Robinson M. Yost

Address: 6301 Kirkwood Blvd, P.O. Box 2068, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2068

Office Phone: (319) 398-5899 ext. 5210

E-mail: ryost@kirkwood.edu

• May 1997: Ph.D. in History of Technology and Science, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

  Field Examinations (August 1995)

  • Nineteenth-century Europe (1815-1914)
  • History of Technology
  • Nineteenth-century British Science

  Dissertation:

  • Lodestone and Earth: The Study of Magnetism and Terrestrial Magnetism in Great Britain, c.1750-1830

• December 1994: M.A. in History of Technology and Science, Iowa State University
  GPA 3.74

  Qualifying Examinations (May 1993)

  • History of Science
  • Western Civilization

  Master's Research Essay:

  • George Howard Darwin (1845-1912) and the Genesis of the Moon: Evolution and Catastrophe in Victorian Mathematical Astronomy

• 1990-1991: Shawnee State University, Portsmouth, Ohio
  Additional undergraduate coursework, emphasizing upper-level mathematics (e.g., differential equations, real analysis, modern algebra, numerical analysis)
  GPA 3.77

• May 1989: B.A. in Physics, Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana
  Major in Physics/Pre-Engineering
  GPA 3.14

• Professor (History), Social Sciences Department, Kirkwood Community College
  
• Kirkwood Community College, online starting Spring 2014: Modern World Military History
  
• Kirkwood Community College, since Spring 2007 [online starting Fall 2010]: Holocaust & Genocide in Modern Memory
  
• Kirkwood Community College, since Spring 2002: History of Science
  
• Kirkwood Community College, since Spring 2001: Europe: Age of Monarchy
  
• Kirkwood Community College, since Spring 2001: Europe: Age of Nationalism
  
• Kirkwood Community College, since Fall 2000: Ancient Mediterranean World
  
• Kirkwood Community College, since Fall 2000: Europe: Age of Revolutions
  
• Instructor, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth, Dickinson College Site, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Summer 2002: Great Revolutions
  
• Instructor, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth, Franklin & Marshall College Site, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Summer 2001: Newton, Darwin, & Einstein
  
• Instructor, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth, Hamilton College Site, Clinton, New York, Summer 2000: Newton, Darwin, and Einstein
  
• Adjunct Instructor, Des Moines Area Community College, Spring 2000, Spring 1999: Introduction to Western Civilization (1715 to present)
  
• Adjunct Instructor, Des Moines Area Community College, Fall 1999, Fall 1998, Spring 1998: Introduction to Western Civilization (Antiquity to 1715)
  
• Instructor, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth, Dickinson College Site, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Summer 1999: Newton, Darwin, and Einstein
  
• Adjunct Instructor, William Penn College, College for Working Adults, Summer 1999: Perspectives in World History
  
• Temporary Assistant Professor, Iowa State University, Summer 1998: Introduction to Western Civilization (Antiquity to 1650)
  
• Lecturer, Iowa State University, Spring 1997: Introduction to Western Civilization (1650 to present)
• Lecturer, Iowa State University, Fall 1995: Introduction to History of Science (Antiquity to Scientific Revolution)
• Adjunct Instructor, Des Moines Area Community College, Fall 1993: basic mathematics.
• Adjunct Instructor, Shawnee State University, Fall 1989: Three mathematics courses (two remedial classes, one college algebra class).
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, Iowa State University, Fall 1991- Spring 1996: Responsibilities include grading examinations, papers, and leading discussion sections. Courses included Western Civilization, Cultural History and History of Science surveys.
• Tutor: Shawnee State University, Fall 1990-Summer 1991. Individual tutoring of students, ranging from basic math, algebra, calculus and physics.
• T. A. Orientator: Iowa State University, August 1995: a select group of experienced T.A.s met incoming graduate students to answer questions and give presentations on teaching-related topics.

• Supervising Editor, Natural Philosophy (c. 1800-1850), Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century British Scientists [Bristol: Thoemmes Press, 2004]
  

• Article: "Pondering the Imponderable: John Robison and Magnetic Theory in Britain (c. 1775-1815)" Annals of Science 56 [April 1999], 143-174
  
• Book Review: Earth's Magnetism in the Age of Sail (2003), by A. R. T. Jonkers, Isis [March 2004], 117-118
  
• Book Review: Science at the American Frontier: A Biography of DeWitt Bristol Brace by David Cahan & M. Eugene Rudd, Great Plains Research vol. 13, no. 1 [Spring 2003], 169-170
  
• Book Review: Did the Royal Society matter in the eighteenth century? special issue British Journal for the History of Science(June 1999), edited by Richard Sorrenson, Isis [December 2000], 782-783
  
• Book Review: The Science of Energy: A Cultural History of Energy Physics in Victorian Britain by Crosbie Smith, British Journal for the History of Science 33 [March 2000], 118-120
  
• Book Review: The Natural Philosophy of James Clerk Maxwell by P. M. Harman, British Journal for the History of Science 32 [September 1999], 374-375
  
• Book Review: Physics in the Nineteenth Century by Robert Purrington, Isis 89 [September 1998], 553-554
  
