D.C. Jackson to Appear on the History Channel March 28

D.C. Jackson, professor of history, will be prominently featured as an on-camera expert on the History Channel program Modern Marvels at 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 28.

The episode is an overview of the history of dams, including how and why different types of dams were constructed, and their many purposes, including flood control, irrigation, hydroelectric power, and urban water supply. It will also be shown Thursday, March 29, at 2 a.m. and Saturday, March 31, at 7 p.m.

Jackson served as a key expert and his commentary appears throughout the episode. Along with providing background on the history of dams in America and the important functions they serve, he also emphasizes how the construction of large dams – like the Hoover Dam – were often times embraced by society as monuments signifying tremendous civic accomplishment. His two hour interview was filmed at Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation in York, Pa., a major manufacturer of enormous hydraulic turbines used to generate hydroelectric power.

Much of Jackson’s research and teaching focuses on the history of water resources, specifically dams, and their political, social, and environmental catalysts. He is the coauthor of the new book Big Dams of the New Deal Era: A Confluence of Engineering and Politics. It tells the story of how major water-storage structures were erected in four western river basins: the Colorado, Columbia, Missouri, and Sacramento-San Joaquin.

According to associate producer Jessica Lovelace of Actuality Productions, the company which produces Modern Marvels, Jackson’s expertise was just what they were looking for.

“D.C. is a strong addition to the show,” says Lovelace. “[We chose him because] his book was the most comprehensive and he has been great to work with.”

The show will take the audience on a tour of numerous locales, such as through the navigation lock at Bonneville Dam and turbine renovations underway at Rock Island Dam, both located on the Columbia River system. The show also explores current efforts to help decrease the environmental impacts of dams and looks at small-scale dams built by beavers as examples of environmentally-friendly structures.

“We talked to D.C. about everything from why dams were built, what they meant to America, how their construction shaped this country’s history, and their evolution,” says Lovelace. “Aside from how dams work and why we have them, he was also able to incorporate the social aspect of dams into the show.”

In 2000, Jackson also appeared in an episode of the acclaimed five-part PBS series Building Big. A miniseries on mega structures, it explored the history behind some of the world’s greatest feats of engineering – bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams, and tunnels – and the ingenuity of the engineers, architects, and builders who designed and built them.

Most recently, as part of an 11 member scientific panel organized by the National Research Council, Jackson helped compile a report focusing on the dwindling water resources of the Colorado River Basin. Sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and state and local agencies, the study was presented Feb. 20 to representatives of the Bureau, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee, the White House, and the Department of The Interior.

A member of the Lafayette faculty since 1989, Jackson was the recipient of the Thomas and Lura Forrest Jones Lecture Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Teaching in 1996 and Student Government Superior Teaching Award in 1991. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in engineering from Swarthmore College.

For further reading on D.C. Jackson, go to the following links:

D.C. Jackson Examines Engineering and Politics of Big Dams

D.C. Jackson Presents Colorado Resources Report to Capitol Hill

Lafayette Historian D.C. Jackson Appears in PBS’ “Building Big” Series