Student Report on Linguistics, Humanities, and Data Sciences: Their Intersections and Implications

Reported by Yongkun Vicky Wu, class of 2026

This talk by Yachao Sun, Xiaofei Pan, and Ge Lan on Linguistics, Humanities, and Data Sciences: Their Intersections and Implications is part of the Third Space Lab (TSL) Brown Bag Lunch Research Talk. The program is broadly associated with research projects related to languages, cultures, and intercultural communication.

This research talk given by Prof Yachao Sun, Xiaofei Pan, and Ge Lan was divided into four parts: introduction to the project, the Data+X research, the Stanza paper, and to the progress of the project and call for collaboration.

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Anthropocene XR Lab Presents “A Room of One’s Own: novel interactions and contextual storytelling in virtual spaces”

A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN: novel interactions and contextual storytelling in virtual spaces.

Date/Time: Tues, Feb 21, 9-10am China time
Zoom ID: 93375892386
Speaker: RAY LC. Assistant Professor of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong

Virtual environments provide ways to intervene in the storytelling process, both by showing the context in which the narrative takes place and by applying interactions that go beyond the physical world to model mental conceptions. This talk describes a body of research in art, design, and human-computer research focused on understanding new interactions with the VR paradigm in both naturalistic and created environments, applied to storytelling for marginalized groups, sub culture communities, and artistic applications.

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Student Report: Humanities Research Lunch

Reported by Mateja Bokan, Class of 2025

The Humanities Research Center organized a Humanities Research Lunch for undergraduate students interested in discovering humanities disciplines and research at DKU. During the event, students had the opportunity to talk to Arts and Humanities faculty and hear about research opportunities, but also get acquainted with the work of the Humanities Research Center and its labs.

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Third Space Lab Brown Bag Lunch Research Talk: Linguistics, Humanities, and Data Sciences: Their Intersections and Implications

You are cordially invited to attend the TSL Brown Bag Lunch Research Talk by Yachao Sun, Xiaofei Pan, Ge Lanon Linguistics, Humanities, and Data Sciences: Their Intersections and Implications.

Date/Time: Friday, Feb. 17, 12pm, (China Standard Time).
Location: IB 2026

Snacks and bubble teas provided.

Please RSVP by 5 pm Thursday Feb. 16:   https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1Na5ryXivJDlIzA Continue reading “Third Space Lab Brown Bag Lunch Research Talk: Linguistics, Humanities, and Data Sciences: Their Intersections and Implications”

Computational Humanities Seminar Series: Estimating Remaining Lifespan from the Face

Computational Humanities Seminar Series

Date: Feb 24 (Friday) 10 AM, China time

Meeting ID: 987 3096 4006
Passcode: 2023

Abstract: The face is a rich source of information that can be utilized to infer a person’s biological age, sex, phenotype, genetic defects, and health status. All of these factors are relevant for predicting an individual’s remaining lifespan. In this study, we collected a dataset of over 24,000 images (from Wikidata/Wikipedia) of individuals who died of natural causes, along with the number of years between when the image was taken and when the person passed away. We made this dataset publicly available. We fine-tuned multiple Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models on this data, at best achieving a mean absolute error of 8.3 years in the validation data using VGGFace. However, the model’s performance diminishes when the person was younger at the time of the image. To demonstrate the potential applications of our remaining lifespan model, we present examples of using it to estimate the average loss of life (in years) due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to predict the increase in life expectancy that might result from a health intervention such as weight loss. Additionally, we discuss the ethical considerations associated with such models. Continue reading “Computational Humanities Seminar Series: Estimating Remaining Lifespan from the Face”

Citizenship Lab Presents: The Climate Emergency and Tuvalu’s Escape to the Metaverse: Challenging the Complicity of Design in Technological Solutionism 

Date: March 9, 2023
Time: 4-5:30pm China time
Location: IB 1010
Zoom ID: 962 8265 9729
Speakers: Nick Kelly, Marcus Foth (Queensland University of Technology)

The full recording of this event can be found here.

Rising sea levels due to climate change are already having severe impacts on the nation of Tuvalu. It proposes to build a digital replica of itself in the metaverse. In this talk, we will not only ask whether it can be done but explore the actual message hidden in this announcement. This leads us to explore some broader questions pertaining to the relationship between citizenship and the politics of climate change: Will technology innovation save us? What responsibility should citizens take in making ethical consumption choices? What is the role of design and designers in intermediating between government, industry and citizens? Continue reading “Citizenship Lab Presents: The Climate Emergency and Tuvalu’s Escape to the Metaverse: Challenging the Complicity of Design in Technological Solutionism “

Open Call for Two Student Reporters for an Art Project

“A Matter of Trust” – an art project

Are you interested in contemporary art and want to gain relevant experience? Do you want your writing to be exposed to international audiences?

The Department of Culture and Education of the German Consulate General in Shanghai and Professor Xiang Zairong, Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature and Associate Director of Art at Duke Kunshan University, are currently working on a joint art project with the artist collective Ci Zhi 刺纸. In two workshops that will be held in Shanghai and Kunshan in February and March, the artists will work on a printed publication and the production of a drifting book bag reflecting stories and matters of trust in our society. Their artistic contributions will be part of the Kultursymposium Weimar 2023 (https://www.goethe.de/prj/ksw/en/index.html).

Application Deadline: 12 February, 2023 by 23:59 BJT

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