CURRICULUM VITAE
Education
2011
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Ph.D. in History
Minor in Public History
2004
University of California, Irvine
B.A. in History
Minor in Global Peace and Conflict Resolution
Minor in English
Book
Turk, Michelle Follette. Gambling with Lives: A History of Occupational Health in Greater Las Vegas. Expanded and Revised Edition. Reno and Las Vegas: University of Nevada Press, 2021.
Articles
Turk, Michelle Follette. "The Last Detroit? Twenty-First Century Employment in Fabulous Las Vegas," Nevada Historical Society Quarterly, Volume 63, Numbers 3-4, Fall/Winter 2020, 164-167.
Turk, Michelle Follette. “Why Do So Many Nevadans Still Die on the Job? Decades after 187 Laborers Perished at the Hoover Dam Construction Site, the State’s Safety Rules Are Out of Sync with Modern Workplaces,” Zócalo Public Square, Jan, 16, 2019.
Turk, Michelle Follette. “Work on the River: Employment at the Hoover Dam,” Journal of the West, Volume 52, Number 2, Spring 2013, 66-76.
Turk, Michelle Follette. “In Memoriam: Kirk Cammack, M.D.,” 2007 Annual Scientific Session, Western Surgical Association, (November 2007).
Turk, Michelle Follette. “Dead Roses and Blooming Deserts: The Medical History of a New Deal Icon,” Nevada Historical Society Quarterly, Volume 50, Number 3, Fall 2007, 239-264.
Turk, Michelle Follette. “Dead Roses and Blooming Deserts: The Medical History of a New Deal Icon,” Psi Sigma Historical Journal 1 (Spring 2007).
Follette, Michelle Ann. “Memory and Politics: Perceptions of the Past,” Psi Sigma Historical Journal 1 (Summer 2005).
Contributing Authorship
The Yosemite Way: An Administrative History of Yosemite National Park. Lincoln Bramwell and Andy Kirk, (Washington DC: National Park Service, 2009).
Invited Lectures and Conference Presentations
"Danger in the Desert: The Origins of Health and Safety in Las Vegas," Lecture for the Southern Nevada American Society of Safety Professionals, Las Vegas, Nevada: February 18, 2021.
'Gambling with Lives: A History of Occupational Health in Greater Las Vegas," Lecture for the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Reno Branch, Reno, Nevada: February 13, 2021.
"Neon Metropolis: Hal Rothman's Las Vegas in the 21st Century," Western History Association 59th Annual Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada: October 16-19, 2019.
"The Best Little Town by a Dam Site, and the Dam Site: Boulder City and Hoover Dam," Tour for the Western History Association 59th Annual Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada: October 16-19, 2019.
“Hoover Dam and the Occupational Health Movement,” in The Unique Challenges, Achievements, and Impact of Healthcare in Las Vegas, The Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association, 112th Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada: July 31-August 2, 2019.
“Health and Safety at the Hoover Dam,” Hoover Dam and the Shaping of the American West, a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer
Institute for College and University Faculty, Boulder City, Nevada: July 8-20, 2018.
“Labor, The Great Depression, and the Hoover Dam,” Hoover Dam and the Shaping of the American West, a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer
Institute for Secondary Teachers, Boulder City, Nevada: July 12-17, 19-24, 2016.
“Health in a Sin City: A History of Medicine in Las Vegas, 1905 to the Present,” Plenary Lecture for the Southern Association for the History of Medicine and Science(SAHMS) 18th Annual Meeting, Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas: March 17, 2016.
“Gambling with Lives: A History of Working Hazards on the Las Vegas Strip,” Lecture for the Northern Arizona History Academy Teaching American History (NAH TAH) in Las Vegas, Nevada" March 2, 2013.
“Reconstructing the Hoover Dam: Teaching Like a Historian,” Lecture for the Northern Arizona History Academy Teaching American History (NAH TAH), Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona: October 20, 2012.
“Dead Roses and Blooming Deserts: Occupational Health and Environmental Concerns at Hoover Dam,” in Working to Death: Occupational Health and the Environment in the American Workplace, The American Society for Environmental History Conference, Boise, Idaho: March 12-16, 2008.
“On the Edge of Illusion: Lake Mead and Las Vegas” The American Society for Environmental History Conference, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: February 28–March 3, 2007.
“The Preserve Nevada Project: A Graduate Student Working in Public History,” Preserve Nevada’s Heritage 2006 Symposium, Ely, Nevada: September 7-9, 2006.
“Saving Lives to Make the Desert Bloom: Occupational Health and the Boulder Canyon Project,” Nevada Historical Society Biennial and the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada: May 23-24, 2006.
Teaching
2008-2011, 2017-Present
Instructor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Department of History
Honors College
- U.S. History Colonial Period to 1877.
- U.S. History 1865 to Present.
- Nevada History.
- Exploring American Politics.
- Global Issues.
- Designed and taught history courses in both web-based, hybrid, and in-class formats.
2012-2014
Instructor, College of Southern Nevada
Department of Social Sciences
- U.S. History Colonial Period to 1877.
- Designed and taught web-based history courses.
2004-2005
Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Department of History
- U.S. History, Colonial Period to 1877.
- Taught discussion sections and delivered lectures.
Public History
2021-Present
Historian and Curriculum Designer, VR Hoover Dam: A Virtual Reality Game Exploring the History and Construction of an American Icon, National Endowment for the Humanities, Digital Project for Public Grants.
- Serves as primary historian and consultant for labor practices at Hoover Dam related to the VR prototype.
- Develops curriculum.
Deputy Director, Preserve Nevada, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Oversaw the operation of a non-profit in historic preservation, managing all aspects of the organization’s functions, fulfilling all financial requirements, and designing and maintaining its web presence.
- Developed strong relationships with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the local congressional seat, and several community organizations, delivering public talks on the organization.
Public History Coursework, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Public History Methods Practicum
- Public History Internship
- Public History Theory Colloquium
Research Associate, Yosemite National Park Administrative History,
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Researched the administrative history of Yosemite National Park, focusing on the history of law enforcement.
Research Associate, Lake Mead National Recreation Area Historic Resource
Study, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Compiled a historic properties document for the Lake Mead National Recreation Area that listed and evaluated the condition of their historic properties and landscapes.
Awards, Honors, and Scholarship
2010-2011 President’s Fellowship, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
2010 College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Graduate Student Stipend Award.
2010 Charles Redd Center Summer Award.
2008-2009 Harold L. Boyer and Judith Boyer Fellowship.
2007 Carol Corbett Award, Best Paper on Southern Nevada.
2001-2004 Dean’s Honor List, University of California, Irvine.
2001-2004 Cal Grant Recipient, University of California, Irvine.
2003 East Asian Rim Scholarship Recipient, University of California, Irvine
Professional Service
2021-Present
Associate Editor, Nevada Historical Society Quarterly
Graduate Student Program Committee Member, “Pacific Coast Branch of the American
Historical Association’s (PCB-AHA) Annual Meeting,” Pasadena, California, August 7-9, 2008.
Project Manager, “Preserve Nevada’s Heritage 2006 Symposium,” Ely, Nevada,
September 7-9, 2006.
Graduate Student Program Committee Member, “Phi Alpha Theta Southwestern Regional
Meeting,” Las Vegas, Nevada, April 9, 2005.
Professional Organizations
Preserve Nevada Board of Directors
Western History Association