Girl looking at a tube of fruit flies

Project Portfolio

Community & Impact Projects

Explore a selection of partnerships where we’ve helped organizations deepen their community connections through co‑design, outreach, and engagement.

Health science hub + inclusive design with tribal partners
In collaboration with Missoula Public Library, the University of Montana, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, we co-designed a health education hub grounded in equity and co-creation. With over 300 community contributors—including artists, tribal youth, and scientists—we brought spaces like the DNA Playground and Living Lab to life.
Funded by: NIH SEPA (Science Education Partnership Award)

  • outside photo of Missoula Public Library building.
    Missoula Public Library home of the health science hub.
  • carpenter and tribal expert holding a tule mat at the top of tipi poles in the Missoula Public Library.
    Co-designing for Place DNA to include local tribe’s tule tipi.
  • Question of how kids would co-design the DNA Playground with 8 of their responses in tiles below.
    Kids co-design for DNA Playground at Missoula Public Library.
  • Ribs climber with surrounding benches for little kids to climb.
    Elk ribs climber for DNA Playground.
  • Kids standing around a table with a female scientist explaining climate change in the UM Living Lab.
    Climate educational event with community partners at UM Living Lab.
  • Photo of DNA climber from top to bottom at Missoula Public Library.
    Co-designed DNA climber at Missoula Public Library.
  • Photo of choice cards for kids to pick an activity around Missoula related to heathy living with choice tokens.
    Healthy choices and perspective taking activity developed for UM Living Lab.
  • Dr. Severson with child at UM Living Lab.
    Dr. Severson doing a research study with child participant.

Lolo Watershed Group Educational Outreach

Environmental storytelling + youth engagement
We work with the Lolo Watershed Group to build community awareness through seasonal newsletters, social media, and video storytelling. In addition to outreach, we design and lead annual educational experiences and field trips for local classrooms—connecting students directly with watershed health, restoration work, and local ecosystems.
Funded by: Montana DEQ and local conservation donors

  • Kids gathered at a table looking down at bugs by the stream.
    Spring collection of invertebrates indicative of a healthy stream.
  • Kids taking notes on the species of bugs they collected.
    Woodman School 4-8th graders identifying invertebrate species.
  • Lolo Watershed Group stream ecologist teaching Woodman students about the creek.
  • Lolo Watershed Group and NSF hydrologist teaching Woodman students about the creek.

Youth Outreach Mountain Biking Committee

Bike access + youth empowerment
With MTB Missoula and Free Cycles, we co-led youth biking events that provided free bikes, mentorship, and safe trail experiences for underserved youth.
Funded by: Private donors and local grants

  • 7 kids and 1 adult standing with bikes in front of a sign that says Kim Williams Trail.
    Lowell Students on Kim Williams Trail.
  • kids in helmets standing with their bikes on a trail in the woods giving thumbs up
    Lowell and Hawthorne students riding on Pattee Creek trails.
  • kids on Mountain bikes in the forests on a trail through tall ponderosa pine trees
    Taking the path less traveled through nature.
  • line of kids on bikes on a trail with the last kid on a tricycle.
    Tricycle provided for kids that don’t know how to ride a bike.

Bitterroot Backcountry Cyclists

Trail funding campaign + public outreach
To support the development of a year-round trail system at Lake Como, we partnered with Bitterroot Backcountry Cyclists to launch a community campaign combining storytelling, donor outreach, and event coordination.
Funded by: Montana Trail Stewardship Program (TSP) and community donations

Additional Projects

Mipnunum k̓ itki·kȼiǂ: Digital Health Science Education and Career Pathways using Indigenous Knowledge

Mipnunum k̓ itki·kȼiǂ was co-designed to advance Health Science Education and Career Pathways for Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal youth. Mipnunum k̓ itki·kȼiǂ  links the Salish and Kootenai words for: figure out and succeed in understanding. Approved by Tribal Council, co-created with tribal leaders and youth and rich with native STEM and cultural role models, the 15-week project allowed over 30 tribal students to research and experiment at the intersection of health science and traditional knowledge. 

The project team includes Principal Investigator Holly Truitt (City of Missoula) owner of Holly Truitt Consulting, Co-Investigator William Swaney (former tribal educator and educational design for Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), and Project Manager and Staff Scientist, Dr. Amanda Duley (City of Missoula) owner of SciDesigns Communication. Using our nationally awarded co-design model, our project team empowers communities to take the lead in guiding the design and implementation of projects. Together, we work collaboratively to achieve our shared goals and make a meaningful impact.

  • photo of zoom meeting with 8 screens participating.
    Co-designing with the Flathead Nation’s native community members.
  • collection of local native indigenous youth books.
    Created a local indigenous story collection for Missoula Public Library.
  • zoom photo with 5 people including students during a class.
    Leading virtual class with native students.
  • Tribal elder speaking with youth about today’s challenges to the tribe’s health.
  • Salish language and culture professor teaching student how to make cordage at National Bison Range.
  • youth taking blood pressure.
    Students measuring blood pressure before and after participating in traditional ecological knowledge activities.
  • Native teacher asking circle of elders and students what makes a healthy mind, body, and spirit.
    Project team member asking elders and students what healthy mind, body, and spirit look like for their tribe.
  • students and elders gathered outside around the fire to discuss health and the tribe.
    Students and elders gathered around the fire at the National Bison Range to discuss what health means for the tribe.

All Under One Roof: A Museum-Library-Food Bank Collaboration to Feed Bodies, Minds, and Community

A collective with the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center, Missoula Public Library, and University of Montana’s spectrUM Discovery Area, this project co-created an internationally award winning family learning center that is one part science museum, one part library, and one part meal site within Missoula’s food bank. The project’s research explores and disseminates a co-creative, collective-impact model for museums, libraries, and the social sector. The project team included Principal Investigator Holly Truitt owner of Holly Truitt Consulting and Project Manager and Staff Scientist, Dr. Amanda Duley  owner of SciDesigns Communication.

  • Grandma listening to child play a play guitar at EmPower Place
  • bookshelves with youth books at EmPower place
  • kids sitting at a table with paint in Empower place in front of the ball wall
  • a room with tables and chairs with a huge ball wall for kids to play with

Inspiring Hamilton and Corvallis’s Next Generation about STEM and Career Pathways: a Collective Impact Effort

The University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area, its Bitterroot advisory group, and K-12 schools co-created role model experiences that engaged K-12 students with local educational and career pathways. Dr. Amanda Duley of SciDesigns Communication was charged with leading professional development on youth engagement and science communciation for the community’s role models.

Big Sky Brain Project

A collaboration between the University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area and UM’s Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience, this project created a model for engaging rural, tribal, and urban communities with neuroscience, higher education, and health careers.

Project Highlights:

Our collaborative project yielded remarkable deliverables:

1. Mobile “Brain” Exhibition: We created an innovative mobile exhibition that brings the wonders of the brain to communities far and wide, inspiring curiosity and learning.

2. spectrUM’s In-Museum BrainLab: At the spectrUM Discovery Area, we established an in-museum BrainLab, where visitors can explore the complexities of the brain through interactive experiences.

3. High-School Explainer Program: As part of the project, we launched a high-school Explainer program, empowering young minds to delve into the fascinating world of neuroscience.

Leadership and Implementation:

Dr. Amanda Duley of SciDesigns Communication led the design and implementation of the project’s educational outputs. Her expertise and passion drove the success of this initiative, making it a valuable resource for our communities.