Matt Penn

Matt Penn serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Physics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, actively contributing to solar physics research through the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative and the Citizen CATE Experiment. His work bridges academic instruction with practical observational campaigns during solar eclipses.

His research spans Solar Physics, Astronomy, and Astrophysics with specialized focus on solar eclipses, coronal mass ejections, solar flares, and infrared spectroscopy of solar phenomena. He investigates plasma dynamics in the solar corona and energy release mechanisms during flares, utilizing innovative citizen science frameworks to gather high-resolution eclipse data across continental-scale networks.

Recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward collaborative, large-scale observational studies using distributed telescope networks, particularly the Citizen CATE Experiment. His work emphasizes infrared analysis of solar flares and instrumentation development for eclipse campaigns, revealing new insights into coronal acceleration processes and thermal radiation mechanisms during transient solar events.

Dr. Penn is a principal investigator for the Citizen CATE Experiment, which coordinates over 60 telescope sites across the United States during total solar eclipses. This initiative employs volunteer observers and standardized instrumentation to produce continuous high-cadence imagery of the solar corona, enabling unprecedented studies of its magnetic structure and plasma dynamics during totality.