Finan Begins Major Castle Studies Digital Project with German Castle Studies Institute
Thomas Finan, Ph.D., associate professor in history, and the Walter J. Ong, S.J., Center for Digital Humanities have teamed up with the European Castle Institute (EBI) for a new partnership. Finan will develop new digital approaches to castle research — from data visualization and 3D modeling to new ways of engaging the public with Europe’s medieval heritage.
In conjunction with his colleague, Christian Frey, Ph.D.. Director of the German Castle Studies Institute, Finan will develop innovative digital approaches to castle research — from data visualization and 3D modeling to new ways of engaging the public with Europe’s medieval heritage.
“We are very excited to form this transatlantic project that will shape the future of castle research," Frey said. "Partnering with Dr. Finan and Saint Louis University gives us the opportunity to strengthen our international network and to combine the best of both worlds: European expertise in castle studies and cutting-edge digital humanities from the United States.”
The German Castle Studies Institute is the leading institute of European castle studies. They maintain an extensive library for castle studies, and one of the largest databases of castles in continental Europe.
The partnership will allow the Institute to update their data in linked-open data formats, allowing the database to grow and link with other medieval databases. Finan called the project "a huge undertaking."
"This is the kind of research that builds on trans-Atlantic relationships," he said.
Finan also said that this collaboration will lead to SLU graduate students undertaking doctoral research at the Center in Braubach, Germany.
As a sign of the agreement, Frey gifted a copy of the Krak de Chevalier Excavations Publication to the SLU Library. Frey also gifted a piece of the original Berlin Wall, collected by his father who was a professor in Berlin in 1990.