Trowbridge was joined by scholars working to interpret history and preserve heritage sites in the United States, the Middle East and Central Europe. The panel was organized by Daniel Fisher, project director for the National Humanities Alliance, in order to demonstrate the importance of the humanities and highlight the ways that universities and foundations are supporting public engagement though the humanities.
“We were very pleased that Dr. Trowbridge was able to join this distinguished group of publicly engaged humanities scholars,” Fisher said. “Clio shows what is possible when experts collaborate with the community. The Clio website and mobile app offer scholars and organizations a way to share expertise about local history with the world.”
The panel was organized around the theme of “Changing Narratives about the Humanities in Higher Education” and featured projects supported by the Whiting Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trowbridge discussed efforts at Marshall to create Clio, a website and mobile application that universities, libraries, historical societies and museums use to connect people to the history and culture that surround them.
“I was honored to be asked to speak at this prestigious gathering of scholars, state humanities councils and national scholarly organizations,” said Trowbridge, who also serves as director of African and African American Studies at Marshall. In addition to the Whiting Foundation, Clio has received financial support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Knight Foundation and the Foundation for the Tri-State. These funds support positions for students who work with Trowbridge to edit the site, in addition to providing funds for the software engineers who maintain and improve the website and mobile application.
To learn more, contact Trowbridge by phone at 304-697-2717 or by e-mail at david.trowbridge@marshall.edu.