Current Montana Research Areas

Current National NASA EPSCoR Research Groups

NASA EPSCoR Research Group grants are awarded nationally each year. For the past several years, Montana groups have been successful in winning a number of these large awards. Pre-Proposals are submitted to the Montana NASA EPSCoR office each fall and a single group is selected to submit full proposals for the national competition.

• Programmable Photonics for Quantum Space Networks
• A transdisciplinary approach to assess measurements of albedo across snowy landscapes using multiple sensors at multiple scales

Current Research Initiation Projects

Research Initiation grants are awarded competitively through internal and external review of proposals. These are intended as seed money, are for one year of funding, and are not renewable. Awardees are required to submit a follow-on proposal to NASA for regular research funding during the year of the grant. Research Initiation funding can be used for graduate or undergraduate student support, materials and supplies, facility use fees, domestic travel, and faculty time (though this is not a funding priority). Contact us if you have questions on allowed costs.

• Modeling the current and future geographical distributions of Erythranthe floribunda using mechanistic and correlative distribution models
• Optimizing Oscillating Heat Pipes Using 3D Metal Printing, Advanced Flow Diagnostics, and Numerical Modeling

• Dynamical tides in the high-eccentricity migration of close-in exoplanetary systems

Current Rapid Response Research Awards

The R3 is a collaborative effort between NASA EPSCoR and the NASA Mission Directorate programs/offices. The goals of R3 are to provide a streamlined method to address research issues important to NASA, and to enable NASA EPSCoR researchers to work with NASA to solve research issues impacting the Agency’s programs/missions. New solicitations are issued each year and awards are chosen at the national level.

• Neuromapping in Space-related Altered Gravity Environments - Unraveling the Mysteries of Brain Adaptation
• Biofilm Remediation Strategies for Fouled Water Systems during Extended Space Flight
• Evaluating climate-wildfire feedbacks and impacts on Arctic-boreal ecosystem dynamics across the ABoVE domain to address NASA EPSCoR RapidResponse Research Earth Science