  
• Entries in Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century British Scientists, Bernard Lightman, General Editor [Bristol: Thoemmes Press, 2004] John Aitken, William Cavendish, John Viriamu Jones, Alexander B. W. Kennedy, Sir Andrew Noble, Sir Charles Wheatstone
  
• Entries in Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, Thomas Hockey, Editor [Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, in press] Charles Leadbetter, Lawrence Rooke, Thomas Wright, John Wrottesley
  
• Entries in Natural Disasters, M. Bradford, R. S. Carmichael, Editors [Salem Press, November 2000] "The European Cholera Epidemic, 1826-37", "The Great Famine in China, 1876-79"
  
• Entries in Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists,Richard Olson, Editor, Roger Smith, Associate Editor [New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp., 1998] "William Bateson," 112-115, "David Brewster," 208-211, "Reginald Punnett," 1060-1062

• Presenter, "Galileo & the Telescope" Collaborative Learning Days presentation (January 16, 2020)
• Presenter, "A Troubled Masterpiece: The Anatomical Atlas of Eduard Pernkopf" KCELT presentation (December 5, 2019)
• Attendee, "Science: The Bridge to Endless Possibilities" National Science Teachers Association, Area Conference on Science Education, Cincinnati, OH (November 14-16, 2019)
• Presenter, "Galileo & the Telescope" National Science Teachers Association, National Conference on Science Education, St. Louis, MO (April 13, 2019)
• Presenter, "Galileo & the Telescope" KCELT presentation (April 4, 2019)
• Co-Presenter, "Hitler, World War One, & the Death of German Democracy" German American Heritage Center & Museum (March 3, 2019)
• Co-Presenter, "All Roads Lead to War (Again): Hitler & the Death of German Democracy" Collaborative Learning Days (January 10, 2019)
• Co-Presenter, "Bringing Down the 'Butcher of Prague': The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich" German American Heritage Center & Museum (April 8, 2018)
• Presenter, "Blood & Guts: William Harvey and the Circulation of the Blood" KCELT presentation (November 9, 2017)
• Co-Presenter, "Bringing Down the 'Butcher of Prague': The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich" National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (May 17 and August 9, 2017)
• Attendee, "Symposium: 1916 Total War, National World War One Museum, Kansas City, MO (November 4-5, 2016)
• Co-Presenter, "In the Footsteps of Hitler: Walking Tour of Nuremberg," Collaborative Learning Days (November 23, 2015)
• Attendee, "Symposium: Global War, 1915: Empires at War, Churchill’s Gallipoli and an America Divided" National World War One Museum, Kansas City, MO (November 6-7, 2015)
• Presenter, "Who are You Calling a Neanderthal?" KCELT presentation (October 22, 2015)
• Attendee, "Workshop: Teaching the Holocaust Today: How & Why, Grand View University, Des Moines, IA (June 15, 2015)
• Co-Presenter, "In the Footsteps of Hitler: Walking Tour of Nuremberg," KCELT presentation (April 23, 2015)
• Presenter, "Guts & Blood: Revolutions in Human Anatomy," KCELT presentation (March 12, 2015)
• Co-Presenter, "Computer Heaven? E-Waste Hell?" Collaborative Learning Days, Kirkwood Community College (November 24, 2014)
• Co-Presenter, "In the Shadow of the Third Reich: Walking Tour of Munich," KCELT presentation (November 18, 2014)
• Attendee, "Symposium: Global War & American Neutrality, National World War One Museum, Kansas City, MO (November 7-8, 2014)
• Co-Presenter, "Computer Heaven? E-Waste Hell?" Earth Day Presentation, Kirkwood Community College (April 2014)
• Co-Presenter, "Introduction to Pecha Kucha," Collaborative Learning Days, Kirkwood Community College (November 2013)
• Attendee, "Symposium: Coming of the Great War, National World War One Museum, Kansas City, MO (November 8-9, 2013)
• Presenter, "Agincourt: Fact & Film ," Kirkwood, Military History Lecture Series (October 29, 2013)
• Presenter, "Spoiling the Land of the Vikings: Alternative Energy Debates in Iceland ," Earth Day Lecture Series, Kirkwood Community College (April 2013)
• Attendee, A Century in the Shadow of the Great War An International Centennial Planning Conference , National World War One Museum, Kansas City, MO (March 22-24, 2013)
• Co-Presenter, "Mental MacGyvering: Thinking (Critically) in the Classroom," Innovations 2013, League for Innovation in the Community College, Dallas, TX (March 10-13, 2013)
• Presenter, "Africa to Auschwitz: The Namibian Genocide (1904-1908) ," Kirkwood, Military History Lecture Series (November 29, 2012)
• Co-Presenter, "Mental MacGyvering: Thinking (Critically) in the Classroom," Collaborative Learning Days, Kirkwood Community College (November 19, 2012)
• Presenter, "The Battle of Salamis & the Ancient Greek Trieres ," Kirkwood, Military History Lecture Series (November 3, 2011)
• Co-Presenter, "Planning the Perfect Trip-Yes You Can ," Kirkwood Community College (April 14, 2011)
• Presenter, "The Crimean War: Charge of the Light Brigade in Film ," Kirkwood, Military History Lecture Series (November 11, 2010)
• Presenter/Co-Organizer for Constitution Day, "Democratic Vices & Republican Virtues: The Influence of Greece & Rome on the Founders ," Constitution Day (September 17, 2010)
• Presenter, "In the Footsteps of Charles Darwin: Galápagos, Past & Present ," Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Day, Kirkwood Community College (January 2009)
• Co-Presenter, "In the Footsteps of Charles Darwin: A Trip to the Galapagos Islands ," Mechanicsville Public Library, Mechanicsville, Iowa (October 23, 2008)
• Co-Presenter, "Culture Shock: Culture Shock! Easing the Transition From High School to College," Innovations 2008, League for Innovation in the Community College, Denver, CO (March 2-5, 2008)
• Presenter, "The Many Faces of Jesus: Jesus in Art," MLK Jr. Diversity Day, Kirkwood Community College (January 2008)
• Co-Presenter, "Culture Shock: Transitioning from High School to College," KCELT, Dog Days of Excellence, Kirkwood Community College (August 13-14, 2007)
• Presenter, "Jurassic Art? The Evolution of Dinosaurs in Pop Culture," MLK Jr. Diversity Day, Kirkwood Community College (January 2007)
• Participant, Community Colleges for International Development [CCID]: Summer Institute (Cedar Rapids, IA), Building the Community College's Global Capacity (July 22-24, 2006)
  
