SUNY Potsdam Hosts Renowned Space Historian Andrew Chaikin as Visiting Scholar this Fall

Related Media

National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Visiting Professor Andrew Chaikin will offer three public lectures at SUNY Potsdam this semester.

POTSDAM, NY (09/22/2014)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam is proud to host the award-winning science journalist and space historian, Andrew Chaikin, as the National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Visiting Professor this fall.

Chaikin will offer three public lectures this semester, in a series titled "Our Journey into Space: Past, Present and Future."

All lectures will be offered on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Raymond Hall eighth floor lounge. These events are free, and the public is invited to attend.

The NEH Public Lecture Series at SUNY Potsdam is as follows:

• Sept. 25: "Voices from the Moon: The Experiences of the Apollo Astronauts"
• Oct. 23: "Voyages to Mars: From Canals to Footprints"
• Nov. 20: "Space Exploration: A New Paradigm"

About the visiting scholar:

Andrew Chaikin has authored books and articles about space exploration and astronomy for three decades. He is best known as the author of "A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts," which is widely regarded as the definitive account of the moon missions. First published in 1994, this acclaimed work was the main basis for Tom Hanks' 12-part HBO miniseries, "From the Earth to the Moon," which won the Emmy Award for best miniseries in 1998. Chaikin spent eight years writing and researching "A Man on the Moon," including more than 150 hours of interviews with 23 of the 24 lunar astronauts.

Chaikin is also the author of "Air and Space: The National Air and Space Museum Story of Flight," published in 1997," as well as a collaboration with astronaut-turned-artist Alan Bean, "Apollo: An Eyewitness Account." He also co-authored the text for the highly successful collection of Apollo photography, "Full Moon." From 1999 to 2001, Chaikin served as executive editor for space and science at space.com. He was also the editor of the website's print magazine, Space Illustrated.

Chaikin's essays include a chapter on human spaceflight in the National Geographic Encyclopedia of Space, published in 2004, and a chapter titled "Live from the Moon: The Societal Impact of Apollo," for NASA's 2007 book, "The Societal Impact of Spaceflight." "A Passion for Mars," published in 2008, tells the story of Mars exploration in human and scientific terms. Chaikin's most recent books, co-written with Victorian Kohl, are "Voices from the Moon," featuring excerpts from his conversations with Apollo astronauts, and "Mission Control, This is Apollo," a book for young readers, illustrated with paintings by Apollo moonwalker Alan Bean. Both works were published in 2009.

Chaikin is a commentator for National Public Radio's "Morning Edition," and has appeared on "Fresh Air" and "Talk of the Nation." His television appearances include discussions on "Good Morning America," "Nightline" and "The Colbert Report." He has been an adviser to NASA on space policy and public communications, and teaches space history for NASA's Academy of Program and Project Engineering Leadership. Chaikin has also taught about space exploration at Williams College and for Montana State University.

A former editor of Sky & Telescope magazine, Chaikin has also been a contributing editor for Popular Science, and has written for Newsweek, Scientific American, Air & Space, Smithsonian, World Book Encyclopedia and other publications.

While earning a geology degree from Brown University, Chaikin served on the Viking missions to Mars at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He also served as a researcher at the Smithsonian's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, before becoming a science journalist in 1980. An occasional space artist, Chaikin is also an amateur musician and songwriter. He is a founder member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists.

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation.

To learn more about upcoming events at SUNY Potsdam, please visit www.potsdam.edu/events.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,300 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community recently launched Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which aims to raise $27 million by the College's bicentennial in 2016.

###