The Cultural Heritage Informatics Initiative invites applications for its 2011-2012 Cultural Heritage Informatics Graduate Fellowship program.

What is “Cultural Heritage Informatics?”

In recent years, the term “informatics” has become popular to describe a wide variety of content domains: music informatics, chemical informatics, community informatics, bio-informatics, social informatics just to name a few.  At its simplest (and most inclusive), the term “informatics” is used to describe the creative application of information, communication, and computing technologies (broadly defined) to address the needs, challenges, and content of a specific domain.  Cultural heritage informatics, then, refers to the creative application of information and computing technologies to the domain of cultural heritage.

Fellowship Details

The Cultural Heritage Informatics Fellowships offer MSU graduate students in departments and programs with an emphasis on cultural heritage (Anthropology, History, Art History, Museum Studies, Historical & Cultural Geography, Classics, etc.) the theoretical and methodological skills necessary to creatively apply information, computing, and communication technologies to cultural heritage materials.  In addition, the fellowships provide graduate students with the opportunity to influence the current state of cultural heritage informatics, and become leaders for the future of cultural heritage informatics.

During the course of their fellowship (which lasts an academic year), students will collaboratively develop a significant and innovative cultural heritage informatics project.  Projects might include (but are certainly not limited to) a serious game, a mobile application, a digital archive, online exhibit, or a collaborative digital publication.  To support their work, fellows will receive a stipend of $2000 per semester.  In addition, fellows will have the opportunity to be appointed as assistants during the Cultural Heritage Informatics Field School (offered during the summer through the Anthropology Department), for which they will receive an additional $1000 stipend.  As the fellows will be expected to present their work at professional conferences and meetings, they will receive an additional $1000 in travel funds.  All fellows will be in residence at MATRIX: The Center for the Humane Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences Online.  While applicants may have previous technical experience, such experience is not required to apply.

The Cultural Heritage Informatics Fellowship program is generously supported by the Michigan State University Graduate School,  The College of Social Sciences, and the Department of Anthropology, and is administered by the Department of Anthropology and hosted by MATRIX: The Center for the Humane Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences Online.

Fellowship Projects

The primary goal of the initiative is to provide an opportunity for fellows to collaboratively develop a significant and innovative cultural heritage informatics project.  It is very important to note that there is no single mechanism by which fellows will come to these projects.  If applicants have an existing idea for a specific project, they are welcome to include that in their application statement.  If applicants have an interest in a platform or technology (but no specific project in mind), they are encouraged to include that in their application statement.  If fellows do not have a particular project or platform in mind, they will work with members of the Cultural Heritage Informatics Initiative in order to define a suitable project.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to apply for a Cultural Heritage Informatics Fellowship, applicants

• must be enrolled and be in good academic standing in a graduate program at Michigan State University (either at the Masters or Doctoral level). A primary focus of the graduate program must be cultural heritage (broadly defined).
• must be enrolled full-time in the year for which they are applying.

Awards will be made to individuals who, in the judgment of the review panel, demonstrate academic achievement, are committed to a career that embraces cultural heritage informatics, and show potential to make meaningful contributions in the domain of cultural heritage informatics.

How to Apply

Applicants must complete and submit the following materials in order to be considered:

• A cover letter addressed to the selection committee
• A Curriculum Vita
• A brief statement (3 pages maximum) discussing the applicant’s professional and scholarly goals, their interests in cultural heritage informatics (broadly or specifically), and how the fellowship program will contribute to their professional & scholarly development.
• A completed Cultural Heritage Informatics Fellowship Application Form
• Unofficial copy of current transcripts

Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered

Application packages must be submitted electronically in PDF form to:

Ethan Watrall
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology
Associate Direcotr, MATRIX: The Center for the Humane Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences Online
watrall@msu.edu

All questions or inquiries must be directed to Ethan Watrall (517.884.2476)

Application Deadline

Completed application package must be received by 5pm (EST) on August 15th, 2012.