• Participant, Chautauqua Short Course (University of Dayton, OH), Evolution Education: A Delicate Balance Between Science, Controversy & Pedagogy (June 1-3, 2006)
  

• Presenter, "The Genealogy of Academic Freedom," [Constitution Day Program], Kirkwood Community College, Iowa City, Iowa (September 2006)
• Co-Presenter, "Adding Snap and Crackle to History: The Uses of Pop Culture," Missouri Valley History Conference, Omaha, Nebraska (March 2006)
• Presenter, "The Intersection of Art & Science: The Graphic Art of M. C. Escher," MLK Jr. Diversity Day, Kirkwood Community College (January 2006)
• Presenter, "Parody & Politics: Some Media Moments from 2004," American Politics & the 2004 Election [Constitution Day Program], Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (September 2005)
• Co-Facilitator, "Thinking about Teaching & Learning: Student Responsibility," Teaching Circle for Professional Development, Kirkwood Community College (Spring 2005)
• Co-Presenter, "No Empty Vessels: Students, Responsibility, & the Learning College," League for Innovation in the Community College, San Francisco, CA (March 2004)
• Presenter, "The Scopes 'Monkey' Trial: Science versus Religion?," Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Day, Kirkwood Community College (January 2004)
• National History Day Judge, The History Center, Cedar Rapids, IA (2001-2005, 2007)
• Invited Guest Speaker, Edwards Elementary School, Ames, IA-"Inventors and Inventing: The Wizard of Menlo Park," (May 2000)
• Invited Guest Speaker, Des Moines Area Community College, Orientation to College Class, Ankeny, IA- "Taking History Notes and History Exams, (October 1999)
• Invited Guest Speaker, Edwards Elementary School, Ames, IA-"What is a Map?: Medieval and Renaissance Mapmaking," (September 1999)
• Fellowship Presentation, Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, MO- "Lodestone and Earth: the study of magnetism in Great Britain, c. 1760-1840," (August 1996)
• History of Science Society meeting, Minneapolis, MN- "Voyages, Instruments and Theories: The Study of Terrestrial Magnetism in Great Britain, c. 1770-1830," (October 1995)
• Midwest Junto for the History of Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison- "The Great War and British Science: The Scientists' Outlook," (March 1995)
• History of Science Society meeting, New Orleans, LA- "George Howard Darwin (1845-1912) and the Birth of the Moon," (October 1994)
• Midwest Junto for the History of Science- "The Geomagnetical Investigations of Peter Barlow (1776-1862)," University of Oklahoma (March 1994)

• "The Baltic States & the Holocaust (1940-1945)", Post-Secondary Curriculum Development Grant, CREES, University of Michigan (May 2012)
• Excellence in Teaching/NISOD Award (2007)
• Kirkwood Difference Award (2005)
• Who's Who Among America's Teachers (sixth edition, 2000)
• Graduate Research Excellence Award (Spring 1997), Iowa State University
• Research Fellowship (Summer 1996), Linda Hall Library, Kansas City
• Travel Grant- Fall 1995, (trip to Minneapolis) Iowa State University
• Travel Grant- Fall 1994, (trip to New Orleans) History of Science Society
• Vice President- Fall 1994- Spring 1996, Phi Alpha Theta (I.S.U. chapter)
• Graduate Assistantship- Fall 1991- Spring 1996, Iowa State University

• Independent Study: Icelandic language (2010-present)
• "Local Attraction: A Navigational Puzzle in Nineteenth-Century Great Britain," (Fall 1995)
• "Edward Bagnall Poulton (1856-1943): Natural Selection and Butterfly Mimicry," (Spring 1995)
• "M. C. Escher: Graphic Artist or Mathematician?" (Spring 1992)