The Goizueta Foundation supports creation of a Digital Humanities Laboratory at Yale

Yale University Library has received a $3 million award from The Goizueta Foundation to inaugurate a comprehensive initiative in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education at Yale by launching a Digital Humanities Laboratory to be located in Sterling Memorial Library.
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Sterling Memorial Library, where the Digital Humanities Laboratory will be housed. (Photo by Michael Marsland)

Yale University Library has received a $3 million award from The Goizueta Foundation to inaugurate a comprehensive initiative in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education at Yale by launching a Digital Humanities Laboratory to be located in Sterling Memorial Library (SML).

In keeping with the interdisciplinary vision inspired by STEAM, the laboratory will provide expertise, equipment, and facilities for faculty and students across a wide range of subjects. A portion of the award will also establish an endowment fund to support STEAM education at Yale.

STEAM embodies the idea of amplifying the strengths of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by combining them with the creativity, visual acuity, and aesthetics drawn from the arts. The Goizueta Foundation’s significant contribution to the STEAM educational enterprise will build on a strong tradition of innovation in teaching and learning across disciplines at Yale and will greatly advance the integration of science, technology, and the humanities in education and research, said University Librarian Susan Gibbons.

“The establishment of the Digital Humanities Laboratory provides a locus for the burgeoning interdisciplinary initiatives across Yale which explore teaching, learning, and research at the intersections of STEAM,” Gibbons said. “We are very grateful to The Goizueta Foundation for providing Yale with the opportunity to develop robust support and services for faculty and students.”   

The Digital Humanities Laboratory will catalyze existing STEAM-based projects at Yale and support the exploration of new ideas that connect established disciplines and audiences with Yale’s world-class cultural heritage collections.

The term “digital humanities” encompasses a variety of emerging practices that transcend the boundary between STEM and the arts and humanities, including the computational analysis of cultural data and the democratization of teaching and research through global networks. Technologists, scientists, and humanities scholars on the Yale faculty who are already pioneers in STEAM education, as well as those who are newcomers to the field, will be able to use the laboratory to create new and compelling ways for scholars to engage with the sciences, arts, and digital technology in the 21st century.

“We believe that STEAM is a critical component of 21st-century learning, and The Goizueta Foundation is pleased to join with Yale University in this strategic initiative. It will provide a unique opportunity to join the university’s historic strengths in teaching and learning in the humanities with my father’s vision for innovation and creativity in education and public life,” commented Olga Goizueta Rawls, chair and chief executive officer of The Goizueta Foundation.

About The Goizueta Foundation

The Goizueta Foundation was established in 1992 by the late Roberto Goizueta, former chief executive officer of the Coca-Cola Company. The mission of the Atlanta-based foundation is to empower individuals by partnering with innovative non-profit organizations to produce lasting change in the areas of education and family services.

Goizueta graduated from Yale College in 1953 with a degree in engineering, and The Goizueta Foundation has been a generous donor to Yale, especially in the areas of biomedical and chemical engineering. Most recently, the foundation has supported the Advanced Leadership Program in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Science, Technology, and Research Scholars (STARS) Program in Yale College, which is designed to support historically underrepresented students in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

About Yale University Library

The Yale University Library is one of the world’s leading research libraries and a partner in the teaching and research missions of academic communities worldwide. The library’s spectrum of resources is considered one of the university’s distinctive strengths, and includes information in all media, ranging from ancient papyri to early printed books to audio-visual recordings. In collecting, organizing, preserving, and providing access to this record of human thought and creativity, the library is committed to ensuring that the world’s heritage remains open to investigation, interrogation, and celebration. Housed in 15 libraries — including Sterling Memorial Library, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the Center for Science and Social Science Information — it employs a dynamic, diverse, and innovative staff of over 550 individuals. For additional information about the Yale University Library, visit the library’s website.

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Media Contact

Amanda Patrick: amanda.patrick@yale.edu , 203-432-4484