Schedule

The working schedule for THATCamp is online here.

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Because THATCamp is an unconference, participants will create the full agenda during the first session of the day. The following workshops have already been proposed:

The Gist of GIS: 10:30am-11:30am

Instructor: Jeff Essic

Learn some GIS basics from the NCSU Libraries’ GIS specialist.

  • What is GIS, and how is it used?
  • NCSU and public access to GIS software
  • Getting started using GIS in your research
  • Where to find GIS data
  • Where to learn more

Demonstrations

Although we’re not planning to have hands-on exercises in this workshop, everything is flexible. So if you need assistance with your specific project or have more advanced interests or questions, feel free to come, join in and ask!

About the Instructor

Jeff Essic is Data Services Librarian at NCSU Libraries.

 

Introduction to Arduino: Building Interactions, Making Knowledge

The study of interactions between digital systems and the physical world is increasingly a component of digital knowledge production and digital humanities research. Open source, inexpensive microcontrollers such as Arduino feature a large user community, extensive documentation, and many tools for digital scholars to quickly build and study smart objects, the Internet of Things, and other liminal spaces between the digital and physical.

This is a two-part workshop. Participants may register for one or both workshops, and attendance in the Beginning Workshop is not required for the Intermediate Workshop. Participation in each workshop is limited to 20 participants.  Reserve a space here.

Beginning Workshop: 10:30am-12pm

Instructors: Brendan O’Connell & Adam Rogers

In this beginning workshop, we will combine theory and practice of microcontrollers in a 1.5-hour exploration of electronic circuits. We will build simple interactive projects to blink an LED light, learn how to modify and write code in the Arduino development environment, and discuss how microcontrollers paired with sensors and actuators can be used in the realm of digital knowledge production.

Intermediate Workshop: 3:00pm-5:00pm

Instructors: David Rieder & Brendan O’Connell

Picking up where the morning workshop ends, your goal in the afternoon workshop is to use sensory data from an Arduino to affect visual changes to a few lines of poetic verse running on your laptop. To accomplish this goal, you will be introduced to the Processing programming language and the basics of Serial communication. During the workshop, your Arduino will be “tethered” to your laptop by a USB cable, but a demonstration will be offered of the ease with which wireless communication can be established between an Arduino and a laptop using two XBee modules.

Before the Workshops

No knowledge of electronics or coding is necessary, and beginners are encouraged to participate. We will be using the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit, an Arduino-based kit with all the necessary components for building the example circuits, in our workshop. Kits will be available from NCSU Libraries for checkout to participants, but you are also welcome to purchase your own kit if you prefer. The Libraries will also be able to supply laptops to participants for the workshop. If you wish to bring your own laptop, please install the following free software and drivers before the workshop so we can spend as much time as possible on projects and discussion:

About the Instructors

Brendan O’Connell is a Library Fellow at NCSU Libraries.

David Rieder is Associate Professor of English at North Carolina State University, Faculty Member of the Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media PhD Program, and Co-director of the Circuit Research Studio, a new interdisciplinary, collaborative research space for CHASS faculty, graduate students, and team members from across the colleges.

Adam Rogers is Emerging Technology Services Librarian at NCSU Libraries.