History/Social Science Faculty
Biography
Dr. Shawn Bailey joined the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy faculty in January 2022. He was born in Blue Island, Illinois, and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Bailey majored in history at the University of Notre Dame as an undergraduate and earned a Master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Montana. As a historian, he focuses on the intersection of modern United States history and environmental history, specifically, the history of public land use and national parks. Dr. Bailey contributed a chapter titled “Neon River” to the book Rewilding the Urban Frontier (2024) and is currently working on a book titled Worth a Dam: Glacier View and the Preservation of Wild America, which concerns an Army Corps of Engineers proposal to dam a river in Glacier National Park during the 1940s.
Dr. Bailey, in addition to his academic pursuits, played competitive rugby for more than twenty years and admits to being a decent golfer, an avid hiker, a Cubs supporter, a Little League coach, and a fan of late 1980s and early 1990s punk music.
Professional Works
- Following the Current: A Bioregional History of the Fox River from the Pleistocene to the Present by Dr. Jackie G. VanZahnms
- Dr. Jackie G. VanZahms is the pen name for the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy’s Fall 2022 Mod 8 History of the Environment class. This is their first book.
