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Stephen Pyne

Stephen Pyne

Emeritus Professor,
Center for Biology and Society
Other ASU affiliations
Emeritus Professor, Emeritus College
Affiliate Global Futures Scholar, Global Futures Scientists and Scholars
  • STEPHEN.PYNE@asu.edu
Biography Research Teaching Public Work
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Long Bio

Stephen J. Pyne has written a slew of books, mostly on the history and management of wildland and rural fire, including big-screen surveys for the U.S., Canada, Australia, Mexico, Europe (including Russia), and the Earth generally. His exploration research includes books on Antarctica, the Grand Canyon, the Voyager mission, a biography of Grove Karl Gilbert, and a summary history, The Great Ages of Discovery. 

 

Education

PhD University of Texas-Austin 1976

MA University of Texas-Austin 1974

BA Stanford University 1971

 

 

CV
Curriculum Vitae
Video
Research Website URL
Research Website
Research Interests

Current research involves a revision, abridgement, and update of his previously published fire history of Europe.  He is also writing about fire on the Tonto National Forest.

Publications

See www.stephenpyne.com

Courses
2025 Spring
Course Number Course Title
BIO 493 Honors Thesis
BIO 495 Undergraduate Research
2024 Spring
Course Number Course Title
BIO 493 Honors Thesis
BIO 495 Undergraduate Research
2023 Spring
Course Number Course Title
BIO 493 Honors Thesis
BIO 495 Undergraduate Research
2022 Spring
Course Number Course Title
BIO 493 Honors Thesis
BIO 495 Undergraduate Research
2021 Spring
Course Number Course Title
BIO 493 Honors Thesis
BIO 495 Undergraduate Research
2020 Spring
Course Number Course Title
BIO 493 Honors Thesis
BIO 495 Undergraduate Research
Presentations
  • Pyne, Stephen. Between Two Fires: Wildland Fire in America Today. Invited lecture, National Interagency Fire Center, Boise, ID (Sep 2020).
  • Stephen J. Pyne. Fire history of contemporary America. Joint Fire Science Program board meeting - Santa Fe, NM (Oct 2014).
  • Stephen Pyne. History of American wildland fire policy. Arizona League of Cities and Towns (Aug 2014).
  • Stephen J. Pyne. Between Two Fires. Oak Woodlands Consortium, Joint Fire Science Program, inaugural meeting - Crossville, TN (Jun 2014).
  • Stephen J. Pyne. Between Two Fires: America's fire revolution. Large Fire Conference - Assoc. for Fire Ecology and International Assoc for Wildland Fire (May 2014).
  • Stephen J. Pyne. Monster Flicks - Big fires come to the big screen. Large Fire Conference - Assoc. for Fire Ecology and International Assoc for Wildland Fire (May 2014).
  • Stephen J. Pyne. Fire's American century. San Carlos Apache Agency, fire training (Apr 2014).
  • Stephen Pyne. Pragmatism and environmental history. American Society for Environmental History annual meeting (Mar 2014).
  • Stephen J Pyne. Seeking Newer Worlds: Voyager. Invited lecture, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation (Mar 2014).
  • Pinchot Institute for Conservation. Between Two Fires. Invited lecture (Feb 2014).
  • Stephen J. Pyne. The future of fire. Futuringcasting workshop, sponsored by Intel (Feb 2014).
  • Stephen J. Pyne. WUI Woes. Workshop on Wildland/Urban Interface and Fire - Headwaters Economics. Jackson Hole, WY (Jan 2014).
  • National Advanced Fire and Research Institute. American fire history. Fire in Ecosystem Management (M-590) (Jan 2014).
  • Stephen Pyne. After the Fire. Natl Fire Protection Association Meeting - Backyards and Beyond (Nov 2013).
  • Stephen Pyne. Between Two Fires. Public lecture, University of Nevada - Reno (Aug 2013).
  • Stephen Pyne. Imagining Canada: Reflections in the Flames. Does the World Need More Canada? Workshop preceding American Society for Environmental History Mtg (Mar 2013).
  • Stephen Pyne. Combustion Fast, Combustion Slow, Combustion Deep. Society for Range Management, Annual Meeting (Feb 2013).
  • Stephen Pyne. American fire history. M-580 Fire in Ecosystem Management (Jan 2013).
  • Stephen Pyne. Back to fire's future: analogues for the history to come. Fire Congress, Association for Fire Ecology (Dec 2012).
  • Stephen Pyne. Words on fire from a scholar on fire. Words on Fire Symposium - Spring Creek Project (Nov 2012).
  • Stephen Pyne. The Big Blowup. Society of American Foresters - annual meeting (Oct 2012).
  • Stephen Pyne. Between two fires: an American survey. National Research Council, National wildfire resilience workshop (Oct 2012).
  • Stephen Pyne. Voice and vision. Writing workshop, St John's College - presented by Skype (Jun 2012).
  • Stephen Pyne. Smokechased; fire's American century. Fire in the Southwest - Association for Fire Ecology (Feb 2012).
  • Stephen Pyne. Reporting history: the past as now. Joujrnalism and the Humanities - Institute for Humanities Research (Feb 2012).
  • Stephen Pyne. Fire history of America. Fire in Ecosystem Management (M-580) - National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute (Jan 2012).
