10 Questions with… Randall Milstein, professor of teaching. He teaches astronomy and energy alternatives classes in the physics department, and also teaches in the Honors College. He represents OSU as its affiliate representative for the Oregon Space Grant Consortium. He enjoys engaging with the public on topics of science, astronomy and the role of science fiction in popular culture.
What originally brought you to OSU?
I came to OSU as a doctoral student in 1989 on the recommendation of my uncle who had done his Ph.D. work here during the 1970s. He thought I would like living in Corvallis and stated OSU was an excellent learning environment - he was correct. I was an older-than-average grad student when I arrived with a decade of practical experience and was quickly hired as an instructor in CEOAS. I came to Corvallis and stayed for the last 37 years.
Where did your love of space come from?
I came of age during the Space Race of the 1960s and 1970s. Saw Mercury space capsules in person, lived near Michigan State University's Abrams Planetarium, heard astronauts give public talks and had a telescope as a kid. Professionally, my interest in space and planetary science comes from my research into impact craters and the physics of high-energy collisions — big asteroids smashing into planets.
What makes you passionate about higher education?
I love my job as a professor because I learn something new every day, and what I learn invariably comes from my students. It might sound nerdy, but I love the quote from Master Yoda from “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Yoda says, "We are what they grow beyond." Suggesting we are not supposed to crank out little copies of ourselves, but that our job as teachers is to provide students with knowledge they can use to expand their world and continue learning and asking questions throughout their lives: for them to grow beyond our example.
How does storytelling play a role in your work as a teacher?
I have found students retain key points of information better if I relay them as stories. Tell a story about the person who made the breakthrough. Tell a story about how a particular scientific principle or process works by giving a relatable example from real life. Tell a story from my life about how I learned about what this observation means and its scientific value. Link a story to history to give the science context.
What advice would you give the younger version of yourself who was just starting college?
Take advantage of every opportunity to travel and experience new cultures and places.
How do you combine humanities and science in your research and teaching?
Before my career in science, I was trained and graduated with a degree in Fine Art as a photographer. I always try to incorporate some creative aspect in my students’ course work. They have to build an artifact of some kind that represents what they take away from the class. In the Science of Science Fiction class they have to build individualized light saber hilts. In Astronomy, they have to build or make an artistic representation of something astronomical. In my Astronomy of Sacred Places the students have to construct a diorama of the location they have selected to research. The artifact can be a construction or piece of artwork; I've had very creative poetry, songs and sculptures as well, usually in the form of a "build" artifact serving as an essential assignment. This gives students some creative agency and lets me know what they found meaningful in the course.
What was your favorite course in college?
When I was a freshman in college back in Michigan, I had a class that was team-taught with an art/literature historian, a political scientist and a history of science professor. We learned the linkages between artistic movements, social upheavals and phases of intellectual enlightenment through time. Once I started to recognize how culture interweaves with other human challenges it was easier to understand what was going on around me in the 1970s right through until now.
How do you use science fiction such as Star Wars and Firefly to teach about science fact?
I tell my students not to interpret sci-fi literally; sci-fi is a metaphor and considered by scholars as the great modern literature of not simply science and physics, but of metaphysics. I stress science is essential to works of science fiction — separating them from fantasy such as Star Wars. And we must remember the goal of writers, moviemakers and illustrators is to entertain, not necessarily educate. The question becomes, Is the science in the science fiction you are consuming real? We can suspend our disbelief and accept a certain amount of science errors in our entertainment, but if the errors are so blatant the story becomes unbelievable then the movie, TV show, book, or artwork crashes and burns.
When taking students out to a place such as Pine Mountain Observatory, what are some of the big things they take away from the experience?
Being able to see the night sky has made a lasting impression and shaped what it has meant to be human throughout history and has influenced everything from science to art to philosophy. If you go to a dark sky location, I think you should leave understanding that not being able to see the full night sky under complete darkness is a change to the human experience that has come at a great cost.
What is your favorite nonacademic pursuit or passion?
I enjoy hiking in the forest; to me that is my hard reset. Also, I enjoy photographing professional dancers. That has been my side hustle for years.
