CDH staff
Bryan Carter
Center Director
Dr. Carter’s experience with virtual environments began with his dissertation project on which he began work in 1997; a representation of a portion of Harlem, NY as it existed during the 1920s Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance. This project, Virtual Harlem, was one of the earliest full virtual reality environments created for use in the humanities and certainly one of the first for use in an African American literature course. Virtual Harlem has been presented at venues in Paris, The Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, and multiple sites in the US. In 2004, the University of Paris IV- Sorbonne, funded the development of Virtual Montmartre. Dr. Carter was asked to be the project leader and was awarded the prestigious “Professeur Invite” from the Sorbonne to spend 6 months in Paris.
This project realized itself in the development of an interactive Web Site and a small 3D representation of the Lapin Agile, the oldest surviving cabaret in Montmartre which is still in operation. The evolution of Virtual Harlem was funded in 2006 by the National Black Programming Consortium and the Government of Norway with the development of Virtual Harlem and Virtual Montmartre in Second Life. Dr. Carter began teaching classes that met totally in Second Life in 2005 where his students have participated in role play, developed content and have collaborated with students from around the world.
In addition to these activities, Dr. Carter is very active with faculty development nationally and internationally. He has conducted workshops for faculty on Digital Humanities as well as specialized topics such as “Generational Learning Styles”, “Podcasting”, “Blogging”, “Internet Broadcasting” and Second Life. He has done summer workshops for the National Council for Teachers of English on Digital Humanities, led a workshop session for the Digital Africana Studies Conference at the University of Maryland-College Park, conducted workshops on Technology in the Classroom at Alabama A&M, and at international venues such as Vaxjo University in Sweden and the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne.
Bryan Carter
Dr. Carter’s experience with virtual environments began with his dissertation project on which he began work in 1997; a representation of a portion of Harlem, NY as it existed during the 1920s Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance. This project, Virtual Harlem, was one of the earliest full virtual reality environments created for use in the humanities and certainly one of the first for use in an African American literature course. Virtual Harlem has been presented at venues in Paris, The Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, and multiple sites in the US. In 2004, the University of Paris IV- Sorbonne, funded the development of Virtual Montmartre. Dr. Carter was asked to be the project leader and was awarded the prestigious “Professeur Invite” from the Sorbonne to spend 6 months in Paris.
This project realized itself in the development of an interactive Web Site and a small 3D representation of the Lapin Agile, the oldest surviving cabaret in Montmartre which is still in operation. The evolution of Virtual Harlem was funded in 2006 by the National Black Programming Consortium and the Government of Norway with the development of Virtual Harlem and Virtual Montmartre in Second Life. Dr. Carter began teaching classes that met totally in Second Life in 2005 where his students have participated in role play, developed content and have collaborated with students from around the world.
In addition to these activities, Dr. Carter is very active with faculty development nationally and internationally. He has conducted workshops for faculty on Digital Humanities as well as specialized topics such as “Generational Learning Styles”, “Podcasting”, “Blogging”, “Internet Broadcasting” and Second Life. He has done summer workshops for the National Council for Teachers of English on Digital Humanities, led a workshop session for the Digital Africana Studies Conference at the University of Maryland-College Park, conducted workshops on Technology in the Classroom at Alabama A&M, and at international venues such as Vaxjo University in Sweden and the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne.
Center Director
Principal Investigators
Dr. Mahmoud Azaz
Associate Professor - School of Middle Eastern & North African Studies, University of Arizona.
Project – CUES on Foreign Language Pedagogy.
Dr. Jonathan Crisman
Assistant Professor - Public & Applied Humanities, University of Arizona.
Project – ACLS Photogrammetry (ethniCITY).
Gaidi Finnie
Executive Director - San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art.
Project – Experiencing the Freedom Rides: A Digital Narrative.
Project – Experiencing the Tuskegee University Legacy Museum: A Virtual Tour.
Dr. Kim Gallon
Associate Professor - Department of History, Purdue University.
Project: Stayed and Stolen – Enhancing the Humanities Through Innovation.
Dr. Jennie Gubner
Assistant Professor - School of Music, University of Arizona.
Project – Alzheimer Creative Aging in Tucson.
Amy Hartman-Gordon
Executive Director - Presidio San Agustin Del Tucson Museum.
Project – Advancing the Presidio.
Porfirio Gutiérrez
Master Textile Artist.
Project – Arizona State History Museum: Wrapped in Color, Legacies of the Mexican Sarape.
Dr. Janine Hinton
Associate Clinical Professor - College of Nursing, University of Arizona.
Project – Simulated Clinical Time Travel and Augmented Intelligence to Prevent and Manage Patient Deterioration.
Project – Intelligent Simulation Environment (ISE).
Dr. Annette Kim
Associate Professor - Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis, University of Southern California (USC).
Project – ACLS Photogrammetry (ethniCITY).
Dr. Sonja Lanehart
Associate Professor - College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Arizona.
Project – ACLS Photogrammetry (ethniCITY).
Project – Anti-Racism XR Studio-Provost Challenge RI.
Dr. Jacqueline Maximillion
Associate Professor of Practice - Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona.