  • Pyne, Stephen. America's Wildland Fires: a Historical Introduction. Wildfire: law, economics, and policy - symposium; University of Arizona (Nov 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Between Two Fires: Understanding the American Fire Scene. Public lecture, University of California - Santa Barbara (Oct 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Great Fires: A Retrospective. 3rd Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference, International Assoc of Wildland Fire (Oct 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. And He Shewed Thee His Great Fire: Memorializing the Great Fires of 1910. Centennial celebration, 1910 Fires; St Maries, ID (Aug 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Great Fires. Centennial celebration, 1910 fires; Wallace, ID (Aug 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Cash-Value of Environmental History. Environmental History Workshop, National History Center and Rachel Carson Center (Jun 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Big Blowup. Inland Society of American Foresters Meeting; Wallace, ID (May 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Fire: The Human Dimension. Joint Fire Science Program, meeting in Minneapolis, MN (May 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Pyric Transition. Fire Workshop, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (Apr 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. American fire history. M-580 Fire in Ecosystem Management course; National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute (Apr 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Fire's Centennial. Fire Management Officers Conference, Bureau of Indian Affairs (Mar 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Writing with No Name. Teaching Writing, American Society for Environmental History (Mar 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Between Two Fires: the Past and Future of Fire in America. Public lecture, Penn State University Law School (Mar 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Fire and the National Park Service. National Fire Management Officers Conference, National Park Service (Feb 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Between Two Fires: Fire in America Today. Thompson Memorial Lecture, Northern Arizona University (Feb 2010).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Surely, Fire is What I Am. Fire in Human Evolution, Society, and Culture (Dec 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Fire in the American West. Public lecture, Center for the American West, UC Boulder (Sep 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Between Two Fires. Public lecture, Jones Ecological Research Station, Ichauway, GA (Sep 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. America's Fire Revolution. Illinois Prescribed Fire Council, Chicago, IL (May 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. American History with Fire in Its Eye. Public lecture, associated with Illinois Rx Fire Council (May 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. History with Fire in Its Eye. Public lecture, Oklahoma State University (Apr 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Historical Perspective on Fire. Fire in Ecosystem Management, National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute (Apr 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Seeking Newer Worlds. Furniss Lectures, Colorado State University (Mar 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Flame and Fortune. Furniss Lectures, Colorado State University (Mar 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Writing with No Name. Furniss Lectures, Colorado State University (Mar 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. America's Great Cultural Revolution on Fire. Panel, American Society for Environmental History meeting (Feb 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Social Ecology of Fire. Fire and Climate Change (Jan 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Changing Economy of Fire in the West. Wildfires in the West: An Interdisciplinary Panel Forum (Jan 2009).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Three narratives of fire. Hot Topics and Burning Issues: Fire as a driver of system processes (Mar 2008).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Rekindling fire science. Fish and Wildlife Service Annual Refuges Fire Workshop (Dec 2007).
  • Pyne, Stephen. IGY: announcing a third great age of discovery. Making Science Global (Nov 2007).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Paradigms of fire history. Human Fire History (Oct 2007).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Grand Canyon and Modern Science: An Introduction to a Parallel History. Canon National Parks Scholars Retreat (Oct 2007).
  • Pyne, Stephen. "American History with Fire in its Eye". Human Fire History (Oct 2007).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Fire, science, and resource management: an introduction to the American experience. Canon National Parks Scholars Retreat (Oct 2007).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Megaburning. The Meaning of Megafires and the Means of their Management. IV International Conference on Wildland Fire (May 2007).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Triangulating Fire: A Proposal for Rethinking Fire Research. V International Conference on Forest Fire Research (Nov 2006).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Wrath of Kuhn: meditations on fire philosophy. International Fire Ecology Congress II (Oct 2006).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Big Burns, Then and Now. International Fire Ecology Congress II (Oct 2006).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Firepower: Fire and Sword in the Industrial Age. American Society for Environmental History, annual meeting (Mar 2006).
