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Stuart Simms

Stuart Simms

GTA

PhD Student

History

Stuart Simms

Contact Me

scs0116@auburn.edu

304 Thach Hall

Office Hours

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 1:00-2:00 via Zoom

Education

BA, Mississippi State University, 2017

MA, University of Kentucky, 2020

About Me

My work revolves around the intersections of federal and local power during the Cold War, specifically conversations about site placement for federal defense and science facilities such as NASA space centers and the nuclear weapons complex. By examining local perspectives of the federal development story, I hope to shed light on the stories of the dispossessed and the costs of “progress” in the context of modern US history. 
My most recent work tells the story of the displacement of local communities for the construction of National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi. I argue that the local narrative, erased from official accounts, tells a much more conflicted (and holistic) understanding of the facility’s (and NASA's) relationship with people directly affected by its presence on the ground, even in the present day.

Publications

Master's Thesis