VISUALIZATION

Two upcoming events will jumpstart a new campus Center for Computing in Humanities, Arts, and Social Science (CHASS), a joint effort of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) that will be based at NCSA. The goal of CHASS is to foster innovation by engaging humanists, artists, and social scientists in sustained collaboration with their colleagues in computer science, engineering, and high-performance computing and communications in order to develop tools to accelerate research and education. "It is vital that the benefits of new information, tools, and technology be available to all," said UIUC Chancellor Richard Herman. "By bringing scholars from diverse disciplines together, this center will create new knowledge, insights, and experiences that enhance our world-class campus." "Bringing together the experience of humanists and the expertise of information technology specialists will immeasurably benefit all participants," said NCSA Director Thom Dunning. "It's vital that those in the arts, humanities, and social science be able to tap the benefits of technology, and they also have much to contribute to the development, deployment, and understanding of information technology." A kick-off event will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 21 in 213 Gregory Hall. Dunning will introduce "south of Green" faculty to NCSA and CHASS; time will be set aside for discussion and for University faculty to describe their interests and needs. All University humanities, arts, and social science faculty are encouraged to attend. A second event will be held Dec. 9 in the first floor Lecture Hall in the NCSA Building at 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana. During this workshop, representatives of campus units will describe their interests in and support for CHASS projects and scholars from this campus and campuses will detail their explorations of the intersection of technology and the arts, humanities, and social science. CHASS will be led by Vernon Burton, a University Distinguished Teacher/Scholar, professor of history and sociology, and the leader of NCSA's Humanities and Social Science Division. "Information technology touches many activities in the humanities and social sciences, often with revolutionary implications," said Burton. "CHASS will serve as a nerve center for scholars in various disciplines, while attracting new grants, new projects, and new leaders in research and education." CHASS will continue and extend international collaborative projects begun under the auspices of the Worldwide Universities Network and will have access to an extensive network of experts in education, training, and outreach through participation in the National Science Foundation-funded Engaging People in Cyberinfrastructure (EPIC) program. Burton also plans to launch a recurring international multi-track conference on computing in the humanities, arts, and social science; the goal is to hold the inaugural conference on the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois in 2007.