Since 2018, the Barbara J. Burger iZone has cultivated a space, program, and community that empowers the University of Rochester community to explore their ideas, be creative, and tackle the issues keeping them up at night. That problem-solving culture is now in the capable hands of entrepreneur Yasmin Mattox, iZone’s new director.

Anyone who has ever used a computer to search a library’s collection has benefitted from or been let down by metadata, the information which librarians, archivists, and researchers create to make resources findable and accessible.

When science delivered the tri-force of COVID-19 vaccines, most of the international community breathed a sigh of relief—finally, a defense with some teeth. It felt like the tide was turning. “Not so fast,” said the pandemic.

Within the universe that Frank Herbert built for his science fiction novel Dune, there’s a dangerous ritual called the “Spice Agony” that a member of a specially trained sisterhood must undergo. If she survives, she gains all the memories of her ancestors, who have also held this title.

Supporting Research

In the fall of 2018, I was part of a small research team, comprised of Classics Professor Nicholas Gresens, undergrads Elise Lia, ’20, and Shaim Mahir, ’21, that traveled to the province of L'Aquila in Southern Italy. The focus of the trip was to image ancient Roman writing tablets that had been found in 2013 in the bottom of a well at the Alba Fucens archaeological site.

Before applying for this job, I didn’t even know that Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservations (RBSCP) existed in our library. This is curious since I frequent museums and consider myself interested in anything old and historical, particularly if they are in the form of papers and bounded—better, leather-bound. So, it was a pleasant surprise to find that our university thought it important to have one (having such a department requires quite a lot of money, so I learned).

What is GIS Day?

According to ESRI’s website, GIS Day is an:

…international celebration of GIS technology. GIS is a scientific framework for gathering, analyzing, and visualizing geographic data to help us make better decisions. On GIS Day, help others learn about geography and the real-world applications of GIS that are making a difference in our society. It’s a chance for you to share your accomplishments and inspire others to discover and use GIS.