Montana Governor and First Lady's Math and Science Initiative
Facts in the News
Study: Rainforest Fungus may Make Biofuel 
WTI to Host Workshop on World Usability Day
Fungus Discovered Capable of Producing Gas
MSU installs wind turbine on campus
Fairfield taps into alternative energy through Wind for Schools program
Map It, Track It, Analyze It with New Montana GIS Portal!
(HELENA) -- The Montana State Library announced today the launch of a new Montana Geographic Information System (GIS) Portal that will serve as Montana's primary source for locating the state's GIS data. GIS uses computers and digital map data to leverage the fundamental principle of geography - that location is important in people's lives. The GIS Portal can be viewed at: http://gisportal.mt.gov.
"The new Montana GIS Portal will provide improved access to geographic data for our state," said Gerry Daumiller, manager of the Library's GIS section. "Montana agencies are always increasing their use of GIS, whether it's to map water rights or identify land owners affected by a construction project. The new GIS Portal will help them find data to make their GIS work. We will go to the Montana organizations that produce GIS data and make sure it is all accessible to everyone through the Portal."
The initial release of the GIS Portal is focused on the needs of GIS professionals. For the general public, the Portal contains an on-line map viewer that anyone may use to view basic maps and air photos of any location in Montana.
"The initial data catalog includes 400 databases and over 200 sample maps from the collections of the Montana Base Map Service Center, the Montana State Library, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, and Flathead County," said Daumiller. "During the next year, our staff will vigorously pursue other GIS data providers and help them add their data and maps to the Portal."
As time goes on, more and more of the data in the Portal currently available only to GIS professionals will be activated as Web services that may be viewed by anyone by using the Portal's viewer. Business owners will be able to consult Census Data to see where potential customers are, and citizens will be able to look at school district, legislative district, and voting precinct boundaries. Much of this data may already be viewed in various on-line applications, such as the Base Map Service Center's property map server at http://gis.mt.gov, the State Library's map viewers at http://nris.mt.gov/gis, and viewers at several County web sites. The GIS Portal can make all this data viewable on a single map.
The Montana GIS Portal is made available by the Montana State Library in partnership with the Montana Department of Administration's Base Map Service Center. GIS information is provided by Montana state agencies, local governments, and other GIS offices throughout Montana.
Through its statewide programs, the Montana State Library empowers Montanans; enhances learning in families and communities; builds 21st Century skills; and provides opportunities for civic participation. For more information, visit http://msl.mt.gov.
Grant to the University of Montana from Toyota U.S. A. Promotes High School Science Education
Knapweed researcher sees work paying off
CORVALLIS In 1976, a much younger Jim Story set up shop at the Western Agricultural Research Center just outside of Corvallis and began looking for a way to control the scourge called knapweed.
The European import had arrived on this country's shores sometime in the mid-1920s. By the late 1960s, the plant was already crowding out native grasses and taking over large portions of the Montana landscape.
For more of this story, click the URL below:
http://missoulian.com/articles/2007/11/26/news/local/news04.txt
‘Holy grail’ of caves found in wilderness
ExplorationWorks! set for grand opening
New geological state map unveiled
After more than half a century, Montana has a new official geological map, with more than triple the detail of the last edition.
NPR: Science Friday
Science Friday, as heard on NPR, is a weekly discussion of the latest
news in science, technology, health, and the environment hosted by Ira
Flatow. Ira interviews scientists, authors, and policymakers, and
listeners can call in and ask questions as well. Hear it each week on
NPR stations nationwide -- or online here! Visit this podcast's Web site
Montana Students Rank High in Reading and Math
Students visit Billings archeological site
UM prof investigates bee disorder
Natural History Center / Grant boosts outdoor learning
The Montana Natural History Center's roots alongside Missoula's
McCormick Park are now a lot deeper, thanks to the generosity of a
private foundation.
The Delaware-based Kendeda Fund has awarded the center an $800,000
grant to help offset debt owed on the 14,000-square-foot building at 120
Hickory St.
The Math Movers - Dance reinforces math skills for Arlee students
Microbe discovered in Yellowstone converts light to energy
State scientists receive $9M national grant
Easy as Pi -- Award-winning math teacher seeks better ways to teach
Bozeman teachers go back to school to learn new math, hot science
Commerce Dept. has $2M in biomedical research funding
Nature's rock concert
Science project has real big bite
McLaughlin Institute lands $529,000 grant for schools
Governor Brian Schweitzer co-chairs The National Forum on Children and Nature
