Dene Grigar is professor at Washington State University in Vancouver, Washington. She, Hussein Keshani, and Lee Foote (director of the Devonian Botanical Garden at the University of Alberta) presented their “Evolving the Botanic Garden” project, as part of the Emerging Visions: Digital Media and Culture talk series, hosted by Creative and Critical Studies and Green College. Dr. Grigar is working with Constance Crompton and Hussein Keshani on the interpretive mobile app for the for the Devonian’s Islamic Garden which will guide visitors through the exhibits and teach them about the flowers and the Islamic history and architecture. Her discussion of how the project works and how this new way of combining technology and botanical work can educate visitors was well-received by Critical Studies’ Media and Digital Cultures research cluster.
She was at UBCO to talk about to teach Digital Humanities and how to prepare students for the work place in this field. At her school she provides students the opportunity to get work experience and get class credit at the same time. Her students work with local companies create and maintain websites. The students receive scholarships for their work and hone not only their web development skills, but also their ability to collaborate with clients and with one another. She discussed how to integrate her teaching techniques into other classes.