April 7, 2016
Boll is currently Mirzayan Graduate Fellow to the Space Studies Board at the National Academy of Sciences.
We are most fortunate to have as our speaker one of our alumni who has realized phenomenal success in the three short years since leaving Montana Western, Weatherby said. His story is an inspiration to our graduates.
Boll credits Montana Westerns unique Experience One, as well as the development of a strong work ethic and ability to concentrate on a specific subject, as keys to his success in the scientific community.
Experience One is Montana Westerns innovative block scheduling program where students take a single class at a time, three hours each day for three weeks, then move on to the next.
I feel like Ive been able to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time because of Experience One, Boll said. It allowed me to focus on my education and learn in a hands-on way. The concentrated approach has prepared me well for my post-graduate studies and work with NAS.
Im honored to be chosen as the commencement speaker, Boll said. I look forward to speaking with new graduates about their futures and the tremendous opportunities they have as alumni of this unique and innovative university.
A 2013 mathematics graduate, Boll began his academic career at Montana Western in 2010 as a non-traditional student. While a UMW student, he made the deans list six times and twice placed first with the university mathematics team in a regional cryptography competition.
In addition he served as the general manager of the campus radio station, was a recipient of two major scholarships and completed a summer internship at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Calif.
After graduation from Montana Western he entered the Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan on a full ride scholarship.
He is currently contributing to the 2017 Earth Science Decadal Survey while taking additional classes at George Washington University toward a second masters degree in international science and technology policy at the Space Policy Institute.
The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in the Straugh Gymnasium on the UMW campus.
This is the 119th commencement for the university which was founded in 1893.
Montana Western
