{"683094":{"#nid":"683094","#data":{"type":"news","title":"\u2018Birds in Arts and Media\u2019 VIP Brings Together Humanities, Sciences, and Technology","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom swans to sparrows, birds are bridging the humanities and STEM fields in St\u00e9phanie Boulard\u2019s new Vertically Integrated Project (VIP).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe \u003Cem\u003EBirds in Arts and Media \u003C\/em\u003EVIP is a collaborative space where so many fields come together \u2014 ecology, sustainability, web design, literature, language, and art,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/stephanie-boulard\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EBoulard\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor of French and director of the French program in the School of Modern Languages.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/vip.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EVIP\u003C\/a\u003E is a Vertically Integrated Project, part of an international program in which students earn academic credit while collaborating on long-term multidisciplinary research projects.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPlumage\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E: An Environmental Humanities Magazine\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents in Boulard\u2019s VIP create and produce \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/plumage.vip.gatech.edu\/index.html\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPlumage\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Ea bilingual online and print magazine featuring side-by-side English and French articles.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn \u003Cem\u003EPlumage\u003C\/em\u003E, students explore the cultural, artistic, and environmental significance of birds \u2014 both in French arts and media and in the local context of Atlanta,\u201d Boulard said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELast year, the VIP team and students in Boulard\u2019s Environmental Literature, Arts, and Media course published three themed issues of \u003Cem\u003EPlumage\u003C\/em\u003E: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/plumage.vip.gatech.edu\/issue1.html\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Swan\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/plumage.vip.gatech.edu\/issue2.html\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EBirds of War and Peace\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/plumage.vip.gatech.edu\/issue3.html\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPigeons\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe magazine\u2019s content spans community engagement, cultural analysis, creative expression, and technological innovation. \u003Cem\u003EPlumage\u003C\/em\u003E includes interviews with local experts, ecological research, campus birdwatching guides, original art and writing, literary and artistic analyses \u2014 even interactive digital games.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see students integrate technical skills with humanistic inquiry,\u201d said Boulard. \u201cSome work on website design and functionality, while others propose topics to explore, design the layout, conduct interviews, and create content.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Students Behind \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPlumage\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe VIP brings together students from a wide variety of majors, each of whom has something to contribute \u2014 and to learn \u2014 from its central theme.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENatalia Alvarez Rodriguez, a Literature, Media, and Communication major, said the project offered a new way to look at animals and their role in the environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was eye-opening to be introduced to the concept of decentering the human perspective and instead appreciating [animals] as beings in their own right,\u201d Rodriguez said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKaren Zheng, a Computer Science major, appreciated the chance to apply and practice her skills in a creative setting.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe collaborative development process is a great opportunity to learn from other students and develop valuable website-building tools,\u201d said Zhang.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESteve Place, a Modern Languages graduate student and a campus sustainability program manager at Georgia Tech, said the experience brought his fields of work and study together.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe experience has heightened my awareness of our natural world while immersing me in the French language,\u201d said Place. \u201cI understand the role of birds as sentinels of a healthy environment.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComputational Media major Jasmine Cobb created an illustrated matching game for the \u003Cem\u003EPlumage\u003C\/em\u003E site that helps players learn the parts of a bird\u2019s anatomy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI love how \u003Cem\u003EPlumage\u003C\/em\u003E makes bird facts fun and visually appealing,\u201d said Cobb. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to see how the VIP will continue to develop.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Origins \u2014 and Future \u2014 of \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBirds in Arts and Media\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cem\u003EBirds in Arts and Media\u003C\/em\u003E VIP grew out of Boulard\u2019s ongoing research and teaching in the environmental humanities. Last summer, with the help of Emily Wiegel from the School of Biological Sciences, she and colleague \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/modlangs.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/42790775-9b13-5234-95e7-a861128d333a\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAndrea Jonsson\u003C\/a\u003E installed a device on campus that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/featured-news\/2024\/06\/what-birds-can-teach-us\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Erecords birdsong\u003C\/a\u003E and monitors the species present as part of their joint project, \u201cFrench Environmental Humanities and\/in the Arts.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201c\u003Cem\u003EPlumage\u003C\/em\u003E offers students the opportunity to contribute to scholarship at the intersection of the humanities and STEM,\u201d said Boulard. \u201cAt its core, it\u2019s about co-creating knowledge and sharing it beyond the classroom.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGoing forward, Boulard said she is open to the possibility of adding other languages to the VIP.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI would like to help build \u003Cem\u003EPlumage\u003C\/em\u003E into a regular publication with many contributors, curated and produced by students,\u201d she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom swans to sparrows, birds are bridging the humanities and STEM fields in St\u00e9phanie Boulard\u2019s new \u0027Birds in Arts and Media\u0027 Vertically Integrated Project (VIP).\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From swans to sparrows, birds are bridging the humanities and STEM fields in St\u00e9phanie Boulard\u2019s new \u0027Birds in Arts and Media\u0027 Vertically Integrated Project (VIP)."}],"uid":"35777","created_gmt":"2025-07-10 17:27:58","changed_gmt":"2025-07-15 13:49:22","author":"Stephanie Kadel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-07-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-07-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677387":{"id":"677387","type":"image","title":"\u0027Birds in Arts and Media\u0027 VIP Group  ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents in St\u00e9phanie Boulard\u0027s Environmental Literature, Arts, and Media course show off their contribution to the VIP project, \u003Cem\u003EPlumage\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1752168484","gmt_created":"2025-07-10 17:28:04","changed":"1752587733","gmt_changed":"2025-07-15 13:55:33","alt":"Students in St\u00e9phanie Boulard\u0027s Environmental Literature, Arts, and Media course show off their contribution to the VIP project, Plumage.","file":{"fid":"261282","name":"Birds---Art-VIP-Group.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/10\/Birds---Art-VIP-Group.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/10\/Birds---Art-VIP-Group.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1697285,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/10\/Birds---Art-VIP-Group.png?itok=ubYYzZbH"}}},"media_ids":["677387"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/featured-news\/2024\/06\/what-birds-can-teach-us","title":"What Birds Can Teach Us About Language and Ecology"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1284","name":"School of Modern Languages"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:stephanie.kadel@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EStephanie N. Kadel\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["stephanie.kadel@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}