JOINED THE DEPARTMENT

2022

BIO

Jonathan Laska is a Ph.D. student in the Department of History at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. He received an M.A. in History from UNL in 2025. He also received his bachelor’s degree from UNL in history in 2021. 

Jonathan’s current work deals with trying to find the underlying connections in the urban growth of cities such as Pueblo and Colorado Springs in Southern Colorado from the late Nineteenth Century to the Early Twentieth Century. His research also examines how different individuals contributed to these communities during this quickly changing time period. His work also studies how corporations like the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad were important economic drivers in these communities because of the connections these corporations provided through commerce and industry.

Jonathan also utilizes digital history and oral history to bridge the gaps in his research. He has presented on his digital research at conferences such as the Western History Association Conference, and other regional conferences. He intends to continue experimenting with digital humanities to expand this research further.