Institutes

Spatial Sciences Center (SSC)

SSC’s mission is to promote and support basic and applied research incorporating geographic information science, remote sensing, global positioning system and spatial analysis; support and facilitate undergraduate and graduate courses in spatial sciences offered through MSU; and promote the application of spatial sciences throughout MSU through outreach to faculty and staff. SSC is involved in collaborative projects with other institutions for both research and outreach. An advisory committee meets each semester to review the progress of the Center and provide guidance to the Director.

Thermal Biology Institute

The Thermal Biology Institute conducts and promotes research and education focused on the biology and interrelated physical and chemical processes of geothermal environments in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

COBRE

The goal of this Center for Zoonotic and Emerging Infectious Diseases is to support new investigators and provide resources to advance understanding of infectious disease pathogenesis and facilitate development of novel therapeutic treatments.

EPSCoR

In response to concerns about the geographic concentration of federal support for academic research and development, in 1979 the Congress mandated that the National Science Foundation respond to this matter. The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) was created.

MCEE

The Montana Council on Economic Education was founded over three decades ago by a group of business leaders who felt it was important that teachers and students have a solid grasp of free enterprise and the overall economic environment in which we live. The MCEE is committed to offering programs that are fair and balanced and address economic development, employment, environment, taxation, education, government, personal economics and other related topics.


Facilities

Plant Growth Center

The 60,000 sq. ft. Plant Growth Center (PGC), constructed in 1987, has 29 glasshouse rooms with 8,300 square feet of bench space that are light- and temperature-controlled. It is the only bio-containment facility west of the Mississippi River for quarantining and testing insects and plant pathogens. The PGC contains 13 walk-in growth rooms where environmental variables are computer controlled, and numerous growth chambers which for precise control of environmental variables. The insect quarantine facilities are housed in separate glasshouses and growth chambers and the plant pathogen isolation facilities have 4 glasshouse rooms of 320 sq. ft.

Cereal Quality Lab

The Cereal Quality Laboratory researches end-use properties of cereal grains. Emphasis is on flour milling and bread-baking traits of hard red and hard white wheats. In addition, growing interest in the use of hard white wheat for the Asian noodle market has necessitated noodle quality evaluation. Effects of various environmental and genetic factors are determined. The CQL cooperates with wheat breeders, field technicians, research center scientists and others to ensure that high quality wheats are released and recommended by MAES. Additionally, the CQL assists with the development of new markets for Montana wheats and other small grains.

Schutter Diagnostic Lab

The Schutter Lab provides plant pest identification, including the identification of insects, plants, plant diseases and mushrooms. The lab utilizes a range of techniques for diagnosis including visual identification, pathogen culture, microscopic identification and biochemical detection. Scientists aid growers in identifying problems and their solutions; provide information on environmental and cultural conditions that cause problems; recommend cultural and management techniques to control and prevent future outbreaks; predict and monitor outbreaks based on samples from different areas in the state; and alert county agents and citizens to these outbreaks.

Montana State Seed Lab

The Montana State Seed Lab tests samples for farmers, seedsmen, Montana Seed Growers Association, Montana Department of Agriculture and other agencies. Seed testing provides information for determining the value of the seed. These tests determine percentages of pure seed, other crop seed, weed seed, inert matter and germination in seeds used for planting. Testing seed provides a broad understanding of the germination potential and possible weed contamination of a seed lot. Thus, individuals can evaluate the potential of a seed lot before planting to ensure adequate stand and maximum yield. The lab is staffed with a Registered Seed Technologist, Certified Seed Analysts and part time assistants as funded by sample fees and MAES.

MSU Herbarium

The Herbarium's mission is to focus on the native and introduced flora of Montana and adjacent regions, particularly rangeland and cropland settings; to assist MSU faculty and staff, federal agency staff and others in identification and research, particularly with agricultural and rangeland research; and to contribute to efforts that enhance the connectivity of herbaria in Montana and the Pacific Northwest region.

