MONTANA SCI-TECH SUMMIT
2020 FULL STEAM AHEAD!
Aug. 12 - 14, 2020 | Virtual Conference
Featured Keynote Presenters

Jason Baldes, Ecologist
Jason, an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Land Resources & Environmental Sciences from Montana State University, where he has focused on the restoration of Buffalo to Tribal lands.
In 2016 he spearheaded the successful effort to relocate a herd to the Wind River Indian Reservation, a project decades in the making, undertaken in collaboration with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, National Wildlife Federation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
He is an advocate, educator and speaker on Indigenous cultural revitalization and ecological restoration who has also served as director of the Wind River Native Advocacy Center, where he was instrumental in the passing of the Wyoming Indian Education for All Act. He currently serves as the Tribal Buffalo Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Partnerships Program, Region I Director of the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council, and is the Buffalo Representative for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. Read about some of Jason’s work in this article: The descendents (MSU News, Mountains and Minds, 2019).
Keynote presentation by Jason Baldes:
Date & Time: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 8:15-9:15am (See the full conference schedule here)
Location: MSU SUB Ballroom A
Title & Description: Finding Your Buffalo: Culture, Change, Curriculum
Witnessing the wildebeest migration in East Africa changed the trajectory of my life. The story of bison became passion, because the name for ourselves as Shoshone people is the "gweechoon deka," the buffalo eaters. The buffalo was absent from the lives of Shoshone people for 131 years. With their return, we begin to heal.
Jason, an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Land Resources & Environmental Sciences from Montana State University, where he has focused on the restoration of Buffalo to Tribal lands.
In 2016 he spearheaded the successful effort to relocate a herd to the Wind River Indian Reservation, a project decades in the making, undertaken in collaboration with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, National Wildlife Federation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
He is an advocate, educator and speaker on Indigenous cultural revitalization and ecological restoration who has also served as director of the Wind River Native Advocacy Center, where he was instrumental in the passing of the Wyoming Indian Education for All Act. He currently serves as the Tribal Buffalo Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Partnerships Program, Region I Director of the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council, and is the Buffalo Representative for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. Read about some of Jason’s work in this article: The descendents (MSU News, Mountains and Minds, 2019).
Keynote presentation by Jason Baldes:
Date & Time: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 8:15-9:15am (See the full conference schedule here)
Location: MSU SUB Ballroom A
Title & Description: Finding Your Buffalo: Culture, Change, Curriculum
Witnessing the wildebeest migration in East Africa changed the trajectory of my life. The story of bison became passion, because the name for ourselves as Shoshone people is the "gweechoon deka," the buffalo eaters. The buffalo was absent from the lives of Shoshone people for 131 years. With their return, we begin to heal.

Kyle Calderwood, Technology Coordinator
Kyle is the Technology Coordinator at Tuckerton Elementary School. He is a Google Certified Innovator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Skype Master Teacher, and a Minecraft Global Mentor.
As a gamer himself, he enjoys working with teachers across the country on how to integrate gaming in their classroom. He has presented at ISTE, FETC, TCEA, EdCamps and TeachMeets all over the US, as well as Bett in London. His personal rapport has been touted as a "gift" and "of unparalleled integrity" from both colleagues and fellow conference organizers. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Stockton University.
Check out Kyle’s “Tech 4 Ed” blog:
The Design Process: From Blueprints to Finished Products
The Quest for Alternative Learning Experiences
Keynote presentation by Kyle Calderwood:
Date & Time: Friday, August 14, 2020, 8:30-9:30am (See the full conference schedule here)
Location: MSU SUB Ballroom A
Title & Description: Failure IS an option
Join Kyle Calderwood, Technology Coordinator from Tuckerton Elementary School in New Jersey, as he discusses the ups and downs of their technology growth. Failure is a part of learning and he will showcase some of the successes they've had through the years under his tenure as well as some of the projects that didn't quite pan out. All participants will be encouraged to join in on the learning to experience what TES has experienced over the past 7 years. Learn more about Kyle by following him on Twitter @kcalderw
Brought to you by School Services of Montana and the Montana State University Science Math Resource Center
If you have questions, comments, or need additional information, please contact:
Melissa Tovaas
Director of Education Services (646) 831-7264 mtovaas@mt-schools.org |
Sabrina Holland
Director of Technology Services (406) 624-3336 ext. 3 sholland@mt-schools.org |