Brian Leech is Associate Professor of History at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He is an environmental historian.
At Augustana, Leech teaches courses in U.S. history, public history, the environment, and health as well as courses in Augustana’s First-Year Inquiry sequence. He currently chairs the Department of History, directs the Austin E. Knowlton Honors Program, and co-directs Augustana’s Minor in Food Studies.
Leech’s research focuses on the history of natural resources. In 2019, his book The City That Ate Itself: Butte, Montana and Its Expanding Berkeley Pit (University of Nevada Press) received the biennial Clark C. Spence Award for the best book in mining history from the Mining History Association. He is completing a book about the portrayal of mining in American popular culture.
What I do
Teaching
Students in Leech’s courses have crafted short documentaries about a labor strike, created pop-up exhibits on college history, and built a digital history map for a local neighborhood. Read more about Leech’s teaching via Augustana College’s website. At Augustana, Leech advises a number of student groups, including the student-run organic garden Augie Acres.
Research
Leech has conducted research on mining, nuclear power, urban agriculture, horror movies, and the development of high fructose corn syrup. Leech currently is working on two projects. One looks at the portrayal of mining in popular culture and the other investigates the history of speed limits. More on Dr. Brian Leech’s scholarship.
Organizations
Leech is currently President of the Augustana Historical Society, Secretary of the U.S.-based Mining History Association, and a Co-Convener of the Energy History Working Group at the Consortium for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, which meets online each month. He is also a dedicated member of organizations like the Western History Association and the American Society for Environmental History and can often be found at conferences in American Studies, popular culture studies, and the environmental humanities.
Want to get in touch?
Email: brianleech @ augustana.edu
Mastodon: @brianleechphd@hcommons.social
Bluesky: @brianleechphd.bsky.social