3/3 Quiet highlight: a commissioning editor invited me to develop a book proposal based on the dissertation. With my defence on Dec 17, it feels like this very long project is finally starting to turn a corner into whatever comes next. #skystorians #phdlife #conference #digitalhumanities

2/3 I presented a case study from my dissertation on ambition, authority, and control in early modern Scotland, using computational methods I’ve been building for years.

Folks were genuinely engaged with the digital side of things, which was both surreal and really encouraging.

12/12 If you could give a talk today on a critical historical issue, what would it be? Drop your dream panel in the replies!
#Skystorians #PublicHistory #DigitalHumanities #AcademicFreedom #EthicalResearch #HistoryMatters

11/12 My biggest takeaway? History is an active, ongoing conversation. The way we tell stories, structure archives, describe records, and even design video games all shape how people understand the past. #Skystorians

10/12 A big thank-you to the conference organizers and everyone who presented for their hard work, research, and insights! #Skystorians

9/12 Michael Humeniuk – "The Brotherhood of History: Assassin’s Creed and the Production of History to a New Generation": As a public historian, I loved this take on video games as history education—and let’s be honest, this was one of the most fun papers at the conference! #Skystorians

8/12 Olivia Holland – "The Power of Language: An Exploration of the Ethical Implications of Archival Description": Another powerful paper on research ethics, particularly how archival description shapes historical narratives. This one really resonated with me. #Skystorians

7/12 Megan Gamble – "Women, Emotion, and Covenanting Dissent": A fascinating deep dive into Scottish women’s history—a field that always benefits from more voices. Megan’s approach to integrating emotion and dissent into historical analysis was fantastic. #Skystorians

6/12 Sebastian Walsh-Murray – "Deadly Definitions: Language and Identity in the Path to the Holocaust": As someone who studies language and power, I really appreciated Sebastian’s approach to linguistic violence as a lens for understanding historical atrocities. #Skystorians

5/12 Jordan Tardif – "Archival Research Ethics: The Digital Divide, the AI Gap, and Digital Colonization": Jordan, my co-panelist, delivered a fascinating paper that challenged my thinking on digital ethics, and our discussion over lunch was a highlight of the day. #Skystorians

4/12 Beyond presenting, I attended some incredible panels and learned from brilliant colleagues. A few standout papers that stuck with me: #Skystorians

3/12 In this context, public history is more vital than ever. Ensuring fair, accessible, and inclusive historical knowledge isn’t just an academic exercise, it’s an act of resistance. #Skystorians

2/12 Misinformation isn’t just about innocent mistakes—it’s about deliberate efforts to rewrite history. We've seen it with the attack on the 1619 Project and now with Project 2025 and political efforts to control education, suppress research, and restrict historical narratives. #Skystorians

@mimicofmodes.com perhaps something you can help with?

Scholl knew that. And I hope that if the time comes, I’ll have even a fraction of her courage. Because the stakes aren’t just personal. #SophieScholl #WhiteRose #NeverAgain #WWII #Skystorians #HistoryMatters

I think about courage a lot, especially given the current state of affairs. There’s no reasoning with fascists. You’re either screaming and fighting now, or you’re letting yourself be dragged to the "second location". The outcome is the same—just worse.