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tags: cd
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# History Media & Design Fellow - Claire Adams

### Projects
Claire has taken on a considerable number of projects in support of the department of History. These projects, which include data visualization, photo editing and 2D illustration, and virtual reality and 3D modeling, use a broad range of tools. Claire's work as an MDF has significantly expanded curricular capacities as she consistently supports undergraduates pursuing innovative multimodal projects in History and GENED courses. As a Media & Design Fellow at the Learning Lab, Claire's projects have included:

**GENED 1140: Borders Video Editing and Podcast Workshops and Hackathons**
Claire brought students from Prof. Mary Lewis's GENED1140: Borders course to learn some of the fundamentals of video editing and podcasting. During the first session, students listened to part of a podcast episode and then analyzed its structure, reflecting on the analogues and differences between podcasts and the conventional "moves" of academic writing. Students similarly reflected on video essays. For the final part of this workshop, students received instruction in podcasting and video editing tools. Claire then brought the students back to the Learning Lab at the end of the term for hackathons, which allow students to use the LL space and equipment to record, edit, and otherwise compose their multimodal projects.

**Mapping the Lives of Saints**


Over the course of two weeks, Claire worked with students in GENED 1160, having students make a list of locations from over 20 Saints' Lives. Claire mapped these locations in ArcGIS's online platform so that the students could then toggle the layers on and off, filter for types of saints' lives or century, and track patterns. This activity introduced students to the basics of geotagging and mapping--skills that were relevant to their final projects (in which students could, as one option, choose to make a map exemplifying a border of some kind).

**GENED 1160: Harvard Gets Medieval Virtual Gallery Workshops and Hackathons**


In the spring, Claire hosted students from GENED 1160: Harvard Gets Medieval for workshops and hackathons in support of students' final virtual gallery project. At the workshops, Claire introduced students to the basics of virtual galleries, providing detailed but effective tutorials in tools including Scalar, Omeka, and Canva. Claire made several example virtual galleries using these tools so that students would have models as they thought about the tools' distinct applications and capabilities. Later in the term, students were invited to come to the Learning Lab to receive further assistance and feedback on their virtual gallery projects. These hackathons provide students with a set timeframe during which they can work on their projects and receive feedback from MDFs like Claire, as well as LL staff.

**Hist 1056 Scientific Posters Workshop**
During the fall 2021 semester, Claire hosted a Scientific Poster Workshop for Professor Michael McCormick's course, "The New Science of the Human Past: Case Studies at the Cutting Edge." Instead of doing a final paper project, students in this course create scientific posters of the sort you'd find at an academic conference. Integrating visual communication into the academic research process, this exerise encouraged students to think about the visual representation of research in a manner that addresses the needs and expectations of an imagined academic audience. Making these scientific posters also requires students to consolidate their research and to present it in a concise and easily readable manner.



**Hist 1206 Reinterpretation of Paris '68**
Claire facilitated a Reinterpretation of a Paris '68 Poster or Photograph Workshop in support of Mary Lewis's course, "Empire, Nation, and Immigration in France since 1870."" This workshop supported Professor Lewis's course assignment that asks students to "update" a historical work of political art for a contemporary audience, referring to contemporary political movements and issues in a visually compelling and legible manner. Below are some examples of student work, including a reinterpretation of historical protest imagery that addresses the gilets jaunes ("yellow vests") movement.





**GENED 1044 Virtual Galleries**
Claire held a series of virtual gallery workshops for GENED 1044: Deep History. Claire hosted students in the Learning Lab, leading tutorials in some of the tools that students could use to create their galleries (e.g., Blender, Clip Studio, Canva). These workshops helped students gain familiarity with technical tools and receive feedback on their plans for the assignment. Benefitting from these tutorials, some students asked to return to the Learning Lab with Claire to receive further instruction in the digital gallery tools.

**History Thesis Project Database & Graphs**
An ongoing project, Claire is building an Airtable database for the History department's Thesis Project and will continue to maintain this data. By creating an Airtable, Claire is ensuring that the department can both maintain data about thesis projects across years and upload that data easily onto a website.