Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Origins of a Historical Understanding of the Universe

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Project OverviewThis award supports doctoral dissertation research that explores the emergence of modern cosmology in the history of nineteenth century astronomy. The goal of the co-PI (the doctoral dissertation researcher) is to provide an account of how the universe was understood in western intellectual networks and popular culture during that period. In pursuing that goal, the co-PI will examine the ways in which the development of cosmology was an interdisciplinary process that strongly influenced nineteenth-century science and society. The development and social impact of this transformation will be explored through research in manuscript archives in the US, UK, and France.Intellectual MeritThe emergence of modern cosmology remains unexplored and significantly under-researched. While addressing this gap, the co-PI will illuminate the relationship between Romantic philosophy, public culture, and the development of a historical understanding of the universe. He will also reveal significant methodological interplay between nineteenth-century astronomy, geology, and life sciences; for example, that they share similar problems and develop similar epistemological solutions. The co-PI is well positioned to engage in this research project. The PI (the co-PI's mentor) brings expertise in the history of nineteenth-century life sciences. The co-PI's credentials include a bachelor's degree in astronomy and astrophysics, and the doctoral dissertation committee includes an astrophysicist and historians of science.Broader Impacts In addition to presenting the results of this research in journal articles and at professional meetings, the co-PI hopes to develop the material into an undergraduate course and to publish the research as a book, written in an accessible style, for the general public and academics alike.