Digital Scholarship Summer Research Fellows 2023

Call for Participation 2023

Digital Scholarship Summer Research Fellows

Library & Information Technology invites rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to apply for a competitive fellowship to develop an independent digital scholarship project. This program is open to students from all divisions across the three colleges at the University. Broadly defined, digital scholarship entails research that is made possible by digital technologies, or that takes advantage of technology to ask and answer questions in new ways.  As a fellow, you will learn to use digital tools and methodologies, and apply them to a digital research project of your design. Library & Information Technology staff will mentor you through the process of identifying a research question, understanding research methodologies, and discovering resources, such as locally housed library and archival collections, that will support your project. You will be creating a dynamic digital resource rather than a static website. We are particularly interested in projects that engage with the Bucknell or local community. You will work independently and collectively with a small cohort of your peers to understand and participate in a community of practice.

Digital Tools

These are examples of several techniques and tools that undergraduates have used for digital projects. You are not limited to these, nor is experience in using these tools expected before beginning the fellowship.

  • Text analysis and annotation: Voyant Tools, TEI-XML
  • Mapping and timelines: ArcGIS Online, StoryMapJS, TimelineJS, Neatline
  • Data Visualization: Tableau
  • Online presentation tools: WordPress, Scalar

Expectations of Summer Fellows

Fellows will:

  • Conduct independent research to create an academic, public-facing digital scholarship project
    • Participate in a structured, programmed, 8-week curriculum designed to provide you with skills and information relevant to digital scholarship; this may include assigned readings, training sessions, and workshops. The fellowship runs from May 30 – July 21, 2023.
    • Create documentation of any processes, procedures, tools, and code used in the creation of their digital projects.
    • Partner with Library & Information Technology to ensure preservation of your projects after your fellowship ends. Projects will be preserved and publicly accessible via Bucknell’s institutional repository, Digital Commons. Fellows retain copyright of their project.
  • Reflect upon your fellowship experience and engage with the wider digital scholarship community
    • Write one weekly blog post that engages a question or issue in digital scholarship
    • Present your projects in a public presentation after completion of the fellowship
    • Fellows will engage with topics related to diversity and inclusion in the practice of digital scholarship, and commit to maintaining a culture of diversity and inclusion during the fellowship.

Statement of Interest

Please address the following questions in a single statement of 500 to 750 words:

  1. Why are you interested in the Digital Scholarship Student Research Fellowship, and what do you hope to learn and accomplish during the fellowship?
  2. Please outline at least one potential project you may want to pursue. How do you think technology and/or digital tools can enhance your research project?
  3. Briefly tell us about technology you have previously used or are interested in learning that may be used to create a digital scholarship project.

Please provide the name and email address of a faculty member who will serve as a reference. We advise you to choose a faculty member who can potentially support any research consultations that may come up during your fellowship. We also encourage you to share this application with them prior to submission so they are aware of your interest.

We strongly encourage you to contact Carrie Pirmann (carrie.pirmann@bucknell.edu or schedule a meeting with Carrie) or Claire Cahoon (claire.cahoon@bucknell.edu or schedule a meeting with Claire) prior to submitting your application to discuss potential research questions and project feasibility. Information sessions will be held in the Library Lab (Lower Level 1 of the Library) and on Zoom on January 31st, 2023 at 12 PM (noon) and February 8, 2023 at 4 PM. Join the Zoom session.

Submit your application here

Applications due: February 24, 2023

Interviews

Potential Fellows will be selected from the first round of the application process to participate in a 30-minute interview with members of Library & Information Technology. Interviews will be conducted in late February and early March.

Notification of acceptance (by or after): March 20, 2023

Payment and Time Commitment

This fellowship is a full-time (32-40 hours per week) commitment. It is expected that you will attend all scheduled class and/or workshop sessions, cohort meetings, and other occasional events.  All events that fall outside of normally scheduled time will be announced in advance, with as much notice as possible.

Fellows will receive up to $3600 (paid in three installments), plus on-campus housing for the duration of the fellowship. Priority will be given to students who have not previously participated in other Bucknell summer research programs.

Please contact Carrie Pirmann (carrie.pirmann@bucknell.edu or schedule a meeting with Carrie) or Claire Cahoon (claire.cahoon@bucknell.edu or schedule a meeting with Claire) with any questions.