Newly renamed NULab blends computer and social sciences The lab, located on the fourth floor of Nightingale Hall on the Boston campus, applies digital computational methods to enhance and extend research in the social sciences. by Cyrus Moulton November 11, 2024 Share this story Copy Link Link Copied! Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter WhatsApp Reddit The lab, located in Nightingale Hall on the Boston campus, applies digital computational methods to extend research in the social sciences. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University The NULab for Texts, Maps and Networks has been renamed the NULab for Digital Humanities and Computational Social Science, reflecting its focus on applying computer science methods to the social sciences. “It used to be a bit cumbersome because we would have to explain what we do when we say text, maps and networks,” says Sean Rogers, assistant director of the lab. “So this is us streamlining our naming and making it a bit more representative of the things we actually do.” The lab, located on the fourth floor of Nightingale Hall on the Boston campus, applies digital computational methods to enhance and extend research in the social sciences. For instance, Rogers cited the example of research into attitudes toward law enforcement. 10/17/24 – BOSTON MA. – Sean Rogers, assistant director of the NULab for Digital Humanities and Computational Social Science, works in the NULab in Nightingale Hall on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University 10/17/24 – BOSTON MA. – Sean Rogers, assistant director of the NULab for Digital Humanities and Computational Social Science, poses for a portrait in the NULab in Nightingale Hall on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University Sean Rogers is assistant director of the renamed the NULab for Digital Humanities and Computational Social Science. Photos by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University A social scientist might normally survey 50 people and compile their responses to make conclusions. But by applying digital computational methods, the social scientist might find and analyze 30,000 tweets on the subject. “It’s pretty much getting at those social science issues, but using computational methods to get there,” Rogers says. The lab, whose staff includes faculty co-directors Ellen Cushman and Moira Zellner, and associate director Sarah Connell, in addition to Rogers, assists students and faculty through several main focuses. The lab visits undergraduate- and sometimes graduate-level courses to teach students digital computational methods. For instance, Rogers just taught statistics to a class on the London campus. The lab manages a seedling and travel grants program, which Rogers says is meant to uplift and sponsor digital humanities and computational social science research across the global network, fostering collaborations and incubating projects to a point where they can receive additional funding. The lab also sponsors events to facilitate networking, community building, and building skills in digital humanities and computational social science. “It’s a network of folks across all sorts of job positions and appointments that are doing great work in this area,” Rogers says. “We really try to both capitalize on and contribute to this thought of Northeastern as a global campus network.”