sam blickhan
@snblickhan.bsky.social
She/her. Chicago. People, tech, museums, research. Zooniverse.org Co-Director & #DH lead at Adler Planetarium. PhD. CW Handbook: https://britishlibrary.pubpub.org/
Lapsed musicologist/medievalist. Fiber artist. Musician: https://umbrellabirds.bandcamp.com
Lapsed musicologist/medievalist. Fiber artist. Musician: https://umbrellabirds.bandcamp.com
Pinned
sam blickhan
@snblickhan.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Back To Land, by Umbrellabirds
11 track album
umbrellabirds.bandcamp.com
Happy Friday, bluesky. In a rare moment of sharing something that’s NOT research or fiber art, here’s the new album from my band. Hope you like it.
umbrellabirds.bandcamp.com/album/back-t...
umbrellabirds.bandcamp.com/album/back-t...
Reposted by sam blickhan
Interdisciplinary research ftw…!
Really interesting research showing that while ultra-specialization in a single discipline might lead to better results early in one’s career, multi-discipline training and practice pays off big time in the long run. This applies to a range of professions from scientists to athletes and more
Recent discoveries on the acquisition of the highest levels of human performance
Scientists have long debated the origins of exceptional human achievements. This literature review summarizes recent evidence from multiple domains on the acquisition of world-class performance. We re...
www.science.org
December 21, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Interdisciplinary research ftw…!
Reposted by sam blickhan
Really seriously please take the 30 seconds and actually fill out the form.
Tomorrow, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that bans gender-affirming medical care for any transgender person under 18, and threatens any medical professional providing this care to youth with 10 years in prison.
Tell Congress to protect trans youth and vote NO.
Tell Congress to protect trans youth and vote NO.
Protect Trans Care Now
As wave after wave of extreme measures to criminalize and strip trans people of rights and safety continue, tell Congress to act.
action.aclu.org
December 16, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Really seriously please take the 30 seconds and actually fill out the form.
Reposted by sam blickhan
So delighted that one of my favorite thinkers & writers engaged with my new preprint on empathy 🥰
By far one of the best parts of being an academic is putting ideas out into the world and seeing them refracted through other minds, who help you see things more richly than you did before.
By far one of the best parts of being an academic is putting ideas out into the world and seeing them refracted through other minds, who help you see things more richly than you did before.
"We face a social dilemma around the role of these empathy machines. Those who are most cognitively vulnerable may turn to these tools when what they most need is a flesh-and-blood human who will care for them, not sycophantically, but with thick empathy arising from the experience of being human."
Empty empathy machines
AI chatbots lack something fundamental to human empathy
buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com
December 15, 2025 at 1:47 PM
So delighted that one of my favorite thinkers & writers engaged with my new preprint on empathy 🥰
By far one of the best parts of being an academic is putting ideas out into the world and seeing them refracted through other minds, who help you see things more richly than you did before.
By far one of the best parts of being an academic is putting ideas out into the world and seeing them refracted through other minds, who help you see things more richly than you did before.
Reposted by sam blickhan
"ICE and CBP must be abolished" is the only reasonable position. We can debate the specifics of new agencies for immigration functions, but these agencies are simply too infected with a culture of impunity, racism, and fascism to continue. They're gangs with badges.
Armed ICE agents trapped US citizens in a restaurant and demanded their papers. Federal agents walked into East African restaurants in Cedar-Riverside, MN. They closed and blocked the doors. Then they demanded to see everyone’s papers. Every person present was a US citizen.
Federal agents use chemical irritant on crowd in Somali neighborhood of Minneapolis amid Trump crackdown
Federal agents have used chemical irritant to disperse a crowd in a heavily Somali neighborhood in Minneapolis. This happened Tuesday during a identification checks amid the Trump administration's cra...
www.mprnews.org
December 14, 2025 at 8:49 PM
"ICE and CBP must be abolished" is the only reasonable position. We can debate the specifics of new agencies for immigration functions, but these agencies are simply too infected with a culture of impunity, racism, and fascism to continue. They're gangs with badges.
