Message from the Editors

April 2023

In the Technology and Digital Humanities Lab at Newcomb Institute, we are committed to promoting gender equity across technology fields and industries that are often dominated by patriarchal standards of representation, labor hierarchies, and design. As technology applications are integrated into the workplace and across society, entrenched inequities such as discrimination around race, class, gender, and sexual orientation pervade these digital spaces. In response to these growing inequities, the Lab equips undergraduate interns with the digital tools and essential skills to expand their technology portfolio in a low-stress caring environment that promotes learning, while also learning how technology can alter power structures in our society. We promote the philosophy that “everyone is a technologist,” which is shown by our diverse intern class of nineteen interns from fifteen different majors. We value our interdisciplinary lab community, as each brings valuable insight and skills that they can share with other interns.

This year, between our two internship programs, our interns surpassed past years in the breadth of our work portfolio. The growing Information Technology (IT) team completed 661 technology help tickets while supporting faculty, staff, students, and visitors using technology in the event spaces at the Commons. Our Digital Research (DRI) team worked on fifteen technological projects in partnership with faculty, staff, and community members. We also funded twelve of our students to attend the national Grace Hopper Convention (GHC) where many found impressive jobs, internships, and networking opportunities in the technology field. In addition to project work, we also focused on helping our interns feel confident to apply feminist practices in their future careers through curriculum and discussion. We integrated the reading and discussion of feminist scholarship into our meetings as part of our internship work. Interns completed training on feminist technologies, feminist customer service, accessibility in the digital space, and more! We are proud that these feminist technologists took up the challenge to build their portfolio and also to engage in this holistic training!

In addition to the increased breadth of projects and service that the interns accomplished for external partners, we also introduced some new lab-grown initiatives this year. In March, we distributed our first edition of The Lab’s Newsletter. With the Newsletter, we aim to improve overall public engagement with the lab by sharing announcements, highlighting our interns and project partners, and sharing technology tips with our community. We have also been busy planning the return of our Feminist Technology Showcase as an in-person event in May 2023. The Tech Showcase provides an interactive opportunity for Lab interns to interact with the Tulane community interested in learning about The Lab and explore the projects that we have worked on with partners. We also started our first lab-grown digital project: Steminisms! Steminisms is a crowd-sourced digital humanities project that explores the intersections between gender equity and STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math). This site will provide resources for scholars and general audiences to learn about these intersections. Interns have explored avenues for effectively communicating the resources as a database and have begun uploading content that will continue for years to come.

This zine serves as a portfolio of work for the interns, grantees, and affiliated student groups within the Lab. We hope this zine provides you with insight into our lab’s work and the personalities of our interns! The intern’s special interest articles illustrate the issues that matter to intersectional technologists. In addition to showcasing amazing digital research projects, the project posters demonstrate the range of technical skills that this lab is cultivating. As we work towards our goals, our lab continues to promote communities of care and feminist self-care values that students can use in our spaces and beyond. We hope you enjoy learning more about The Lab!

Sincerely,

Jacquelyne Thoni Howard, Administrative Assistant Professor of Technology and Women’s History

Rachel Tabor, Lab Manager and Graduate Assistant

ng in Cell & Molecular Biology and Computer Science. She is an international student from China and has been in the lab for two years. In addition to working as a Product Developer in the DRI team, Wendy is involved with Tulane International Society (TIS), Tulane Chinese Students and Scholars Association (TCSSA), and Tulane Equity in Tech (EIT). She also serves as a Global Ambassador, a TU Pal mentor, and a Newcomb Big. Her favorite part of the DRI program is working with the interdisciplinary and collaborative team. Outside of school, she loves camping, cooking, and playing board games!

Madeline Nellis is a Science and Music with a minor in Music, Science, & Technology. She is from Long Island, New York. In addition to being a Product Developer for the IT team she is also the president of the Equity In Tech club. For her senior capstone, Madeline is exploring technical solutions to provide students on Tulane's campus with Emergency contraceptives while protecting the privacy of both recipients and volunteers. Post graduation Madeline is pursuing a career in Data Analytics and visualizations and outside of school Madeline enjoys running, yoga, reading and playing the piano.

urth year studying Linguistics and Computer Science. She is originally from Columbus, Ohio and has been a part of the DRI team for three semesters, holding roles as a developer, team lead, and product developer. Participating in these different roles has allowed Marisa to deepen her understanding of feminism in a technology workplace and to contribute to growth in the digital humanities. Outside of DRI, Marisa is a TA for an introductory computer science course and is a member of the running club. In her free time, Marisa love to run, hike, read, and spend time with friends outdoors.

