Learning and Exchange
Grant Writing Guidance
Grant Proposal Writing Guide for Mid-Career Scholars
Grant proposal writing is crucial for mid-career humanities scholars. Successfully securing foundational, federal, or international funding enables researchers to pursue innovative ideas, foster meaningful collaborations, and enhance scholarly impact. This guide offers a structured, supportive approach to developing effective grant proposals while staying true to your core passions.
The Plus Ultra Collective offers a dynamic space for continuous learning, skill development, and scholarly exchange. Through a diverse array of workshops, trainings, lectures, and interactive events, we provide opportunities for members to deepen their expertise, explore new research methodologies, and engage in meaningful discussions on intercultural history, digital humanities, and public scholarship. Whether you're looking to enhance your grant-writing skills, collaborate on digital projects, or participate in thought-provoking conversations, our Learning & Exchange series fosters an inclusive environment where scholars, educators, students, and citizen historians can connect, grow, and innovate together. Join us to expand your knowledge and network!
Digital Storytelling in the DH: Methods for Community-Driven Narratives and Media-Rich Storytelling
Digital Storytelling in the Digital Humanities: Methods for Community-Driven Narratives and Media-Rich Storytelling
When: Tuesday, November 18, 2025 · 8:00–9:30 AM Mountain
Also: 9:00–10:30 AM Central · 10:00–11:30 AM Eastern · 16:00–17:30 Central European (CET/UTC+1)
Where: Google Meet — join: https://meet.google.com/esq-ibtp-fiw
RSVP: https://forms.gle/EzvCq55J2T2D8LvW8
Abstract
This workshop explores alternative forms of scholarly communication—how scholars and educators use digital storytelling to foster critical historical thinking, public engagement, and collaborative innovation. Led by Professors Andrea Davis and Patricia Schechter, the session highlights narrative-rich, web-based approaches grounded in solidarity, community memory, and social justice.
Agenda (90 minutes)
0:00–0:05 — Welcome & Framing
Dr. Roger Martínez-Dávila — opening remarks and workshop goals within the Plus Ultra Collective vision.
0:05–0:25 — Session 1: Podcasting
Family Secrets of the Spanish Civil War — Dr. Patricia Schechter
Collaborative scripting and feminist interventions in historical narration for public audiences.
0:25–1:05 — Session 2: Born-Digital Scholarly Publishing
Voices, Narratives and Memories of Francoism (Forthcoming, Fordham University Press) — Dr. Andrea Davis
Opportunities and challenges in building a multimodal digital monograph for public and academic audiences, integrating enhanced audiovisual testimonies from the Spanish Civil War Memory Project; lessons learned on platforms, storytelling plans, and team collaboration.
1:05–1:35 — Group Discussion & Q&A
Moderated by Patricia & Andrea
Speaker bios
Andrea Davis, Ph.D. — Associate Professor of History at Arkansas State University. Her work focuses on modern Spain’s memory cultures, urban social movements, and digital heritage. She directs community-engaged projects on the memory of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist dictatorship and collaborates on the Virtual Museum of the Spanish Civil War. More at https://andrea-davis.com/.
Patricia A. Schechter, Ph.D. — Professor of History at Portland State University. Her work bridges feminist public history, collaborative memory work, and Spanish Civil War oral testimony. She is the creator of Los Libros del Terrible, a community-driven project of local history, memory, and storytelling, and is developing the podcast “Family Secrets of the Spanish Civil War.” More at https://libros-del-terrible.com/.
Host
Roger Martínez-Dávila, Ph.D. — Professor of History at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and co-founder of the Plus Ultra Collective, an international research collaborative for human-centered digital humanities, immersive storytelling, and public-access scholarship. More at https://www.plusultracollective.org/collaborators.
RSVP (required to receive follow-up materials and recording access):
https://forms.gle/EzvCq55J2T2D8LvW8
The Scriptomes Project: AI and the Pre-Modern Written World
The Scriptomes Project: AI and the Pre-Modern Written World
The Scriptomes Project: AI and the Pre-Modern Written World
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
8:00–9:15 AM MT | 10:00 AM ET | 16:00 GMT+2
Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/qum-ueji-vmy
Register or request recording: https://forms.gle/9xoCnR9eCePWREZW8
Join us for an immersive session with Dr. Stephen Pink, historian of theology, manuscript culture, and AI-powered historical inquiry. This workshop explores The Scriptomes Project—an initiative using LMMs (Large Multi-Modal Models), archival metadata, and probabilistic modeling to reconstruct the vast, often-lost ecosystem of pre-modern texts.
Come see how AI is reshaping how we visualize and understand the global medieval written world.
Organized by the Plus Ultra Collective, this session is open to scholars, students, and curious minds across fields. Over 20 participants have already registered—we hope to see you there!
