ACH 2015 Lisa Lena Opas-Hänninen Young Scholar Prize
Thank you to the ACH (Association for Computing in the Humanities), the ADHO (Association of Digital Humanities Organizations) Awards committee and the CSDH (Canadian Society of Digital Humanities)/ACH 2015 Joint Conference Awards committee and organizers for this great honor.
I am so touched by this unexpected and very meaningful award. Having asked a few of those lucky enough to have known Dr. Opas-Hänninen, I have learned about her vanguard scholarship in English, Linguistics and Nordic Philology, and have likewise heard about her exceptional gift for being able to bring people together, fostering community among those at all levels of academia. Whether in moments of conversation (in any of a surprising array of languages), deft committee-wrangling, or unforgettable conference retreats, Dr. Opas-Hänninen helped forge the Digital Humanities community through moments of shared humanity. She continues to have an influence across our evolving interdisciplinary community of digital humanities scholars, expressed in part by the profoundly humane ways in which we all come together for conferences like this – and thus come to know, respect, challenge and inspire one another.
I am deeply honored to have been awarded this prize in Dr. Lisa Lena Opas-Hänninen’s name. I will work to be worthy of the enthusiasm and support for my work that the Prize represents, and to live up to the example Dr. Opas-Hänninen set for creativity, public outreach and engagement. Most of all, I will work to further her deeply-felt vision of a shared, intellectual common good among those who do Digital Humanities.