Reposted by sam blickhan
My most fundamental belief is that we do not have to live like this.
December 14, 2025 at 1:01 PM
My most fundamental belief is that we do not have to live like this.
Reposted by sam blickhan
This is the first big funding win for the Liberatory Project (Liberatorytech.org) newly organized within @digblk.bsky.social. And as you might notice the project reaches across the Center.
Liberatory Tech Project
Liberatory Tech Project (@ Penn State) website.
Liberatorytech.org
December 12, 2025 at 9:39 PM
This is the first big funding win for the Liberatory Project (Liberatorytech.org) newly organized within @digblk.bsky.social. And as you might notice the project reaches across the Center.
Reposted by sam blickhan
Figured I’d wait to post anything for this, but I can’t tell you how excited I am for us to have the opportunity to be funded to do this work. We really do believe that our project connecting communities, digital archives of the early Black press, and human-AI systems will have a large impact
It has been so much FUN to think with @profdancy.bsky.social, @snblickhan.bsky.social , Tiffanie R. Smith, and @bcgl.bsky.social & many others. Getting to dream & plan alongside these courageous people has been a real ray of hope in this otherwise horrible moment.
December 12, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Figured I’d wait to post anything for this, but I can’t tell you how excited I am for us to have the opportunity to be funded to do this work. We really do believe that our project connecting communities, digital archives of the early Black press, and human-AI systems will have a large impact
Reposted by sam blickhan
New grant program announcement: You've heard me talk this morning about those 23 new DH awards from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social HAVI program? Well, we just announced our new RFP for 2026! Teams can be global too! Please consider applying. RFP here: www.schmidtsciences.org/opportunity/...
2026 Humanities and Artificial Intelligence Virtual Institute (HAVI) RFP - Schmidt Sciences
Overview [Read the full RFP] Schmidt Sciences is requesting proposals to the Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI), aimed at fostering research in the digital humanities with a particular focus ...
www.schmidtsciences.org
December 11, 2025 at 6:49 PM
New grant program announcement: You've heard me talk this morning about those 23 new DH awards from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social HAVI program? Well, we just announced our new RFP for 2026! Teams can be global too! Please consider applying. RFP here: www.schmidtsciences.org/opportunity/...
Reposted by sam blickhan
So excited that Zooniverse has been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual Institute award from @SchmidtSciences that will support collaboration with friends incl. @digblk.bsky.social @douglassday.bsky.social! Read more from co-PI @snblickhan.bsky.social: daily.zooniverse.org/2025/12/11/c...
Communities in the Loop: AI for Cultures and Contexts in Multimodal Archives
We are excited to announce that Zooniverse has been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI) award from Schmidt Sciences for our project, “Communities in the Loop: AI fo…
daily.zooniverse.org
December 11, 2025 at 4:38 PM
So excited that Zooniverse has been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual Institute award from @SchmidtSciences that will support collaboration with friends incl. @digblk.bsky.social @douglassday.bsky.social! Read more from co-PI @snblickhan.bsky.social: daily.zooniverse.org/2025/12/11/c...
I am over the MOON to be part of this cohort with our project, "Communities in the Loop: AI for Cultures & Contexts in Multimodal Archives."
It's so wonderful when years of "Wouldn't it be cool if..." conversations can actually come to fruition!
Read more: daily.zooniverse.org/2025/12/11/c...
It's so wonderful when years of "Wouldn't it be cool if..." conversations can actually come to fruition!
Read more: daily.zooniverse.org/2025/12/11/c...
December 11, 2025 at 5:56 PM
I am over the MOON to be part of this cohort with our project, "Communities in the Loop: AI for Cultures & Contexts in Multimodal Archives."
It's so wonderful when years of "Wouldn't it be cool if..." conversations can actually come to fruition!
