Event showcases digital technology in arts and humanities scholarship

The ways in which virtual reality technologies help us understand poetry and technological explorations into what music reveals about the brain are just two of the topics that will be explored at the third annual Beyond Boundaries symposium, which will showcase the work of Yale undergraduates, graduate students, faculty members, postdoctoral associates, and staff members in digital humanities.

The symposium, organized by the Yale Digital Humanities Lab and STEAM, will take place on Friday, April 6, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the lecture hall of Sterling Memorial Library, 120 High St. It is free and open to the public.

Presenters will discuss their work on topics ranging from computer-generated models and data mining to literary maps that track characters over the course of novel.

Coffee and refreshments will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by a welcome by Peter Leonard, director of the Digital Humanities Lab. At 10 a.m. students and postdoctoral associates in fields ranging from global affairs to Spanish will present lightning talks about their work. A roundtable discussion by faculty and staff members on the benefits and challenges digital methods pose for teaching and research will begin at 11 a.m. Participants include Paul Messier, head of the Lens Media Lab of the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage; Wai Chee Dimock, the William Lampson Professor of English and American Studies; Karin Roffman, lecturer in humanities and English and associate research scientist in American studies and English; Benedict Brown, lecturer in computer science; and Thomas Duffy, adjunct professor of music and director of University Bands.

Susan Gibbons, the Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian and deputy provost for libraries and scholarly communication, will give closing remarks at noon. A poster session showcasing projects by students and faculty and staff members will conclude the event, 12:05-1 p.m.

Yale STEAM hopes to foster campus-wide interest and appreciation of the intersection between STEM fields and the arts.