The Borderlands Digital Humanities Center is meant to be widely used, which is why you can easily reserve the space for free. While the Center hosts its own events, others can initiate all sorts of conversations, collaborations, workshops, and more. Fill out our brief intake form to do any of the following or to propose your own ideas.

1. Start a research/reading group or learning community – exploring new skills and topics is more fun with others. Start with a short description, maybe a few opening readings or questions, and let us know if you want it to be a private or public group and if you need funding for materials.

2. Host an activity or event – lead your own event as a part of one of the Center’s event series or create your own kind of event.

   • Digital Pedagogy Sandbox – short play session where hosts introduce a tool they’ve used in the classroom (or their research or creative practice) and facilitate playful exploration great for the lunch hour.

   • Digital Humanities Methods Workshop – a more in-depth training session on a tool or method.

   • Panel Conversations – gather a group of scholars interested in a shared topic or question that can expand to a public conversation. If you have a topic of question in mind but not specific panelists, let us know and we’ll help build a panel.

   • Project-in-Process Critiques – an open (or closed if you like) session to share digital project work in progress and get feedback from a wider audience.

   • Digital Humanities Lecture Series – we regularly host lectures from scholars outside of UTEP. If you are interested in bringing a DH or DH adjacent scholar to campus or suggest one to us, let us know.

3. Register as a mentor or request mentorship – Digital Humanities work is often deeply collaborative and interdisciplinary. If you’re willing to share your expertise, let us know! These can be in specific tools/languages like Audacity or SQL, methods/media like community archiving or embroidery, field/disciplinary knowledge like UX design, Bayesian statistics, or poetics. Looking for help with a new area or skill? We’ll do our best to find you a mentor.

4. Apply for funding – funding is available on a rolling basis for all faculty that can cover most types of project expenses.

5. Reserve our exhibit wall – if you have work you would like to display that engages with topics, concepts, or practices related to the digital humanities, you can display it here!

6. Recommend software adoptions for our lab – if you have a tool you want to use at the BDHC, let us know and we’ll investigate including it in our suite of supported tools.

7. Request a class/meeting visit with the BDHC Director – if you would like an orientation to the Center's services or a customized introduction to digital humanities, Dr. Takehana is happy to accommodate.

If you have ideas not already on the menu, there’s a place to add your suggestions and ideas for totally different uses and supports the BDHC can offer to the community on our intake form.

Summer Graduate Research Program 

Applications due: February 28, 2026

The goal of this program is to fund graduate students across various disciplines engaged in new or existing digital humanities projects. Digital projects can come in many forms. We encourage applicants to refer to the Project Registry of Reviews in Digital Humanities (https://reviewsindh.pubpub.org/) and/or chapter 2 “Emerging Methods and Genres” in Anne Burdick et al’s Digital_Humanities to help them articulate the nature of their proposed projects. While students can propose new projects, they can also propose additions to existing or developing projects outlined on the Center Projects page. Feel free to meet with Dr. Takehana to discuss other developing projects the Center is beginning.

Projects funded by the BDHC will be included on our website and promotional materials but will be the exclusive intellectual property of those creating the project. The Center can assist with long term maintenance of the project if the project creators so choose.

Applications to the program are submitted through Microsoft Forms at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/EkZ8AAML0D. Additional information on the requirements of the program and application are available on the downloadable information sheet. Questions about the application process or assistance with project formation can be sent to bdhc@utep.edu.

Mapping Borderlands Archives Institute Ambassador Program

Applications due: March 25, 2026

 Students can apply for a stipend to serve as a mapping tools ambassador. Recipients attend a three day workshop on mapping tool in mid-August 2026. During the 2026-2027 academic year, they will host trainings on tools they master and serve as mentors to other students and faculty who are interested in incorporating mapping tools in their work.

Applications to the program are submitted through Microsoft Forms at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/7P9L60Svx9. Questions about the application process or the tentative summer workshop schedule can be sent to bdhc@utep.edu.