Copyright Kalispell Inter Lake
Aspen McKee, a graduate of Polson High School class of 2023, recently earned the Montana Learning Center Awards Founders’ Scholarship. McKee is a longtime camper, counselor and staff member at the Montana Learning Center. She is in her third year at Montana State University, where she is pursuing a degree in astrophysics and has her sights set on earning a doctorate in physics. Montana Learning Center offers STEM summer camps, teacher professional development and is the region’s premier astronomy program, according to the organization. In partnership with Montana State University, the center facilitates NASA’s Northwest Earth & Space Science Pathways Program. McKee started with Montana Learning Center in 2014 when she was a 9-year-old camper. As she attended each summer, her passion for science and space grew. By high school she was diving into the Montana Aerospace Scholars Program — a NASA supported initiative for students interested in aerospace careers. By her sophomore year she was a key part of the center. “I would not be anywhere near where I am without the [Montana Learning Center]. I wouldn’t have figured out what I wanted to do, or be set on this path,” McKee said in a statement. “This is a huge honor because I’ve put a lot of work, elbow grease, and time into that camp because I love it there. I love it with my whole heart.” Outside of her work with the center, McKee works as an ambassador for the Montana Space Grant Consortium, which partners with the center and Montana State University to strengthen NASA-related STEM education. Through the Grant Consortium she constructed a spectroheliograph for the center. This is an advanced instrument that allows scientists and students to study the sun in advanced detail. At Montana State University, McKee also works with the Balloon Outreach, Research, Exploration and Landscape Imaging System (BOREALIS) Lab. Her team designed and constructed a circuit board equipped with air quality, pressure, magnetic, motion and gamma ray sensors. The team's payload was selected to fly to the International Space Station in June 2026. This $5,000 Founders’ Scholarship was made possible by Merrilee Alexander Kick, a Helena-native entrepreneur and founder of BuzzBallz Cocktails. Kick established the scholarship in honor of her parents, Gil and Marilyn Alexander, who founded the Montana Science Institute in the 1980s. “Aspen has been an invaluable part of the Montana Learning Center, and we are so grateful for her boundless enthusiasm and many contributions to our Center,” stated Ryan Hannahoe, executive director of the Montana Learning Center. “This award is well-deserved, and we are excited to see what the future has in store for her.”
