What are the responsibilities and job description for the NPS Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow: The Fallout of Fallout position at American Conservation Experience?
ACE is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities for young adults and emerging professionals of all backgrounds to explore and improve public lands while gaining practical professional experience. The EPIC NPS Division works alongside the National Park Service across the United States, from Alaska to Puerto Rico, to support the NPS in its mission to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations” while providing career promoting individual placement opportunities.
Host Description: This Fellowship is placed with Great Basin National Heritage Area and Mormon Pioneer National Heritage area in partnership with the NPS Intermountain Regional Office’s National Heritage Areas Program.
National Heritage Areas (NHAs) are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, and historic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. NHAs are lived-in landscapes and NHA entities collaborate with communities to determine how to make heritage relevant to local interests and needs. NHAs employ a grassroots community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development. Through public-private partnerships, NHA entities support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects.
Great Basin National Heritage Area (GBNHA) encompasses White Pine County, Nevada; Millard County, Utah; and the sovereign lands of four federally designated tribal nations: Duckwater Shoshone, Ely Shoshone, Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, and the Kanosh Band of the Utah Paiute. Covering 16,000 square miles (roughly twice the size of Massachusetts) but with only 21,000 residents, GBNHA is among the most remote and least densely populated areas of the country. The GBNHA is a classic western landscape with sagebrush covered valleys and soaring mountains; ranches and rangelands; historic gold mines, ghost towns, and railroads; and human endeavors stretching back over 13,000 years. The Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership works with partners to preserve, interpret, and promote this special place with its wide-open spaces, star-filled night skies, and enduring pioneering spirit. Learn more about GBNHA at greatbasinheritage.org.
Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area (MPNHA), located in southern and central Utah, includes three National Parks, six counties, and five Heritage Districts. The MPNHA preserves the natural, historical, and cultural heritage legacies and contributions of Mormon settlement in the West. The heritage area accomplishes this through community-led efforts to connect with the past by telling the Mormon pioneer story and revitalizing communities through economic development, ranging from 57 episodes of the public television show “Discovery Road” to restoration of historic main streets and buildings, construction of motorized and non-motorized trails, development of an equestrian center to emphasize the role horses played in settling the West, creation of a Railroad village with boxcars converted to upscale motel rooms, anchored by an engine and caboose, and the commission of statues to honor Native Americans.
Position Description:
GBNHA and MPNHA are seeking one postdoctoral Fellow to research, document, contextualize, and interpret the first-hand experiences of area residents who lived through a decade (1951-1962) of above-ground nuclear tests that blanketed the region in radioactive fallout. The project gives voice to communities impacted by this first phase of the Cold War through recording and sharing of oral histories, while also analyzing what influence these events still have on the region decades later. By placing these events in the context of American history, the Fellow’s scholarship will enable the heritage areas (as well as many National Park Service units) to appropriately and accurately interpret the region’s significance in an important chapter of our history.
Between January 27, 1951 and July 17, 1962, one hundred atmospheric tests of nuclear devices were conducted at the Nevada Test Site. Radiation clouds from the bombs repeatedly blanketed the region north and east of the test site, causing both short and long-term effects on the communities of rural Nevada and Utah. Together, GBNHA and MPNHA encompass 30,000 square miles of the fallout region. The Fellow will research and record numerous first-hand accounts from the testing era to paint a vivid picture of life in the fallout zone. The Fellow will also study the long-term impacts at a community and regional level, through the lens of National Heritage Areas, that is, as places where landscape and history are inextricably linked. This is not an epidemiological study (the correlation between radiation exposure and increased cancers has been established) nor is it policy oriented (a compensation program for victims has been in place since 1990). Rather, our goal is to preserve and share with the public numerous individual histories and establish overarching themes so that the experiences of this remote region can be understood in the context of American history and the Cold War and how the legacy is passed on to future generations.
Each NPS Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow will complete work in four areas. Fellows will (1) perform project-based research; (2) share research results; (3) produce and substantially contribute to interpretive and educational products; and (4) pursue career-focused work.
1) Project-Based Research:
The story of Downwinders is not untold, but it is under-told. Studies have been more epidemiological in nature, and oral history archives are limited. The National Park Service has yet to research and synthesize how repeated exposure to radioactive fallout impacted rural and tribal communities in the intermountain west and no study (NPS or otherwise) has placed Downwinders in the context of an NHA. This new scholarship will enable appropriate interpretation of the period and place it in the greater context of American history.
