A Montana State University physicist who has developed a new model that predicts the speed of solar plasma during solar flares, likening it to the path traveled by a thrown baseball, will present his findings at the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society conference being held this week in Boulder, Colorado.

Sean Brannon, a postdoctoral researcher in the MSU Department of Physics within the College of Letters and Science, developed the model that might help to define how solar flares evolve and provide better ways to predict them. His work could have applications on how to protect power grids and communication technology and aeronautics from the energy released by the flares.

Brannon used data from the NASA Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph satellite, also known as IRIS, which monitors a specific layer of the sun known as the transition region. The transition region is thin, but complex, and separates the sun's outermost layer, the corona, from an inner layer, the chromosphere. The corona, the chromosphere and the transition region are of great interest and mystery to scientists.

Temperatures in the corona can reach several million degrees Kelvin, far hotter - often by more than a factor of 100 - than any other layer of the sun's atmosphere. A solar flare arcing through the corona can be more than 10 million degrees Kelvin. This is puzzling and seems counterintuitive since the corona is the furthest layer from the sun and, therefore, should arguably be the coolest.

IRIS spectrograms are made by a process similar to what happens when you shine light through a prism, breaking it into different colors. Each color is formed by a different kind of atom in the solar atmosphere and we can extract all kinds of interesting information about what the plasma is doing based on that spectrum. For example, if the light is more red or blue than we'd expect, then we know that the plasma is moving either away from or toward us," Brannon said.

Brannon used IRIS's data to look at the sun's solar flare process. During a solar flare, plasma from the sun can heat up to millions of degrees Kelvin and evaporate into the corona. There it fills or is funneled into powerful magnetic fields that give it an arcing, loop-like shape, Brannon said.

"We then expect that this hot plasma will cool off over the next several minutes to hours. As it cools, models predict that it should start to drain back out of the loops, resulting in spectral signatures that should be detectable," Brannon said.

"Up until now, however, there haven't been any published papers analyzing an observation of the entire filling, cooling, and draining process, nor have there been any papers that attempt to model a spectral observation as a signature of the draining," Brannon said. "The cooling and draining is important to look at, since we'd like to be sure that the plasma we're measuring is evaporated plasma draining back, and not some other source of plasma."

Brannon devised a simple model to describe the speed at which a blob of plasma falls from the top of an oval-shaped flare loop and how it would appear on an IRIS spectrograph. His results indicate that plasma is draining from the loops at free-fall speeds - similar to the path a baseball follows when thrown. Additionally, the location and timing of the draining plasma matches that which was observed evaporating.

The prediction of large solar flares is important because they can emit vast amounts of energy that can disrupt power grids, satellites, communication technology and aeronautics. For example, in March 1989, a powerful solar flare left millions of Canadians without electricity for about 12 hours, according to NASA.

"The sun really dominates Earth's environment, climate and space in which Earth lives," Brannon said. "What the sun does can have very profound impacts on life here on Earth. So, understanding the sun's processes can help us determine how to protect technology and people."

MSU Physics Professor Dana Longcope was Brannon's academic adviser and is national chairman for the Solar Physics Division. Longcope said that while solar flares are unpredictable making it difficult to find one to observe, Brannon was able to identify a specific IRIS observation, enabling him to make his analysis.

"He came up with a very different interpretation of what happens during a solar flare," Longcope said. "It is one of the most compelling quantitative observations I've seen as to what we'd expect to see during a solar flare. It's a credit to a scientist when they look at the data and they aren't blinded by what they expect to see, but rather keep an open mind and observe what is actually happening."

She has been called the Native American Maya Angelou, and at a time when most people who are decades younger have retired or cut back on their activities, Henrietta Mann is still crisscrossing the United States teaching, speaking and advocating for Native American education.
 
Even though Mann left Bozeman eight years ago for a job with her Southern Cheyenne Tribe in Oklahoma, she still refers to Montana as home and remains affiliated with Montana State University in several ways.
 
“I continue to do the work that (MSU) President Cruzado wants me to do,” Mann said. The founding recipient of the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at MSU, Mann is MSU professor emeritus of Native American Studies and remains a founding and active member of MSU’s Council of Elders.
 
