My skills are mostly developed from undergraduate research experiences and personal efforts in figuring out how to leverage digital technologies in historical studies. Professional experiences are few but have contributed to improving my abilities to uphold objectives consistent in developing scholarly research projects. 

Historical Transcription: 

This term describes the act of reading historical documents produced in their original form. In other words, looking at sentences that were printed in primitive styles of cursive before making them legible for others. I transcribed journals, letters, and newspapers that were produced in the late-19th and early 20th centuries for my undergraduate senior thesis, as well as in the recent semester. Moreover, for practice, I interacted with and transcribed a few preserved documents on the National Archives website (one of which was from the U.S. Navy). 

Data Visualization: 

I gained many experiences in data visualization across unique academic settings, as well as by learning to use different tools. There are two instances when I helped a student and a coworker in producing data graphics on Google Sheets; one in a high school statistics class, and another at an environmental research internship. Studying some Physics at DePauw University entailed the usage of Microsoft Excel to record lab results; additionally, building codes in R to create charts representing the same information. Two data visualization courses introduced me to Tableau, which gave experimental assignments and opportunities to evaluate transit systems and railways in the United States. On a final note, after being introduced to Voyant this past semester, I hope to continue learning about new data visualizing software and getting chances to apply them in unique settings.  

Digitization: 

In a historical sense, digitization is taking photocopies of a letters written by the wife of a French merchant company, then converting those images into PDF pages. It also includes transferring physical audio recordings (such as interviews) into computer audio files that online users can listen to and study. I do not have direct experience in digitizing historical material, though I have converted more than 300 documents for the MTA by putting physical safety information into digital databases. Furthermore, I am certain that I have enough technical knowledge to figure out how to make physical details viewable on screens. 

Research: 

Completing research to produce history papers within and outside my senior thesis had, overall, similar objectives and approaches regardless of the unique challenges that emerged from each study. Tasks mostly include navigating various library systems (physical and online), scheduling appointments with guides to receive help with citations and finding desired sources, and exploring many different online resources to discover potential networks and locations that would lead desired results. From a personal standpoint, research is an opportunity to produce knowledge and perspective while exploring extra details that may or may get written into published work. These interests influence me to make notes of such details, regardless of getting published or not. With that in mind, I am happy to bring these attributes into a project.