Geospatial Skills Camp for Rural Montana Youth
The MSU Science Math Resource Center was awarded funds from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to create Geospatial Skills Camps for Rural Montana Youth. Read the project abstract
for MSU and other previously funded projects on the Air Force Office of Scientific Research K-12 STEM website.
2027 Geospatial Skills Camp Dates are here!
2027 Geospatial Skills Camp: June 14 - 18, 2027
GIS Day: June 22, 2027
Watch an Informational Video about GeoSpatial Skills Camp Here
About MSU's Geospatial Skills Camps for rural Montana youth
The camps are designed to serve rising 9th and 10th graders in rural Montana communities and will include topics such as the following:
- maps for analysis and navigation;
- collecting, analyzing and disseminating imagery from terrestrial, satellite and other sources;
- awareness of the skills and required credentials for piloting UAVs;
- remote sensing;
- basic electronics and circuitry related to sensor development and use; and
- geospatial analysis tools.
Students will learn aboutpotential career pathways and fields of studyrelated to geospatial science and engineering, particularly thoseconnected to the Air Force and other organizationsthat offer employment in rural areas.
Students will be encouraged to relate camp skillsand experiences to:
- their individual interests such as robotics, human performanceor aviation;
- community needs, such as natural resources management, precision agriculture or meteorological forecasting;
- and national topics of interest such as security, energy or climate change.
If you have questions, contact us at geoskills@montana.edu.
Applications for community organizations
** UPDATE: Applications will start being reviewed on November 6th, 2026 **
Applications will be accepted from organizations, not individuals. Organizations must have the capacity to host a week-long camp in 2027.
Please read the application in its entirety, all details about the program are included. Materials are required from both the lead educator and the person who is applying on behalf of the organization.
Below is a highly summarized version of the commitments and application requirements of the program.
Educator and Organization Commitments:
- Lead a five-day, full-day (Monday-Friday) Geospatial Skills Camp running June 14-18,2027.
- Recruit a minimum of five local students entering 9th or 10th grade.
- Provide a setting in which the camp can run: This includes space, technology access, transportation, and meals for the students.
- Invite at least one local person to be a guest speaker for the camp.
- Attend virtual meetings: The lead educator and at least one additional organizational representative must participate in a one-hour introductory webinar and two four-hour training sessions.
- Complete reporting and project evaluation requirements.
Application Requirements:
If you ran a camp in the past and are interested in
potential support for Summer 2027, please apply here
The application must be filled out by a member of the organization who will oversee the project and act as the primary contact for MSU. This person will also be fiscally responsible for the stipend award and may or may not be the lead educator.
The Organization Must:
- Be able to check “yes” to all commitments described above.
- Provide descriptive information about the organization and community.
- Submit short answer responses to the following questions:
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- Why do you want to host a geospatial skills camp?
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- How will your organization handle camp planning and logistics?
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- How will your organization handle recruiting students?
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- What are some geospatially-related topics of interest to the students in your community?
- Submit a budget proposal for hosting the camp with a total of less than $4,260.
- Describe how and why the lead educator is a good fit for running the program.
The Lead Educator Should Provide:
- A resume including credentials and experiences working with youth.
- A personal statement describing their interest in running the program and the potential impact it could have on the community they serve.
- Evidence of or plan for obtaining a current background check.
For reference only (previous year's materials)
2026 Application in Word/PDF Format. Part of the application in Qualtrics asks you to complete a budget. If you prefer you can download this budget template and send that to us at geoskills@montana.edu.
Questions? Reach out to geoskills@montana.edu
In the news
AFOSR STEM Funding in Action
We were featured on the STEM Outreach and Engagement within the Air Force Office of Scientific Research website! Congratulations to the eight Montana communities that participated in 2024: Boys
& Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation; Dawson Community College; Flathead County
4-H; Powder River 4-H; Meagher County 4-H; Plenty Coups High School; Thompson Falls
High School; Sidney High School.
This material is based upon work supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under award number FA9550-24-1-0291. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the United States Air Force.