Naomi Stone homore majoring in Economics and Computer Science with a minor in SLAM. She grew up in Bangalore, India. She had the pleasure of joining the Digital Research Internship and finding a community of like-minded students. Ananya also works as a Research Aide in the Economic Department at Tulane. Additionally, Ananya is involved with Tulane’s Bollywood Dance Team as the Manager and is part of the E-Board of the Cookies and Code Club. Outside of school and work, Ananya loves cooking, reading, and trying out different cuisines. udent majoring in Computer Science and Design. Zoe uses She/Her pronouns and was born and raised in Washington D.C. In addition to being a digital research intern, Zoe is a member of Theta Tau, where she is the chair of the website committee. She enjoys finding ways to explore her interests in both the arts and sciences, and often works in the intersection between computer science and graphic design. Out of School she enjoys travel, embroidery, oil painting, and baking. ing in Psychology and Design at Tulane University. Catherine is originally from Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to working as a Digital Research Intern, she is a Graphic Design Intern for the Newcomb-Tulane College’s Office of Undergraduate Enrichment. She also serves on the executive boards for a number of clubs, including the Asian American Student Union (AASU), Tulane University Ladies’ A Cappella (TULA), The Research Ambassadors, and Psi Chi. Outside of school, Catherine enjoys playing volleyball with her friends (unprofessionally) and painting with acrylics.

Cybersecurity and Theatre Performance with a minor in Russian. She is from Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to being a Product Developer, Naomi has been a student worker for the School of Professional Development’s IT Department. Naomi is also active in the New Orleans and Atlanta theatre and film communities, and is happy to have worked on several student and independent films this past year. Outside of school, Naomi enjoys singing, altering clothing, and painting. Naomi hopes to pursue a career as both a cybersecurity analyst and actor post-graduation.

Sam DeMarinis is a sophomore majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science with minors in Psychology and Italian. He is from Morris Plains, New Jersey. In addition to being a Digital Research Intern, he is on the executive board for Tulane’s computer science club, Cookies & Code. He is also a member of the professional engineering fraternity, Theta Tau, where he is the chair of the General Majors Committee. Sam is interested in pursuing a career in data science and machine learning engineering. Outside of school, he enjoys playing music, learning Italian, and cooking.

Ifeoma Osakwe i and Molecular Biology on the Pre-Med track. She is an international student from Nigeria. As well as a Digital Research Intern, she is a Newcomb Scholar, a First Year Experience Peer Mentor, and Global and Green Wave Ambassador for the Office of Undergraduate Admission. She enjoys finding unexpected links between her academic interests, internships, and campus involvements and loves her positions in the Newcomb Institute because they allow her to explore such interdisciplinary curiosities. Outside of school and work, she likes to play board games, travel, and cook breakfast foods.

Tulane pursuing a B.S.E in Engineering Physics with a Certificate in Computational Engineering and a minor in French. Tess is originally from Westford, MA, but is excited to be moving to Littleton, CO at the end of the year. This year, Tess has had the privilege of joining the Digital Research Team as a Development Intern. Due to the fact that Tess has a background in both the arts and the sciences, she loves exploring the digital humanities or any subject that falls into that intersection. Outside of school and work, Tess’ primary hobbies include painting, reading, and paying for overpriced coffee simply for the aesthetic.

Meghan Nagia is a freshman from Atlanta, Georgia. She is majoring in Exercise Science with a minor in Strategy, Leadership, and Analytics (SLAM) on the Pre-Med Track. In addition to being a Digital Research Intern, she is a member of Phi Mu, the Current RLC, and the Tulane Orchestra. Meghan is also the secretary of the Indian Association at Tulane (IATU), vice president of the Kinesiology Club, and getting involved in other organizations. Outside of school, Meghan enjoys playing violin, working out, volunteering, drinking lots of coffee, and exploring New Orleans with her friends.

