He is author of Urban Villages and Local Identities: Germans from Russia, Omaha Indians, and Vietnamese in Lincoln Nebraska; co-editor of Reconfigurations of Native North America; and author of several articles and book chapter that focus on identity construction, human migration, and region. He is active in the programming and direction of the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center. His teaching interests are global in scope with favoritism towards East Asia and North America from a world-wide perspective.