Author: Bobadilla, Rachel

Professor Fiona Vernal’s Oral History Exhibition “Bloomfield Mosaic: Stories from our Jewish, African American, and West Indian Communities” Opens at Alvin and Beatrice Wood Human Services Center

Fiona Vernal, Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies and Associate Director of the Africana Studies Institute, and graduate student Tim Brown, with the help of community volunteers recorded oral histories and digitized photos that were used to curate the exhibit. The work for the exhibit began in 2023, and builds upon Professor Vernal’s local history work in CT towns including Hartford, Windsor, and Enfield. UConn Today has written an in-depth article on the project and what it means to the communities whose stories are being told.

Full article here

Nick Hurley (BA ’13, MA ’15) reflects on teaching at West Point in Contingent Magazine

US Army National Guard officer and UConn graduate Nick Hurley (BA ’13, MA ’15) has published a wonderful essay “What’s the Point?” on his year teaching History to cadets at West Point. The article was published in Contingent Magazine which was co-founded by several UConn grads. Read the piece here: https://contingentmagazine.org/2025/11/11/whats-the-point/

Jonathan Michaels on Socialism, Labor, and Reform in NYC

Jonathan Michaels, one-time chef and longtime lecturer at UConn Hartford, has written one cookbook and two excellent historical studies of McCarthyism. His new book project is on leftist politics and the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union, under contract with Routledge. This week, with the election of a democratic socialist as mayor of New York, he returns to the vibrant world of immigrants, leftists, and union struggles in early 20th century New York for a piece in Jacobin about Morris Hillquit, “The Socialist Who Helped Bring Marx to America.”

Helen Rozwadowski to speak on “The Blue Planet” panel at Rutgers 2025 Climate Symposium

The Rutgers Climate Symposium fosters collaboration among researchers and students across all disciplines from institutions in the Mid-Atlantic region who are interested in climate change, renewable energy, energy efficiency, or other approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

More info and attendance registration here.

Emeritus Draper Professor of American History Robert Gross and Earth Sciences professor Robert Thorson collaborate on article exploring the geographical significance of Concord

WHY CONCORD? The geological origins of the American Revolution” by Robert A. Gross and Robert M. Thorson recently appeared in The Atlantic. They were also interviewed about their work and featured in a UConn today article entitled “Place Matters. History Is the Result” by Elaina Hancock which can be found here.

Katharine Beene Successfully Defends Dissertation

On August 8th, Katharine Beene successfully defended her dissertation, “Women’s Acquisition and Transmission of Knowledge in Early Modern Ireland, 1600-1750”. 

From the abstract: 

This dissertation expands understandings of scientific and political advancement in Ireland from 1600-1750 by examining the often-overlooked informal learning networks of early modern Irish women, focusing on their correspondence and kinship relationships.  It reveals how these women were not merely passive recipients, but active contributors to the formation and distribution of foundational knowledge in fields like medicine, science, mathematics, and politics across Western Europe.  Early modern Ireland’s experience as a colony offers valuable insights into how colonial systems shape the transmission of knowledge.  This dissertation argues that despite the limitations imposed by formal colonial controls on access to education, women’s informal networks played a unique role in the transfer of knowledge… Investigating women in Ireland knowledge acquisition in a kingdom-colony context provides a methodological approach to investigate informal networks and the circulation of knowledge among marginalized communities.

Congratulations to Katharine Beene on this impressive achievement!