idea is a web magazine exploring the ways technology is aiding and transforming scholarship, learning, and research.
The Scholarly Technology group supports faculty and graduate students by providing technical and design consultation, working with scholars to prototype projects related to research and/or teaching, and executing projects funded by grants, organizations, and departments.
The group includes a 3D animator, graphic designers, programmers (languages may include Java, Python, Flex, Ruby on Rails, and/or iPhone/iPad), and staff familiar with media conversion (video digitization, image scanning) and Drupal, an open-source content management system. The group also has the equipment and expertise to record and edit voice-overs, and work on systems development. Our past projects have included online textbooks, websites for research projects, custom research applications, simulations, virtual tours, and problem-set generators.
Consultation is always free of charge to faculty and graduate students. For projects, we work with scholars to assess the scope, functionality, and resources needed, which may involve developing a prototype that can be used when applying for grants to fund the project execution. The Scholarly Technology group may execute the project, or may pass along the prototype to another group or contractor as appropriate. Projects with a limited scope, particularly those initiated by graduate students for their research, may be done free of charge as time and resources permit. Scholarly Technology works cooperatively with divisional IT groups, providing supplemental expertise and/or partnering on projects when needed.
To contact the Scholarly Technology group with a question, request, or project idea, e-mail idea@uchicago.edu.