He grew up in Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley and spent much of his youth exploring the state's mountains and wilderness areas. He holds a BA from Southern Oregon University, an MA from Utah State University, and a PhD from Kansas State University. Dr. Vail’s specializations include Environmental and Agricultural History, Science and Technology, the Great Plains, and Public History. He has published articles in academic journals such as Kansas History, Endeavour (History of Science), and Middle West Review. Dr. Vail’s forthcoming book (Spring 2018), Chemical Lands: A History of Pesticides, Aerial Spraying, and Health in North America's Grasslands Since 1945, is an environmental-agricultural-technological history of aerial pesticide application, agricultural science and food production in North America’s grasslands.