Monthly Archives: November 2021

Student Spotlight: Annie Forgette

This week we caught up with Annie Forgette, a Senior double majoring in Computer Science and Computing in the Arts with a digital media concentration! Annie and her mentor, Dr. Bill Manaris, received a SURF 2021 Grant to create an Interactive Participatory Music Environment where artists are able to host interactive musical and artistic experiences!

“Our goal is to create an environment where everyday people are able to engage meaningfully with and contribute to shared musical and artistic experiences by making simple choices on and interacting with their smartphones! Some of my favorite memories from this experience have been the little a-ha moments that I’ve shared with my professor and colleagues along the way. Whether it’s when we finally debug a difficult error in our code or when we reach an interesting new concept for an artistic piece after much conversation and research, it’s super rewarding to have that shared moment of clarity,” Annie shared.

“I’ve learned a lot from this experience! I think one of the most valuable things I’ve gained is the knowledge of what work in my field can look like. There are so many interesting intersections between art and programming, and this opportunity has been such a valuable chance for me to explore those intersections in a hands-on, real way. 

It is so important to explore within your field and department! I never really imagined myself doing research during my college career because I didn’t fully grasp what research in my field could look like. Research can be creative, collaborative, and artistic! I’d encourage others to be curious and explore the wide range of opportunities that are available to you!” Annie told us.

 

Attached are photos from Annie’s project. Thank you to Annie for sharing your SURF 2021 experience!

Student Spotlight: Patrick Wohlscheid

This week we caught up with Patrick Wohlscheid, a Senior majoring in English and Philosophy! Patrick and his mentor, Dr. Tim Carens, received a SURF 2021 Grant to study the work of Arthur Machen, a lesser-known late Victorian writer, and particularly his 1894 novella The Great God Pan.

“While many other Victorian Gothic stories are clear and explicit about where monstrosity can be found, Machen uses deliberate modes of obscurity to challenge the visibility of monstrosity, making it difficult to locate, define, or interpret. Drawing on Machen’s work, the writings of 18th century philosopher Edmund Burke, and contemporary criticism on the Gothic, I attempt to explain how the category of obscurity sets Machen’s work apart from other Victorian Gothic texts, ” Patrick shared.

Patrick’s favorite part of his project was “being able to read such a wide variety of Gothic fiction, encountering in their early popularization many of the monsters we consider essential cultural figures today, from mummies and vampires to murderous villains and ancient spirits.”

“Besides learning a lot more about Victorian literature and being immersed in the field, I think that this project helped further develop my skills as a writer and critic, as well as giving me the chance to think of the intersections of philosophy and literature I hope that readers of my work come away with a more nuanced picture of monstrosity in Victorian literature and see the value in exploring the work of lesser-known literary figures,” Patrick added.

 

Attached is a photo from Patrick’s project. Thank you to Patrick for sharing your SURF 2021 experience!