Read more: daily.zooniverse.org/2025/12/11/c...
It's so wonderful when years of "Wouldn't it be cool if..." conversations can actually come to fruition!
Read more: daily.zooniverse.org/2025/12/11/c...
I can confirm, thinking with this crew is honestly wonderful, 10/10, Dream Team experience. I have more to say but a meeting to facilitate! More soon.
It has been so much FUN to think with @profdancy.bsky.social, @snblickhan.bsky.social , Tiffanie R. Smith, and @bcgl.bsky.social & many others. Getting to dream & plan alongside these courageous people has been a real ray of hope in this otherwise horrible moment.
December 11, 2025 at 3:59 PM
I can confirm, thinking with this crew is honestly wonderful, 10/10, Dream Team experience. I have more to say but a meeting to facilitate! More soon.
Reposted by sam blickhan
I am beyond thrilled to share some good news:
1. I've moved to a new job at UC Santa Barbara.
2. We have been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual
Institute award from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social!
Both, we hope, will allow us to continue building the work! +
hfa.ucsb.edu/news/schmidt...
1. I've moved to a new job at UC Santa Barbara.
2. We have been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual
Institute award from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social!
Both, we hope, will allow us to continue building the work! +
hfa.ucsb.edu/news/schmidt...
Schmidt Sciences awards $750,000 to UCSB-led team to transform Black press archives with AI | Division of Humanities and Fine Arts
English professor Jim Casey leads a national coalition to recover 19th-century African American newspapers using machine learning and public crowdsourcing.
hfa.ucsb.edu
December 11, 2025 at 3:21 PM
I am beyond thrilled to share some good news:
1. I've moved to a new job at UC Santa Barbara.
2. We have been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual
Institute award from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social!
Both, we hope, will allow us to continue building the work! +
hfa.ucsb.edu/news/schmidt...
1. I've moved to a new job at UC Santa Barbara.
2. We have been selected for a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual
Institute award from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social!
Both, we hope, will allow us to continue building the work! +
hfa.ucsb.edu/news/schmidt...
A timely share, as I keep seeing the Speedweve (or other mending loom) recommended on holiday gift lists, and a (free!) tutorial zine + little loom kit seems like an A+ gift for the crafty, pro-mending folks in your life.
& the "Speedweve for mending" fun tutorial zine by @snblickhan.bsky.social & me: zinebakery.com/homemade-zin...
Speedweve for Mending | Zine Bakery
#DHMakes Methodz #1, by Sam Blickhan and Amanda Wyatt Visconti
zinebakery.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:54 PM
A timely share, as I keep seeing the Speedweve (or other mending loom) recommended on holiday gift lists, and a (free!) tutorial zine + little loom kit seems like an A+ gift for the crafty, pro-mending folks in your life.
Reposted by sam blickhan
Want to read these but can't stop by our lab's free public zine distro? These zines' authors generously share them free online: @halperta.bsky.social's Taking Action in Higher Ed (advocacy risk plan halperta.com/shalperta%20...), +
In Charlottesville for a friend’s retirement party. In the meantime dropped in on @scholarslab.bsky.social at UVA. What an amazing and welcoming place of making and creativity. @stradadoes.bsky.social still hoping! Thanks, Ammon Shepherd and the welcoming student at the entrance. A few zines
December 10, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Want to read these but can't stop by our lab's free public zine distro? These zines' authors generously share them free online: @halperta.bsky.social's Taking Action in Higher Ed (advocacy risk plan halperta.com/shalperta%20...), +
Reposted by sam blickhan
Encouragingly similar to Mike Keller’s closing reflections encouraging deep reading, deep thinking, and deep respect in libraries, archives, and museums even as they engage critically with AI #ff2025
A writing group accountability friend said the way that she is resisting AI is to slow down when reading, and not give into the pressure to continually skim the written word.
I've tried to do the same, and to take more time to read, and reread.
