My attendance to the Winter School was a valuable experience. I got the chance to learn for the first time digital text-mining tools and how to analyze geolocation of data. As a clinical psychologist interested in analysis of individual narrations, I can now say that I have more instruments to analyze lexical determinants of human writing. And, for sure, as instructor who is dealing with informatics tools, I will be able to share these valid instruments of knowledge with my students.
Giulia Rossi
DH in the Classroom, 2020
The WIDH was a very enriching experience in the most welcoming environment. I work and research on various topics in Digital Humanities in Germany and the WIDH was a great opportunity to get to know the landscape of the field in many different contexts, due to the very international and diverse group of people. I took the course on Image Analysis, where I learnt many valuable skills that I hope to integrate into my research on medieval illuminated manuscripts. However, the most notable feature of the event is the effort on community building, which was clear on both organizers and participants. This is a very important feature for the future development of truly global Digital Humanities.
Gustavo Fernández Riva
Image Analysis, 2020
WIDH 2020 in Abu Dhabi was a wonderful experience. The facilities and location were excellent as were our hosts. There was a variety of scheduled events and talks with plenty of time set aside for study, discussion and experiencing UAE culture. The Python Fundamentals for Humanities Research course was delivered by Aaron in a friendly and easy to digest manner, my typing skills aren’t the fastest, but Aaron’s pace allowed plenty of time for the slow coaches to catch up and digest the content before ploughing on. Although we only dipped our toes into the vast Python realm with the introduction to the Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK), he showed how powerful Python can be in processing digital corpora, with just a few lines of code. My main reason for attending was to be able assist students with their general queries about Python, not specifically DH uses, but how to install the Python environment, what resources are available & best for beginners and how to configure & troubleshoot situations. Aaron’s course gave me that grounding and the confidence to share these resources with the wider community.
Jason Clynes
Python Fundamentals for Humanities Research, 2020
An exciting and comprehensive Image Analysis course, taught by Dr. Lauren Tilton, helped me to reconsider the known approaches in Machine Learning in the light of their applications to Humanities. As a STEM graduate, with a vague idea about the field studying aspects of human society and culture, I was thrilled by the application of conventional methods to the analysis of data, coming from films or photographs. This course was a great manifestation of how the borders between the two seemingly distinct areas of human expertise can be erased for the benefit of both fields. It helped me to spot a close analogy between the Deep Learning Networks for Image Analysis and the way how the visual information is processed in our brains. This groundbreaking discovery inspired me to incorporate neurobiological processes in design of deep learning models for my future tasks. In overall, the WIDH is a thrilling and exciting experience, full of fun and events. I am happy that I’ve got the chance to meet interesting people and to learn how to implement familiar techniques to the data, coming from a totally unfamiliar but enticing and compelling field of study.
Vahan Babushkin
Image Analysis, 2020
I have been considering, for quite some time, on the ways to better integrate digital tools not only into my own research but also to my teaching. WIDH has served as the best platform for me to actually have in-depth discussions with like-minded colleagues and experts on issues and questions I had—or didn’t even know about. In the classes, we are introduced to the basic tools for digital research and ways to try incorporating these tools into our own course activities while challenging our original learning goals with these new tools. In the end we are led to creating a new syllabus that supposedly will encompass—at least some of—the benefits of methods for digital learning/research. For me, this experience has been especially fruitful because, as someone who already possess the basic skills for conducting digital research, the reason I chose not to actually integrate digital methods into my teaching (or research) is simply a lack of data. That is, without seeing colleagues or my predecessors implementing digital methods in the classroom, the kind of uncertainly for teaching a class with digital tools/methods is just too high. But with the information, data and experience-sharing offered by WIDH colleagues, I finally have a more concrete plan as well as the courage to design my first course integrating digital tools. I will keep updating if the course could be realized and if it’s a success.
Ma Kuo-An
DH in the Classroom, 2020
From the course at WIDH, we have learnt and practiced NLP (Natural Language Processing) analysis with Python programming. We also went through the major online sources for NLP, especially the NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit). I plan to integrate the analysis of topic modeling into my research on epitaph texts and visualize the outcomes with network graphs.
