History and Philosophy of Science at Oregon State University

Lance Burch is a PhD student in History and Philosophy of Science. He earned his bachelor’s in History, and master’s in the History and Philosophy of Science from Florida State University.  His research interests focus on the intersection of science, policy, and the marine and riverine environment. His interests extend to oral histories—which he has experience preparing and conducting—and the dynamic between scientist and their local communities.

Marcelo Carocci is a PhD student in History and Philosophy of Science. Marcelo completed his undergraduate studies in Cultural Anthropology and his Master of Arts degrees in Applied Anthropology at Oregon State. His Master’s researched focused on the impact of settler colonialism on how the history of Native Populations are told in western Oregon. In switching to History of Science, Marcelo’s academic interests are, history of Medicine in the 19th century, US military history in the 19th and 20th century, and Oregon Native populations issues.

Picabo Fraas is a Master’s student in History and Philosophy of Science. Picabo received a B.A. in History from the University of California – Santa Barbara. Her research interests are in late-18th / early-19th century geology and paleontology. Picabo takes interest in many areas of the globe from the British empire, to Russia, to Meiji Japan while using race, religion, and biography as a context for looking at exploration and the natural sciences. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, playing music, and hiking.

Aimee Hisey is a PhD student in History and Philosophy of Science. She received both her B.A. and M.A. from Oregon State. For her M.A., Aimee used inquisition cases from the seventeenth century to research inquisitional rhetoric and public practice of illicit unions in viceregal New Spain. She presented this work at the Sixteenth Century Society Conference in Bruges, Belgium in 2016. Aimee’s current research investigates the regulation and practices of Jewish medical practitioners in the Spanish viceroyalties. Aimee returned to the Archivo General de la Nacion in Mexico City, Mexico in the summer 2019 to begin her dissertation research, having conducted her M.A. research at the same archive in 2015. Further archival research will take place in Madrid at the Archivo Historical Nacional in and at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, Spain as well. Since 2017, Aimee has worked as an instructor for Ecampus; teaching indigenous, colonial, and modern histories of Latin America.  When not teaching or studying, Aimee enjoys hiking with her husband and two dogs, Hagrid and Hermione.

Miriam Lipton is a Ph.D. student in History and Philosophy of Science. Miriam received her undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon where she graduated cum laude with a triple major in Biology, General Science, and Russian and a minor in Chemistry. Miriam then received an M.A., from the University of Oregon in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. Her main research focus was on the history of contraceptives and sex education in the Soviet Union. After completing her M.A., Miriam attended Georgetown University where she received her M.S. in Global Health. At Georgetown, Miriam primarily focused on neglected tropical diseases in the Western Pacific. Some of Miriam’s professional accomplishments include working for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Miriam worked for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia. Miriam was part of the Environment, Science, Technology, and Health team where her focus was on Arctic and health related issues. Most recently, Miriam has been working as a consultant for the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Regional Office in Manila, Philippines working on issues related to risk management, malaria control, and neglected tropical diseases. Miriam is excited to be a part of Oregon State’s History of Science program.

Kate McHugh is an M.A. student in History and Philosophy of Science. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, where she majored in History, Physics, and Political Science. She is very excited to combine her undergraduate majors during her course of study at OSU. Her research interests center around the history of science education in the twentieth century in the United States, especially home economics and physics education. In her free time, Kate enjoys playing saxophone, cooking, and sewing.

Celia Oney entered the program as a Master’s student in Fall 2019. She received a B.A. in Classics from Reed College. She has been working as the Reactor Supervisor for OSU’s TRIGA Research Reactor since 2015. Her research interests are in nuclear history and policy. In her free time, Celia enjoys reading, knitting, and spending time with her family and cats.

Matis Rosenberg is a PhD student in History and Philosophy of Science. His background is in argument, rhetoric and social influence, a smattering of interpersonal theory, and history. After several years of traveling abroad, he returned to Oregon State University to complete his BA in Speech Communication and MA in Rhetoric and History. He currently teaches Argument, and Public Speaking while studying rhetoric as a quasi-science and its influence on the world around us; he is specifically interested in propaganda directed at children. Matthew is a native northwestern and when not learning or teaching, you’ll find him in the mountains: skiing, hiking, climbing, playing music, and spending time with family and friends.