In recent years, the digital humanities have opened a new and highly dynamic interdisciplinary field between the humanities and computer science, which poses considerable challenges for the recruitment of academic talent. “Here Hackathons can be a creative as well as innovative instrument for attracting international junior researchers and, if possible, winning them over in the long run,” says Prof. Dr. Peer Trilcke, one of the two spokespersons of the “Network for Digital Humanities” at the University of Potsdam.
Hackathons have been used by companies as an instrument of active recruitment for some time now. In both research and teaching of digital humanities, they are currently also developed into an agile unconference format for team-based and multidisciplinary challenges, data sets as well as for the development of digital prototypes. The pilot project of the university will therefore explore how these two trends can be combined. “To this end, we will invite young international scientists to Potsdam to develop and discuss digital approaches for research, for solution strategies and prototypes in topic- and interest-specific teams,” explains Prof. Dr. Birgit Schneider, also spokeswoman of the Potsdam network. In line with the University’s internationalization strategy, the Hackathons will each focus on global topics, such as “Digital Cultural Heritage” or “Digital Enviromental Humanites”.
With the Henriette Herz Prize, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supports promising pilot projects for the active recruitment of outstanding junior researchers from abroad. Furthermore, the award is intended to draw attention to the new Henriette Herz-Scouting Program and to make instruments of active recruitment more widely known in Germany. The HenriettemHerz-Scouting Program, launched in 2020, offers new ways of access to Humboldt Research Fellowship. Under this program, professors from German research institutions can apply as scouts: once selected, these “scouts” are granted the opportunity to propose up to three outstanding international junior researchers for Humboldt Research Fellowships.
Further Information:
Website about the Henriette Herz-Hackathons at the Potsdam Network for Digital Humanities
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation press release on the award
Information on the Henriette Heart Scouting Program
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Peer Trilcke, Netzwerk für Digitale Geisteswissenschaften / Institut für Germanistik, Tel.: 0331 20139-6, E-Mail: trilckeuuni-potsdampde
Prof. Dr. Birgit Schneider, Netzwerk für Digitale Geisteswissenschaften / Institut für Künste und Medien, Tel.: 0331 977-1873, E-Mail: birgit.schneideruuni-potsdampde
Media information 10-11-2020 / Nr. 108