management of the program through the Office of Sustainability, ensuring continued progress. We assisted with advertisement and recruitment for next semester, and created a management plan for the program to use. Implementing sustainable lab practices will be essential to achieving the University\u27s Climate Action Plan goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and eliminating waste by 2050. More than this, it is a vital step in addressing climate change. If we fail to integrate sustainability into our own scientific practices, we undermine the very solutions we work to develop.
See also: Amplified@UM Podcast Episode (May 7, 2025
862(XV_i):061 - Poem by Thomas Pablo
No full textA illustrated poem about veterans titled Forgotten : by Thomas M. Pablo presented to Max Baucushttps://scholarworks.umt.edu/baucus_artifacts/1080/thumbnail.jp
Exploring the Impacts of Secondary/Foreign Language Development on Childhood Development
Get PDFThe central topic of my research project explores the positive impacts that early second language acquisition has on childhood development . I examine its effect through the lens of bilingual education in Missoula County Public Schools, identifying possible shortcomings in the language education programs in elementary schools, as well as feasible solutions. I approach this research from two distinct directions: a literature review and original data collection. I will analyse existing studies and information relating to bilingualism and its positive impact on childhood development. This will provide context and support for my interview questions. Next, for my own independent research, I will interview language teachers in Missoula County to get their perspective on the failures of the district\u27s foreign language program and what barriers they think are in the way. I will code this qualitative data to come to a conclusion about why initiatives in the past have failed and how future ones could be more successful. I predict that the qualitative data I collect will align with existing data about why teaching second languages to youth beginning in primary school is so vital. This research is important as it will raise awareness about the benefits of bilingualism that our youth in Missoula are missing out on, as well as providing solutions for bridging this gap
Chronic Refractory Cough and Anxiety: Neural Pathways
Get PDFChronic refractory cough (CRC) is a cough that persists for at least eight weeks following
completion of treatment for sickness. This is often due to increased interoception,
which is the ability to perceive internal sensations in the body, both physical and emotional.
People experiencing CRC are often left feeling anxious and isolated. Several parts of the human
brain serve both anxiety and cough. With similar neural pathways, anxiety could be a precursor
for CRC. My review compares and contrasts the neural pathways of anxiety and cough, as well
as highlights the work of interoception in these disorders and how behavioral cough suppression
therapy (BCST) helps mitigate both symptoms.
Studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between anxiety and
interoception. When anxiety spikes, so does our awareness of interoception. This explains
why we associate elevated blood pressure and rapid heart rate with being anxious.
Cough is also associated with anxiety and interoception. Neural pathways between cough
and anxiety intertwine in the prefrontal cortex, brainstem, and other areas.
There is a broad overlap between anxiety and CRC. Potential for CRC to be a
symptom of chronic anxiety is high. With interoception and anxiety being closely related, and also having similar neurological pathways, the two are highly connected. For future directions
the options are open. There has been little research into whether anxiety could be a
precursor for CRC. With more research into this topic, the potential to catch CRC
before it even starts could be increased for many individuals
Spatial Distribution of Native Cushion Plants and Invasive Species along Waterworks Trail, Missoula, Montana: Implications for Plant Richness and Competition
Get PDFInvasive species can significantly impact the distribution and richness of native plants, resulting in competitive exclusion. This study investigates the spatial variation in species richness of native cushion plants in relation to invasive species along Waterworks Trail in Missoula, Montana. This study assessed how elevation, distance from trail, and upslope (above the gate) vs downslope (below the gate) direction (east vs west) influenced the distribution of both the cushion plants and the invasive species. Species richness of cushion plants was higher on the west side of the trail, particularly at lower elevations. In contrast, the east side exhibited lower richness of cushion plants, and was characterized by a higher density of invasives. Invasive species were found in higher concentrations farther from the trail, with a higher presence of cheatgrass on the east side. These findings suggest that invasive species, particularly cheatgrass, may inhibit the growth of cushion plants, especially on the east side of the trail where a steep slope may promote wetter conditions than cushion plants prefer. Our study illustrates that native cushion plants and invasive species are not likely to coexist in the same space, potentially due to use of different niches. Future work should investigate whether removal of invasive species would allow native cushions plants to spread