Montana State University
01/28/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/28/2026 14:38
Two Montana State faculty to speak in Great Falls
The shadow of Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander, taken shortly after confirmation of a successful landing at Mare Crisium on the Moon's near side. Onboard is a radiation-tolerant computer developed at Montana State University by Brock LaMeres, professor of electrical and computer engineering. Photo courtesy of Firefly Aerospace
BOZEMAN - Two Montana State University faculty members will speak about their respective areas of expertise as part of a collaborative initiative between the MSU Alumni Foundation and University of Montana Alumni Association, "Bringing the U to You: Great Falls Lecture Series 2026."
Brock LaMeres, a professor of electrical and computer engineering in MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, at Heritage Hall on the Great Falls College MSU campus. LaMeres will present "From Montana to the Moon," during which he will discuss his research that led to him developing a space computer called RadPC that landed on the moon last year. LaMeres is expected to describe NASA's future plans and how technology made in Montana can potentially contribute to future missions. For the past 20 years, LaMeres has researched ways to make computers operate reliably in space. His RadPC computer has been on numerous NASA-funded missions, including multiple trips to the International Space Station. A 1998 MSU alumnus, LaMeres has written five textbooks and holds 16 patents on digital systems.
Two weeks later, Mark Fiege, a retired MSU history professor and former Wallace Stegner Chair in Western American Studies at MSU's Ivan Doig Center, will also speak as part of the same series. The event will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at Heritage Hall on the Great Falls College MSU campus. Fiege's talk, "What Makes Montana Montana? Reconciling the Past, Present and Future of our State in a Time of Dramatic Change," will explore how the Treasure State's changing demographic, economic, political and environmental climates have alarmed many long-term residents. Fiege recently retired from MSU and lives in Pony, where he is a volunteer firefighter with the Harrison Rural Fire District.
Tickets cost $11 each or $6 for students and are available at msuaf.org/UtoYou2026-MSU, by visiting Kaufman's Menswear Centre in Great Falls, or at the door.
Questions may be directed to the Becky Bailey at the MSU Alumni Foundation at [email protected] or 406-994-2586.
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