Montana Hodges

Assistant Professor
Montana Hodges

Summary

Montana Hodges began teaching when UNR’s Lake Campus was still Sierra Nevada College and is thrilled to be back in such a unique learning environment. With a background in both science and science communication, teaching was a natural fit for her skills. Montana is a paleontologist and science journalist who specializes in mass extinctions and science communication. She did her doctoral research on the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction and her master’s thesis on fossil resource management. Some of her favorite courses to teach inside the classroom include The Oceans, Environmental Science, Natural Disasters, and Climate Change Solutions. Outside of the classroom, she excels at leading exciting field trips from snow sampling up the Sierra Nevada mountains to digging deep into the fossil riches of Nevada’s Great Basin.

In her spare time, Montana recreationally writes and is the author of seven books and countless other articles. When she isn’t busy working or writing, Montana volunteers as a shelter animal rescuer and transporter and has helped over 100 dogs find forever homes over the years. If you would like to adopt a dog, please reach out to her.

Research interests

  • Mass Extinctions
  • Climate Change
  • Science Communication
  • Biodiversity through Deep Time
  • Paleontology
  • Paleontological Resource Management

Education

  • D. Interdisciplinary Geosciences, 2016: Geochronology and Paleontology of Eastern Panthalassan Coral Recovery after the End-Triassic Mass Extinction and The Dissemination of Paleontological Research to Promote Positive Science Identities, The University of Montana
  • A. Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism, 2012: Priests and Pirates of Paleontology: The relationship of academic and commercial paleontology in the United States. The University of Montana
  • S. Geology, 2011, California State University, Sacramento
  • A. Journalism, 2006, California State University Sacramento

Courses taught

  • ENV 101 Introduction to Environmental Science
  • GEOG 422 Climate Change Solutions
  • GEOG 470 Geographic Explorations
  • GEOL 100 Natural Disasters
  • GEOL 101 General Geology
  • GEOL 102 Historical Geology
  • GEOL 137 The Geology of You
  • GEOL 402/602 The Oceans
  • GEOL 495 Special Problems
  • HON 399 Honors Experience
  • JOURN 103 Introduction to Media and Society

Select publications

  • Hodges, M., Newby, T., Swarner, H., Busby, C., Shapiro, R., Francek, G., and Hodges, C., 2024, Detrital zircon geochronology of a fossiliferous Miocene paleochannel, in Riggs, N., Putirka, K., 4 and Wakabayashi, J., eds., The Virtue of Fieldwork in Volcanology, Sedimentology, Structural 5 Geology, and Tectonics—Celebrating the Career of Cathy Busby: Geological Society of America Special Paper 563, https://doi.org/10.1130/2025.2563(05)
  • Hodges, M., 2023. Rockhounding Southern California, Falcon Guides, Globe-Pequot Press.
  • Damborenea, S., Blodgett, R.B., Hodges, M.S. and Hodges, C.L., 2021. Weyla santuccii n. sp. (Bivalvia, Pectinidae) from the Pogibshi formation, south-central Alaska, the oldest species known of the genus in Western North America, Fossil Record (v. 7), New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 82, p. 57-70
  • Blodgett R.B., Santucci, V.L., Baranov, V.V. and Hodges, M.S., 2021. The Gypidulid Brachiopod genus Carinagypa in Late Emsian (latest Early Devonian) strata of the Shellabarger Pass area (Farewell Terrane), Denali National Park & Preserve, south-central Alaska. Fossil Record (v. 7), New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 82, p. 19-28
  • Ferrari, M., Blodgett, R.B., Hodges, M.S., and Hodges, C.L., 2020. Early Jurassic (middle Hettangian) marine gastropods from the Pogibshi Formation (Alaska) and their paleobiogeographical significance. Andean Geology v. 47 p.559-576
  • Hodges, M.S. and Blodgett, R.B., 2019, Fossil Resources of Shellabarger Pass, Talkeetna C-6 1:63,360 scale quadrangle, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, Alaska Geologic Society Bulletin, v.49, no 8, p. 6-8
  • Hodges, M., 2019. Rockhounding Northern California, Falcon Guides, Globe-Pequot Press.
  • Hodges, M., 2019. Rockhounding Alaska, 2nd, Falcon Guides, Globe-Pequot Press.
  • Hodges, M.S., Hodges, C.L., Blodgett, R.B., Stanley, G., Ferrari, M., 2018. Hettangian Marine Invertebrates from the Kenai Peninsula Near Seldovia, Alaska. Fossil Record (v. 6), New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 79, p. 239-249
  • Hodges, M.S., Stanley, G. D. Jr and Gonzalez- León, C. 2017. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology of the Sierra de Santa Rosa Formation, Sonora, Mexico, and implications for an Early Jurassic retroarc basin. Lithosphere, v.9, no. 5, p. 702-717
  • Hodges, M.S, Blodgett, Stanley Jr., G.D., and Hodges, C.L. 2017. Coral recovery in Eastern Panthalassa after the end-Triassic mass extinction: New evidence from an Alaska terrane. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs v. 49
  • Hodges, M.S., Hodges, C.L., Blodgett, R.B., and Stanley, George, Jr., 2017, Preliminary investigations of Early Jurassic fossils and geochronology of the Pogibshi formation near Seldovia, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Alaska Geology – Newsletter of the Alaska Geological Society, v. 47, no. 7, p. 5-17.
  • Ferrari, M., Blodgett, R.B., Hodges, M.S., and Hodges, C.L., 2017, The Oldest Representative (Early Jurassic, middle Hettangian) of the Gastropod Genus Pleurotomaria in North America, discovered in the Pogibshi formation near Seldovia, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Alaska Geologic Society Bulletin, v.47, no 9, p. 7-15
  • Echevarría, J., Hodges, M. S., Damborenea, S. E., Stanley Jr, G. D., and Manceñido, M. O. 2017 Recovery of Scleractinian Morphologic Diversity During the Early Jurassic in Mendoza Province, Argentina. Ameghiniana, v. 54-1, p. 70-82.
  • González-León, C. M., Stanley Jr, G. D., Lawton, T. F., Palfy, J., & Hodges, M. S. (2017). The Triassic/Jurassic boundary and the Jurassic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of northern Sonora, northwest Mexico. Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, 711.
  • Luque, J., Agic, H., Anderson, E.P., Dahl, R., Donovan, M., Field, D.J., Fronimos, J.A., Hodges, M., Motz, G.J., Roney, R. and Saupe, E.E., 2015. Diversity in all its forms: IPC4 as an invaluable opportunity for STEPPE grant recipients. GSA Today, 25(1), pp.24-25.NSF (2010). The 2010 user-friendly handbook for project evaluations. (n.d.).
  • Hodges, M.S., Stanley Jr., G.D., 2015. New evidence of North American coral recovery after the end-Triassic mass extinction, New York Canyon, Nevada, USA. Geologic Society of America GSA Today, p. 4-9.
  • Hodges, M., Montana’s Dueling Dinosaurs' fossils get no action at the auction, November 25, 2013. High Country News.
  • Hodges, M., Watch the who’s who of the Montana Dinosaur Wars, August 26, 2013. High Country News.
  • Hodges, M., Dinosaur Wars, August 26, 2013. High Country News and the Missoula Independent.
  • Hodges, M., Business Made in Montana, Episode No. 1801, February 22, 2012. Montana PBS.
  • Hodges, M., Fossil Tales, Pea Green Boat, Montana Public Radio, 2011-2012.