Dark Archives

When we forget the lessons of the past, all hope for progess is lost.

As climate change and political instability continue to rise worldwide, humanity’s history is facing an increasing threat. Historical manuscripts - snippets of the past that provide insight into how the world used to be - are in danger of washing away in a flood or burning in a fire. Historians are particularly interested in manuscripts from the Dark Ages, also known as the Early Middle Ages, due to the relative scarcity of literary output during that time period. The challenge they face, however, is locating these documents before they are lost to time.

As part of the Bachelor of Innovation, I co-lead an Agile team of software developers and game designers to bring our client’s idea to life. Our client, Roger L. Martínez-Dávila, Ph.D of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Department of History, is particularly fascinated with manuscripts that depict positive relations between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim people during the Dark Ages. Dr. Martínez and his colleagues believe the key to improving relations between religious groups today lies in the manuscripts of the Dark Ages.

Dr. Martínez came to my co-lead and I with a grant he had submitted for funding. The grant outlined his idea for a citizen science app that enables people to explore their local communities and digitally preserve any manuscripts they find. By taking a few photos of the document and entering some relevant data, local community members can ensure the document they found is accessible to researchers around the world.

Our team quickly got to work designing the app Dr. MartÍnez was dreaming of. I designed the user interface and helped my team think through the app’s structure. My co-lead designed a well-thought-out database capable of any query a researcher may need. Other members of the team researched technologies most suited to the project and brainstormed ideas to promote user engagement in the app.

By the end of the semester, we had a well-documented design plan for Dr. Martínez to carry forward into development. The grant was approved for funding, and one of our team members recieved the opportunity to continue developing the project over the summer. For the first and only time, I found myself wishing I was not graduating just yet so that I could continue to work on the project as well. I look forward to seeing how the project turns out and the impact it makes once it reaches the app stores.