Houston, G. (1955). Farm wages in central Scotland from 1814 to 1870. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (General), 118(2), 224–228. https://doi.org/10.2307/2343130
Symonds, J. (2011). Poverty and progress in the age of improvement: Evidence from the Isle of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. Historical Archaeology, 45(3), 106–120. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23070037
The Scottish Highlands and western isles may evoke rugged landscapes and cultural memory, but this section of sources also reveals deep opportunities for STEM learning. The histories of emigration, land use, agricultural practice, poverty relief, and even smuggling are underpinned by data, geography, environmental science, and economic systems. These resources connect students with the scientific and technological dimensions of diaspora, rural sustainability, and adaptation to both physical and political environments.
Environmental & Agricultural Science: Articles detailing crofting life and the forced evictions during the Highland Clearances (e.g., Patrick Sellar and the Highland Clearances, Isle of South Uist archaeology) provide opportunities to study sustainable vs. extractive agricultural systems. Students might model how overgrazing or monoculture stressed the land or examine the relationship between land ownership and soil management in marginal climates.
Geography & Cartography: The emigration resources from the National Library of Scotland and the Migration Museum offer grounding in physical and human geography. Students can map historic routes of emigration, analyze geographic barriers to travel, or use GIS to compare climate zones between the Hebrides and North America.
Statistics & Economics: Farm Wages in Central Scotland from 1814 to 1870 introduces primary source economic data. Students can graph wage trends, calculate real income adjusted for inflation, or simulate historical labor markets. This dovetails with poverty studies drawn from the Poor Law dissertation and the Scottish educational system.
Engineering & Maritime Technology: The smuggling routes from the Clyde to the Hebrides illustrate early naval navigation, wind and tide modeling, and small craft design. Students might calculate travel times based on historical wind data or design boat hulls optimized for stealth and speed—an applied physics or engineering challenge.
Public Health & Social Services: Sources on the Scottish Poor Law and care of children under institutional systems provide context for examining historical welfare practices. Lessons can include analysis of early public health systems, sanitation, and the impact of malnutrition or lack of education on community health indicators.
Cultural Geography & STEM Communication: The photographic archive of Tiree and the story of the McNeills of Brevig allow students to engage in digital storytelling and spatial analysis. Projects might include recreating lost communities with 3D modeling, creating time-lapse maps of diaspora movements, or conducting digital oral history presentations that merge geography and narrative.