I've tried to do the same, and to take more time to read, and reread.
December 5, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Encouragingly similar to Mike Keller’s closing reflections encouraging deep reading, deep thinking, and deep respect in libraries, archives, and museums even as they engage critically with AI #ff2025
Reposted by sam blickhan
Save the date!
Douglass Day 2026
"All Rights for All"
Fri, February 13
Sign up today!
DouglassDay.org
Feat. the Colored Conventions Project! @ccp-org.bsky.social @digblk.bsky.social
Douglass Day 2026
"All Rights for All"
Fri, February 13
Sign up today!
DouglassDay.org
Feat. the Colored Conventions Project! @ccp-org.bsky.social @digblk.bsky.social
December 8, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Save the date!
Douglass Day 2026
"All Rights for All"
Fri, February 13
Sign up today!
DouglassDay.org
Feat. the Colored Conventions Project! @ccp-org.bsky.social @digblk.bsky.social
Douglass Day 2026
"All Rights for All"
Fri, February 13
Sign up today!
DouglassDay.org
Feat. the Colored Conventions Project! @ccp-org.bsky.social @digblk.bsky.social
Reposted by sam blickhan
Slides and code from my #ff2025 talk, "Reasoning with Small Language Models (SLM) for Trustworthy Generative AI (GenAI)."
Slides:
docs.google.com/presentation...
Code:
github.com/jasonclark/a...
Slides:
docs.google.com/presentation...
Code:
github.com/jasonclark/a...
small-language-models-trust-clark-ff2025-shared
Reasoning with Small Language Models (SLM) to Create Trustworthy GenAI Jason A. Clark @jasonclark Montana State University Fantastic Futures 2025
docs.google.com
December 5, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Slides and code from my #ff2025 talk, "Reasoning with Small Language Models (SLM) for Trustworthy Generative AI (GenAI)."
Slides:
docs.google.com/presentation...
Code:
github.com/jasonclark/a...
Slides:
docs.google.com/presentation...
Code:
github.com/jasonclark/a...
Reposted by sam blickhan
Closing keynote at #ff2025 from @dorothyjberry.bsky.social "What are we looking at? Massive Models and Minimal Description" starts with a quote from @ryancordell.org and discussion of luddism & AI in archives and libraries.
December 5, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Closing keynote at #ff2025 from @dorothyjberry.bsky.social "What are we looking at? Massive Models and Minimal Description" starts with a quote from @ryancordell.org and discussion of luddism & AI in archives and libraries.
Reposted by sam blickhan
I loved @jasonclark.bsky.social 's #FF2025 'problem statement':
'We were given access to a weirdly confident intern that can’t explain how they got their answers.
It is a seamless interface that breaks search interaction + retrieval patterns.'
'We were given access to a weirdly confident intern that can’t explain how they got their answers.
It is a seamless interface that breaks search interaction + retrieval patterns.'
Slides and code from my #ff2025 talk, "Reasoning with Small Language Models (SLM) for Trustworthy Generative AI (GenAI)."
Slides:
docs.google.com/presentation...
Code:
github.com/jasonclark/a...
Slides:
docs.google.com/presentation...
Code:
github.com/jasonclark/a...
small-language-models-trust-clark-ff2025-shared
Reasoning with Small Language Models (SLM) to Create Trustworthy GenAI Jason A. Clark @jasonclark Montana State University Fantastic Futures 2025
docs.google.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:06 PM
I loved @jasonclark.bsky.social 's #FF2025 'problem statement':
'We were given access to a weirdly confident intern that can’t explain how they got their answers.
It is a seamless interface that breaks search interaction + retrieval patterns.'
'We were given access to a weirdly confident intern that can’t explain how they got their answers.
It is a seamless interface that breaks search interaction + retrieval patterns.'
