What is BSI?
The Big Sky Institute (BSI) is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to creating, applying, and communicating science-based knowledge to promote a deeper understanding of environmental systems, both in their own right and in relationship to the human communities that depend upon them. BSI capitalizes on MSU's location in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to initiate and support integrated research programs that link processes from microscopic (e.g., microbial function in thermal features) to global (e.g., potential impacts of global change on Yellowstone's biodiversity). BSI recognizes that many of the most pressing challenges to understanding the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem derive from the complex interactions between Yellowstone's diverse terrain and biota together with the growing human presence in the ecosystem. To understand this complexity, BSI draws upon the talents of students and faculty from diverse disciplines and perspectives. In addition, BSI works with an array of partners to insure that research results are communicated to the public and integrated into decision-making. For example, BSI works with Montana K-12 teachers and MSU's science and math education programs to infuse current research into classroom teaching materials.
