The application deadline for the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) program have been extended to Friday, September 11th. The URAP program helps match UC Berkeley faculty, visiting lecturers, visiting scholars, and staff curators with undergraduate research assistants. In exchange for academic credit, apprentices can work with URAP to develop and hone their skills with digital tools, databases, and archives. Projects do not require extensive knowledge of the subject matter, and students at all academic levels are encouraged to apply. The undergraduate. Faculty and curators interested in participating in the program in Spring 2016 can consult our URAP resource guide for advice on writing learning contracts and mentoring undergraduates.
Locating Lost Identities: Mapping Italian opera audiences in Paris
Music: Mary Anne Smart & Eleanor Cloutier, Ph.D. candidate
This project is part of a digital humanities project on the social life of the Italian opera in Paris during the 1830s and 1840s. An archival collection of letters written by subscribers to the administration of the Théâtre Italien gives the names, addresses, seat preferences, and social connections of patrons. Some of these patrons have been visualized in networks and on maps, but knowing more about who patrons were as individuals, where they lived, and how they fit socially and politically into Parisian culture, will allow both a more accurate analysis of larger trends and case studies of individual networks. This is part of a book-length project and possibly an online collaboration with the Stanford Salons Project.
Figuring out the identities of subscribers by using social records (such as the almanach of the 25,000 most important people in Paris), genealogical sites, biographies, newspapers, and archival sources available online. Entering individuals into a database, coded for gender, address, political affiliations, and other categories of interest. Working with the advisors to create visualizations of subscribers, using ArcGIS, Gephi, and/or Tableau.
Nemea Center for Classical Archaeology, Database and Archive
Classics: Kim Shelton
The Nemea Center for Classical Archaeology is a research unit in the Department of Classics for our excavation and research program at the Sanctuary of Zeus in Nemea, Greece. The Center archive houses a photographic and text archive that is in the process of being re-organized and digitized. The apprentice would assist in the organization of the archive, the digital database management of slides and photographs as well as in other archival projects such as web site production. Assistance in research and reports on various topics connected to the conservation and publication of materials from the archaeological site is also a possibility. Knowledge of programs like Filemaker, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop would be very useful. Experience with image scanning would also be a bonus but not a requirement. Overall organizational skills and initiative are the most desired skills. Knowledge of ancient and/or modern Greek is not required, but would be helpful. Interests in archaeology, art history, conservation, ancient Greece, photographic documentation and computer archives are welcomed.
Qualifications: Comfortable reading knowledge of French, enjoyment of solving mysteries, ability to contribute to an organized database. Students with weak knowledge of French, but with a strong interest in the digital humanities, particularly mapping or network visualization, are also encouraged to apply.
Petsas House: archaeological excavation and research in Mycenae, Greece
Classics: Kim Shelton
Mycenae, largest and wealthiest of the palatial citadels of the Late Bronze Age, has been under investigation for more than 130 years. The site "Petsas House" is a large building complex in the largely unexplored main settlement area. I would like to find an apprentice that would assist in the organization of archival material from recent excavation seasons, help create a digital database of images and especially digitally "ink" artifact drawings using Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. Assistance in research and reports on various topics connected to the conservation and publication of materials from the archaeological excavation is also a possibility. Knowledge of programs like Filemaker, Excel, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop would be very useful. Experience with image scanning would also be a bonus but not a requirement. Overall organizational skills and initiative are the most desired skills. Knowledge of ancient and/or modern Greek is not required, but would be helpful. Interests in archaeology, conservation, ceramics, ancient Greece, photographic documentation and computer archives are welcomed.
Bulgarian Dialectology as Living Tradition
Linguistics: Ronelle Alexander
Originally conceived of as a complex digital object comprising audio clips from field dialect recordings made in Bulgarian villages over a 15-year period, the Bulgarian Dialectology as Living Tradition project is now being prepared as an interactive database. The audio clip texts are currently being transcribed, translated, and annotated in preparation for entry into the database. It is projected that the unique design of this project, developed using open-source software, can be exported to other similar endeavors. At this point the goal is to develop and refine the several taxonomies, and to move ahead with data entry. Students will learn about dialectology as a discipline, learn about (and possibly help develop) methods of comparing related linguistic systems, gain experience in digital humanities, and become more familiar with Bulgarian traditional culture. Knowledge of a Slavic language is desirable but not mandatory. Basic knowledge of language structure / linguistics is highly desirable.
Palatine East Pottery Project
Classics: J. Theodore Peña
This project is concerned with the analysis and publication of the ca. 20 tons of ancient Roman pottery recovered in the American Academy in Rome Palatine East Excavations in downtown Rome. The elements of the project being carried out on the UC Berkeley campus with which undergraduate research apprentices would assist include the photographing and description of thick sections and thin sections, the updating of databases, the preparation of digital profile drawings from pencil drawings and digital stratigraphic matrices from print matrices, the calculation of vessel capacity values from profile drawings, the editing of specimen descriptions, and the development of the project website. Interested students should have strong interests in the ancient world and archaeological ceramics are essential. Good computer skills, including the use of Access, Excel, Illustrator, Photoshop, and/or AutoCAD would be helpful, and some knowledge of website management would be highly useful. Interest in/knowledge of microscopy and/or geology would be welcome, though are not essential.
Res Romanae - website of the UC Berkeley Roman Material Culture Laboratory
Classics: J. Theodore Peña
This project involves the construction and expansion of the website for the UC Berkeley Roman Material Culture Laboratory, which will present the results of various research projects concerning ancient Roman artifacts being carried out by UC Berkeley faculty. The construction of the site (using Drupal) is fairly far advanced, and we intend to go live during the Fall 2015 semester. One or more student apprentices are required to assist with the expansion of the website beyond its basic form. This will involve the construction of pages for various research projects that will entail the presentation of various kinds of material, including text files, images, and databases. Students will develop experience in web design using Drupal and an understanding of the challenges currently being faced by archaeology and related fields in the on-line presentation of material. Interested students should have good computer skills and experience in the building of websites.