The DSS classroom space is easily configurable to accommodate any teaching and work group scenario. Photo by Jason Webb
If you can dream it, there’s another place to do it at Syracuse University
If you or your students create digital content of any kind, for any purpose, there’s a new University resource to help you bring imaginings and ideas to life.
The Syracuse University Digital Scholarship Space (DSS) is a workshop, laboratory and classroom space designed for the study and creation of digital artifacts and experiences. The DSS maximizes flexibility in response to emerging digital practices. It supports software design, game study and development, statistical analysis and data visualization, digital mapping, and digital humanities projects across a variety of disciplines.
Please come to the DSS Open House on March 9
All University students, faculty and staff are invited to the DSS Open House on Thursday, March 9, from 1 to 2 p.m. Attendees will enjoy equipment demonstrations; meet with the DSS users, sponsors and staff; view projects and more. Light refreshments will be available.
The DSS has already begun to experiment with how pedagogy and research would look in academic space. Above, Dr. Chris Hanson of the English department took his ETS 444 Theories of Game Studies class into the prototype DSS lab (before it moved to Bird Library) space for “screenings.” During these occasions his students either played a variety of board games together in order to facilitate later classroom discussion, or they took turns at the various digital game stations, playing, observing and critically engaging numerous digital game texts. Photo by ITS LEMP Fireflies
About the Digital Scholarship Space
The virtual equivalent of the SU MakerSpace, the DSS is located in 458 Bird Library and is staffed and equipped by Information Technology Services (ITS). The space boasts high-end computers connected to large-format displays and virtual reality platforms. It hosts a broad range of software, and new and experimental software packages can be installed quickly upon request. With gaming, game studies and game design as central considerations, the DSS makes available a variety of current and legacy computer gaming platforms.
The DSS also serves to expand the University’s approach to digital humanities. It can support a diverse and broad array of projects. Large data collections can be analyzed, theoretical approaches to digital culture artifacts can be developed, visualizations of large time-space data sets can be built, digital collections and curation can be undertaken, new perspectives on scholarly communications are imaginable, 3D models can be created, and innovative digital pedagogy can be developed and practiced—and more—at the DSS.
Equipped with high-end computers running a broad range of software, connected to large-format displays and virtual reality platforms, the DSS has the tools needed to create digital content of any kind, for any purpose. Photo by Jason Webb
The DSS is a collaborative academic space that draws on partnerships from across campus. It is hosted in room 458 of Bird Library to maximize access for faculty and students from all parts of the University. The location gives easy access to the library’s media collections, the Special Collections Research Center and experts on Geographic Information System (GIS) and Numeric Data Resources. Additional resources for designing and building physical components of projects are available nearby in the SU MakerSpace in Kimmel Hall.
The space can host classes, meetings, presentations and screenings for up to 25 participants, with adjacent space for play, development and study. The furniture and much of the equipment is easily moved to accommodate a variety of collaborative and instructional working scenarios. All University students, faculty and staff can book events and course meetings on topics that take advantage of the DSS technology and services. The space will soon host open lab hours for students to complete homework and work on projects. Registered members can apply to have access during extended hours. Proposals are welcome for enhancing the DSS functionality in support of academic projects.
For more information
If you have questions about the Digital Scholarship Space or want to know more about it, please send an email to DSS@syr.edu.
