Happy birthday, CDH! 🥳

Dear CDH Community,

We are thrilled to mark a major milestone this year: the CDH is 10! 🎂 It has been a remarkable decade, and we are incredibly proud of our team’s research accomplishments and the vibrant community we have all built together.

Since opening our doors in 2014, the CDH has launched countless projects and programs that help Princeton scholars think critically, creatively, and deeply about how data, algorithms, and information systems shape our understanding of the human experience. Each year, we collaborate with dozens of faculty, librarians, archivists, graduate students, and undergraduates on research and teaching that pushes the boundaries of our fields and professions. For the past decade, we’ve grown a truly interdisciplinary community and inspired new ways of thinking and working together.

Looking ahead, we are excited about what the future holds. At a time when the explosion of generative AI is transforming many areas of our lives, the thoughtful, deliberate, and critical approach to technology that defines CDH work is more essential than ever. As part of our 10th-anniversary celebrations, we’ve chosen “Humanities for AI” as our theme for the year. Through a series of events, conversations, and projects, we’ll explore how humanistic approaches are crucial for developing more fair and inclusive technologies.

This year’s programming will explore a range of topics, from computer vision to art and AI to poetry as data. Our fall speaker series kicks off with a focus on the intersection of global tech with local and diverse cultures, specifically highlighting the rich linguistic traditions of Africa. The African Languages in the Age of AI series will bring leading experts to Princeton to discuss how scholars and communities are creating data, models, and software for African languages. The series begins on Thursday, September 19 at 4:30 p.m. with a talk by Vukosi Marivate (University of Pretoria), titled “A New Agenda for African Languages x AI: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” (RSVP). Other scholars and thinkers we will be hearing from this year include Lauren Tilton, Matthew Kirschenbaum, Nnedi Okorafor, and Ted Chiang.

Finally, we invite you to join us on Monday, September 23 at 4:30 p.m. at our space on the B Floor of Firestone Library for our annual Open House, which will also be our birthday party. Come meet our amazing team, learn about our projects, programs, and research groups, and find out how you can get involved with our offerings for graduate and undergraduate students.

Be sure to follow us on social media at @PrincetonCDH. Be sure to check out our newly redesigned CDH website and sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on all of our activities and events.

Warmly,

Meredith Martin
Faculty Director, Center for Digital Humanities
Director, Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities
Princeton University

Natalia Ermolaev
Executive Director, Center for Digital Humanities
Princeton University