Hi there!
My name is Ashley Cerku and I am a doctoral candidate in the department of Anthropology at Michigan State University. I received my Bachelor’s degree in English and Writing/Rhetoric in 2013 and my Master’s degree in Liberal Studies in 2017 from Oakland University, and a Master’s degree in Anthropology from Michigan State University in 2023. My research focuses on historical photography, cultural heritage, community memory, and digital work. It specifically investigates the semiotic landscape of downtown main street and how digital technologies can provide a more immersive and inclusive approach to heritage preservation.
My interests in digital heritage studies grew unexpectedly. I have always been interested in digital technologies, whether it be making videos or creating maps, but I found more interest in wanting to understand how immersive technologies can help connect people to heritage and history. At the time, I did not know how vast the opportunities were in using digital technologies for cultural conversations or preservation. After taking some interactive gaming, museum, and digital heritage classes, I knew that I had found my heading. I also had the opportunity to serve as a graduate assistant in the Lab for Education and Advancement in Digital Research (LEADR) at MSU where I helped students learn about and build digital projects using a variety of tools and technologies, which furthered my understanding of how to connect research endeavors to technology. If you are interested in learning more about how you can integrate digital methodologies into your own research, I encourage you to visit LEADR or visit their website.
I am excited to be involved in CHI this year to learn more about how I can develop my dissertation project. My project, titled Memory Lane, is a project that combines anthropology, historical photography, and digital technologies to create a more immersive experience about downtown main street heritage. The goal of this project is two-fold: (1) provide an example of an approach to immersive educational digital heritage experiences and (2) provide access to heritage through the use of digital methodologies for tourists to engage with that heritage. The result would be a web-based platform that allows users to learn about my case study site as well as share their own stories for others to experience. By being able to incorporate personal history into local history, it will not only help promote awareness of main street heritage, but also provide a space for reflection and revitalization.
Recent Comments