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Digital humanities research initiative in works

A team of researchers from the School of Information, College of Liberal Arts and UT Libraries is planning a new digital humanities research initiative at UT Austin.

Led by iSchool Assistant Professor Tanya Clement, the DH@UT Pop-Up Institute will harness expertise and resources from across campus to build a digital humanities ecosystem for innovative research in the liberal arts.

Digital research in the humanities examines the cultural impact of new media and information technology and uses that technology to answer research questions. The DH@UT Pop-Up Institute will consist of a national digital humanities training institute open to both UT and external participants, followed by an intensive planning session carried out by an interdisciplinary group of UT staff and faculty, with consultation by recognized experts in the construction and maintenance of digital humanities infrastructure.

DH@UT is one of the three interdisciplinary initiatives announced by UT’s Office of the Vice President for Research in August. Pop-Up Institutes are a campus-wide research initiative designed to address specific research goals. Multidisciplinary teams at UT Austin will spend the upcoming academic year preparing for a burst of activity focused on a specific area of research. These Institutes will then “pop up” for one month—longer than an academic conference, but less than a dedicated research center or program.

“This novel approach gives distinguished researchers the time and space to work together outside of traditional disciplines and think about an important problem in a new way,” said Dan Jaffe, vice president for research at UT Austin. “I am confident we will see remarkable results and build new connections across campus.”

The Office of the Vice President for Research will host a town hall meeting to introduce the Institutes and their team members on Sept. 15. The event is open to the UT community and will provide campus researchers an opportunity to contribute their perspectives to the new institutes.

Aug. 25, 2016