Montana State University (MSU) will select educators and organizations in five rural Montana communities to host a free Geospatial Skills Camp for high school students in June 2026. The initiative is supported by a $430,000, three-year grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, awarded to MSU’s Science Math Resource Center. This upcoming camp marks the second of three groups to be recruited under the grant. Applications are now open and must be submitted by December 19.
The camp is organized by the Science Math Resource Center along with the MSU Department of Earth Sciences. An earlier grant of $85,000 funded the inaugural camp in 2024.
The program targets students entering ninth and tenth grades and will run from June 15-19 in five rural locations. Educators and camp leaders will receive virtual training from MSU before delivering the camp locally. Each site will receive funding for meals, transportation, STEM equipment, and other needs.
MSU undergraduate students in education and earth sciences work with faculty and staff to develop the curriculum. Local educators then adapt it for their communities. They are encouraged to connect geospatial skills to both community needs—such as natural resources management or precision agriculture—and personal interests like robotics or aviation, as well as national topics including security or climate change.
Suzi Taylor, director of the Science Math Resource Center, explained that while some activities such as guest speakers will be scheduled for all groups during the week, “the camp is meant to be customizable to each community based on its needs.”
Taylor added that one goal 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.”
Campers will also have an opportunity later in summer to visit MSU for GIS Day, hosted by the Science Math Resource Center with support from MSU’s Geospatial Core Facility.
Camp materials will be made available online so people across Montana can use and adapt them for their own communities.
Organizations interested in hosting can apply now. “Any community educator organization is welcome to apply, such as libraries, schools, out-of-school programs, 4-H clubs or scout troops,” said Taylor.
For more information or to apply, contact geoskills@montana.edu or visit montana.edu/smrc/geo-skills.html.