Mann said she now lives close to the town in Oklahoma where she grew up. Family lore has it that when Mann was born there, deep into the era of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and the poverty of the Great Depression, her family formed a tight circle outside. Her great-grandmother White Buffalo Woman, a Cheyenne prayer woman, held Mann as she would a sacred pipe, holding her up in the four directions while praying for Mann’s long life and successful future.

 
It appears White Buffalo Woman’s prayers were heard because Mann, now 82, has become an influential Native American academic. Mann has also become a Cheyenne prayer women as well as a spiritual mentor. That responsibility has taken her around the world offering prayers. For instance, she has prayed on the grounds of the World Trade Center shortly after 9/11. She has also prayed at Stonehenge and New Zealand and Cape Canaveral at the launch of the first Native American astronaut. And, she has prayed many times at MSU, where she taught for eight years until she left in 2008 to become the founding president of the Cheyenne Arapaho Tribal College. The school was located on the campus of Mann’s alma mater, Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. The fledgling college became a victim to the recent recession, Mann said, but she remains active in tribal activities.

 
Recently, Mann represented MSU as well as her tribe as the 2016 Elder in Residence at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, American Indian Center. During the week-long residency, Mann taught, spoke, and advised the administration on building an Indian student center, boosting Native enrollment and advising about curriculum, among other things.

“MSU has increased its Native student enrollment and has a great reputation in that area, so (UNC) was interested in how we have done that,” Mann said.
 
Mann said she loved the days filled with mentoring, meeting and advising. But, as someone who has been involved in education for nearly more than 46 years, she particularly loved being back in the classroom.
 
“I love teaching. It was like riding a bicycle,” said Mann, who in 1991 was chosen as one of the country’s 10 best professors by Rolling Stone magazine. Mann added that at UNC she lectured “to the very last second” of each 60-minute class.
 
She said UNC, like MSU, is working to find funding to build an Indian student center on campus. She said she believes the effort to build a center at MSU may become a reality soon.
 
“(The MSU Indian student center) is still a priority, and I think we’re getting closer in terms of funding it,” Mann said. “We need it. Even though there are more Indian students at MSU, the Indian student center in the basement of Wilson Hall has remained the same size, which means that it seems like it is actually getting smaller.

 
“The MSU Indian students love the center, but they are crowded like sardines in the can. And, young Indian people need an academic home and a place to go to study.”
 
Still a powerful speaker, Mann received a standing ovation for her keynote speech in Chapel Hill. Following her week in residence, Mann then got on a plane and flew to Arcata, California, where she was elected by consensus as chair of the board of the Seven Generations Fund, a non-profit for indigenous peoples.

 
Last week, Mann spoke to a meeting of the United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon, about the Sand Creek massacre of 1864. Mann told the group that there was still “healing work to be done” as a result of the historic massacre of Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians near what is now eastern Colorado, by a militia under the direction of Colonel John Chivington, who was a Methodist minister at the time. Mann said both of her great-grandmothers survived the massacre.

 
In March, Mann became one of the first American Indian educators to be inducted into the National Academy of Education. The Native American Student Advocacy Institutes offers a leadership award named for Mann.
 
And, she remains an active scholar. Mann recently put the finishing touches on the foreword to a scholarly anthology on the blood quantum issue to be released 2017. The American Indian blood quantum is the percentage of tribal blood required to be an enrolled member of an American Indian tribe. The blood quantum varies from tribe to tribe, Mann said, and is often a sensitive issue. Mann is a member of her own tribe’s enrollment committee where the issue is discussed. She was recently inducted into the National Academy of Education.

 
MSU President Waded Cruzado said that Mann’s ability to stand easily in both the Native and the academic worlds have allowed Mann an unprecedented impact in promoting respect and understanding across the world of Native American culture, history and spirituality.
 
“I once heard her called the ‘Native Maya Angelou,’ and for good reason,” Cruzado said. “To hear Dr. Mann speak is to never forget her grace and power.”
 
Mann said she is pleased that her calendar continues to be busy. And, she is looking forward to a return trip to Bozeman in October for the twice-yearly meetings of MSU’s Council of Elders. She has served on the council for 10 years.
 
“I continue to do the work,” Mann said of her connection with MSU. “I’m still one of MSU’s best ambassadors. And, that’s nice.”

