Life: Inside and Out 2025–2026 Season Lineup

The University of Montana Western’s Biology Department speaker series, Life: Inside and Out (LIO), is underway for the 2025–2026 academic year. LIO invites scientists from across the country to share their research with the Montana Western and Dillon communities in a way that is accessible to students and the general public. LIO invites all to attend the next presentation, “High-elevation Pine Physiological Responses to Drought” by Dr. Danielle Ulrich, on Wednesday, September 17, in UMW’s Lucy Carson Library.

The series offers opportunities to learn directly from experts about exciting biological research happening today and possible career paths students might pursue with firsthand knowledge. All are welcome to attend.

The first LIO presentation, held on August 20, showcased the research of the Montana Western Biology faculty and highlighted opportunities for students to participate in scientific projects. Our students engage in a wide range of research, from investigating antibiotic-resistant bacteria in local waterways to studying parasites that infect fish, exploring the internal anatomy of sharks and horses, and examining chronic wasting disease in local deer populations (a project recently awarded $350,000 from NSF).

LIO presentations take place on the first Wednesday of every block at 4:00 p.m. on the first floor of the Lucy Carson Library. The detailed schedule for the remainder of the academic year is listed below.

For more information about undergraduate research opportunities or the LIO speaker series, please contact Dr. Michael Morrow, Chair of the Biology Department, at michael.morrow@umwestern.edu.

Life: Inside and Out 2025–2026 Schedule

On Wednesday, September 17, Dr. Danielle Ulrich, Associate Professor of Plant Ecophysiology at Montana State University, Bozeman, will speak on “High-elevation Pine Physiological Responses to Drought.”

On Wednesday, October 15, Dr. Yui Suzuki, Dorothy and Charles Jenkins, Jr. Distinguished Chair in Science and Professor of Developmental Biology at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA, will speak on “The Evolution of Insect Metamorphosis: What Have We Learned Since Aristotle?”

On Wednesday, November 12, Dr. Mark Loewen, Resident Research Associate of Paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Utah at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, will speak on “Horned Dinosaur Evolution on the Shifting Shores of the Lost Continent of Laramidia.”

On Wednesday, January 14, Dr. Meradith Snow, Professor of Forensic Anthropology at the University of Montana, Missoula, will speak on “The Past, Present, and Future of DNA: How Ancient DNA Studies are Shaping Our Understanding of the Human Condition and Aiding in Building a Better Tomorrow.”

On Wednesday, February 11, Dr. Kristen Intemann, Professor of Philosophy in the Center for Science, Technology, Ethics and Society at Montana State University, Bozeman, will speak on “Challenges to Ethical Assessments of Prescribed Fires on Human Health.”

On Wednesday, April 15, Dr. Jennifer Forbey, Professor of Biology at Boise State University, Boise, ID, will speak on “Life: The Inside and Out of Herbivore Foraging – Where to Go, What to Eat, and When to Quit.”