Montana Entomology Collection

The Montana Entomology Collection is the largest and most diverse natural history museum in Montana. It houses the largest collections of insects from Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and contains insects from every continent except Antarctica. The Systematic Entomology Laboratory houses researchers and collections involved in documenting and understanding the evolution and biodiversity of the insects and related taxa.

BSL3 And ABSL2 Large Animal Facilities

The state-of-the-art ABSL-2 large animal research facility is approximately 7,400 sq. ft. and has two quarantine rooms capable of holding approximately 4-5 calves each, four procedure rooms that hold 4 calves each and two surgical suites, all under stringent climate control and ventilation. The facility has the capacity to handle over 24 calves at a time. It has shower-in/shower-out capability for investigator safety, and the flow of traffic and air in the facility is designed to avoid infection of investigators and caretakers. Containment is designed to prevent cross-contamination between rooms, yet provide easy movement of large animals. The facility will allow the growth and expansion of education and research programs that better meet current and future needs of agriculture and the livestock industry, especially in the area of animal infectious diseases. The goal of our research is to better understand mechanisms of infection, determine how animals defend against infection and ultimately show how we can enhance resistance to control associated damage and prevent further spread.

The BSL-3 facility consists of about 2400 sq. ft. of BSL-3 containment that includes 4 laboratory rooms, an animal containment room for small laboratory animals, an animal procedure room and an additional 1200 sq. ft. of support space. The facility is state-of-the-art and built to the specifications of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. All the air handling, heating and cooling equipment is redundant and the full electrical load is backed up by a generator. The building has an extensive security system and access is limited to approved individuals who undergo extensive training and participate in a comprehensive occupational health and surveillance program. Investigators working in the facility are approved to work with Coxiella burnetii (causative agent of Q fever), Brucella abortus, and Brucella melitensis (both causative agents for brucellosis). Future work is planned with Yersinia pestis (causative agent of plague). All these agents are zoonotic in that they can be transmitted from livestock to humans. Although the work uses mice as an experimental animal, the intent is that results of our experiments can eventually be translated for treatments for infectious diseases of humans and/or livestock.

Meat and Meat Processing Center

The MSU Meat Lab and Meat Processing Center is a state-inspected facility for processing meat animals. It has much of the equipment necessary for sausage and ham manufacturing. There is a chemistry laboratory for analysis of a wide range of physical and chemical properties of meat. The mission of the Processing Center is to conduct basic and applied research as well as supplying expertise for product development. Applied research efforts involve development and adaptation of new processing technology with emphasis on quality, shelf-life and safety. Basic research involves evaluation of factors affecting tenderness, color and other carcass characteristics. One important role is to assist the industry in understanding the needs of customers in domestic and export markets. Further outreach programs include short courses and seminars about meat and meat products.

Wool Lab

One of the only research wool labs in the U.S., the Montana Wool Lab was established by the sheep producers to serve the industry. The Montana Legislature approved funding for a building and equipment in 1945, and construction of the Wool Lab was completed in 1947. Construction of a new Combined State Labs building, the lab's new home, began in May 2024. The Montana Wool Lab houses the most advanced technological equipment for measuring fiber diameter, has been instrumental in improving Montana's wool quality and continues to educate students and growers on the economic and environmental benefits of sheep.

Oscar Thomas Nutrition Center

The Oscar Thomas Nutrition Center was built in 1967-68. Along with the laboratory facility, it houses an environmentally controlled metabolism room for small and large animals. There is an attached barn with four individual pens. The headquarters for the beef cattle and horse operations are also located here. The Livestock Research and Teaching Center has a research feedlot, Calan gate facility, feedmill and artificial insemination building.

Equestrian Pavilion

The Bob Miller Pavilion provides indoor and outdoor facilities for MSU's Equine program. The Pavilion is also home to the MSU Youth Horsemanship School each summer.

MSU Farrier School

The Farrier School offers an eleven-week program designed for those who wish to pursue careers as farriers. This professional course provides students with the opportunity to obtain a background in the field of farrier science through the application of sound principles in a practical hands-on setting.