Montana State University students develop designs for the future museum of the ISMD

In the Spring semester of 2009, 12 students at Montana State University developed designs for the future paleontological museum of the ISMD. Planned to be built either in or near Ulaanbaatar, the students developed a design based on interviews with Bolortsetseg Minjin, course lectures, assigned readings, and a tour of the Museum of the Rockies. Architect Professor Máire O’Neill developed and taught the class, leading the students to successfully complete the project. Throughout her career Dr. O’Neil has been applying her architectural expertise to community service, and she has focused on the relationships among natural landscapes, climate, and the built environment. Throughout the class, students strove to develop a museum that fit within the broad vistas of Mongolia, had a minimal impact on the surrounding environment, and utilized green technologies.