State Educators Can Apply To Host Geospatial Skills Camp
Montana State University will select educators and organizations in five rural Montana communities to host a fully sponsored Geospatial Skills Camp for high school students in June 2026.
The camp is being made possible thanks to a $430,000, three-year grant awarded to MSU’s Science Math Resource Center from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The camps that take place in June 2026 will be the second of three groups recruited under the grant. Applications are due Dec. 19.
Along with the Science Math Resource Center, the camp is hosted by the MSU Department of Earth Sciences. An initial grant of $85,000 supported the inaugural camp in 2024.
This year’s camp, designed for students entering ninth and 10th grades, will be held June 15-19 in five rural communities. Educators and camp leaders will receive training virtually from MSU and will then deliver the camp in each community. Each site will receive funding for lunch, snacks, transportation, STEM equipment and more. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The MSU team includes undergraduate students in education and earth sciences working with faculty and staff to create the curriculum. Educators in the partner communities then customize the camp curriculum for their students. Educators are encouraged to relate camp skills and experiences to their students’ individual interests, including community needs like natural resources management, precision agriculture or meteorological forecasting; personal interests like robotics, human performance or aviation; and national topics of interest such as security, energy or climate change.
Though some activities, like guest speakers, will be scheduled throughout the week for all the groups, the camp is meant to be customizable to each community based on its needs, according to Suzi Taylor, director of the Science Math Resource Center.
One goal of the camp is to help kids learn about careers and fields of study related to geospatial science and engineering, particularly those connected to the Air Force and other organizations that offer employment in rural areas, Taylor said.
In addition, campers will be invited to visit MSU later in summer to attend GIS Day, which the Science Math Resource Center hosts with support from MSU’s Geospatial Core Facility, a hub for all things geospatial on campus and beyond.
Partner organizations in rural Montana communities that would like to host the June camp may apply now. Taylor said any community educator organization is welcome to apply, such as libraries, schools, out-of-school programs, 4-H clubs or scout troops.
For information, contact geoskills@montana.edu or visit montana.edu/smrc/geoskills. html.
