University touts research at tour stop in Kalispell

Professors and faculty of Montana State University brought the Innovation Road Show to Kalispell Friday evening as part of a statewide mission to share the research and stories developing at the university

According to the university’s vice president of research and education Renee Reijo Pera, the purpose of the show is to show communities across the state some of the work coming out of the school.

“We see people, either at the national level, the state level, or the local level not understanding or not being aware of what’s going on in universities that actually affects them,” she said Friday.

The roadshow aims to change that through having professors and experts on different subjects present their work, theories and findings in community meetings.

Friday’s presentation at The Museum at Central School began with a the age old argument that studying the past can help change the future. Brett Walker, a professor of history and specialist in East Asian history, made the argument that, through extensive study, he was able to determine that at its core, the War in the Pacific stemmed from the fight for natural resources.

This fight, he believed, ultimately drives all conflict between nations and explained some of the conflict between North Korea and the U.S. dominating the news today.

Walker was followed by a weed specialist reporting the state of noxious and invasive plant species in Montana and how they affect crops and pasture. A nurse reported on the impact of targeted messaging toward local Native American tribes and how it’s being used to help curb the number of children with tooth decay.

Each presentation prompted questions from the public as they shed light on relevant topics in the community.

As one speaker — presenting on the need to redefine success in education — prepared to close, a woman in the crowd spoke to acknowledge the community’s role in changing that definition.

“I think the biggest challenge is re-educating parents and grandparents,” she said. “We need to back off and let them follow their hearts.”

The road show has made stops in other communities around the state, but according to Reijo Pera, Kalispell had one of the best turnouts, packing the meeting room.

Reijo Pera said that some of the people she’d encountered at other stops explained the shortage of interest by saying they thought the college was too liberal or thought they would ask for money.

“We don’t really care about the politics,”she said. “We care about whether babies are losing their teeth.”

“We just want to build a community,” she added.

Reijo Pera referenced the moon landing when people across the nation sat in front of their televisions, united by the importance of that “huge leap for mankind.”

She said her hope is that, by sharing the stories and the work of the university, she and her team will be able to create that sense of pride and understanding, unifying all Montanans.

“What we see is that if we don’t tell our story, either other people do or nobody does.”

August 24-26 the road show traveled from Butte to Hamilton, Thompson Falls to Kalispell and ended Saturday in Choteau.

Reijo Pera said she is hopeful that the university will be able to host the show again next year and, perhaps, make it an annual event.