This award to Montana State University's Department of Earth Sciences is made in response to a proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation's Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program. The award will provide one-half of the funds needed to acquire a computer-based geographic information system for use in the Department's undergraduate training program. The University is committed to matching the NSF support for this acquisition. The equipment will be used to upgrade the institution's capability to teach digital methods of mapping and map interpretation in two new junior-level geography courses. It will also be used for independent student research projects in existing junior and senior level courses in earth sciences, agriculture, civil engineering, and plant and soil sciences.
