Explore cutting edge science topics, their latest developments, and their relevance to society through speaker presentations followed by question-and-answer period with the audience.
The Winter/Spring 2026 Science Inquiry Series will kick off on February 11 with a talk on solar energy technology by MSU’s Dr. Erik Grumstrup. On March 11, Ph.D. candidate Stacy Henderson will discuss her research on the most recent supereruption in Yellowstone. On April 1, retired Yellowstone Senior Wildlife Biologist Dr. Douglas Smith will discuss the wildlife history of the park.
Watch this space for news of additional talks, coming soon
Science Inquiry Series Explores Most Recent Yellowstone Supereruption
How can we understand volcanic “supereruptions” when none have occurred in recorded history? Stacy Henderson, Ph.D. candidate in MSU’s Department of Earth Sciences, will address this question in the second presentation of the Winter/Spring 2026 Science Inquiry Series.
The talk will be presented in the Community Room of the Bozeman Public Library on Wednesday, March 11, at 6:30 pm. It is sponsored by the Gallatin Valley Friends of the Sciences, and co-sponsored by the non-profit service organization Hopa Mountain.
The series explores cutting edge science topics, their latest developments, and their relevance to society through speaker presentations followed by questions from the audience. The talks are free to the public; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
In her presentation, titled “It’s Tuff Out There: Reevaluating a Yellowstone Supereruption ,” Henderson will discuss her study of minerals in the Lava Creek “tuff”—consolidated volcanic ash from Yellowstone’s most recent supereruption—and the clues the minerals reveal about how these eruptions work, and how this can help us assess volcanic hazards and interpret signals from Earth’s largest active volcanic systems.
Henderson is a graduate of Westminster College and Idaho State University with degrees in Geology. Her undergraduate research examined the geomorphic and tectonic evolution of Idaho’s Swan Valley. Her current research, with her first PhD publication in preparation, focuses on the .63 million-year-old Yellowstone supereruption, investigating how magma systems are stored and ultimately erupt.
The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer period.
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