The New Space Race

Special Event | Available (Membership Required)

9000 Babcock Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15237 United States
Ryan Room
9/1/2026 (one day)
1:00 PM-2:30 PM EDT on Tue
09/01/2026

The New Space Race

Special Event | Available (Membership Required)

The first Space Race was about being first - the first person in space, the first to land on the moon. Today, the contest is to see who can create a permanent presence beyond Earth. With the successful Artemis II mission in April of 2026, we will look at the challenges and motivations for the new push into outer space, and what it might hold for the future of humankind.

Soren Fanning

Dr. Soren Fanning is an Associate Professor of World History at Robert Morris University, where he specializes in issues of national identity formation, comparative history, and methods of imperial governance.  Before moving to Pittsburgh in 2010, Dr. Fanning was a high school teacher of both history and world cultures in Chicago, Illinois, and Toledo, Ohio.  He earned his B.A. and M.Ed. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his Ph.D. in history from Bowling Green State University.  He has spent 24 years teaching at both the secondary and collegiate levels.  Dr. Fanning has published articles on comparative North American history and the role of law enforcement in colonial settlement, and was awarded the RMU Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching in 2017.  He is currently the head of the Social Sciences Department at RMU and recently presented at the AAUW’s Great Decision Series in Spring 2025.