History Instructor


Milam Hall

Milam Hall 322

2520 SW Campus Way

2520 SW Campus Way
Corvallis, OR 97331
Education: 

I received my BS in 1992 in Recording Industry Management, with dual minors in Mass Communications & Entertainment Technology from Middle Tennessee State University.   I worked in the Nashville music business with Garth Brooks, Tricia Yearwood, and a host of songwriters and publishers before walking away from that life to go back to grad school.   (It's never too late!)   

I earned a MS in 2004 in Space Studies researching the policy implications of the Chinese space program and the interplay between science and media regarding the asteroid hazard.  I was a co-founder of the Moon/Mars workshop and was part of the United Nations Space Generation Advisory Council [UNSGAC]).  After graduation, I taught SpSt200: Introduction to Outer Space in the Space Studies Department at the University of North Dakota.

In 2010, I earned a second MS in Geosciences from Oregon State researching Earth/Mars lava morphology, and working as a consultant on the Cassini radar team for Titan (see R M Lopes, ER Stofan, R Peckyno, et.al.  Distribution and Interplay of Geologic Processes on Titan From Cassini Data.  Icarus, Volume 205, Issue 2, February 2010, Pages 540-558).  

If you are interested in more info about me personally including my science work, photography, music, and web/graphic work, visit:  http://pecknotes.com

 

Service: 

I have participated in local community outreach events in Corvallis with the 4H Program, The SMILE Program, Corvallis High School, The NASA Explorer School Program, DaVinci Days, OSU-GIS Day, etc.   

I have served on the Holocaust Memorial Committee and the SHPR Events and Outreach Committee

I provide volunteer web and social media support for Volcano World.

Honors and Awards: 
  • 2015 Carolyn Maresh Professional Staff Award
  • 2015 Philosophy Departmental Service Award
  • 2015 Association of Office Professional’s Merit Award
  • 2014 Vice Provost’s Award for Excellence in Program Support
  • 2010 American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
    Prov. Certified GIS Scientist #GS227P
  • 2009 Tower Geosciences Research Grant
  • 2008 OSU-ASPRS Student Grant
  • 2007 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Funded Internship
  • 2005 Geoscience Information Society (GSIS)  Best General Public Website Award

Profile Field Tabs

At OSU
Affiliated with: 
School of History, Philosophy, and Religion
Headquarters: 
OSU Main Campus
Courses Taught: 
  • HSTS 451:  The History of Outer Space
  • HSTS 452:  A Women's History of Outer Space
  • GEO 300:  Environmental Conservation and Sustainability (2009 only)
Research/Career Interests: 

 

My current research interests include:

  • — Female pilots, scientists, calculators, engineers, and astronomers:  1850-present   (e.g.  Harvard Computers, Hidden Figures, WASPs, Mercury 13, etc.)
  • — A history of science focused exploration of ‘UFO Religions’ comparing religious mythologies with the existent planetary knowledge at the time of their formation
  • — An updated modern biography of Qian Xuesen, founder of both the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and ultimately China’s space program, using recently declassified material.
  • — The science education impact of New Zealand’s nascent space program and a comparative look at the education/outreach efforts of commercial space businesses (e.g. Blue Origin, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Rocketlab, etc.)
  • — I am also working on a children’s book on basic volcanology.
Proceedings and Conference Presentations: 

 

Recent outreach presentations include:

  • From Powderpuff to Powerhouse: Women in Aviation and Aerospace in the 20th Century. AIAA-OSU (online). May 29, 2020.
  • the Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees:  One Small Step for Women.    Apollo Festival, Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinville, Oregon.   July 20, 2019.
  • "Meet Space Women"    Ongoing daily podcasts on Twitch.TV
  • The End of Cassini.   Wellington Astronomical Society.   Wellington, New Zealand.   Sept. 16, 2017.
  • Shaping Titan: A Planetary Adventure Mystery.   Space and Science Festival.   Johnsonville, New Zealand.  May 6, 2017.
  • From Fyodorov to Korolev:  The Seeds of Gagarin’s Flight.  Yuri’s Night, Wellington New Zealand.   April 12, 2017.
  • The Soviet and Russian Space Programs.   Oregon State University.   Corvallis, OR.  May 20, 2015.
  • The History of Planetary Protection Policy.  Oregon State University. Corvallis, OR.  May 12, 2015.
  • The History of Extra-terrestrial Communication.  Oregon State University.  Corvallis, OR.   May 24, 2012.
  • Robotic Exploration of Our Solar System (and beyond!).  Tigard Public Library, Tigard, OR. October 01, 2011.
  • Space Stations – From Skylab to Space Hotels.   Tigard Public Library. Tigard, OR.  September 24, 2011.
  • The Sky is Falling: Hazards from Above.  Evergreen Aviation Museum.  McMinville, OR.  July 28, 2011.
  • Mutual Inspiration: Science and Science Fiction.   University of North Dakota,  Grand Forks, ND.  June 13, 2006.

Recent Conference Posters/Presentations:

  • R Peckyno, S de Silva, R M Lopes, D Pieri. "LAMDA - The Lava Morphology Database: First Results and Interpretations" (Poster) AGU Annual Meeting. December 2009, San Francisco, CA
  • R Peckyno, S de Silva. "LAMDA - The Lava Morphology Database: Concept and Call for Support." (Presentation), GSA Annual Meeting. October 2009, Portland, OR
  • R Peckyno, S de Silva.  Assessing the Impact of Data Resolution for Remote Sensing Based Models of Planetary Lava Flow Rheology. (Poster)  AGU Annual Meeting. December 2008, San Francisco, CA
  • R Peckyno, R M Lopes.   Shaping Titan Update: GIS Mapping Saturn's Largest Moon. (Presentation) ASPRS Columbia River Region Technical Session. September 2008, Vancouver, WA 
  • R Peckyno, R M Lopes.   A GIS Approach to Mapping Titan.  (Presentation)   The Cassini Titan Surfaces Meeting, July 2007, USGS Astrogeology Office, Flagstaff, AZ
Beyond OSU