AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our talented and eclectic membership, AHA Today features a regular AHA Member Spotlight series.

Marc D. Landry II is a visiting assistant professor at Utah State University. He lives in Logan, Utah, and has been a member since 2010.

Alma maters: BA, College of William & Mary, 2002; PhD, Georgetown University, 2013

Fields of interest: Modern European environmental history, energy history, military history, German history

When did you first develop an interest in history?

I have never thought about this question before. I guess my earliest interest in history came from my interest in learning about the Second World War. Both of my grandfathers and one of my grandmothers had been in the armed forces during the war. I remember reading every book my elementary school library had on the history of war, the world wars in particular.

What projects are you working on currently?

I am working on turning my dissertation, which looked at the emergence of the Alps as one of Europe’s most important energy landscapes in the 19th and 20th centuries, into a book-length manuscript. I just completed an article manuscript based on a revised dissertation chapter that examines some of the environmental consequences of the Treaty of Versailles in Germany (forthcoming in the journal Environmental History). I’m also working on a couple of conference papers that look at different aspects of the environmental history of the world wars in Europe.

Have your interests changed since graduation? If so, how?

Since graduation I have focused more closely on the implications of my dissertation research for the environmental history of warfare in modern Europe. I think my next larger project will be on the theme of war and the environment.

Is there an article, book, movie, blog etc. that you could recommend to fellow AHA members?

For anyone interested in digital resources in global environmental history, I recommend the Environment & Society Portal on the web.

What do you value most about the history profession?

I value the variety of intellectual challenges that comes along with the profession. There are so many facets to being in the history profession that it keeps things interesting.

Why did you join the AHA?

To attend the annual conference for job interviews.

Do you have a favorite AHA annual meeting anecdote you would like to share?

One thing that stands out is a panicked, early-morning sprint through the streets of downtown Chicago in a business suit. I had shown up early to one of the conference hotels in anticipation of a job interview only to learn that the job center was at another hotel a few blocks away. I managed to break a sweat in the Windy City in January.

Other than history, what are you passionate about?

I enjoy sports. I used to run marathons regularly, and I still have delusions of finding the time to train for a long-standing goal of mine: to run a sub-3:00 marathon. I also like XC and Telemark skiing, and I’m looking forward to getting my young son and daughter out on skis for the first time soon. I’m looking forward to some good family hikes too.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.