Jason A. Heppler

Jason A. Heppler is an environmental historian specializing in the twentieth century North American West, Great Plains, and Canadian Prairies. He serves as senior developer-scholar at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM), adjunct faculty in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University, and an Affiliate Fellow at the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His work bridges traditional historical scholarship with digital humanities methodology, focusing on environmental history, digital public history, and the history of capitalism in the American West.

Heppler earned his PhD in History from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2016, an MA in History from the same institution in 2009, and a BA in History & Economics from South Dakota State University in 2007. Prior to joining GMU in 2021, he served as the Digital Engagement Librarian at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and as an Academic Technology Specialist with the Center for Interdisciplinary Digital Research at Stanford University Libraries.

His research interests center on environmental history of the North American West, with particular focus on Silicon Valley's environmental inequalities, the Sagebrush Rebellion, ranching, public lands politics in the Northern Plains, and biographies of key Western figures like Wallace Stegner and Walter Prescott Webb. He approaches these topics through both traditional historical methods and digital humanities frameworks, examining how technology shapes historical interpretation and public engagement.

Heppler's publications reveal a consistent trajectory connecting environmental history with digital methodology. His most recent book Silicon Valley and the Environmental Inequalities of High-Tech Urbanism (2024) explores postwar Silicon Valley development through environmental justice frameworks, while his award-winning Digital Community Engagement (2020) examines digital public history partnerships. His scholarly work spans traditional academic publications, digital projects, and public-facing commentary in venues like the Washington Post and The Conversation.

• 2021 National Council on Public History (NCPH) Book Award for Digital Community Engagement: Partnering Communities with the Academy
• Affiliate Fellow, Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Heppler teaches digital public history at George Mason University, emphasizing audience research, user personas, and practical digital project development. His course HIST 694 focuses on creating digital public history experiences that balance historical scholarship with effective digital design. While the text doesn't detail specific grants, his work with RRCHNM suggests ongoing funding for digital humanities projects. He also maintains active digital scholarship projects including Machines in the Valley, U.S. Federal Lands, and Religious Ecologies, which demonstrate his commitment to making historical research accessible through digital platforms.