Anonymous
Python Fundamentals for Humanities Research, 2020
A digital scholarship specialist, I am already familiar with GIS but have only used QGIS a few times. The Spatial Humanities course offered a great chance to learn this widely used tool. I could fully immerse myself in GIS during the course. The careful and detailed instruction gave a great example of how to help new beginners to GIS and the tools. It is especially helpful in my work as most of the students in Shanghai are undergraduate who has little to no knowledge about GIS but is interested use spatial data in their study and projects. Having a better understanding of QGIS, an open-source GIS software, is also beneficial as I have more in my toolkit and recommendation list.
Part of my job is to help faculty who would like to learn but some have a little technology background. My colleagues and I have been discussing that it would be great if we could have training in digital literacy. Here in the winter institute, I gained invaluable experience and will definitely apply it to my future work. It is great to be in NYU Abu Dhabi this Jan. and to meet the team!
Fan Luo
Spatial Humanities, 2020
Attending the Winter Institute in Digital Humanities 2020 at NYU Abu Dhabi was a wonderful opportunity to learn, get inspired, share experiences and communicate with people working in the Digital Humanities. Our course sessions were enriched with discussions and idea exchange among the participants, in addition to learning about digital tools for publishing and sharing cultural heritage objects online. After my participation, I am assuming a new position and responsibilities as an academic support librarian at the American University of Armenia to support the faculty on developing and archiving Digital Humanities projects, and providing support, help, and guidance to campus initiatives. With the knowledge and skills, I have learned I will support the scholarly community at my institution in creating and publishing online exhibitions of the output of humanities courses, which will hopefully introduce the community to the digital humanities, and inspire new projects and initiatives in the future. Thank you NYU AD for this valuable experience.
Araz Markosian
Object-Based Digital Humanities for Cultural Heritage, 2020
I am a computer engineering senior student at NYU Abu Dhabi. During the Winter Institute in Digital Humanities (WIDH), I took the Image Analysis course with Lauren Tilton. As an engineering student at a liberal arts school, learning how to use technical tools to analyze and answer questions in film, photography, and cultural studies was incredibly valuable. Additionally, including questions of data ethics and algorithmic bias at every stage of the course was also very refreshing to see. Finally, given the interdisciplinary nature of the WIDH, the course, and this university, engaging the different expertise in the room, from librarians to archeologists to art curators, in the power and stakes of the technical tools showcased was invaluable.
Lujain Ibrahim
Image Analysis, 2020
The Winter School has brought me closer to my goal of improving overall programming skills for my own research about mapping refugee movements after World War II. Abu Dhabi and NYU AD are truly inspiring and exciting settings to foster intellectual exchange. What particularly stood out to me was to see our class attendees by librarians, undergraduates, teachers, and researchers from all over the world. The task at hands was difficult, but the collaborative environment made it possible to grow together and to understand the basics of our Natural Language Toolkit bit by bit. Overall, I was able to learn a lot in such a short time and, being honest, through our visits and dinners I have been able to discover a part of the world completely unknown to me. And all of the above while chatting with colleagues and friends at restaurants, museums, or simply relaxing at the beach… in January!
Giulio Salvati
Python Fundamentals for Humanities Research, 2020
I am so grateful for having this great opportunity to join WIDH 2020 courses. I was impressed by the well organized event, diversity of professional participants and lecturers from different institutes and cultures. Moreover, the Data in and the Humanities course has enriched my knowledge about data and how to use the latest developed tools to create them for library collection or any sort of humanities projects which could be helpful and applicable in my work in the future when dealing with metadata for the digitized materials. Thanks a lot to Carol & Nick for being keen to deliver the content in a professional, easy and enjoyable way. Best wishes to Beth and David and all WIDH staff.
Anonymous
Data in/and the Humanities, 2020
I attended Lauren’s class on Image Analysis with R. It was inspiring and rewarding for both its contents and pedagogy. Let me start with the contents. First of all, I enjoyed the organization and the flow of the class. I liked it that it first set the context in exploratory data analysis. From there we learnt how computers saw images, where something entirely new to me were the color theories. With R code and out-of-the-box tools ImageJ and ImagePlot, we got our hands dirty by testing the theories. As a data services person working at an academic library, I deliver workshops regularly; so I kept an eye on the pedagogy. Lauren’s teaching was truly inspiring. I hope you would get a chance to sit in her class and feel the energy. Another thing that I think is worth mentioning is the community guidelines that everybody in the classroom created collaboratively at the beginning, which helped establish a supportive learning environment. I look forward to integrating what I learnt into my own library instruction and research support at my institution, or even having the chance to experiment with the methods introduced at the workshop for some projects.
