Martin V. Melosi
Encyclopedia
Martin Victor Melosi is Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen University Professor and the director of the Center for Public History at the University of Houston
in Houston
, Texas
. His research specialty is environmental
and urban
history. Prior to his tenure at the University of Houston, Melosi was a member of the history faculty of Texas A&M University
in College Station
.
, California
, Melosi holds Bachelor of Arts
and Master of Arts
degrees from the University of Montana at Missoula
, Montana
. He received his Ph.D.
from the University of Texas at Austin
.
In addition to environmental and urban history, Melosi also specializes in recent United States and diplomatic history. He teaches courses entitled "Environmental Politics in the United States," "The History of the American City," "The City, Technology, and the Environment," "Energy and Environment in Industrial Ameria," "Atomic Age America," Historiography
, "Readings in Public History," and "Research in Public History".
From 2000-2001, Melosi held the Fulbright Scholarship Chair in American Studies at the University of Southern Denmark
in Odense, Denmark
. He has been a visiting faculty professor at the University of Paris
, University of Helsinki
, Peking University
, and Shanghai University
. In 2005, Melosi received the Ester Farfel Award at the University of Houston in recognition of career achievement. He has been president of the American Society for Environmental History, the Public Works Historical Society, and the National Council on Public History. He also recently has served as president of the Urban History Association.
.
His book The Sanitary City (2000, re-released in 2008 in abridged form) examines the development of water supply, wastewater
, and solid waste systems in the United States since colonial times. He is working on a companion volume, The Networked City, which will examine energy, transportation, and communication systems in the United States. In recent years, Melosi has devoted greater attention to global environmental issues in Europe
, Canada
, and Mexico
.
. The central focus of this book is partisanship during the war years which delayed disclosure of the details of the attack on Pearl Harbor
on the military base in Hawaii
.
Melosi authored the article "The Automobile and the Environment in American History," listed on the Internet
under "The Automobile in American Life and Society". Melosi examines the vehicle process from the factory to the junkyard, noting that while essential to the economy, cars also "consume resources; pollute the air, land, and water; and transform space."
Melosi has also written the following:
Melosi resides in Houston with his wife, the former Carolyn Ronchetto (born 1949). They have two daughters, Gina M. Melosi (born 1976) and Adria M. Melosi McDonald (born 1980).
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. His research specialty is environmental
Environmental history
Environmental history, a branch of historiography, is the study of human interaction with the natural world over time. In contrast to other historical disciplines, it emphasizes the active role nature plays in influencing human affairs. Environmental historians study how humans both shape their...
and urban
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
history. Prior to his tenure at the University of Houston, Melosi was a member of the history faculty of Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
.
Background
A native of San JoseSan Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Melosi holds Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degrees from the University of Montana at Missoula
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. He received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
.
In addition to environmental and urban history, Melosi also specializes in recent United States and diplomatic history. He teaches courses entitled "Environmental Politics in the United States," "The History of the American City," "The City, Technology, and the Environment," "Energy and Environment in Industrial Ameria," "Atomic Age America," Historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
, "Readings in Public History," and "Research in Public History".
From 2000-2001, Melosi held the Fulbright Scholarship Chair in American Studies at the University of Southern Denmark
University of Southern Denmark
The University of Southern Denmark, with campuses located in the southwestern part of Denmark - i.e. Funen, Southern Jutland and Sealand - is a research and educational institution with deep regional roots and an international outlook. Reaching even further south, the university offers a number of...
in Odense, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. He has been a visiting faculty professor at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
, Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
, and Shanghai University
Shanghai University
Shanghai University is a public, comprehensive university located in Shanghai, China. The university has the longest serving President; Chien Wei-zang since 1982 until he died in 2010. He was a well known scientist in China...
. In 2005, Melosi received the Ester Farfel Award at the University of Houston in recognition of career achievement. He has been president of the American Society for Environmental History, the Public Works Historical Society, and the National Council on Public History. He also recently has served as president of the Urban History Association.
Research
Melosi has researched pollution problems and energy sources and how they have impacted urban growth and development. He is a lecturer for the Organization of American HistoriansOrganization of American Historians
The Organization of American Historians , formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S...
.
His book The Sanitary City (2000, re-released in 2008 in abridged form) examines the development of water supply, wastewater
Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
, and solid waste systems in the United States since colonial times. He is working on a companion volume, The Networked City, which will examine energy, transportation, and communication systems in the United States. In recent years, Melosi has devoted greater attention to global environmental issues in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Other publications
In 1977, Melosi completed The Shadow of Pearl Harbor: Political Controversy of the Surprise Attack, 1941-1946, through Texas A&M University PressTexas A&M University Press
Texas A&M University Press is a scholarly publishing house associated with Texas A&M University. It was founded in 1974 and is located in College Station, Texas, in the United States.-Overview:...
. The central focus of this book is partisanship during the war years which delayed disclosure of the details of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on the military base in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Melosi authored the article "The Automobile and the Environment in American History," listed on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
under "The Automobile in American Life and Society". Melosi examines the vehicle process from the factory to the junkyard, noting that while essential to the economy, cars also "consume resources; pollute the air, land, and water; and transform space."
Melosi has also written the following:
- Coping with Abundance: Energy and Environment in Industrial America
- Thomas A. Edison and the Modernization of America
- Effluent America: Cities, Industry, Energy, and the Environment
- Urban Public Policy: Historical Modes and Methods
- Garbage in the Cities: Refuse, Reform and the Environment, 1880-1980
- Pollution and Reform in American Cities, 1870-1930
Melosi resides in Houston with his wife, the former Carolyn Ronchetto (born 1949). They have two daughters, Gina M. Melosi (born 1976) and Adria M. Melosi McDonald (born 1980).