Layk Nollen, who just graduated in December 2024 with his History major, took advantage of an unusual opportunity to do some “concrete” work in his chosen field of Public History–and it turned out to have an unexpected connection to his past! For Fall ’24, Nollen was an intern for ISU’s Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department (CCEE). Here’s his story:
“I inventoried and organized over sixty years’ worth of student history for CCEE,” Nolan said. “The purpose of this position was to prepare the materials for transfer to the Iowa State University Special Collections & University Archives so they could be made accessible to the public.
“The collection told the stories of the students and the hard work they put into their student organizations—from building concrete canoes and steel bridges, to cleaning up highways, to VEISHEA Open House projects, this collection documents the lives of students in the CCEE Department.
“I found my own personal connection while working on this collection: photographs of former Professor of Civil Engineering, Dr. Jack Mickle. My grandfather and Dr. Mickle were close friends. Before this internship, I had no idea that Dr. Mickle was a Professor in the Civil Engineering Department, let alone that I would find photographs of him here. I only knew him as my grandfather’s friend!”
Nollen is planning to attend graduate school to pursue his dream of an archives career.