PROPOSAL TYPE
Lightning Round
SEEKING
- Seeking Additional Participants
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
- Seeking Specific Expertise
RELATED TOPICS
- Consulting
- Reflections on the Field
- Most categories apply
ABSTRACT
This rapid lightning round offers a chance for public history practitioners and scholars to showcase a wide range of innovative projects that are shaping and redefining our field. Sponsored by the NCPH Consultants’ Committee, the idea for this showcase emerged from our conversation with public historians across the country who are eager to learn from others and share their own dynamic projects. This lightning round seeks to offer a quick glimpse into the exciting developments in our field and hopes to serve as a starting point for future collaborations and connections. Join us for inspiration and community building as we grapple with questions about the current landscape and future directions of our field.
DESCRIPTION
The NCPH Consultants Committee seeks to support anyone working or interested in working in public history and designed this lighting round to reflect the current state of the field and include a wide range of voices.
The session will begin with a quick introduction and welcome from hosts (less than 5 minutes) and then each presenter will have 3 minutes to share a polished glimpse in their work and ensure a rapid and smooth transition between each speaker. We envision approximately 15 panelists, which leaves more than 15 minutes for questions at the end.
We want to get feedback on whether people would be interested in attending a panel in this format for the combined AASLH-NCPH 2026 conference and are also seeking to hear from people who would like to apply to be one of the presenters. Also taking suggestions for a snappier title!
(Kathleen Conti and Julie Coco, co-chairs of the NCPH Consultant’s Committee, will be submitting the proposal, sponsoring and facilitating the session, and managing the logistics, but will not be presenters themselves).
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly:
Kathleen Conti, Florida State University, [email protected]
All feedback and offers of assistance should be sent by November 15, 2025. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.
Would be interested in presenting a quick 3 minute talk on an interpretive panels project/outdoor exhibit I executed as a Historian at the Army Corps of Engineers on the Tubatulabal tribe of the southern Sierra Nevada, on doing history from the ground-up, collaborating with multiple institutions (USACE, Forest Service, Tribe, Contractor), and doing interpretation in a non-interpretation-focused institution.
I think this is a great idea to highlight the various public history projects people have worked on. I am a bit unsure of the 15 panelists, only because as an audience member, that would overwhelm me! Additionally, keeping 15 people at 3 minutes could be tough. I would consider dropping that number to 7-10 people and giving them more time. Best of luck with this session proposal! I think it also has great potential for NCPH/AASLH crossover.
I also think this is a super idea, and I agree with Rebecca that 15 project seems overwhelming. I’d suggest leaving more time for questions/discussion with so many projects. I think, too, if the part of the point is to create opportunities for participants and attendees to connect and contemplate future collaborations, it might be good to more intentionally work that aspect into the presentations in some way, or give presenters and audience members some opportunity for discussion of ways people are perhaps looking to expand their consulting practices and collaboration would be helpful (geographically, types of clients, etc).
Be sure to be mindful on the diverse perspectives of these projects.
I’d be interested in sharing about the ways we use curation and communication (on social media, web, email, doc films, and public talks) as public history vehicles to educate and share materials from the Yiddish Book Center’s Wexler Oral History Project.