Dr. Matt Craig to Present 2024 Dille Distinguished Faculty Lecture | Oct. 24
Dr. Matthew Craig, professor of Physics and Astronomy, will present a free public lecture on “Things that go bump in the night” on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. in Langseth Hall, room 118.
Craig’s presentation is an honor given as the as the 2024 Dille Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award recipient.
Craig’s lecture explores the seemingly unrelated topics of telescopes, exploding stars, climate change, robotics, and NASA and shows how they are connected in ways that were hard to see 10 years ago but are clear now.
Stars that shiver, robots that rupture, temperamental telescopes, and collaborative classrooms – the two threads binding these topics together are people and software. Attendees will participate in telling a story of rewarding research and lively learning.
Craig holds a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in education history from the University of California at Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. His research interests include using MSUM’s observatory to study stars that change rapidly throughout the night, monitoring short-period variable stars and studying supernovae, and developing software for professional use in astronomy.
Craig is also a core contributor among more than 500 volunteers worldwide to be honored with the 2025 Lancelot M. Berkeley–New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy. The Prize recognizes astronomers and scientists for their collaboration in supporting the Astropy Project, a worldwide effort started in 2011 to create free, open-source software for astronomy using the Python programming language. It offers a comprehensive, unified library of tools for astronomers to undertake tasks critical for research.
Each year, the Dille Fund for Excellence Committee and the President select one MSUM faculty member to receive the Dille Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award. It’s one of the highest honors that MSUM grants to the faculty.
MSUM is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible event. If you need a reasonable accommodation to attend this event, please contact Chuck Eade at Charles.Eade@mnstate.edu. You will be contacted individually to discuss your request.