  • Pyne, Stephen. History of Fire. Fire in Ecosystem Management, National Interagency Fire Institute (Mar 2006).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Science and Nature: Writing the Real. Desert Nights, Rising Stars. ASU Writing Conference 2006 (Feb 2006).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Culture of Fire on Earth. San Diego Museum of Natural History (Nov 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen, Collins, Tim. Fire Field Trip. Field Trip, for annual meeting of Association of Pacific Coast Geographers (Oct 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Fire and the Forest Service: A Retrospective. Roundtable Panel: Forest Service Centennial, Western History Association Annual Meeting (Oct 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Centennial Fire. Western History Association (Oct 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. My Country is Fire: Fire, Quebec, and Canada. Symposium: Situating Quebec in Environmental History (Sep 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Fire: A Brief History. SoLS Science Studio (Aug 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Tempering the Temperate Forest: Fire, Axe, and People. Symposium on the Temperate Forest (Grinnell College) (May 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Fire. Seminar, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University (May 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. A Brief History of Fire. Association of American Geographers, annual meeting (Apr 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Prometheus Unbound. Panel on fire history, American Society for Environmental History (Mar 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Seeking Newer Worlds: An Historical Context for Space Exploration. NASA-National Air and Space Museum, Workshop on Critical Issues in Space History (Mar 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Historical Role of Fire. Fire in Ecosystem Management, National Interagency Fire Institute (federal agencies) (Feb 2005).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Facing the Flames: The U.S. Forest Service Takes on Fire. Fire and Forest Health, Andrus Center for Public Policy, USFS centennial (Nov 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Arizona and Fire. ASU Woman's Club meeting (Oct 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Forests, Fires, and Regime Change. Gordon Research Conference, on Science and Technology Policy (Aug 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Legacy. (multiple sponsors) (Jun 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Fire in the Garden: Understanding the Context of Fire in Portugal. Conference on Wildfire in Portugal (May 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Why the West Burns. 6th Annual GIS Exposition and Symposium (May 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Best of Friends, the Worst of Enemies. Canadian Forest Service, Edmonton, Alberta (Apr 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Survey of American Fire History. Fire in Ecosystem Management, national training course for federal land agencies (Feb 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Understanding Arizona's Fires. ASU Retirees, Annual Meeting (Feb 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Flame and Fortune: An Overview of American Fire. Malpai Borderlands Group, Science Meeting (Jan 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. How the Canyon Became Grand. Public Lecture, Cline Library and Grand Canyon Association, Northern Arizona University (Jan 2004).
  • Pyne, Stephen. History with Fire in Its Eye. Warren Center for the Humanities (Oct 2003).
  • Pyne, Stephen. American History with Fire in Its Eye. (Sep 2003).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Flame and Fortune. Public lecture (Sep 2003).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Mind of Grove Karl Gilbert. Earth Science Seminar (Apr 2003).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Global Perspective: Conceptualizintg Fire in Past, Present, and Future Settings. 3rd International Conference on Wildland Fire (Mar 2003).
  • Pyne, Stephen. The Culture of Fire and the American West. Science, Ecosystem Management and the American West, Panel, AAAS Meeting (Feb 2003).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Why the West Burns. (Feb 2003).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Flame and Fortune. Public Lecture Series (Feb 2003).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Seeking Newer Worlds: The Future of Exploration. American Assoc. for Advancement of Science (Feb 2003).
  • Pyne, Stephen. Smokechasing. Tucson Book Festival
  • Pyne, Stephen. How the Canyon Became Grand. Cline Library and Grand Canyon Association
  • Pyne, Stephen. Capacity Building, Senior Fire Administrators, and U.N. University. U.N. Intl. Strategy for Disaster Reduction - Wildfire Advisory Group Meeting
  • Pyne, Stephen. Facing the Flames: Fire and the Forest Service. Seminar, School of Forestry
  • Pyne, Stephen. Flame and Fortune: An Overview of American Fire. Malpai Borderlands Group, Science Meeting
  • Pyne, Stephen. Big Burns, Then and Now. Assoc. for Fire Ecology, Fire Congress
  • Pyne, Stephen. Triangulating Fire Research: A Proposal for Rethinking Fire Scholarship. V International Conference on Forest Fire Research
  • Pyne, Stephen. American fire history. Fire ecology (course)
  • Pyne, Stephen. Awful Splendour: a fire history of Canada. CIFFC webinar
  • Pyne, Stephen. Historical fire. Fire in Ecosystem Management
Honors / Awards

