Dear Anthony DeBlasi,
My colleague, Dr.
Lynn Ramey (Vanderbilt) and I,
are announcing a call for participants for our Immersive Global Middle Ages NEH Institute for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities.
Virtual reality, augmented reality, and 3D digital environments are witnessing explosive growth in research and teaching, but faculty and staff who could benefit from these techniques do not have equal access to the tools they need.
Hardware and software used in the creation of 3D environments is expensive; institutional policies and commitment are highly variable; and some who would benefit lack confidence with the technology. The Immersive Global Middle Ages Institute provides a diverse
cohort of medievalists with both theoretical and practical training in the creation and implementation of 3D objects and environments for research and teaching. The Institute will meet online three times each semester and will have two in-person four-day summer
workshops over a two-year period (January 2022-November 2023). By the end of the Institute, participants will have considered the research around using 3D environments, developed 3D object assets and worlds, and authored teaching resources to pass on their
new skills to students and colleagues.
Given that many participants will lack the necessary robust computing hardware and software needed to participate in the workshops, the Institute will award technology stipends to participants for the purchase of an Alienware computer
customized for immersive technology, monitor, keyboard/mouse, and a 3-year onsite support/warranty; an Oculus Rift headset; and a two-year license for Trimble SketchUp Pro modeling software.
Best,
Roger
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Roger Louis Martinez-Davila, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair, Dept. of History
University of Colorado-Colorado
Springs