Three Story Houses, a collaborative project that brought art to non-traditional venues this April and May, will make its final stop at Wild Joe’s Coffee in June. The show features works by 30 local artists inspired by the theme, “Three Story Houses.” The idea of storytelling as a thread that connects people was the impetus behind the theme.

This show is the culmination of a grass roots art outreach project that challenged the status quo by bringing original art to a variety of non-traditional display venues including assisted living communities, classrooms, low-income serving entities, and even a bowling alley. The Wild Joe’s event is the final opportunity for the public to see the series.

The works will be on display June 1-30, with a reception during the first Bozeman Art Walk 6-8 pm on Friday, June 10. Some of the works are for sale, with many artists donating all or part of proceeds to local community causes.

The artists include Kelly Bellcour, Duncan Bullock, Tina DeWeese, Tara Gallagher, Anne Garner, Max Giles, Sharon Glick, Marla Goodman, Birdie Hall, Alvin Huntsman, Terry Karson, Kate Lyndsay, Cristina Marian, Kenda Minter, Stephanie Newman, Shawn and Bella Raecke, Robert Rath, Selisa Rausch, Tina Rodriguez, Raina Rowberry, Jack Schwem, Joe Schwem,  Jocelyn Stoody, Cameron Taylor, Tom Thornton, Tyson Vick, Mike Weix, Carmel Wood and Angela Yonke.

For more information or to inquire about submitting your own “Three Story Houses” inspired work to a community wall in the show, find Community Art Bozeman on facebook or visit https://communityartbozeman.wordpress.com/

Montana State University’s Veteran Services office recently awarded scholarships totaling more than $15,000 to veterans  and their spouses at the annual veteran appreciation dinner, held April 29 in Bozeman.

The students and the awards they received are listed below by scholarship name, scholarship recipient and hometown.

The Veterans Family Freedom Scholarship was established for veterans of the United States Armed Forces and their spouses to show support for their protection of our freedom. The Harold T. Mellang Memorial Scholarship wasestablished by David and Janyce Hoyt in memory of Janyce’s father, Harold, a veteran himself. The Robert M. Hoyt Memorial Scholarship also established by David and Janyce Hoyt in memory of David’s father, Robert, who was also a veteran. The winners received all three scholarships for a combined award of $2,380 to each.

Amanda Spring, a resident of Great Falls, is a nursing student due to graduate in December 2017. She is the spouse of Air National Guardsman Jason Spring.
Joshua Healy, a Marine Corps veteran from Kalispell, is studying sustainable food and bioenergy systems. He is due to graduate in May 2017.
Justin Elias, from Sahuarita, Arizona, is a Marine Corps veteran studying computer engineering. He is due to graduate in May 2019.

The Wade Christiansen Purple Heart Scholarship is given in memory of Army Paratrooper Wade Christiansen, who received a Purple Heart from his service in Afghanistan. Christiansen was an MSU student studying photography when he died in 2013. The scholarship was established to honor his service and sacrifice to the country. The scholarship is a $1,000 award.

Shane Heiser, a retired Air Force Veteran from Ferndale, Washington, is studying agriculture business. He is due to graduate in May 2018.

The Henderson Family Scholarship was established by William and Marilyn Henderson to help make higher education attainable for servicemen and women, as well as their spouses. The scholarship is a $3,500 award.

Jacob Corpron, an Air Force veteran from Kalispell, is studying cell biology and neuroscience. He is due to graduate in May 2017.

The Carol Clarke Smith Scholarship for Veteran’s Spouses. This scholarship was established by Carol Clarke Smith, who believes in broadening access to higher education for those families who sacrifice to support the country. This award is for $4,000.

Hannah Pettis, of Billings, is the wife of Marine Corps veteran Ryan Pettis. She is studying nursing and is due to graduate in May 2018.

For more information on the scholarship program or on Veteran Services, visit http://www.montana.edu/veteran/.

Over 3,000 sign petition demanding corporate sponsors pull future funding to filmmakers

Filmmakers were criminally charged on Tuesday

Montana Mint calls on Bud Light and Red Bull to take action

National Park lovers were upset when video emerged online this week of four men from the Canadian film making  group SundayFundayz leaving the designated area in Yellowstone to “capture the perfect picture.” On Tuesday, criminal charges were filed and federal arrest warrants were issued.

