Technical tools for humanities researchers: a productive placement case report
Evelyn Ansell2,3, Simon Musgrave2,3, Sam Hames2,3, Sara King1,3 1AARNet, Adelaide, SA, Australia2University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia3Australian Text Analytics Platform, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Abstract
Engagement between eResearch infrastructure and the humanities and social sciences fields (HASS) has not always been close. National commitment to this area as represented by the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons program run through the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) is now significant, but new ways to increase and improve engagement are always desirable. Here, we report on one such initiative.
The Australian Text Analytics Platform (ATAP) (a project with ARDC investment) is based at the University of Queensland. A doctoral student at UQ working in the field of Conversation Analysis (CA) was motivated to explore better tools for manipulating field-specific transcripts, which use extensive notation, rendering them difficult to search. Via UQ’s existing program of placements and building on AARNet’s commitment to building skill and expertise in computational methods in the humanities, ATAP and AARNet were able to arrange an internship for the student.
The placement involved regular meetings with AARNet staff and an ATAP developer, and the student worked on this project part-time over five months. With guidance, the student was able to build a prototype tool and develop and deliver a workshop introducing it to the CA community. Response to the workshop was enthusiastic, and the student hopes to continue to develop it in future work. In addition to the tool developed, the student reported a significant increase in confidence using digital methods.
This initiative has shown the kind of exciting possibilities which can arise through collaboration between existing educational programs and infrastructure providers.
Biography
Evelyn Ansell’s PhD project used a Conversation Analytic approach to investigate extended timeframes in casual, naturally-occurring interaction. Through participation in ATAP’s Graduate Digital Research Fellowship and a placement with AARNet she is also working on digital tools for transcript creation and manipulation, and has developed an interest in Digital Humanities more generally. Her Bachelor of Languages and Linguistics with first class Honours was awarded in 2018. With a professional background in management and the liquor industry, she previously worked on projects that used (Critical) Discourse Analysis and Conversation Analysis to look at legislated and problematic institutional interactions.
Simon Musgrave is Engagement and Outreach Lead for the Australian Text Analytics Platform and the Language Data Commons of Australia, and an Adjunct Research Fellow at Monash University. Starting as a syntactician specialising in Austronesian languages, his research interests extended to cover areas including language endangerment, communication in medical settings and the use of technology for linguistic research. This last interest, through work on the Australian National Corpus project led to research on the history of Australian English including Irish influences. His work has appeared in journals such as Language, Oceanic Linguistics and the Australian Journal of Linguistics as well as in numerous edited collections.
Dr. Sam Hames is a post-doctoral research fellow in computational humanities with UQ’s School of Languages and Cultures. Sam’s PhD was on machine learning for medical imaging analysis, and he has an extensive background as a data-focused software developer supporting social media and web researchers. His primary research focus is to understand how computation can enable new and old kinds of interpretive inquiry across the humanities.
Dr Sara King is the Training and Engagement Lead for AARNet and contributes to the engagement activities of the Australian Text Analytics Platform. She is focused on outreach within the research sector, developing communities of interest around training, outreach and skills development in eResearch, especially in Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) and Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM). She spends a lot of time working on creative ways to help others develop the infrastructure and digital literacies required for working in a data-driven world, translating technology so it is accessible to everyone.