Grasping the Beyond: Astronomy in the Early United States will be the focus of the Nov. 5 installment in the Talks on Tuesday series in theRosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museumat Southeast Missouri State Universitys River Campus.Dr. Lily Santoro, assistant professor of history in Southeasts Department of History and Anthropology, will give the presentation at 7 p.m., which is free and open to the public.Americans in the early United States loved astronomy, and the young nation was home to some impressive astronomers. During her lecture, Santoro will explore some of the discoveries and errors Americans learned about the cosmic universe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.Santora earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Southern California, and Master of Arts and doctorate, both in American history, from the University of Delaware. Her work has appeared in several publications, including Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, National Social Science Proceedings, The Book: The Newsletter of the Program in the History of the Book in American Culture and Books Without Borders, Volume 1: the Cross-National Dimension in Print Culture.Her research is focused on religion, science and popular culture in the early American republic (1776-1830). She is currently working on a project that looks at the intersection of religious beliefs, popular science and citizenship in the early United States.At Southeast, she teaches courses in early American history, the Atlantic world and womens history. She also offers courses in archives and collections management in Southeasts historic preservation program.The Talks on Tuesday series takes place at 7 p.m. on select Tuesdays in the Crisp Museum. The talks consist of short, informational presentations and discussion sessions. For more information,semo.edu/museum/education.html.Crisp Museum is located at Southeast Missouri State Universitys River Campus at 518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, Missouri. For more information, emailmuseum@semo.eduor call (573) 651-2260.