Also on Tuesday, the Montana Mint established a petition on change.org calling on the group’s corporate partners to pull future funding.  As of this afternoon, the petition had collected over 3,000 signatures. The petition can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/bud-light-pull-corporate-sponsorship-for-the-guys-who-left-the-path-at-yellowstone-national-park

In a since deleted webpage, SundayFundayz claimed to have the backing of corporate sponsors Bud Light and Red Bull, among others.  An archived version of the corporate partnership page can be found here.

Social media and Reddit have helped build momentum behind the Montana Mint petition. The Bud Light and Yellowstone National Park Facebook pages are littered with hundreds of comments regarding the petition.  The petition was the top story for a time on both the r/Montana and r/Wyoming Reddit pages.  

On why they started the petition, a representative from the Montana Mint said, “Like all Montanans, we were shocked when we saw the video of these guys running around in the restricted areas of Yellowstone.  It somehow made it worse to find out their trip was funded through corporate sponsors.  Bud Light, Red Bull, and all of their other sponsors need to take action to demonstrate this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”

On the importance of preserving national parks, a representative from the Montana Mint said, “Our national parks are not amusement parks.  Our ability to enjoy these parks comes with a responsibility to protect them.  Purposely entering a restricted area to get a better picture is selfish behavior that risks damaging these special places for future generations.”

Background

The Montana Mint has a simple mission: bring the best of Montana to the internet. The Montana Mint is a creative outlet for Montana-inspired stories, photos, and original content that highlight the unique beauty of the people, businesses, and places that make up the Treasure State.

For all media inquiries and availability, please email: montanamintfb@gmail.com or drop us a message on our Facebook Page.

A Montana State University professor has created a way for people across the state of Montana and beyond to access photos of an often unseen world.

Robert Peterson, professor in MSU’s Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture, has created an online collection of his photos showcasing the insect world of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Peterson hopes the online photobook – which includes more than 120 images taken over a period of 14 years – will be used and appreciated by the public.

“There’s an entire, hidden world beneath our feet that’s not well understood or appreciated,” Peterson said. “Insects are the most abundant and diverse multicellular organisms in the GYE, and they play a vital role in how ecosystems function, but because they are small and people rarely see them close up, they’re overlooked in regard to their importance. This project is an effort to hopefully enhance public appreciation of, and education about, the incredible diversity and beauty of insects in the GYE.”

The website, Insects of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, currently features close-up images showcasing the bright colors, delicate features and habitats of regional butterflies and moths, beetles, flies, bees, wasps, ants, sawflies, grasshoppers and other types of insects. Scientific names of the insects are listed, as is brief information about the insects’ anatomy, behavior and habitat.

The GYE includes Yellowstone National Park, comprises 34,375 square miles, and is one of the largest nearly intact temperate-zone ecosystems on Earth, according to the U.S. National Park Service. Peterson said at least two out of every three species in an insect within this ecosystem.

“Their diversity and abundance is staggering,” he said. “Insects aren’t viewed as charismatic as some of the large mammals in the region, but they are critical to any healthy ecosystem because they serve as pollinators that stimulate plant diversity, they’re an important food source for other organisms, they recycle nutrients, and are an crucial foundation for watershed health.”

The project includes a Facebook and Twitter page as well, where Peterson posts pictures and descriptions of insects. Photographs of insects can be added indefinitely because there are thousands of species in the GYE, giving scientists plenty of insects to photograph, according to Peterson. Eventually, he hopes to incorporate images from other photographers and encourage novice entomologists to explore, identify and share findings.

“The ultimate goal is to develop an appreciation, support education and spur an awareness of this hidden world,” he said. “You don’t have to go to far-flung places to study insects; there’s a jungle right outside your backdoor. I want people to explore and – if they’re inclined – to contribute to the science of discovery.”

The Gallatin Valley Land Trust has worked hard over the last 26 years to build an extensive 80 mile trail system that connects Main Street Bozeman to the Mountains that surround us. The Main Street to the Mountains trail system has trails for all abilities and they are accessible from neighborhoods all over town. Yet the trail system can be daunting and confusing to the newcomer or novice user. And even the experienced trail users in Bozeman are probably unaware of all the trails right there in our backyard.