Yun Dai
Image Analysis, 2020
The Winter Institute was an intensive and energetic learning experience that helped me improve my coding skills significantly. What I most appreciated about it, though, was the chance to connect with a vibrant DH community. I was really impressed to meet people from such diverse geographical and scholarly backgrounds who traveled to Abu Dhabi to participate in this event. This not only enriched the learning environment in the classroom but also created an invaluable networking and community building opportunity. I look forward to WIDH 2021.
Anonymous
Python Fundamentals for Humanities Research, 2020
Attending WIDH was a valuable holistic experience that enabled me to learn and do DH in a local context. Apart from NYUAD’s world-class facilities and the magnificent weather that made my winter more colorful, the course I attended—“Spatial Humanities” with Taylor Hixson—was delivered with utmost expertise. The course has increased my skills and knowledge in the area of spatial humanities. I have learned to rethink my notions of spatial data when it comes to creating maps whether on Google My Maps or QGIS. Taylor herself is passionate about her work, and she gave her course the right local edge. Her guidance, along with her detailed handouts, allowed me to master the basics of QGIS in a very short time. In addition, Taylor’s support and her personalized answers to my queries reminded me that community building is integral to DH. Following my attendance of WIDH, I am working on sharing my knowledge of mapping tool and concepts in the different courses I am teaching. I am doing so by enriching some of the modules in the courses I am teaching and by designing assignments and projects that require students to engage with and map with their own local communities. In May 2020, I will also partake in a local event at the only public higher education institution in Lebanon to share what I have learned in WIDH. As such, the knowledge I have gained and the relationships I have built at WIDH have in a way empowered me, and now, I feel more confident empowering others in my community.
Anonymous
Spatial Humanities, 2020
During this workshop, I was exposed to new methods and ideas around information visualization, online exhibitions, curatorial methods, collection database solutions, and creating visual renderings of physical objects. We were introduced to various tools such as Omeka, Agisoft Metashape, Timeline JS, and StoryMap JS. My main takeaways were being able to reflect visual and textual information both spatially and temporally on interactive maps/timelines, and getting to know new methods for exhibiting and cataloguing collections online on an accessible, open-source platform. The conversations we had during the workshop were very relevant my research problems as an Art History student, and they also shaped a large part of my understanding about how we can meaningfully engage with cultural information and objects on digital platforms.
Sara AlZaabi
Object-Based Digital Humanities for Cultural Heritage, 2020
ArcGIS and QGIS. I had never even heard about these digital mapping platforms before taking the Winter Institute’s Spatial Humanities course. In just four days I learned QCIS basics and made a printable and an interactive web map. I also learned about Google My Maps features, which I put into immediate use in my class making a map of Mumbai allowing students to explore locations mentioned in our readings. What I appreciated most about Taylor Hixson’s course was that an absolute beginner could get as much out of it as the more advanced students. Eye-opening four days into the possibilities of digital humanities!
Piia Mustamaki
Spatial Humanities, 2020
It was my first time attending a workshop in digital humanities and it provided me with a comprehensive introduction to the interconnectedness between the traditional scholarship in the humanities and its translation and application into the digital world. I tend to incorporate a variety of data from material remains in my classroom and in my research, which is why I enrolled for the course on ‘Object based study of Digital Humanities.’ One of the primary focus of my research is to create biographies of archaeological sites and artifacts drawing out their spatial and temporal connectivity. The course taught me how to not just mentally map my objects by placing them in various contexts and juxtapositions but also to digitally archive them and establish connections by using timelines, geo locations, elements of intangible cultural heritage and by using digital tools such as Omeka. By trying to create real digital projects during the workshop, I learnt the challenges that I might face during the entire process of digital archiving. There was a lot to learn also from my peer group- about the kind of projects they are developing, the variety of perspectives from which we can approach material culture and the different interpretative processes to present and publish the data. One of the projects I am planning to develop for a course on museums that I teach, is to create a course website where students can blog and archive objects and artifacts that they encounter in museums and other cultural spaces to draw out their changing cultural context.
