Previous Undergraduate Student Interns

Jordan majored in Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management at Montana State University. Having grown up in Missoula, Montana, he developed a passion for the outdoors and wildlife, enjoying activities like hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. During his time at MSU he competed for the Montana State University Men's Rugby Club. He also interned for the MSU Science Math Resource Center and the MSU Department of Ecology Vertebrate Museum. He also worked as a legal assistant at a law firm, with plans to pursue a career in environmental law.

Lesl majored in Plant Science with an emphasis in Crop Science.  She grew up on the family ranch in Reed Point, Montana.  In her free time she enjoys hiking, fly-fishing, and spending time on the family's ranch.  In the future, she hopes to serve as a Montana Ag Extension Agent, where she can give back to her community.

As the center's NASA AREN Intern, she oversaw outreach projects with K-12 Montana schools to help excite students on the value of learning and STEM education.

Rebecca(Becca) is a freshman at Montana State University with a major in Environmental Design from the School of Architecture.  After her undergraduate degree, she intends to earn her M.S. in Architecture and practice architecture at a firm in future years.  Becca is from Kalispell, Montana and a second-generation Bobcat.  She enjoys being outdoors whether that is a round of golf, a hike, fishing, skiing, or simply traveling to admire the landscape and artsy things. She enjoys creating all types of art.

Growing up, I always had an interest in science; however, living in rural Montana, there were very limited opportunities for students like me to explore science outside of the classroom.Science Olympiad was an amazing opportunity for me to understand a true sense of science, and I am grateful for the experience I had in the program at Corvallis High School. When I heard about the opportunity at MSU to become a student intern for Science Olympiad, I was thrilled with the idea of helping high school and middle school students in Montana experience Science Olympiad as I had. As a student at Montana State University, I am majoring in Medical Laboratory Science with the goal of attending medical school after my undergraduate degree. I am a student of the Honors College and am also considering a minor in Hispanic Studies. In the few moments of spare time that I have, I like to read books, binge-watch TV shows, and try to convince myself that I enjoy running.

Savanah is a senior at MSU studying environmental science and land rehabilitation. She is from Tacoma, Washington. Savanah enjoys crocheting and skiing in her free time. She would love to work with the Forest Service in the future, but she said, "Whatever I do I want to be working to help others!"

Amanda Boelman is an undergraduate student studying nursing with the goal of becoming a nurse midwife. She is a Science Olympiad Student Intern at the Science Math Resource Center. After participating in Science Olympiad throughout middle and high school, she is eager to stay involved. Amanda served as Vice President of the MSU Science Olympiad Student Club in the 2023-2024 school year. This club is made up of MSU students who are passionate about STEM education, and eager to make the annual Montana State Science Olympiad tournament memorable for competitors.

Amanda enjoys the outdoors by hiking, fishing, and gardening in her spare time. With a career in midwifery, Amanda plans to give back to the rural Montana communities that she grew up in. Until then, Amanda passionately supports STEM education among MT youth.

Mia Troska is a senior at MSU majoring in K-8 Education with a minor in K-12 Reading Education. Originally from Minnesota, Mia has fallen in love with Montana and plans to stay here and teach for a few years after graduation.

In the summer of 2023, she participated in the MSU Research Experience for Teachers where she was placed in Nick Borys’s quantum physics lab. Along with the lab researchers and her colleague Hilary Lozar, Mia helped to create the first successful photodetector produced in the lab since its inception.

My love of science and writing initially guided me to MSU as an aspiring science journalist. However, as an undergrad, I've slowly fallen in love with health, medicine, and the innate beauty and sophistication of the human body. I now plan to attend med school after college. Med school is daunting, yet, I find solace in the challenge and the conviction that, although the problems plaguing people are complex, and I don't pretend to have answers, I won't back down from trying to provide people with tools to grapple with the adversities of the human condition.

My love of science and writing persists, and I feel privileged to scratch that itch by working at the SMRC. I can't wait to highlight the research, programs, and people at MSU and beyond that are changing lives and inspiring a new generation of people in STEM.

In my free time, you can find me binging games on chess.com, reading, enjoying nature, or having existential dread about getting into med school.