December 30, 2004
CHNM celebrates 10th anniversary
From its humble origins in the mind—and on the personal computer—of a single historian at George Mason University to its current place as one of the most respected and visited Internet sources for history with nearly ten million visitors a year, the Center for History and New Media (CHNM) is proudly celebrating its tenth anniversary. Almost as old as the Web itself, since 1994 CHNM has used digital media and computer technology to democratize history—to incorporate multiple voices, reach diverse audiences, and encourage popular participation in presenting and preserving the past.
See http://chnm.gmu.edu/news/archives/chnm_10th_anniv_pr.pdf for the full press release.
December 11, 2004
CHNM Director recognized for "excellence in the humanities"
In a ceremony held December 9, 2004 at Old Town Hall in Fairfax, Virginia, CHNM Director, Roy Rosenzweig was presented with the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities' Award for Excellence in the Humanities. The award recognizes citizens whose work—both professional and volunteer—has significantly benefited Virginians, and whose efforts embody the Virginia Foundation mission "…to develop the civic, cultural, and intellectual life of the Commonwealth by creating learning opportunities for all Virginians…to bring the humanities fully into Virginia's public life, assisting individuals and communities in their efforts to understand the past, confront important issues in the present, and shape a desirable future." One of six recipients this year, Rosenzweig was singled out for the work he has done in the creation and development of CHNM and for his standing as a pioneer in the use of emerging technologies for the research, study, and teaching of history.
Download the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities' press release.
December 09, 2004
Echo expands to include Collecting and Tools Centers
CHNM announces the launch of the new Echo Collecting Center and Tools Center, which join the Research Center and Resource Center to make Echo the most comprehensive website for collecting and presenting the history of science, technology, and industry online. The Collecting Center provides annotations and links to all the websites collecting history online and offers a Practical Guide to creating and managing online surveys. The Tools Center offers a collaborative directory of tools applicable to the practice of digital history, including CHNM's own suite of tools that help teachers, students, and researchers to find, create, and manage digital materials.
Since 2001, Echo has used the Internet to collect and present the recent history of science, technology, and industry. As a laboratory for experimentation in this new and unperfected field, it has, among other objectives, worked to foster communication and dialogue among historians, scientists, engineers, doctors, and technologists. It also hosts free workshops and offer free consultation services to assist other historical practitioners in launching their own websites. In addition, Echo provides a centralized guide and portal for those seeking websites on the history of science and technology. This guide helps researchers find the exact information they need while also granting curious browsers a forum for exploration. Echo has been funded by two generous grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which has been a leader in using the Internet to study, document, and present the past innovatively and rigorously.