In order to help people explore the great community trail system, GVLT hosting the second season of Discovery Walks: Trail Exploration Series. Join GVLT volunteers to walk, talk, and explore on the trails while meeting new people and learning something new along the way. These one-hour, guided, educational walks are totally free and open to the public. Volunteers and local experts will be hosting short talks and activities during the walks about topics such as yoga, bird identification, wildflower identification, bouldering, art, and more! Many of the walks are geared toward families and kids such as the kid’s nature walks with the Montana Outdoor Science School. All participants will get a free trail map at the end of the walk so they can find other trails to explore on their own.

Trail walks do not require an RSVP. Dogs are not allowed on walks. The full schedule for May, June, and July is located online at www.gvlt.org/events/discovery-walks. Meeting locations for walks and Google maps are also located on the website.  For more information or to volunteer, email EJ Porth, ej@gvlt.org or call 406-587-8404 ext. 8.

Gallatin Valley Land Trust builds, maintains, and enhances trails on the Main Street to the Mountains trail system in Bozeman, MT.  The Main Street to the Mountains trail network boasts over 70 miles of trails that connect throughout town. For more information or to find out how to purchase a trail map, visit www.gvlt.org.

A local tradition! The Bozeman Kiwanis Club will provide 100 children’s sandboxes built by Club members, to given to families free of charge, sand included! The sandboxes will be distributed at the Dinosaur Park off Davis Road in Bozeman, on two Saturdays in June the 4th and 11th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursday, June 9 from 6-8 p.m. They are available on a first come, first served basis, until all are distributed. Be sure and bring a vehicle that can accommodate the 5” by 5” boxes and over 1,000 pounds of sand, and a plastic liner.  A drop cloth in your vehicle is recommended for transporting.  Sandboxes encourage our children to be outside, socializing, and developing creative and constructive skill sets.

The Sandbox Project is one of many the Bozeman Kiwanis Club provides to give back to the community through various outreach programs.  The sandboxes are made possible by the club with support from community donations to purchase materials. Other projects include: Eliminate, through Kiwanis International has made great strides to eliminate maternal neonatal tetanus.  Local Club support is also provided for Eagle Mount Camp Braveheart, Big Sky Cancer Kids Spaghetti Feed, Hope for the Holidays, Kids in Crisis Backpacks, Fix-Up Festival, playground equipment, park pavilions, and others.  For more information about the Bozeman Kiwanis Club please go to www.kiwanisbozeman.org or “Bozeman Kiwanis” on Facebook.

This year, Reach Inc. is hosting their 9th annual Reach Inc. Race for Independence on Sunday, July 4th, starting at 8:00AM.  As in past years, this race features a 1K, 5K, and 10K.  The fun begins and ends at the Reach Inc. Work Center at 322 Gallatin Park Drive, follows a gorgeous course mostly on trails, and raises funds to help adults with developmental disabilities in our community to live as independently as possible.

Reach Inc. is a local, private, non-profit that provides care to 116 adults with developmental disabilities.  Their services include vocational, residential, and transportation supports to assist their clients in achieving their individualized goals and aspirations.

The 10K will start at 8:00AM, The 5K will start at 8:15AM, and the 1K will start at 8:30AM.  Sorry, no dogs.  Race directors and volunteers ask that you literally keep one ear open for people who want to pass.  Due to the narrowness on parts of the trail, and the hope of creating greater opportunities for faster folks to pass, “tuning out” your fellow runners by plugging both ears with music is discouraged.

This course is flat and fast.  Registration is $25 per person for the 5K and 10K, and $15 per person for the 1K.  All children who finish the 1K will receive a medal.  Sporty, snazzy, wicking tee-shirts are available for an additional $10 each.  Medals are given out three places deep for each age group and gender.  Register at Reach Inc. 8am to 5pm (322 Gallatin Park Drive) or on-line at www.reachinc.org or https://runsignup.com/Race/MT/Bozeman/ReachIncRaceforIndependence.  For more information, to volunteer, or to help sponsor the event, contact Dee Metrick at dee@reachinc.org or 406-587-1271.