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On the Benefits of Failure: A Symposium

Posted on by Kaitlyn Grant

Digital Scholars UA presents On the Benefits of Failure: A Symposium

The DSUA is thrilled to host our first Symposium! Details are below and our program can be found on our Conference page! We hope to see you there.

The topic of failure is not often discussed in academia. Failure is seen as something to avoid: a cause for anxiety rather than an opportunity for open discussion. Amongst scholars, there is a tendency to only report on our successes and avoid discussing when experiments go wrong. Yet, this fear of failure can also be stifling. Without the willingness to take risks, there would be no creativity or innovation. Moreover, by not talking about our mistakes and mishaps we deprive other researchers of valuable learning opportunities. With this in mind, Digital Scholars UA is hosting a symposium that explores the virtues of failure as a necessity for innovation and learning. The event will explore on the ways that researchers, academics, and professionals have dealt with failure, mistakes, and unexpected outcomes in their work.

Keynote Speakers and Panel

Our symposium will feature keynote lectures by Quinn Dombrowski (UC Berkeley) and Lynne Siemens & Ray Siemens (UVictoria), as well as a panel of local academics and professionals who will have an informal conversation about their own experiences in dealing with unexpected results, setbacks, and mistakes in their work.

Workshop: How to Talk to IT People with Quinn Dombrowski

What IT resources are available at your institution that can support your project? Once you find IT staff, how can you explain to them what help you need? Communication between scholars and IT folks is a common failure point in the DH project development process. This workshop will help you translate what you need into language IT staff can understand, and help you understand common constraints that IT staff face when supporting DH work.

Student UnConference

Our UnConference will offer students the change to voice their thoughts and opinions on the topic in an informal and friendly environment. Student can register to share a 5 minute lightening talk about their experiences, which will be followed by open discussion on the topic.

For more information about our panelists and to see your program, visit our website: https://www.digitalscholarsua.com/conference-2018/

Our event will be recorded so that it may be archived in the U of A’s open access repository, ERA. Doing so would allow the conference to be shared freely online for those who are unable to attend in-person, and further contribute to academic discourse on a national (and international) scale.

Register now!

UPCOMING EVENT: Protecting Your Online Privacy: a hands-on workshop 

Posted on by Kaitlyn Grant

Protecting Your Online Privacy: a hands-on workshop
When: Wednesday, December 13, 1-4pm
Where: Rutherford South, classroom 3-01

Presented by Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom – FLIF

Register for free online here – space is limited: https://protectingprivacy.eventbrite.ca/

Participants are expected to bring their phones/laptops to class so we can get them up and running with tools
The workshop is designed to be “non-techie friendly,” and it covers:
– the basics of privacy and online security
– some Canadian context for the issue
– key technologies and tools: a privacy “self-assessment,”
– online tracking detection/blocking, encryption, why anti-virus software may put you at risk, secure messaging, VPNs, password management, and more

Participants will get help with installing and configuring privacy and security tools, and will leave with additional resources and links on advanced topics like private browsing with Tor, Internet of Things security, cleaning metadata hidden in photos, etc.

DSUA 2017/18 Elections

Posted on by Kaitlyn Grant

The Digital Scholars committee is currently looking to recruit several executive positions, as well as interested members. Our committee is an interdisciplinary group focused on providing opportunities for students to get involved in the more tech and digital oriented aspects of scholarship through regular practical workshops and training sessions, with some of our recent workshops including the basics of Photoshop and practical physical computing.

We are looking to fill a new set of Executive positions for the 2017/2018 school year. If you’d like to put your name up for one of these positions, please send a short biography and the position you’re interested in to dsua@ualberta.ca by Nov 7th, with elections to be held shortly thereafter. The following positions are up for election:

Co-President(s): 
The two Co-Presidents share responsibilities for running the Digital Scholars group. In the past, as a way to promote interdisciplinary cooperation and collaboration, we have encouraged the Co-Presidents to be from different departments and to work together. Their shared duties include: organizing events, organizing and chairing meetings, appointing sub-committees if needed, etc.

Vice President Administration:
The Vice President Administration is responsible for helping chair and organize meetings. The Vice President Administration will take meeting minutes, circulate the minutes to members, make sure public documents are up-to-date, and keep track of group registration.

Treasurer:
The Treasurer is responsible for creating and presenting group budgets. The Treasurer will possess signing authority on the group’s bank account (along with Co-Presidents), and will be responsible for handling group funds, making regular cash deposits, and approving expenses. The Treasurer must also complete annual training with SGS as part of the registration requirement as outlined in the UAPPOL Student Group Procedure.

Social Media Coordinator:
The Social Media Coordinator is responsible for distributing information related to the Digital Scholars Group to its members and to the University community at large. Duties might include: submitting event requests to Student Group Services, maintaining the Digital Scholars Group’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, running a group listserv, keeping track of group membership and promoting events.

Webmaster:
The webmaster is responsible for maintaining the website. Duties might include: editing the website content, updating the executive committee bios and running the blog.

Department Reps:
Departmental Representatives act as liaisons between Digital Scholars UA and individual departments. Responsibilities for Departmental Representatives might include: attending meetings, facilitating communication between Digital Scholars UA and Departmental Associations, promoting events within their representative department, as well as other duties.

Floating/Member at Large:
Member(s) at Large are open positions on the Executive Committee. These positions are versatile and the duties change as needs arise. For instance, a Member at Large might volunteer to take charge of organizing a special event.

We are also looking for general members who are interested in the Digital Humanities, but who may not be interested in the time commitment of joining the Executive. We are a flexible group, and are very amenable to finding ways to include those who are interested, so please contact us if you’d like to be involved but don’t see something here which calls your name.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions!