I am a Ph.D. student working at the intersections of nature, culture, science, and technology, focusing on Cold War-era United States history. Generally speaking, my research examines the entanglement of environmental perceptions and space exploration, analyzing the creation of scientific knowledge and popular notions about environments on Earth and in outer space. My dissertation, “The Places of Mars: Planetary Geologists and Environmental Knowledge on the Red Planet, 1960-1999,” examines how robotic spacecraft facilitated a sense of “being there” on Mars for planetary scientists without ever leaving the Earth. In it, I analyze how this view of the Martian environment through robotic experiments shaped the scientific knowledge created across four decades of exploration.

I also study public history, focusing on theories and methods such as memory and narrative, space and place, oral history, and material culture. While these are not all unique to the field of public history or even history more broadly, their use by historians helps guide my research.  Above all, I believe public history makes my work more accessible to broader audiences while remaining academically rigorous.

Advisor: Patrick McCray

Committee Members:

• Elena Aronova
• Salim Yaqub
• Randy Bergstrom

See Attached CV →