Congratulations to History and Philosophy of Science’s newest graduate, Celia Oney!
Oney successfully defended her thesis “Decaying in Storage: The Closures of Three Nuclear Reactors in the Pacific Northwest”. This thesis examined the closures of the AGN-201 Research Reactor at Oregon State University, the N-Reactor at the Hanford Site in Eastern Washington, and the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in Rainier, Oregon. Oney argued that owners, operators, politicians, and anti-nuclear activists all connected these sites to other aspects of nuclear science and technology.
Oney kindly answered a handful of questions about her research and her experience in the HPS program at Oregon State.
Q: How was your experience within the HPS MA program? The professors, the cohort, your committee?
Oney:
My experience with the MA program was very positive! My professors, both in classes and as part of my committee, challenged me to examine my biases and preconceptions about my research topic. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my fellow graduate students. We work on very different research topics, but since it’s a small department, we all get the opportunity to see each other’s work evolve over the course of multiple classes, conferences, etc.
Q: Did you find research more difficult with restrictions put in place by the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, how did your topic or methods change in this respect?
Oney:
Pandemic restrictions did have some impact on what I could research. It was fortunate that I was able to access a lot of records at the Radiation Center where I work. I would have liked to have spent more time at SCARC at the OSU library. I went there a few times pre-pandemic to look through archived material from the Radiation Center, and I know there’s a lot more that I’d like to use for future work. When I was initially trying to find a thesis topic, I considered writing about AGN-201 reactors at various universities, but that project would have probably required some travel. Pandemic restrictions meant that I had to rely on resources available online. In the end, I’m glad that this led me to write about sites that are of broader interest (Hanford and Trojan).
Q: Do you foresee this research contributing to your PhD research starting next year?
Oney:
One thing I gained during this program was an appreciation for oral history. For my thesis, I made use of a few interviews that had been done as part of a project on Hanford’s history. My undergraduate degree was in Classics, so I’m used to writing about historical actors who lived 2000 years ago. It’s exciting to realize that for some of the work I’m doing now, I could actually talk to the people involved and get their perspective on the events I’m researching. I am hoping I’ll get the chance to conduct some interviews as part of my dissertation research.
Q: Any plans for the summer now that you’re finished?
Oney:
Lots of leisure reading and playing with my toddler!
Congratulations, Celia on a job well done!
CATEGORIES: Graduate Students