Reposted by sam blickhan
I'm lucky to be chairing a great session with lots of brilliant short papers, from 'The Politics of AI Training Data' (with people who critiqued the KB NL in the audience!), vision language models, work with newspapers and more! www.conftool.org/fantastic-fu... #FF2025
Fantastic Futures 2025 - ConfTool Pro - BrowseSessions
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with…
www.conftool.org
December 5, 2025 at 11:39 AM
I'm lucky to be chairing a great session with lots of brilliant short papers, from 'The Politics of AI Training Data' (with people who critiqued the KB NL in the audience!), vision language models, work with newspapers and more! www.conftool.org/fantastic-fu... #FF2025
One more round of papers here at #ff2025 before the lunch break and poster session, where I'll be presenting our ongoing work developing a ML/AI framework for @zooniverse.bsky.social, co-authored with Hillary Burgess.
For those not attending, you can see the poster here: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
For those not attending, you can see the poster here: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Ethical Considerations Around Machine Learning-Engaged Online Participatory Research
This poster presents work in progress that brings interdisciplinary researchers, practitioners, and members of the public together in a series of workshops to discuss the ethics of machine learning-en...
doi.org
December 5, 2025 at 10:52 AM
One more round of papers here at #ff2025 before the lunch break and poster session, where I'll be presenting our ongoing work developing a ML/AI framework for @zooniverse.bsky.social, co-authored with Hillary Burgess.
For those not attending, you can see the poster here: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
For those not attending, you can see the poster here: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Reposted by sam blickhan
Last day of Fantastic Futures 2025: AI Everywhere, All at Once begins! What an absolutely inspired community this is 🤩! Register for free access to today's livestream www.conftool.org/fantastic-fu... and join in a full schedule of incredible talks. www.conftool.org/fantastic-fu... #ai4lam #ff2025
Fantastic Futures 2025 - ConfTool Pro - BrowseSessions
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with…
www.conftool.org
December 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Last day of Fantastic Futures 2025: AI Everywhere, All at Once begins! What an absolutely inspired community this is 🤩! Register for free access to today's livestream www.conftool.org/fantastic-fu... and join in a full schedule of incredible talks. www.conftool.org/fantastic-fu... #ai4lam #ff2025
Reposted by sam blickhan
Fantastic talk from James Lee (Northwestern U Library) thinking about "archives as sensors" - love this idea. #ff2025
“What is the next biggest scientific discovery that can be made from a library collection (as a dataset)?” #FF2025
December 4, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Fantastic talk from James Lee (Northwestern U Library) thinking about "archives as sensors" - love this idea. #ff2025
Reposted by sam blickhan
12 lightning talks in 60 minutes?! Check out the richness at www.conftool.org/fantastic-fu... #FF2025
Links include:
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/research-ins...
pro.europeana.eu/post/discove...
Right now, we're pretending to be Norwegian cat historians!
Links include:
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/research-ins...
pro.europeana.eu/post/discove...
Right now, we're pretending to be Norwegian cat historians!
Fantastic Futures 2025 - ConfTool Pro - BrowseSessions
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with…
www.conftool.org
December 4, 2025 at 4:14 PM
12 lightning talks in 60 minutes?! Check out the richness at www.conftool.org/fantastic-fu... #FF2025
Links include:
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/research-ins...
pro.europeana.eu/post/discove...
Right now, we're pretending to be Norwegian cat historians!
Links include:
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/research-ins...
pro.europeana.eu/post/discove...
Right now, we're pretending to be Norwegian cat historians!
Reposted by sam blickhan
comparia.beta.gouv.fr is so awesome for AI literacy - it makes it so easy to get a sense of different models, rate their responses on accuracy etc, then see what the models were and how they compare, plus the carbon footprint of your queries (as on the screenshot) #FF2025
December 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
comparia.beta.gouv.fr is so awesome for AI literacy - it makes it so easy to get a sense of different models, rate their responses on accuracy etc, then see what the models were and how they compare, plus the carbon footprint of your queries (as on the screenshot) #FF2025