Associate Director Nick Wethington is passionate about sharing his knowledge of science with everyone, and loves making and tinkering. At spectrUM, Nick works in the museum and with our partners in the Bitterroot valley and on the Flathead Reservation creating hands-on educational experiences that engage everyone’s innate ability to make and create. Through these efforts, he is embedded in a number of schools co-teaching activities and helping to build the capacity of teachers and staff to incorporate the maker movement ethos into their curriculum. Nick also maintains and develops spectrUM’s exhibits and IT infrastructure.

Outside of spectrUM, Nick is the vice president of the Western Montana Astronomical Association, Missoula’s local astronomy club. He also coordinates the Blue Mountain Observatory, UM's astronomical observatory located at the top of Blue Mountain in Missoula. A native of South Dakota with a BS in English Literature from Iowa State University, Nick can be found biking, camping, hiking, and making ridiculous contraptions and telescopes out of reclaimed materials in his garage.