Students

Lauren is a member of the class of 2016 from New York City. She is an English major and Theatre minor and is also interested in French, Music, and History. She joined the DHi as a sophomore and hopes to take what she has learned working in digital media into a career in film production.

Sarah Bither is an Asian Studies major and an Economics and English double minor of the class of 2013. She enjoys studying the complexities of Japanese language and culture and is a self-proclaimed bookworm. Alongside Professor Kyoko Omori, Sarah conducted a comprehensive study of the power and influence of Japanese silent film on the Japanese culture and film industry. Ultimately, she hopes to travel to Japan and continue her research by working closely with rare primary sources. As technology continues to rapidly evolve, Sarah will aim to take advantage of these new technological opportunities and incorporate digital media into her studies. She is confident that the research, analytical, and presentation tools she has developed through DHi will be a tremendous asset to her in whatever career path she pursues, whether it be in humanities or finance.

Clara Cho is a member of the class of 2020 from Summit, New Jersey. She plans to be a history major, and loves playing ultimate frisbee with the Hamilton Hot Saucers team. She joined DHi as a freshman, and is currently working with the American Prison Writing Archive. Clara is hoping to further develop her organizational skills, and to learn more about the digital humanities as a whole. In her downtime, Clara enjoys reading, baking, and running.

Hoang Do ’17 is a Cinema and New Media Studies major at Hamilton College. Hoang worked with Professor Kyoko Omori on the Crossroads in Context short film as a videographer, video editor, and creative consultant. The film documents refugees’ involvement in ESL classes in Utica NY, thereby narrating an aspect of their assimilation into American society. Hoang also helped design the Comparative Japanese Film Archive’s interface during the Institute for Liberal Arts Digital Scholarship (ILiADS) conference, which took place in summer 2015 at Hamilton College. Learning from his experience with Crossroads in Context, Hoang intends to create his own documentary film about the Karen Burmese refugees in Utica. He aims to approach the project on a personal level through recording the daily life of a single Karen refugee, believing that the microcosm of a person’s journey can be telling of macro trends.

Hoang's student reflections essay can be found at: http://dhinitiative.org/students/class/do

Samantha is a member of the class of 2018 from Summit, New Jersey.  She is majoring in Cinema and Media Studies and Creative Writing. She joined the DHi as a sophomore and is currently working on the Soweto project, mapping a timeline of the Mandela House. She hopes to learn more of the technical skills necessary to pursue her passion for storytelling through the Soweto project and through future work on the Biko and NOLA projects.

Petra Elfström is a Creative Writing and Archaeology double major at Hamilton College. She sings in an a cappella group on campus, and often draws and travels with her family in her free time. Combining her love of art and writing with her passion for archaeology, Petra is now working alongside Professor Nathan Goodale and Alissa Nauman to create a short educational film with the aim to present the archaeological practice of the Slocan Narrows Archaeological Project to the general public in an accessible manner. Though the Slocan Narrows site is open to the public and presents its findings every year at a “public day,” the Project was still lacking an informational film that showed the complete archaeological process of the site, including lab analyses and senior theses and not just the field work. They are now working with the DHi to fill this gap in a creative and educational manner. Petra will work on script-writing, creating story-boards, and organizing the different assets already available to include in the film. In addition, Petra will be helping with filming and editing the documentary. She looks forward to increasing her knowledge of filmography as well as her familiarity with the Slocan Narrows site and the culture that it represents.

Alex Gioia is a member of the class of 2014 at Hamilton college from Torrington, CT. He majored in both Mathematics and Communications. Alex spent a semester in New Zealand, where he studied at the University of Otago. The following summer, Alex worked on Professor Amar's project. The project is an in-depth study of Indian sacred centers. Alex learned 3D modelling software and worked with Kenny Ratliff on constructing interactive 3D models of the sacred sites.