2016     National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute, recognition for distinguished service

2015      Recognition of Merit.  6th International Wildland Fire Conference (Pyeongchang, Korea)

2014       ASU Global Institute of Sustainability - Distinguished Sustainability Scholar

              ASU Virginia Piper Center for Creative Writing.  Affiliate status.

2010      Thompson Memorial Lecture, Northern Arizona University

2009      Furniss Lectures, Colorado State University

2007      ASU College of Arts and Sciences – Distinguished Faculty Award

2005      Association of American Geographers – Honorary Geographer

2003      Appointed a Regents Professor, Arizona State University

2001     Year of the Fires named by Library Journal to its Best Books of 2001 and by PEN

Center to its Finalist roster in the category of Research Non-fiction

2001      Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science

1998      Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Alberta

1995      Robert Kirsch Award, Los Angeles Times, for "a living author whose residence or focus

   has been in the West and whose career contributions merit body-of-work recognition"

1995      Theodore Blegen Award, Forest History Society, for essay "Nataraja: India's Cycle of  Fire"

1995      Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (ended in 2015)

1995      ASU Alumni Award for Research

1993      ASU West Award of Achievement in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

1992      B. Benjamin Zucker Environmental Fellowship, Yale University

1988      John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship

1987     The Ice named by New York Times Book Review as among "Best Books of 1987"

1984      Esquire Magazine Register (December)

1983     Forest History Society Book Award for Fire in America

1982     Frederick K. Weyerhaeuser Award, Forest History Society

1973     Outstanding performance award, National Park Service

Service
  • Certificate in Nonfiction Writing and Publishing, Director (2014 - 2016)
  • SOLS Safety Committee, Member (2013 - Present)
  • Science Museum of Minnesota, Advisor (2008 - Present)
  • U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Wildfire Advisory Group, Member (2004 - Present)
  • Academic Council, Member (2003 - Present)
  • Wildfire and Law, adviser and speaker (2014 - 2015)
  • American Society for Environmental History, Member, executive council (2003 - 2014)
  • Search Committee, Creative Writing (English Dept), Committee member (2013 - 2014)
  • Environmental History, Editorial Board (2011 - 2013)
  • American Society for Environmental History, Member, Committee to review MOU with Forest History Society (2009 - 2009)
  • American Council of Learned Societies, Fellowship reviewer (2008 - 2008)
  • Center for Biology and Society, Member (2007 - 2008)
  • Review Committee, Chair (2007 - 2008)
  • National Humanities Center, Review panelist (2008 - 2008)
  • Facilities Committee, Member (2007 - 2007)
  • Awards Committee, Member (2007 - 2007)
  • Ad-hoc Human Dimensions group on the environment, Secretary/convener (2004 - 2005)
  • CLAS Research Committee, Member (2004)
  • Academic Council, Member (2003)
  • Forest History Society, Member, Board of Directors (2003)
  • Steering Committee, Biology & Society Program, Member (2003)
  • U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Working Group 4, Wildfire, Member (2003)
Expertise Areas
Fire
Exploration
Science Communication
Conservation
History of Science
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