|By Gale Staff|
We’re excited to welcome two new interns to the Gale Academic Internship Program this fall: Kat and Ben!
Both bring strong backgrounds in the humanities and a curiosity for how technology can enhance research and storytelling. Throughout the semester, they’ll be exploring archives, researching with Gale Digital Scholar Lab, and sharing creative ways to connect with students, faculty, and researchers.
What motivated you to apply for an internship at Gale, and what do you hope to achieve?
Kat: As an English literature graduate now studying communication, culture, and technology, I’m drawn to the relationship between the humanities and technology. Gale’s breadth of resources and commitment to preserving stories motivated me to apply. By the end of this internship, I hope to better understand how digital resources are created and maintained and to explore histories I might never have encountered on my own.
Ben: Studying history has shown me how central digital tools are to modern research. My interests in archives, history, and the digital humanities led me to Gale. I hope to use Gale’s tools to create a historical project I wouldn’t have thought possible without the [Gale] Digital Scholar Lab.
How can archives and digital resources impact education?
Kat: Before digitization, archives were often inaccessible—you might wait weeks for an interlibrary loan or give up entirely. Digital resources now democratize access, and I look forward to learning how curation shapes that process.
Ben: Archives and digital resources are powerful but often underused. Many students feel the digital humanities aren’t for them. I’m eager to see how Gale builds interfaces that make these tools more engaging and approachable.
What excites you most about working with archives?
Kat: I love uncovering overlooked stories. Archives preserve voices and perspectives that still shape our world, and I’m excited to reintroduce these materials in ways that resonate with today’s audiences.
Ben: My favorite part of archives is finding the unexpected, even if it shifts the direction of my research. The past is rarely clear cut, and those surprises make the work exciting.
How do you think Gale Digital Scholar Lab can enhance research?
Kat: The Lab combines vast collections with built-in tools, making research both more efficient and approachable. I’m especially interested in sentiment analysis and content set building, and I’m eager to see how much time it saves compared to traditional methods.
Ben: Many believe you need coding skills to use digital humanities tools, but the Lab makes them accessible. I’m excited about the natural language processing features, which I’ll use to study early modern student writing.
How can social media help connect students and educators to Gale?
Kat: Students want quick, engaging content. Social media works best when it’s approachable and useful in the moment, while leaving the door open for deeper engagement with Gale’s resources.
Ben: Social media expands reach beyond campus and helps students share their own experiences. It’s a way to connect globally with people who may not have access to in-person events.
Are there specific topics you’d like to explore?
Kat: I’m especially interested in the history of education in the U.S. and in fan culture. I’d love to explore early examples of both.
Ben: I want to study higher education in early modern England and the scientific revolution. Stories of how students debated and learned before exams were written especially interest me.
What skills do you hope to gain from this internship?
Kat: I want to learn more about how technology streamlines research and how archives are curated. I’m especially excited to explore digital humanities methods like sentiment analysis and topic modeling.
Ben: I hope to hone my skills as both a researcher and public humanist. Using Gale’s archival collections and the [Gale] Digital Scholar Lab will prepare me for graduate studies and strengthen my ability to share research in engaging ways.
Meet the Interns
Kat Weiss is a second-year master’s student at Georgetown University studying communication, culture, and technology (CCT). Outside of school, she enjoys knitting and catching as many new movie releases as possible.
Ben Armus is a senior at the College of William & Mary studying history. In his free time, he cheers for the New York Mets and Buffalo Bills, reads, and plays crossword puzzles with friends.
We’re excited to see the creativity, research, and fresh ideas Kat and Ben will bring to the Gale Academic Internship Program this fall!