The Fellow will conduct original research on this topic, drawing on their own expertise as well as the insights of heritage area staff and board members, NPS staff, and outside mentors. A critical element of the research agenda will be conducting oral history interviews from across both NHAs to establish an archive that reflects the variety of experiences of individuals impacted by the fallout, from tribal members to students and teachers to ranchers, miners, and sheepherders to government employees and health workers.
2) Sharing Research Results:
The Fellow will collaborate with their support team to share the results of their applied research with their hosts, cohort, Fellowship project team, the larger community of NHA and NPS staff and partners, and ultimately to visitors and community partners. This research will be shared on various platforms, including webinars, educational and interpretive content and in-person sessions within both National Heritage Areas and at national conferences of the 60 NHA network. The Fellow will also serve as a liaison to other public history and humanities organizations.
The Fellow will be expected to develop and sustain connections with program-provided mentors and host staff, associated NPS staff, members of their Fellowship cohort, and other Fellows across the tenure of the program. In addition to being provided mentorship and support themselves, the Fellow will have the opportunity to mentor others and to enrich staff knowledge by organizing events such as virtual speaker series and presentations. Twice a year, the Fellow will participate with their cohort and other Fellows in a virtual conference for NPS staff and partners to provide updates about their research. The Fellow will be responsible for tracking and reporting accomplishments and for supplying copies of interpretive, educational, and research products to their host and to the National Coordinator.
3) Interpretive and Educational products:
The Fellow will work with their mentors and support team to identify feasible interpretive and educational products informed by their research. Examples of potential interpretive and educational products developed for this Fellowship opportunity could include: an oral history archive incorporated into a web-based StoryMap format that links each story to a specific location; a training module to be shared with NPS interpreters and local museum and historic site docents to elevate their understanding of the topic; curriculum developed to share with area schools; a traveling exhibit that can rotate through local museums, historic sites, and visitor centers; video kiosks with highlights from interviews placed at partner sites; and advising on an episode of MPNHA’s Discovery Road television series. Ensuring that these products are historically accurate and reach as wide an audience as possible will be a priority of the Fellowship.
4) Career-focused research and products: In consultation with their mentors, the Fellow will carry out a career-centered project. About 20 percent of the Fellowship will be dedicated to this scholarly work that advances the Fellow’s career path. The Fellow will be supported by a multidisciplinary team that includes NPS staff, National Heritage Area directors, academic faculty, and local (both native and non-native) community leaders and cultural experts.
Essential Responsibilities and Tasks:
- Conduct original research into the Downwinders Era and its long-term impacts in Great Basin and Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Areas; synthesize existing research to share with NPS and NHAs, partner sites, and public through in-person and virtual meetings and on multiple digital platforms.
- Conduct numerous oral history interviews to record the breadth of experiences born of the fallout events; identify patterns and themes revealed by the interviews and determine community-level impacts; contextualize the events and experiences as they relate to American history and the Cold War from multiple perspectives.
- Research existing archives and sources for accounts specific to the research area that have already been recorded or described; prepare annotated bibliography of these resources.
- Develop interpretative frameworks to share research.
- Assist with coordination of virtual programs to share research findings from this and other Mellon Humanities Fellowships with NPS staff, partner sites, and the public.
- Host programs (virtual and/or in-person) for educators about research and help students learn how to research and document stories in their communities using innovative approaches, such as Youth Participatory Action Research. Host similar training events through local museums and historic sites for community members interested in recording/collecting oral histories.
Required Experience and Qualifications:
- Must be a PhD in any field of the humanities or humanistic social sciences. Scholars who received or will receive their PhD between May 1, 2020, and May 31, 2025, are eligible to apply.
- Subject matter expertise in American history (including history of the West); American studies; Cold War history; cultural anthropology; cultural landscapes; environmental history; or rural geography.
- Excellent research, writing, and communication skills.
- Experience conducting oral history interviews and ability to quickly develop rapport with interviewees of various ages, backgrounds, and vocations.
- Experience living, working, or traveling in remote/rural areas including Indigenous communities.
