It is with pleasure that we announce that Arun Jacob has been chosen to receive the first Stéfan Sinclair Memorial Scholarship. His doctoral project in critical digital humanities, his strong letters of recommendation, his explanation of financial need and research history made his application outstanding. Moreover, his position on using theoretical and technological tools to question administrative structures in the university echoes Prof. Sinclair’s call to move beyond the borders of traditional scholarship.
Arun Jacob (he/him) is a doctoral student at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, working in the Media, Technology, and Culture concentration. His doctoral work explores how contemporary university data management techniques and technologies shape our socio-cultural relations, experiences, and knowledge. Arun’s most recent publication, “Follow The Ho Chi Minh Trail: Analyzing the Media History of the Electronic Battlefield” is available on the Interdisciplinary Digital Engagement in Arts & Humanities (IDEAH) Vol. 2, Issue 1. Arun is the author of “Punching Holes in the International Busa Machine Narrative,” found in the volume Alternative Historiographies of the Digital Humanities (Punctum Books, 2021), co-edited by Dorothy Kim and Adeline Koh. He also co-authored the article “Transforming DH Pedagogy” (Digital Studies/le Champ Numérique 2020) with Nadine Boulay, Ashley Caranto Morford, Kush Patel, and Kimberly O’Donnell.
The Stéfan Sinclair Scholarship is designed to support a graduate student working at the intersection of the humanities, literature, language and computing who needs financial assistance. Each year a scholarship of approximately $2500 will be awarded to help pay the tuition of one student in memory of Stéfan Sinclair. The award is supported by family and friends of Stéfan Sinclair.
Dr. Stéfan Sinclair was a professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at McGill University. He specialized in digital humanities research, teaching and tool development. His many professional accomplishments include the creation (in partnership with Geoffrey Rockwell) of Voyant, an accessible in-browser suite of text analysis tools; and the creation (in partnership with Terry Nadasdi) of Bon Patron, an online grammar checker for French, used by millions of individuals each year. His endeavours resulted, over the years, in a number of significant contributions to the development of Digital Humanities, both in Canada and internationally.
Intrinsic to the basic nature of Stéfan the person were authenticity and humility. He engaged with colleagues and students alike in a gentle, caring, accepting, generous and respectful manner, always seeing his role as one of providing support and rendering service. His leadership style in the pursuit of his professional goals was one of collaboration, and he always maintained an unflinching advocacy for his students.
The Stéfan Sinclair Memorial Scholarship Award Committee
