I am in my second year of the MA History/Master of Library and Information Sciences joint degree program at Wayne State. Focusing on 20th century U.S. history, my primary research interest is spaceflight during the Cold War era, particularly the confluence of spaceflight and exploration, politics, and culture. I also have interests in the history of aviation, nuclear science & arms, and the history of astronomy.
I currently work as an editorial assistant for the Journal of the History of Biology under Professor Marsha Richmond. I enjoy creative writing, and try to incorporate narrative elements into my academic writing, as I believe it makes the content more accessible and makes the writing process energizing. The Wayne State Department of History is full of excellent scholars doing fascinating and important work, many of whom have helped inform my own, and I appreciate the opportunity from the History Communications Lab to present some of my research.
Click here for more information on the Journal of the History of Biology
What was the ‘Space Race’?
To the Moon or bust! Proclaimed America during the 1960’s space race with the USSR. The space race represented the Cold War competition between the USA and the USSR to become the dominant influencing nation in the nuclear age. The cold war effected all aspects of American life, from politics to gender expression. As part of formulating a cohesive American identity in the 1950’s, gender expectations solidified around the white suburban nuclear family acting as a moral counter to Soviet society. Soviets were often described as impoverished and immoral living in communal housing and women working outside of the home. Astronauts and their families did not escape these Cold War gendered distinctions.
Astronauts became celebrities in their own rights and so did their media dubbed “moon wives”. The astronaut’s family portrays in Life Magazine not only introduced the American public to NASA and the space but also help represent the ‘idyllic’ American family and craft American gender roles in the early Cold War era.
Explore Nicholas’s presentation of American Gender in the Space below
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Translating historical research for public audiences