AI-Generated Digital Art and Video for Historical Storytelling Workshop
AI-Generated Digital Art and Video for Historical Storytelling Workshop
When: Wednesday, September 10, 2025
8:00–9:15 AM Mountain Time
10:00 AM Eastern Time
9:00 AM Central Time
16:00 Western Europe (GMT+2)
View the recorded workshop
Abstract
The Plus Ultra Collective welcomes you to join us for an interactive workshop exploring how generative AI can enhance historical storytelling through speculative imagery grounded in rigorous research. We’ll demonstrate RunwayAI, a user-friendly, in-browser AI image and video tool that transforms scripts and images into cinematic sequences. The session emphasizes creating visual narratives with text-to-video generation, AI-assisted image/video editing, and visual effects to vividly reconstruct the past, while ensuring creative outputs remain anchored in historical scholarship.
Also, I will showcase a prototype online game, Virtual Plasencia, Spain: The Medieval Vines of Three Faiths (A cooperative strategy game), that utilizes AI to create instant art and nonlinear storylines. In the game, you cultivate vineyards across 15th-century Plasencia, managing production and tithes while fostering collaboration between diverse religious communities. Navigate shared resources and social dynamics, ensuring interfaith trust and collective prosperity to prevent economic and social collapse (A Runway Game World).
See it at: https://play.runwayml.com/worlds/867b4908-1a33-4232-bd82-a4c84240c32a The workshop will be recorded. Please register if you would like to view the recording.
Session Outline
Part 1: Tools and Methods – Introduction to RunwayAI’s capabilities (text-to-video, image-to-video, and AI-powered editing) for crafting historical scenes. We’ll explore how scripts and reference images can be converted into short cinematic clips, all within a web browser.
Part 2: Limitations, Concerns & Ethics – Discussion on the limitations of AI-generated content and potential pitfalls in historical contexts. We’ll address ethical concerns (authenticity, bias, accuracy, ai-safety mechanisms) and how to balance creative freedom with responsible storytelling when using AI.
Part 3: Open Discussion & Future Experimentation – A collaborative forum for Q&A, idea exchange, and brainstorming. Participants can share their experiences, debate best practices, and propose future projects using AI for historical research and visualization.
Agenda (75 minutes)
8:00–8:10 AM: Welcome and introductions
8:10–8:30 AM:Part 1 – Tools & Methods: RunwayAI demo and examples
8:30–8:45 AM:Part 2 – Limitations & Ethics: Challenges and considerations
8:45–9:10 AM:Part 3 – Discussion: Open Q&A and brainstorming
9:10–9:15 AM: Wrap-up and next steps
AI-Video Final ProductCooperación y conflicto interreligioso: judíos, cristianos y musulmanes en la ciudad medieval de Plasencia, España: Interreligious Cooperation and Conflict: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Medieval City of Plasencia, Spain
Description: An AI-generated exploration of 15th-century Plasencia, Spain, revealing how Jews, Christians, and Muslims coexisted—sometimes in partnership, often in tension—during a period of religious, political, and economic transformation.Watch here: https://youtu.be/sSrLQBCbyG8
Speaker Bio
Dr. Roger L. Martínez-Dávila – Professor of History at the University of Colorado and expert in digital humanities, AI/VR modeling, and Iberian intercultural history. He specializes in using immersive digital tools to recreate medieval worlds and uncover intercultural exchanges in Iberian history. Dr. Martínez-Dávila’s innovative scholarship bridges technology and history, from VR reconstructions of historical sites to collaborative projects on medieval Spanish communities.
Introduction to Creating Immersive Virtual Worlds for Research and Teaching (May 19, 2025)
Introduction to Creating Immersive Virtual Worlds for Research and Teaching
May 19, 2025
5:00 to 7:00 pm Mountain Time / 7:00 to 9:00 pm Eastern Time
Zoom
Explore the transformative potential of immersive virtual worlds in historical research and education with this introductory workshop led by Dr. Roger Martínez-Dávila. This session will provide scholars and educators with a foundational understanding of how 3D environments, digital reconstructions, and interactive simulations can be used to visualize historical spaces, engage students, and enhance scholarly analysis. Using real-world examples from his own digital history projects, Dr. Martínez-Dávila will discuss tools, workflows, and best practices for integrating virtual worlds into teaching and research. No prior technical experience required—just curiosity and a passion for innovation!
Register by emailing rogerlmartinez@gmail.com
Early and Mid-Career Grants: Locating, Writing, and Resubmitting
Mid-Career Grants: Locating, Writing, and Resubmitting
March 12, 2025
10 am Mountain Time / 12 noon Eastern Time.
Join us for this interactive online event featuring Dr. Roger Martínez-Dávila, who will share insights from his extensive experience securing research funding for medieval and global history projects. Co-hosted by Medievalists of Color, this session will guide early and mid-career scholars through locating grant opportunities, crafting compelling proposals, and effectively resubmitting applications after rejection. Drawing from his own successes and challenges (learn more), Dr. Martínez-Dávila will provide practical strategies, real-world examples, and insider tips to help scholars navigate the funding process. Don't miss this chance to refine your grant-writing skills and enhance your research trajectory!
Register by emailing rogerlmartinez@gmail.com