For students and faculty alike, the beauty and intrigue of Yellowstone National Park is one of many draws to Montana State University. For Madison Myers, an MSU volcanologist, it is the perfect place to blend science, teaching and public service.

Myers, an associate professor in MSU’s Department of Earth Sciences, conducts research on the volcano that underlies Yellowstone. Often, Myers said, people nervously ask her when the volcano will erupt — something it hasn’t done in 70,000 years. She can confidently reassure them.

“There’s a lot of precedent in the field of volcanology to communicate to people how we monitor these systems, why we can't necessarily predict an eruption, but also what hints we see when a system leads to unrest,” Myers said. “The same is true for Yellowstone, but wit

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