ScholarWorks

ScholarWorks is an open access repository for the capture of the intellectual work of Montana State University (MSU) in support of its teaching, research and service missions. MSU ScholarWorks is a central point of discovery for accessing, collecting, sharing, preserving, and distributing knowledge to the Montana State University community and the world.

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Scholarship & Research

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Proteomic stress response by a novel methanogen enriched from the Great Salt Lake
(American Society for Microbiology, 2026-06)
Christian, William C.
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Jay, Zackary J.
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Tolic, Nikola
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Nicora, Carrie D.
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Linvingstone, Reece
Methanogenic archaea affect the climate through their production of the greenhouse gas, methane. However, it is unclear how a changing climate and other anthropogenic influences impact methanogen physiology and consequent methane flux. The Great Salt Lake (GSL) is an environment that has been heavily impacted by human activity, more than doubling its salt concentration since the last methanogen was cultured from it in 1985. In this study, we enriched a novel methanogen, for which we propose the name Candidatus Methanohalophilus hillemani, from the GSL at a time when its salinity reached a historical high. Interestingly, Ca. M. hillemani does not increase the expression of energy-conservation or osmotolerance proteins when challenged with salinity or oxygen. In contrast, Ca. M. hillemani prioritizes trace metal uptake and immune functions in response to the presence of the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovermiculus. 16S rRNA gene amplicon data from GSL shore soils with extremely high and variable methane flux indicated the presence of Ca. M. hillemani. Our results show that Ca. M. hillemani is active when challenged with environmental stressors and contributes to the methane flux emanating from the GSL.
Sharing Back, Listening Forward: Participatory Dissemination in a Tribal Community
(Specialty Publications, 2026-06)
Skewes, Monica C.
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Gameon, Julie A.
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Firemoon, Paula
Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a partnership approach to research that involves the community in all aspects of the research process, from study design and implementation to interpretation and dissemination of findings. Participatory dissemination is a key aspect of CBPR scholarship that increases the potential for research to benefit the community. Our CBPR partnership was formed in 2014 with the goal of understanding and addressing substance use in a rural American Indian community. After developing our partnership and assembling a Community Advisory Board, we conducted a qualitative key informant interview study to gain a deeper understanding of addiction and recovery on the reservation. As participatory dissemination of research findings was a priority for our team, we decided to host an interactive community gathering to share the findings and receive feedback on the project from the community. In this manuscript, we describe the circumstances surrounding this community forum, the format and structure of the gathering, strengths of our approach, and lessons we learned throughout the process. We also offer guidance for other CBPR scholars interested in adapting our dissemination approach for other cultures and communities. Six primary teachings from our experience include: 1) know the community, culture, and customs; 2) connect dissemination to local current events; 3) make research findings accessible; 4) translate the importance of the research; 5) trust the community partners; and 6) be a good relative. Through genuine partnership and a true commitment to being good relatives to one another, research can achieve the beneficial impacts we intend.
Indigenous research sovereignty within academia: Challenges and opportunities
(Elsevier BV, 2026-04)
Blackmore, Sophie J.
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Gala, Natalia
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Fraser-Purdy, Hannah
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Moore, Ireland C.
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Olaogun, Darah
Indigenous Peoples’ inherent right to self-determination includes authority over research, yet university systems centralize control in ways that constrain Indigenous sovereignty. This article examines how academic institutional structures and processes—well beyond the actions of individual researchers—shape the possibilities and limitations of Indigenous-focused research within universities. Drawing on a collaborative, story-based process involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers working with Indigenous communities across diverse regions and contexts internationally, we synthesize shared experiences to identify recurrent challenges and the systemic conditions that produce them. We describe both barriers and solutions within five themes: governance, institutional fit, burden, capacity, and relationships. Examples of barriers include paternalizing ethics boards, cumbersome financial systems, rigid timelines, and narrow evaluation metrics, which often conflict with community-defined governance and relational approaches to research. Examples of solutions include Indigenous-governed funding pathways, community ethics bodies, Indigenous-led research units, and institution-level efforts to embed relational accountability. We argue that strengthening Indigenous research sovereignty requires universities and funders to redesign their infrastructures (not simply adjust procedures), meaningfully share authority, align practices with Indigenous governance, and support long-term relationship building. By centering community leadership and relational accountability, universities can move beyond symbolic or superficial commitments to Indigenous self-determination in research, toward research environments rooted in respect, reciprocity, and community-defined outcomes.
Magnetic-field induced metal-insulator transition in SrTiO 3 − δ
(IOP Publishing, 2025-11)
Oliveira, Felipe Souza
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Neumeier, J. J.
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da Luz, M. S.
Metallic samples of SrTiO3−δ with charge-carrier densities of n = 8.6 × 1016 cm−3 and 2.0 × 1017 cm−3 are shown to exhibit magnetic-field-induced metal–insulator transitions. Landau levels emerge in the magnetic field, and their energy spacing is comparable to the Fermi and thermal energies. A simple parallel-conduction model involving thermally-activated hopping among Landau levels is introduced to describe the data below the metal–insulator transition temperature.
Integrating omics to understand induced metabolic remodeling across biological scales
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2026)
Sather, Brett Thomas
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Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Brian Bothner
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This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.
Mass spectrometry-based omics has emerged as a powerful framework for resolving how biological systems respond to environmental and nutritional perturbations. By enabling simultaneous measurement of thousands of proteins and metabolites, these approaches reveal coordinated molecular networks underlying adaptation, stress response, and metabolic flexibility. This dissertation applies shotgun proteomics and time-resolved metabolomics to characterize dynamic biological responses across microbial and human systems, demonstrating how molecular-level measurements can be translated into mechanistic and physiological insight. In Escherichia coli, shotgun proteomics was used to investigate the regulatory role of ArsR, a transcription factor traditionally classified as a repressor of arsenic resistance genes. Contrary to this canonical view, ArsR was found to coordinate broad activation of metabolic and redox- related proteins, including enzymes involved in amino acid catabolism, central carbon metabolism, and thiol-based redox buffering. This activating role was evident both in the presence and absence of arsenic stress, repositioning ArsR as a pleiotropic regulator with functional influence extending beyond its defined operon. In humans, time-resolved serum metabolomics was applied to a randomized 12-week lentil dietary intervention in adults at elevated cardiometabolic risk. Postprandial responses to a standardized high-fat meal were profiled hourly, capturing the dynamic structure of metabolic change rather than static endpoints. Long-term lentil consumption remodeled the postprandial metabolome, particularly during the early postprandial phase, in a manner consistent with improved lipid handling and metabolic resilience. These findings demonstrate that biological responses to perturbation are not defined by static molecular states, but by coordinated, time dependent network remodeling. Mass spectrometry- based omics provides the resolution necessary to capture these dynamics, establishing a unifying framework for translating molecular change into biological meaning across scales, from microbial adaptation to human metabolic health.