- Experience collaborating on the development of audiovisual educational or interpretive products.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
- Skill in project planning, organization, and time management; ability and desire to perform multiple concurrent and variable tasks.
- Strong organizational skills to keep track of workload, tasks, and interactions.
- Selective factors include the merit of scholarship and promise, commitment to the public humanities, ability to represent multiple perspectives, interdisciplinary scholarship, and capacity to complete research successfully.
Other Requirements:
- Must possess a valid driver’s license as public transportation is non-existent in the heritage areas; must be comfortable driving long distances in remote areas as much of the research and interviews will take place in the far reaches of the heritage areas. It is not uncommon to go 100 miles between towns and gas stations. Note: Fellow will be reimbursed for use of personal vehicle for fellowship-related travel or for renting a vehicle for job-related travel (you must be at least 21 years old to rent a car in Nevada; drivers under 25 in most states incur additional fees when renting). GBNHA and MPNHA will cover these expenses if they are not already covered by the Fellowship.
- Must be a US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with U.S. government contracts.
- Must be proficient in English.
- Must pass a federal criminal background check; Fellowship is also contingent upon a successful security background check with the NPS.
- Must be willing to abide by ACE Policy and Federal Drug Free workplace policies and laws. ACE reserves the right to drug test at any time
- Must be willing to abide by a requirement to acknowledge the Mellon Foundation, the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and American Conservation Experience, in any publications generated by this project.
- Must be willing to abide by federal policy that research results, publications, films, videos, artistic or similar endeavors resulting from the fellowship, other than the specifically career-focused work, will become the property of the United States, and as such, will be in the public domain and not subject to copyright laws.
- Consent to being photographed and to the release of such photographic images.
Physical Demands, Work Environment, and Working Conditions:
- Physical Demands: Requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, using hands to handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, talks and hears with or without assistive personnel and/or devices. Manual dexterity required for use of computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment with or without reasonable accommodations. May be occasionally required to stoop, kneel, climb stairs, and/or crouch (all physical demands are required with or without reasonable accommodations). The National Park Service host will provide reasonable accommodations, if needed, to meet task assignments.
- Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, peripheral and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus. The National Park Service host will provide reasonable accommodations, if needed, to meet task assignments.
- Environmental: Mainly indoor, office environment conditions; indoor air quality is good, and temperature is controlled. This is describing both provided office spaces and home office spaces.
- Noise Environment: Moderate noise such as in a business office with equipment and light traffic. This is describing both provided office spaces and home office spaces.
- Travel: This position requires domestic travel as needed for program duties.
Compensation: Starting annualized salary $67,600 with annualized COLA to $70,304 for Year 2 (40 hours/week for 52-weeks). Paid bi-weekly, a two-week pay period.
Medical/Health Benefits: ACE offers competitive medical and ancillary plans (health, mental health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, and other supplemental benefits). Fellows are also eligible to participate in ACE's 403b retirement plan, which includes a 3% employer contribution for participating, contributing staff.
Holidays, Vacation, and Sick Time: As a Fellow, you will be eligible to accrue up to 80 hours of paid vacation time annually during your first two years of continuous employment. Additionally, ACE observes 13 paid annual holidays and provides 10 days (or 80 hours) of paid sick time annually.
Additional Benefits: Outdoor Perks - As an ACE Fellow, you will be eligible to receive pro deals which include deep discounts on outdoor gear providing 30 - 50% off retail prices on 100s of established outdoor gear brands.
To Apply: Please submit: 1) a cover letter stating interest and vision for the fellowship (letters may include a summary of the dissertation, a statement of personal research interests and plans, discussion of past engagement with public humanities, discussion of willingness to participate fully in NPS research and education programs); 2) comprehensive curriculum vitae; 3) writing sample accessible to the general public; 4) confirmation of Ph.D. award by May 31, 2025; and 5) names and contact information for 3 professional references.
ACE participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information when you are hired to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.
Employment or Service with ACE is based upon ability, qualifications, attitude, and job-related factors. Every qualified employee, member, or applicant has the same opportunity for recruitment, hire, training, transfer, promotion, compensation, demotion, termination, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital or parental status, political affiliation, ethnicity, hair texture or style, arrest record, caste, hereditary status, endogamy, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.
Salary : $67,600 - $70,304