Project – Santa Cruz Environmental Science 360 Experience.
Tyler Meier
Executive Director - Poetry Center, University of Arizona.
Project – Late Diagnosis Starting with a Tweet Animation.
david turpie
Project – Buffalo Soldiers in Arizona.
Dr. Omar Youssef
Senior Lecturer - College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture, University of Arizona.
Project – Labyrinth Virtual Reality Project.
Joseph Farbrook
Associate Professor - School of Art, University of Arizona.
Project – Anti-Racism XR Studio-Provost Challenge RI.
Cynthia Stokes
Assistant Professor - School of Music, University of Arizona.
Project – Anti-Racism XR Studio-Provost Challenge RI.
Jon Kevan
Instructional Designer - UCATT, University of Arizona.
Project – UArizona Health Sciences Global & Online Experiencing Age Bias.
Lisa Falk
Head of Community Engagement - Arizona State History Museum, University of Arizona.
Project – Pottery.
Dr. Michael Engs
Cultural Historian.
Project – Arizona Heritage Tours Black Presence in Southwest (Dunbar).
Graduate Research Assistants
TRISTIN ANAYA
Bio coming soon!
COSMo BRUSA ZAPPELLINI
Bio coming soon!
MANAS BUCHADE
Manas, from Mumbai, India, is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Management Information Systems. Manas has an interest in communications, business, management, and technology. In his free time, he loves watching movies and TV shows and is a big art buff.
CYNTHIA BLOCKBURGER
Cynthia is from California and serves as a highly qualified science teacher. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Arizona College of Education in the EDLPP program. In addition, Cynthia currently serves as the Vice President of the College of Education Dean’s Graduate Advisory Board and has developed various robust and diverse curricula by state and national standards.
Keyania Campbell
Keyania, from Dallas, TX is a Master’s student studying Applied Intercultural Arts Research in the Graduate College/GDIP with a specialty in Information. She enjoys playing music and narrative video games in her free time.
CaT Elliott
From Bisbee, Arizona, Cat is a Master’s student studying Information Science, emphasizing human-centered computing in the School of Information. She is involved in the Veterinarian Sciences Project and Virtual Reality/Digital Storytelling. and enjoys rock climbing and creating digital art in her free time.
amelia matheson
Coming soon!
daniel shevelev
Daniel, from Tucson, AZ, is a Master’s student studying Information Science with an emphasis in machine learning in the College of Science. He is involved in the CUES Nursing and Veterinarian Sciences Projects, and enjoys playing chess in his free time.
Rajitha Tiruthani
Bio coming soon!
Andrew Waugaman
Bio Coming Soon!
Gabby Zhiyu Wen
Gabby is a Ph.D. student majoring in Applied Intercultural Arts Research in the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program with an Independent Minor focusing on Gerontology. She is the graduate associate at the center and is also involved in the Virtual Reality and Church Older Adults Project. In her spare time, she enjoys going to galleries and museums and hiking.
Student Developers
GENESIS BENEDITH
Genesis, from The Bronx, NY, is a Senior studying Computer Science in the College of Science, with a minor in Professional & Technical Writing and Game Design & Development. She is involved with TEMI Robot programming and the Africana Museum project. Genesis enjoys gaming, traveling, programming, and writing in her free time.
TRISTAN BRITT
Tristan Britt is a community college transfer army veteran majoring in systems engineering. He works primarily in scanning, 3D art, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. His goal are to be able to continue his work as he ventures on to graduate school.
JACOB DORITY
Information coming soon!
ANITA DUNCAN
Information coming soon!
ALICIA HALL
Information coming soon!
Trey Harrison
Information coming soon!
Camryn James
Camryn, from Chicago, IL, is studying Computer Science. He has many talents, including filmmaking, video editing, emceeing, DJing, and photography. In his free time, he enjoys watching stand-up comedy and being around family and friends.
Ira Puranik
Information coming soon!
Tobin Nickels
Tobin, from Tucson, Arizona is a Senior studying Computer Science. He is interested in fine-tuning machines to accomplish mankind’s ambitious goals. He also likes silly cat videos and turkey sandwiches and is a cyclist.
Anastasia Rastelli
Information coming soon!
Julian Scheder Black
Information coming soon!
egan Putman
Egan, from Kansas City, Kansas is a Senior studying Game Design and Development. Of his many interests, his favorite is working on game-centered passion projects alongside a small group of similarly ambitious friends. In his free time, Egan enjoys listening to music, playing various games, and meeting his friends for coffee.
PULAT URALOV
Information coming soon!
JAY WHITNEY
Jay, from Rochester, Minnesota, is a Junior studying Computer Science in the College of Science. He is involved in the African American Museum of Southern Arizona Project, Nursing Cruzr Project, and Temi Robotic Programming. Jay enjoys hiking, watching sports, and listening to music in his free time.
Earnest "e.j." Walker IV
E.j., from Tucson, AZ byway of Hopkinsville, KY, is a Senior studying Fine Arts in the College of Fine Arts, focusing on Illustration and Design, with a minor in Africana Studies. He has worked with the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival project, graphics and marketing materials for the CDH, and the ACLS Photogrammetry Project.