Matt Goon is a member of the class of 2018 from New Jersey. He is a Computer Science major with interests in many other disciplines including Anthropology, Cinema and New Media Studies, Digital Arts, Economics, and History. He works with Dr. Angel Nieves, Janet Simons, and Greg Lord on all of DHi's technical needs such as student/intern assistance, web development, interactive media, 3D modeling, and virtual environment projects (including Blender and Unity-related tasks). He hopes to apply many of the skills practiced and acquired at DHi to life after college.

Jack Hay is a member of the class of 2019 from Essex, Massachusetts.  Jack is a Computer Science major and is working with Dr. Nieves on the Soweto project.  He has experience in the field of computer-aided design and architecture as well as coding.  His work includes the modeling of houses in ArchiCAD. Jack hopes to work as a software engineer after his time at Hamilton.

Mary Lehner '12 graduated from Hamilton College with a concentration in Environmental Studies, with minors in Physics and Math. Her interests are broad ranging and encompass digital and performance art in addition to science. Mary's background in web design, computer programming, graphic design and video led to the position she held for two years as a Rich Media Research and Development Intern in ITS at Hamilton. In that role, she helped faculty and students in research and course projects incorporating multimedia for analysis and/or creative expression. In Hamilton's Digital Humanities Initiative (DHi), Mary's research interests and programming skills combine to assist on the DuraCloud pilot project and digital media research approaches.  She consults with ITS and the library in development and testing of cloud storage solutions for DHi faculty research collections and researching applications of mobile devices in field work.

Max Lopez is a member of the class of 2015 and majored in archaeology at Hamilton College. Having been interested in archaeology since a very young age, Max worked with Professor Nathan Goodale on a site in the Slocan Valley of British Columbia. The site consists of a series of pit houses or winter homes for the Native Americans that inhabited it. Max, who had been working with and learning 3D digital modeling software over the previous summer, visited the site and using GPS/GIS technology mapped the pit houses. After that he hoped to create an accurate to life 3D reconstruction of the site that can be walked through and interacted with. Not only will this reconstruction aid in research as a cost effective alternative to a physical reconstruction of the site, but it will also be a new way to get the public involved in the research. Archaeology is a field defined by advancing technology and Max looks to use his knowledge of 3D modeling to continue pushing the field forward in new ways and staying ahead of the curve.After his time as a DHi Student Fellow, Max was accepted into graduate school at both the University of Cambridge and Oxford University. He eventually earned a master's in archaeology at Cambridge University.

Max Lopez is a member of the class of 2015 and majored in archaeology at Hamilton College. Having been interested in archaeology since a very young age, Max worked with Professor Nathan Goodale on a site in the Slocan Valley of British Columbia. The site consists of a series of pit houses or winter homes for the Native Americans that inhabited it. Max, who had been working with and learning 3D digital modeling software over the previous summer, visited the site and using GPS/GIS technology mapped the pit houses. After that he hoped to create an accurate to life 3D reconstruction of the site that can be walked through and interacted with. Not only will this reconstruction aid in research as a cost effective alternative to a physical reconstruction of the site, but it will also be a new way to get the public involved in the research. Archaeology is a field defined by advancing technology and Max looks to use his knowledge of 3D modeling to continue pushing the field forward in new ways and staying ahead of the curve.After his time as a DHi Student Fellow, Max was accepted into graduate school at both the University of Cambridge and Oxford University. He eventually earned a master's in archaeology at Cambridge University.

