Dana Longcope, a professor and former head of the Department of Physics at Montana State University, has been named Distinguished Professor in the College of Letters and Science. This appointment is considered the highest honor that the college gives to its faculty members, recognizing their contributions to the institution and academic community.
Longcope will present a lecture titled “Wonders and Puzzles from our Nearest Star, the Sun” on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. The event will take place in Hager Auditorium at the Museum of the Rockies and is open to the public without charge.
During his lecture, Longcope plans to discuss recent observations about the sun made possible by modern astronomical tools. He will explain how scientists view the sun as a complex object with changing features such as sunspots—dark areas linked to strong magnetic fields that fluctuate over an approximately 11-year cycle. He will also describe how these magnetic fields create a hot outer atmosphere called the corona and sometimes lead to flares or eruptions that send material into space.
Longcope’s research team at MSU, along with collaborators elsewhere, have worked on observing and modeling these solar phenomena. Since joining MSU’s Solar Physics Group in 1996, Longcope has contributed significantly to its international reputation. His work has helped define how magnetic energy moves through the sun’s corona and provided a unified model for magnetic reconnection—a process where magnetic fields break and reconnect, releasing large amounts of energy during solar flares. These findings have advanced methods for forecasting solar flares.
Throughout his career, Longcope has received several honors for his research in solar physics. In 2000 he was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by the U.S. government. He later received other recognitions including the Karen Harvey Prize from the American Astronomical Society’s Solar Physics Division in 2003; an Arctowski Medal from the National Academy of Sciences in 2021; and election to membership in that academy in 2022.
At Montana State University, Longcope was given both the Cox Faculty Award for Creative Scholarship and Teaching as well as one of its first Presidential Medallions for Achievement.
William Thomas, dean of MSU’s College of Letters and Science said: “Dana Longcope is an internationally renowned scientist and teacher, who has conducted pioneering research throughout his career,” Thomas said. “We are thrilled that he will give the College of Letters and Science Distinguished Professor Lecture this year.”
Doors for Longcope’s lecture will open at 6 p.m., with hors d’oeuvres served before it begins; drinks from Plonk will be available for purchase. More information can be obtained by contacting MSU’s College of Letters and Science at 406-994-3065.