Aaliyah Randall undergraduate student pursuing a double major in Psychology and Design with a minor in Studio Art. She hai from Long Island, New York and re-joined the D team at Newcomb Institute this spring semester On campus, she works as a library research aid assistant editor for the Crescent Magazine's NOLA 360 section, and teaching assistant for a design studio. In her free time, she makes an excessive amount of Spotify playlists, dabbles in the kitchen, and gets lost while exploring New Orleans. She hopes to mesh her interests post-grad by entering the design industry, honing in on product design. ear student from Mount Vernon, KY majoring in Public Health and Computer Science. Working as a Development Intern has allowed Evan to put the skills he learned during his four years at Tulane to use and learn about digital humanities and feminist pedagogy. In addition to working as a DRI Intern, Evan is the Outreach Chair for the Tulane Equity in Technology and a Tulane University Peer Health Educator. Evan plans on pursuing a career as a health/medical data scientist. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time in Audubon Park, watching reality TV, listening to podcasts, and reading.

Neuroscience with a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies. Aaliyah was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. Along with the privilege of serving as a Digital Research Intern, she is an Ambassador of the Office of Gender and Sexual Diversity, a second-year Resident Advisor, former Vice President and member of the Tulane Women's Rugby team and a RoboRecovery Intern, where she teaches robotics to young students in New Orleans. Outside of academics, Aaliyah enjoys listening to and playing music, crafting original ceramic creations, exploring and photographing the wonders and foods of the world, a es.

Winna Xia is a Neuroscience and History. Winna uses she, her, hers pronouns, and is originally from Lexington, MA. In addition to being a Digital Research Intern, she is also a Newcomb Scholar, TUPHE, service-learning assistant, and peer mentor. Winna is also involved with Tulane's Premedical Society and Walk n’ Talk NOLA. Outside of school, she likes to cook and do embroidery.

Clair University pursuing a BA in Economics with minors in Strategy, Leadership, and Analytics (SLAM) and Spanish. She is a member of the

Newcomb Scholars Program, an interdisciplinary leadership development program focused on gender equity. In addition to working with the tech Lab, Claire works at Tulane’s Reily Recreation Center and handles Alumni Relations for Tulane DSP. She is excited to join the Digital Research Team and improve her technical and digital skills to help create projects that align with the project partners’ visions. in Computer Science and Piano Performance. She is also minoring in Music, Science, and Technology. She is from Stuttgart, Arkansas. She is both a Digital Research and Information Technology Intern at the Newcomb Institute. She is both a classically trained pianist and composer. As a part of the WTUL radio station at Tulane, she is a DJ and hosts weekly radio shows. In her free time, she enjoys reading and rereading Jane Austen novels, learning new instruments, practicing yoga, and baking a ridiculous amount of cookies.

Jingzhi Yang is a senior majoring in chemical engineering, computer science, math, chemistry, econ and minoring in Information Technology. He is from Shanghai, China. In addition to being an IT intern at Newcomb Institute, he also works as an intern at Tulane IT cybersecurity. He holds multiple Comptia IT certifications and he is a certified ethical hacker. Outside of school, he enjoys cooking and running. He is also interested in credit card rewards program and he is currently holding ten credit cards to maxize the rewards. He will pursue Ph.D in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech starting 2023.

Olivia Riess is a senior majoring in Engineering Physics with a certificate in Mechanical Engineering, and minoring in Mathematics. She is from Wallingford, Pennsylvania. Outside of being an Information Technology Intern, Olivia is the president of Tulane’s Society of Women Engineers and is a tour guide for the university. She's so excited to be a part of the Newcomb team learning and applying feminist pedagogy in the Lab. In her spare time, you can find Olivia watching old horror movies, listening to the You're Wrong About podcast, or exploring New Orleans!

Kailen Mitchell is a So Mathematics and Computer Science with a minor in English. She is from San Francisco, California. Outside of the IT program, Kailen is part of the Women's Ultimate Frisbee team as well as the Equestrian Club. She has always been an avid problem solver and loves the opportunity to strengthen this skill through IT. She is extremely passionate about gender equity and is so grateful for the opportunity to be part of a feminist community while exploring her interests in technology. In her free time she enjoys reading fiction, creative writing, and hiking.