A digital humanities project at The University of Southern Mississippi received a National Science Foundation grant that will make it possible for 30 students to live and work in Hattiesburg over the course of three summers to map the granular process of emancipation in Mississippi during the Civil War and through the period of Reconstruction to visualize freed-people's paths to citizenship.
The project, titled “Mapping Freedom,” combines digital humanities with science, technology, engineering, and math by focusing on the use of mapping technology, including geographic information system (GIS).
The $352,596 Research Experiences for Undergraduates site grant from the NSF allows for a paid, eight-week research experience ($600 per week + $250 in travel expenses per person), in addition to provided housing and dining, for 10 undergraduate humanities students from any Mississippi school starting Summer 2023 and continuing through Summer 2025.
"We are fortunate to host this REU at a university that is so supportive of the collaborative research that defines the digital humanities,” said Dr. Susannah Ural, project lead and Director of USM’s Center for Digital Humanities. “My colleagues and I are excited to start working with undergrads from across the region and are grateful to the NSF for the support that makes this possible.”
While “Mapping Freedom” is a standalone project, it is an extension of Dr. Ural’s “Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi” digital documentary project that is digitizing more than 20,000 letters written to Mississippi governors during the Civil War and Reconstruction period.
At least half of the students working on this research will be from underrepresented groups across Mississippi, including racial and gender minorities, first-generation college students, military veterans, or other minority groups. There is evidence that underprivileged students are more likely to enter and stay in science and engineering fields if their first interaction is with material they recognize and find socially significant.
In addition to Ural, other project leads include co-PI Dr. Beddhu Murali, associate professor in computer science; Elizabeth La Beaud, Digital Lab Manager and assistant director of the Mississippi Digital Library; and Dr. Joslyn Zale, Research Associate & manager of USM’s Certified Sport Security Professional program.
Learn more about “Mapping Freedom” or submit an application to www.usm.edu/digital-humanities/nsf-reu-program.php.
