W. Patrick McCray

W. Patrick McCray (born 1967) is a historian at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He researches, writes about, and teaches the history of science and the history of technology. His work typically focuses on the intersection of scientific communities with politics, policy, and popular culture.

McCray is the author of three books and many articles. His first book detailed the history of Venetian glass technology during the Renaissance. His interest in glass making got him interested in how large mirrors for modern telescopes are made. This led him to write about the politics and technologies associated with astronomers' efforts to build modern giant telescopes [http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/MCCGIA.html] . He has also written about science and technology, especially amateur scientists, during the Cold War. In 2008, Princeton University Press published his most recent book on Operation Moonwatch ("Keep Watching the Skies! The Story of Operation Moonwatch and the Dawn of the Space Age").

External links

* [http://www.history.ucsb.edu/people/person.php?account_id=14 Home page]