RICK WOTEN
ABOUT
I am an historian, Museum
Director, educator, and graduate
of the Agricultural History and
Rural Studies PhD program at
Iowa State University. My areas of
emphasis are 19th century
United States,
legal/constitutional,
environmental history, and
historical preservation. In
addition, I am an avid researcher,
digital humanist, scholar,
lecturer, and public speaker on
Iowa, Midwestern, agricultural,
and rural history.
After more than two decades in academia, I now have the pleasure of servings as the Wapello County Historical Society and Museum Director.
After more than two decades in academia, I now have the pleasure of servings as the Wapello County Historical Society and Museum Director.
I am currently involved in numerous
areas of research and delivery
methodologies. I am re-examining the
role and importance of landscapes,
the midwestern frontier, specifically
the regions of the Ohio River and
Mississippi River Valleys, and internal
improvements in the formation of
state. Although regionalism often is a
limiting term, I seek to refocus a
portion of the historiography on the
importance that states held in
defining the roles of state, citizens,
private business, nationalism, and
federalism.
It is my intention that the examination of early United States river life, culture, and law will contribute to the development of an immersive digital humanities project. The project, available via the Internet, will serve as a widely accessible digital history resource for scholars, educators, students, and the general public. The project's development will offer students (undergraduate and graduate), fellow faculty, and interdisciplinary colleagues great collaborative opportunity to contribute scholarly, ideas, content, and topics while serving as a digital tool for historical education, awareness, and preservation.
It is my intention that the examination of early United States river life, culture, and law will contribute to the development of an immersive digital humanities project. The project, available via the Internet, will serve as a widely accessible digital history resource for scholars, educators, students, and the general public. The project's development will offer students (undergraduate and graduate), fellow faculty, and interdisciplinary colleagues great collaborative opportunity to contribute scholarly, ideas, content, and topics while serving as a digital tool for historical education, awareness, and preservation.
PAST RESEARCH
CURRENT RESEARCH
I am honored to be a research fellow
for both The Gilder Lehrman
Institute of American History and
The Filson Historical Society. The
fellowships have assisted my
research efforts and I am humbled
by their support.
I have had several great opportunities to assist the research of professors while a graduate student within the ISU Department of History that included assisting in GIS mapping, orthorectification, and metadata analysis with Dr. Sara Gregg to map historical change in Appalachia. Her subsequent monograph, Managing the Mountains: Land Use Planning, The New Deal, and the Creation of a Federal Landscape in Appalachia, has been published by Yale University Press.
I oversaw the operation and development of the digital history project Agricultural History Primer made possible by the ISU Center for On-Line Learning and the Department of History.
I have had several great opportunities to assist the research of professors while a graduate student within the ISU Department of History that included assisting in GIS mapping, orthorectification, and metadata analysis with Dr. Sara Gregg to map historical change in Appalachia. Her subsequent monograph, Managing the Mountains: Land Use Planning, The New Deal, and the Creation of a Federal Landscape in Appalachia, has been published by Yale University Press.
I oversaw the operation and development of the digital history project Agricultural History Primer made possible by the ISU Center for On-Line Learning and the Department of History.