Jack Lyons is a member of the class of 2016, and majored in Asian Studies with a Japanese focus. Since childhood, he has had a profound interest in Japanese culture, especially Samurai. Following this interest, Jack worked with Professor Kyoko Omori on the Japanese silent film, Orochi (1925) & Benshi artists project. For the project, Jack constructed a narrative script in English for the Japanese silent movie, Orochi, and analyzed certain aspects of the movie like its cinematography and the Japanese culture presented in the movie. In addition, Jack also helped create a documentary on the Clinton area that was used in a workshop. During the workshop, Hamilton students were able to create and recite their own Benshi script for the documentary. Jack aimed to not only further his knowledge of the Japanese language and culture through this project, but also to learn more about film and how it is created. Hamilton News http://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/the-silent-serpent-understanding-the-role-of-benshi-in-japanese-cinema

Kaitie is a member of the class of 2016, and majored in Mathematics and Art. She is originally from Sudbury, Massachusetts. She worked as a videographer and video editor at the DHi. Through her experiences at the DHi, she hoped to combine her passions of art and mathematics using the multitude of resources and opportunities that digital media has to offer. In her spare time at Hamilton, she could always be found at the barn or in a practice room, as riding for the Hamilton Equestrian Team and playing violin in the Hamilton College Orchestra were her other two loves- next to learning, of course!

Hailing from Miami, Terri is a member of the class of 2017. An Africana Studies major, Terri worked with Professor Nieves on the Soweto Historical GIS Project. He joined the DHi his junior year in order to learn more about the intersections of technology and history, and how he can utilize his writing skills to share the stories of others. For fun, he likes to unpack the various messages present in Japanese anime and write poetry.

Andrew Powers was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest close to the waters of Puget Sound. At the bright age of 19, he headed east to Middlebury College, where he studied geography under an incredible faculty of daring thinkers. Andrew loves history, maps and transformative technology... Probably why SHGIS is the best job he's ever had. He currently lives in Seattle.

Will Rasenberger is a philosophy major and government minor whose interests include identity formation, political theory, and the theory behind just public policy. He plans to study law following his matriculation from Hamilton College. In addition to his work with the DHi, he is treasurer of the Hamilton College Law Society, and a tutor with Hamilton Reads. His long time interest in social justice and especially hearing the voice of historically silenced groups has led him to collaborate with Professor Larson on his American Prison Writing Archive project. The archive, which is growing all the time, houses essays written by American prisoners, their family members, and correctional officers. Will is responsible, along with student interns, for selecting essays to be archived, collecting metadata about these essays, and transcribing them. Professor Larson's recent grant from the NEH will enable this project to branch out over the coming years in currently unforeseeable ways. Will spent the summer of 2017 at Hamilton College where he continued to help grow, modernize, and expand the reach of the American Prison Writing Archive. Will hopes to gain valuable knowledge of data accumulation and how to leverage data - and digital humanities in general - to pursue worthy social justice objectives. 

Jackie Rodriguez is a member of the class of 2018 from Orlando, FL majoring in Government and minoring in Anthropology at Hamilton College. She is currently working with Professor John Bartle of the Russian Studies department on The Refugee Project— a project that has been ongoing for multiple years now. The focus of the project is on collecting oral histories of the various refugees settling in Utica, NY and archiving these stories digitally through the means of transcriptions and video. On top of the oral history component of The Refugee Project, Jackie and Professor Bartle are in the midst of sifting through microfilm of Utica’s past Observer Dispatch articles to find any articles related to refugees or the Refugee Center. The project shall result in a digital archive where oral histories and articles can be easily accessed by any scholar pursuing research on Refugees. Passionate about religion, community, and culture, Jackie has found her interests deeply imbedded within the project. She hopes to further her skills in creating and examining metadata as she continues on with her research. 

Jackie's student reflections essay can be found at: http://dhinitiative.org/students/class/rodriguez

Sydney Rutman is a member of the class of 2013. She majored in Sociology and minored in Education at Hamilton College. She spent a semester studying in Australia at the University of Sydney. She worked with Dr. Erol Balkan on the early (pre-filming) stages of his documentary, "The Euphrates Project." She worked as a production and development intern. Sydney previously interned in the development department at Animal Planet (Discovery Communications) in a past summer and hoped to further her understanding and skills in the media industry.

