From swans to sparrows, birds are bridging the humanities and STEM fields in Stéphanie Boulard’s new Vertically Integrated Project (VIP).
“The Birds in Arts and Media VIP is a collaborative space where so many fields come together — ecology, sustainability, web design, literature, language, and art,” said Boulard, a professor of French and director of the French program in the School of Modern Languages.
A VIP is a Vertically Integrated Project, part of an international program in which students earn academic credit while collaborating on long-term multidisciplinary research projects.
Students in Boulard’s VIP create and produce Plumage, a bilingual online and print magazine featuring side-by-side English and French articles.
“In Plumage, students explore the cultural, artistic, and environmental significance of birds — both in French arts and media and in the local context of Atlanta,” Boulard said.
Last year, the VIP team and students in Boulard’s Environmental Literature, Arts, and Media course published three themed issues of Plumage: The Swan, Birds of War and Peace, and Pigeons.
The magazine’s content spans community engagement, cultural analysis, creative expression, and technological innovation. Plumage includes interviews with local experts, ecological research, campus birdwatching guides, original art and writing, literary and artistic analyses — even interactive digital games.
“It’s exciting to see students integrate technical skills with humanistic inquiry,” said Boulard. “Some work on website design and functionality, while others propose topics to explore, design the layout, conduct interviews, and create content.”
The VIP brings together students from a wide variety of majors, each of whom has something to contribute — and to learn — from its central theme.
Natalia 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.
“It was eye-opening to be introduced to the concept of decentering the human perspective and instead appreciating [animals] as beings in their own right,” Rodriguez said.
Karen Zheng, a Computer Science major, appreciated the chance to apply and practice her skills in a creative setting.
“The collaborative development process is a great opportunity to learn from other students and develop valuable website-building tools,” said Zhang.
Steve 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.
“The experience has heightened my awareness of our natural world while immersing me in the French language,” said Place. “I understand the role of birds as sentinels of a healthy environment.”
Computational Media major Jasmine Cobb created an illustrated matching game for the Plumage site that helps players learn the parts of a bird’s anatomy.
“I love how Plumage makes bird facts fun and visually appealing,” said Cobb. “I can’t wait to see how the VIP will continue to develop.”
The Birds in Arts and Media VIP grew out of Boulard’s 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 Andrea Jonsson installed a device on campus that records birdsong and monitors the species present as part of their joint project, “French Environmental Humanities and/in the Arts.”
“Plumage offers students the opportunity to contribute to scholarship at the intersection of the humanities and STEM,” said Boulard. “At its core, it’s about co-creating knowledge and sharing it beyond the classroom.”
Going forward, Boulard said she is open to the possibility of adding other languages to the VIP.
“I would like to help build Plumage into a regular publication with many contributors, curated and produced by students,” she said.