About

In my “day job” I work for the Martha’s Vineyard Museum as a researcher, reference librarian, journal editor, and public historian . . . helping to introduce visitors (both on-site and virtual) to the history and culture of a hundred-square-mile island off the southern coast of New England.

In the wider academic world, I’m a historian who’s interested in the intersections of science and technology with society and culture, who originally worked on the history of geology and archaeology and is probably best known these days for writing about images of science and technology in popular culture, particularly film and television.

Note: I omit the space between my first initial and middle name in my HC profile to keep the site from parsing the name incorrectly; if searching for me outside HC, use “A. Bowdoin Van Riper”  🙂