Philippa (Pippa) Schwarzkopf was the Digital Humanities Initiative's post-baccalaureate research fellow. As a senior DHi Intern, Pippa worked on a variety of oral history projects, both capturing interviews as a videographer and creating archives as a metadata cataloguer. Following graduation, she continued to assist on projects as a videographer, video editor, and creative consultant while training the interns who will continue the DHi's exploration of documentary film as a research component. She is currently pursuing a career in independent film with an interest in multimedia and alternative forms of interactive narrative. Through her work with the DHi, Pippa hoped to improve her technological literacy, further her skills in film production, and gain exposure to a growing field of creative approaches to integrated digital scholarship.

Lainie Smith is a member of the class of 2016 at Hamilton College. She is originally from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She concentrated in Creative Writing and minored in Religious Studies. As an intern with the Digital Humanities Initiative, she worked with Professor Abhishek Amar on his “Sacred Centers” project. By working with DHi, Lainie hoped to hone her skills in communications and research and apply her knowledge of innovative digital technology to represent creative ideas.Hamilton News http://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/smith-16-studies-the-practice-of-meditation

Nicolas Sohl is a Southern California native that uses GIS and photography as a medium to highlight the connections between, and use of, our natural, urban, and social environments. Nicolas’s photography has been shown in several solo shows and was featured by National Geographic and CNN. He is a graduate of Middlebury College and his work is enriched by his studies in geography. He currently lives in St. Kitts and Nevis, where he concurrently works with the SHGIS and works as a project manager for on-island development projects. His work with the SHGIS has focused on understanding and visualizing the spatial-temporal dynamics of African neighborhood removals in the 19th and 20th century in order to better understand how forced removals to Soweto effected neighborhood population densities and public health in Johannesburg and Soweto.

Shen Swartout '18 is a history major and government minor from Denver, Colorado. Her primary area of interest concerns the history of religions. Shen works with Professor Wilson of the history department to further develop his website "The Autumnal Sacrifice to Confucius" as a continuation of his study of the cult of Confucius and Confucian ritual. In her time with the DHi, she hopes to establish valuable skills related to videography and 3D modeling. Such skills, along with the ever-evolving world of Digital Humanities, will enhance the ways in which she can apply her love of history to her time at Hamilton and beyond.

Tsion Tesfaye is a member of Class of 2016 from Holeta, Ethiopia. During her first year at Hamilton, Tesfaye worked closely with the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, particularly with The Newcomer Classroom. By working with The Refugee Project, she hope to learn more about the lives of immigrants in the Utica area and expand her interest in academia. Tesfaye planned to pursue a Math and/or Physics major.

Talia Vaughan is a member of the class of 2018 from Madison, New Hampshire. She is a Religious Studies major with other interests in Anthropology and History. She started her work with the Digital Humanities Initiative in her sophomore year, working first on the NOLA project, transcribing oral histories for use in the collection. She is currently working with Dr. Nieves on the Soweto Project, completing projects such as a timeline of the Mandela family home, mapping of mine hostels surrounding Johannesburg, South Africa, and beginning work on digitizing and preserving artifacts from Soweto. Through her work with the DHi, Talia is hoping to improve her technology skills in order to explore the possibility of documenting and preserving the voices and concerns of minority groups and individuals.

Madelyn Weller is a member of the Class of 2018 from St. Louis, MO. She is a Creative Writing major, with a focus on prose and alternate forms of storytelling. Her hobbies include reading, drawing, and geology. Working with Greg Lord, she has been focused on 3D modeling for virtual reality environments. She hopes to be able to continue experimenting with types of storytelling through virtual reality after graduation.

Kevin Xiao majored in Computer Science major and minored in Economics at Hamilton College. He got involved with the Digital Humanities initiative during the second semester of his Junior year while attending "Introduction to Digital Humanities" taught by Prof. Nieves. He assisted Greg Lord with DHi's 3D modeling and virtual environment projects, including Blender and Unity-related tasks.