Reconstructing the past with AI: Virtual reality and massive governmental archives

13 Aprile 2026 | 16:00 — 17:30
Virtual/Online

This talk presents two experimental projects integrating generative AI into historical research and digital public history. The first project reconstructs Boston’s West End neighborhood in virtual reality using historical maps, photographs, and planning documents. In this classroom-based project, undergraduate students build interactive environments using assistance from generative AI tools with coding tasks and technical implementation. The second project analyzes large collections of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency documents related to Superfund hazardous waste sites. Using large language models and retrieval pipelines, the project extracts structured information from technical reports and aims to support cross-site historical analysis of contamination, regulation, and cleanup. These interdisciplinary projects leverage emerging tools and invite discussion of the next frontier of history education and research.

 

Ella HOWARD | Wentworth Institute of Technology

Mehmet ERGEZER | Wentworth Institute of Technology

Seminar cycle: “AI and history“

Organization:
Federico Mazzini (Università degli Studi di Padova)
Andrea Pojer (Università di Trento – FBK-ISIG)
Massimo Rospocher (FBK-ISIG)
Sandra Toffolo (FBK-ISIG)

ISIG is accredited or qualified to provide training for school staff in Trentino.

The event will be held ONLINE in English.

Registration is mandatory by 10 April 2026 at noon.

 

 

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Image: AdobeStock_1037404632

Relatori

  • Ella Howard - Speaker
    Wentworth Institute of Technology
    Ella Howard is Professor of History at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Her current research focuses on urban history, environmental policy, and digital methods in historical research. She is the author of "Homeless: Poverty and Place in Urban America" and teaches Boston History, Responsible Uses of Generative AI, Introduction to GIS for the Social Sciences and Humanities, and Introduction to Computer Science and Society.
  • Mehmet Ergezer - Speaker
    Wentworth Institute of Technology
    Mehmet Ergezer is Associate Professor of Computer Science and Amazon Scholar at Wentworth Institute of Technology. His research interests include embedded control systems, computational intelligence, and statistical signal processing. In addition to his academic work, he has industry experience in acoustics, aerospace, healthcare, and manufacturing.

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L'iniziativa è stata realizzata anche grazie al contributo della Direzione generale Educazione, ricerca e istituti culturali del Ministero della Cultura.

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