Lydia Simpson
The programs manager at a historic preservation center in Middle Tennessee will speak in Oak Ridge on Thursday evening.
Lydia Simpson will be the featured speaker at the 7 p.m. meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association at the Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Road.
“The importance of heritage and science tourism for Oak Ridge cannot be overstated,” a press release said. “Our story is one that many other cities would love to have. We have been told that numerous times. Yet, we can’t seem to capitalize on the tremendous story that is Oak Ridge! Why? What are we missing?”
Simpson has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a master’s degree in history with a concentration in public history from Middle Tennessee State University. She is currently writing her dissertation on a 20th century rayon-mill community as she works toward completion of the Public History Ph.D. program at MTSU, the press release said.
As the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation’s programs manager, Simpson manages the department’s public programming and outreach, with particular involvement with CHP digital platform initiatives, the release said. She also coordinates the programs and projects of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, including managing the Heritage Area’s collaborative partnerships. Working with colleagues and students, she participates in fieldwork projects as well.
Simpson’s research interests include community formation in the American South from Reconstruction through the mid-20th century, the cultural impact of new technologies and market structures in transitional societies from the pre-modern era through the twentieth century, and comparative approaches to cultural landscape analysis.
Also, Simpson is interested in using new media and digital technologies to connect with stakeholder communities and explore new ways of creating participatory partnerships both within and outside of the academic world, the press release said.
The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association is a nonprofit historical society founded in 1999 to preserve and educate the public about Oak Ridge’s unique and rich technical and cultural history, and to work to preserve selected historical buildings of the World War II city and nuclear installations.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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