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History of 20th Century Science and Technology
Professor
Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1996
Office: HSSB 4224 Fall 2009 Hours: By Appointment
Phone: None; UC Budget Cut Fax: (805) 893-8795
Email: pmccray@history.ucsb.edu
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The courses I teach at UCSB cover everything from the history of nuclear weapons to the Space Age and the history of modern science and technology. My research interests concern the interplay between popular culture and politics with modern science and technology. (more...)
Some examples of what I am working on lately include:
- I started my career as a materials scientist; this led me to explore the historical context of nanotechnology and other emerging technologies. Currently, my work focuses on the the creation of a national research infrastructure (with Cyrus Mody and Hyungsub Choi) and the activities of various pro-technology futurist movements. This work, which is sponsored by the NSF, will be part of my next book project which explores the intersection of technology, culture, and political thought in American culture at the end of the 20th century.
- Keep Watching the Skies! The Story of Operation Moonwatch and the Dawn of the Space Age (Princeton, 2008) tells the story of amateur scientists around the world who participated in Operation Moonwatch. This was a program run by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory from 1956-1975. My book details how hitherto unknown "citizen-scientists" played a key role in spotting the first satellites and how their activities transcended traditional boundaries between amateur and professional scientists.
Research and Teaching Interests- I'm interested in the confluence of science and technology with politics and popular culture. Examples include:
Science (physics, astronomy, and materials science mostly) and technology during the Cold War, especially nuclear and space related topics. I also study emerging technologies along with their cultural and political context.
Current Projects- I am writing a new book for Princeton University Press that explores different visions of the technological future from the 1970s to the present.
- I also have a pilot study underway that looks at the history of the ITER (Int'l Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Project in France.
Selected Books and Articles- "From Lab to iPod: A Story of Discovery and Commercialization in the Post-Cold War Era," Technology and Culture , 50, 1 (2009): 58-81.
How did a physics discovery made in 1988 end up in your iPod? [a shorter version of this is in January 2009 issue of Nature Nanotechnology.]
- Keep Watching the Skies! The Story of Operation Moonwatch and the Dawn of the Space Age (Princeton University Press, 2008)
My third book is the story of amateur scientists and their role in helping track the world's first satellites. Publishers Weekly "Web Pick of the Week" in May 2008
- "MBE Deserves a Place in the History Books," Nature Nanotechnology, 2, 5 (2007): 259-261
Molecular beam epitaxy is one of the most important and earliest examples of nano-fabrication tools. This article explains its origins at Bell Labs and IBM in the early 1970s.
- “Amateur Scientists, the International Geophysical Year, and the Ambitions of Fred Whipple.” Isis 97, 4 (2006): 634-658.
Tells of the hurdles SAO director Fred Whipple overcame to persuade his colleagues that amateurs could contribute to the IGY.
- “Will Small Be Beautiful? Making Policies for Our Nanotech Future.” History and Technology 21, 2 (2005): 177-203.
Although somewhat dated already, this essay lays out the basic path for how the U.S. government decided to spend billions on nanotech research.
- Giant Telescopes: Astronomical Ambitions and the Promise of Technology, (Harvard University Press, 2004).
This book was a super-fun to research and write...I got to interview many astronomers and spend nights at several major observatories.
- “Project Vista, Caltech, and the Dilemmas of Lee DuBridge.” Historical Studies in the Physical and Biological Sciences 34, 2 (2004): 339-370.
Based on a fascinating set of documents at the Caltech Archives, it tells of how that school's new president had to adapt to the exigencies of the early Cold War.
- “What Makes a Failure? Designing a New National Telescope, 1975-1984,” Technology and Culture, 42, 2 (2001): 265-291
Even if a major research facility isn't built, powerful lessons can still be drawn from the experience.
- “Large Telescopes and the Moral Economy of Recent Astronomy,” Social Studies of Science 30, 5 (2000): 685-711.
How do astronomers decide what instruments they will build?
- Glassmaking in Renaissance Venice: The Fragile Craft, (Ashgate Press, 1999).
My first book; it presents the history of Venetian glassmaking from a consumer's point of view and draws upon a rich array of material culture.
Undergraduate and Graduate Courses I Teach- History 105A - The Atomic Age
Upper-division undergraduate course on history of nuclear weapons and nuclear power with focus on the Cold War period. Offered yearly.
- History 105B - The Space Age
Upper-division undergraduate course and complement to 105A; covers the history of spaceflight. Offered yearly.
- History 105Q - Readings Course on Atomic/Space Age
Upper-division undergraduate readings course; currently being taught as Nuclear War in Fiction and Film.
- History 105P - Undergraduate Proseminar
Students prepare and write original research paper, typically on nuclear or space-related topics.
- History 106C - History of Modern Physical Sciences
Upper-division undergraduate course; presents the history of physics and astronomy with emphasis on scientific communities.
- History 109 - Science, Technology, and Modern America
A new undergraduate course I plan to offer starting in AY 2010-11
- History 200HS or 201HS - Graduate Reading Seminar
Offered yearly, this class is a graduate-level readings course. Topics vary but recent/planned examples include: Studying Emerging (Nano)Technologies; Scientists during the Cold War; Nuclear Histories; and Technology in U.S. History.
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