Salila Kulshreshtha
Object-Based Digital Humanities for Cultural Heritage, 2020
I’m really glad and appreciate this opportunity to exchange experiences and meet different people with different interests. NYU Abu Dhabi always intends to cross borders, with respect to Arabic language. Bringing together representatives of Information Science, Humanities and Libraries Sciences as well as multidisciplinary sciences. Winter Institute in Digital Humanities offered varied courses on important areas of Digital Humanities. I had the course of Image Analysis using as implication of Distant Viewing methodology uses and develops computational techniques to analyze visual culture on a large scale. Distant viewing, is distinguished from other approaches by making explicit the interpretive nature of extracting semantic metadata from images, ‘view’ stands for visual materials before studying them.
Michael Nashed
Image Analysis, 2020
I took part in the Digital Humanities in Classroom workshop. I must confess this was a wholesome experience, as a newbie. The workshop helped me not only learn the nuts and bolts of DH, but also deepen my understanding about its applications for classroom. The best part of the workshop was the discussions which I and other participants had with the facilitators. I was the only librarian in my group, and working with the faculty members and learning from them provided me more confidence and in depth understanding of how DH projects are conceptualized and implemented collaboratively. The sequence of the workshop content, supplementary materials and resources coupled with real classroom examples was a treat to learn. While applying for the WIDH scholarship, I shared the following aspirations for participation.
Nooruddin Merchant
Participating in the winter institute will help me deepen my understanding about DH itself. It will also enable me to explore:
– How librarian or library can lead in introducing and expanding this initiative.
– How to get faculty and institutional buying in to initiate, collaborate and integrate DH with the Center for Language and Literature at my institution.
– What kind of possibilities can be created as standalone or a final year project and how to attract students?
– Where to start and become more confident about it.
The facilitators have helped me achieve all the aspirations Indeed. I would like to thank Dr. David Wrisley for remembering me and sending me the invitation, Beth and WIDH team for offering me this scholarship and learning opportunity, the facilitators Najla Jarkas and Randa Al – Khatib and the whole library staff for their support. Next week, I will be sharing my key learning experiences with the program directors and dean of Faculty School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Furthermore, for my own clarity, understanding and sharing it with the larger community and academia, I have almost finished an article on “Making a case for introducing Digital Humanities in Liberal Arts and Social Science Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan”.
DH in the Classroom, 2020
I recently participated in the NYU Abu Dhabi Winter Institute in Digital Humanities (19-22 January 2020) which was a wonderful opportunity for me (as a librarian and researcher in Classical Studies) to learn more about this creative scholarly domain where information technology meets research in the humanities. The WIDH 2020 was an effective chance for me to closely practice DH tools and concepts. I took part in the course entitled: “Object-Based Digital Humanities for Cultural Heritage” which was useful for me to obtain knowledge about how to handle projects where diversified cultural heritage content is being organized and documented for online dissemination, also to learn about some of the best tools used for its analysis, visualization and representation. Moreover, I consider the fruitful discussions that we conducted together in the various sessions and the thoughtful ideas and guidance of our profoundly knowledgeable tutor, Dr. Kimon Keramidas, were one of the most valuable aspects of my whole experience in the WIDH 2020. His in-depth knowledge and excellent experience in the subject he was teaching were highly supportive to give us professional insights, raise our knowledge and simulate our eagerness to learn more about the topics raised during the course and experience the tools more profoundly afterwards.
Omnia Fathallah
The tools I learned about during the course will be helpful for me to use in my current work and research as they are directly related to many aspects of my interests especially in the fields of the visualization of cultural heritage in digital exhibitions and archives, whether in the context of dealing with archaeological artifacts or managing digital archival collections.
Taking part in the WIDH 2020 was also a good chance for me to be connected with this wonderful group of enthusiastic professionals —from various backgrounds— all interested in the DH, not only the colleagues who attended the same course with me but also the other participants and tutors of the other courses. The whole event was a unique opportunity to get this distinguished group of professionals together in the same place for knowledge sharing and building connections.
I’d like to thank the organizers of the WIDH 2020 for the good planning of the event before and after and for their energetic handling of its actualities with an unforgettable friendly touch. I wish the NYUAD WIDH more and more success in the upcoming years.
Object-Based Digital Humanities for Cultural Heritage, 2020
