Humanities Data Science Summer Institute: Three Calls for Applicants

Summary

The Interdisciplinary Minor in Data Science at the University of Washington is organizing a “Humanities Data Science Summer Institute," which will pair undergraduate and graduate students with UW faculty or staff who are engaged in humanities data science research during term A of Summer 2023 (June 20–July 19, 2023).

To support the institute, organizers are calling for applications in three categories:

• Faculty/staff to lead a student group
• Graduate student research assistants
• Undergraduate student research fellows

Full details of each position are included below, along with instructions on how to prepare and submit applications. All three have a January 15, 2023 deadline via email submission to Ben Marwick (Anthropology) at bmarwick@uw.edu.

Faculty and Staff CFP for Leading a Student Group:

The Interdisciplinary Minor in Data Science invites applications from UW faculty and staff to participate in the “Humanities Data Science Summer Institute" (HDSSI) and to lead a small team of students (ideally 2 undergraduate students and 1 graduate student) in work on their own humanities data science research project. The graduate student will primarily serve as a mentor and project manager for the undergraduate students, and they will also be expected to contribute to the project.

The topic of the research project is up to the faculty or staff member. The project could be part of new or existing research, or it could involve work to support a future undergraduate class that could be part of the Minor in Data Science. The ideal HDSSI project will include the following elements: collaborative work that is suitable for undergraduate students; a clearly defined research question drawn from humanities scholarship; data-intensive analysis; use of an open source programming language; and key findings that can be communicated through a combination of data visualization and narrative text. Each HDSSI project will result in a group-authored poster presentation (led by the undergraduate students) at the UW undergraduate research symposium in the following Spring.

The lead faculty or staff member will be expected to manage and direct their team for a minimum of 5-10 hours per week during term A of Summer 2023. Additionally, they will be expected to conduct the majority of this work onsite and in-person (ideally at the WRF Data Science Studio on UW’s Seattle campus). Graduate students will be expected to work a minimum of 15-20 hours per week, and undergraduate students will be expected to work 20 hours per week.

The successful faculty or staff applicant will receive one month of salary and benefits. Graduate students will receive an RA appointment and supervision from the faculty/staff mentor. Undergraduate students will receive a $2000 fellowship and independent study credit.

 Please submit the following to bmarwick@uw.edu by January 15, 2023:

• One page proposal of a humanities data science project they intend to lead a group of undergraduates to complete in the fellowship period

• Current CV

• Letter of support from Department chair or supervisor

Graduate Student Research Assistant CFP:

The Interdisciplinary Minor in Data Science invites applications from UW graduate students to collaborate with a faculty or staff member on their research project and to serve as a mentor and project manager for a small team of 2-3 undergraduate students who will also be working on the project. The topic of the research projects will be determined by the faculty/staff supervisor for the research group. Projects will answer a clearly defined research question drawn from humanities scholarship, involve data-intensive analysis, use an open source programming language, and include key findings that can be communicated through a combination of data visualization and narrative text. Given the nature of this work, experience with a widely used programming language like Python or R is preferred. The successful applicant is expected to contribute to a group-authored poster presentation (led by the undergraduate students) at the UW undergraduate research symposium in the following Spring. 

Graduate students will be expected to manage their teams and contribute to the project for a minimum of 15-20 hours per week during term A of Summer 2023. Additionally, they will be expected to conduct the majority of this work onsite, in-person, and during regular business hours (ideally at the WRF Data Science Studio on UW’s Seattle campus).

Successful graduate student applicants will receive a Research Assistant appointment and supervision from a faculty/staff mentor.

Please submit the following to bmarwick@uw.edu by January 15, 2023:

• One page summary of the student’s activities and accomplishments relevant to humanities data science, e.g. coursework completed, workshops attended, research outputs, etc. 
• Current CV
• Letter of support from the student’s faculty advisor

Undergraduate Student CFP:

The Interdisciplinary Minor in Data Science invites applications from UW undergraduate students who are keen to learn humanities data science in a project-based, small group experience. Students will work in small teams (ideally 2-3 students) under faculty/staff supervision and with direct assistance from a graduate student mentor. Students will participate in hands-on training workshops to acquire technical skills in working with humanities data, and they will also work in a group and independently to complete the research objectives determined by their faculty/staff project leader.

The topic of the research projects will be determined by the faculty/staff supervisor for the research group. Projects will answer a clearly defined research question drawn from humanities scholarship, involve data-intensive analysis, use an open source programming language, and include key findings that can be communicated through a combination of data visualization and narrative text. Successful applicants are expected to contribute to a group-authored poster presentation at the UW undergraduate research symposium in the following Spring.

Undergraduate students will be expected to work for a minimum of 20 hours per week during term A of Summer 2023. Additionally, they will be expected to conduct the majority of this work onsite, in-person, and during regular business hours (ideally at the WRF Data Science Studio on UW’s Seattle campus).

Successful undergraduate student applicants will receive a $2000 fellowship—half at the beginning of the program and half on completion. Students will also register for independent study credits, which will count towards the Data Science Minor. Priority will be given to students who have declared, or plan to declare, the Data Science Minor. 

Please submit the following to bmarwick@uw.edu by January 15, 2023:

• One page summary of your interests, skills, activities, accomplishments, and future plans relevant to humanities data science, e.g. coursework completed, workshops attended, future plans for taking courses in the Data Science Minor, etc. 
• Current CV

Questions about the above categories? Email Ben Marwick (Anthropology) at bmarwick@uw.edu.