what we do

The BCaT Lab is a resource available to anyone - we welcome all majors and research interests, and we encourage you to see us as a resource invested in your academic growth. We encourage members of the UMD community and beyond to take advantage of resources within the BCaT Lab!

The BCaT Lab enlivens a new generation of scholars with interests in Black Studies and Cultural Production, Digital Humanities, Critical Race work, and more. The lab introduces undergraduates to digital research through workshops, helps graduate students navigate research, and cultivates supportive inter-generational mentoring networks.

We introduce undergraduates to digital research through workshops and coursework, helps students navigate graduate research, and creates a mentoring network for students and faculty to navigate Black digital studies within the humanities, focusing on collaboration across generations. We model a cohort approach that offers support in recruitment, training, and mentoring.

BCaT is a proud partner of the DISCO Network. With funding support from the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the DISCO Network connects, convenes, and sustains a national network of artists, scholars, and practitioners working on topics of racial inequality, histories of exclusion, disability justice, and techno-ableism, and digital racial politics within the academy, the technology industry, and beyond.

Frequently asked questions

  • The BCaT Lab is located at 3115 Skinner. If an event is being hosted outside of the lab, the building and room number will be located in promotional materials and the BCaT Google Calendar.

  • The BCaT Lab hosts several events each semester, alongside open lab hours between 10am - 3pm from Tuesday to Thursday. Several of these events are consistent from semester-to-semester: 

    • DISCO CO(LAB)s are year-long, inter-institutional collaborative research projects.

    • BCaT Learns is a weekly lunchtime program with varying focus areas that includes guided discussions, colloquiums, book clubs, tools workshops and guest speaker presentations. 

    • BCaT Writes provides a weekly supportive space for writing and body-doubling, as well as drop-in support for undergraduate students seeking writing support.

    • BCaT Applies is a monthly workshop with varying topics aimed at supporting your career development, from CV and job market material reviews, to discussions of alt-academic career paths, to workshopping conference materials! 

    • BCaT Eats is our monthly event where we prioritise rest and community-building - we invite you to join us for dinner, movies, and games. 

    Other programming may include colloquium and/or panel talks, and author visits at BCaT Book Club meetings. 

  • There are several resources available for you to use in the BCaT Lab. These include a podcasting studio, XR Equipment, a television setup for virtual presentations or group calls, laptops and a iMac, snacks and drinks, the BCaT library and an inviting space to rest.

  • Each semester, the BCaT Lab will be running an inter-institutional collaborative project that we encourage the academic community to join. You may reach out to the lab director, lab fellows, or lab affiliates for more information. Additionally, there will be an interest form circulated and information session held toward the beginning of each semester.

  • You can check out physical library books from the BCaT Library by filling out the BCaT Library Book Checkout Google Form. Also linked on our library page is the BCaT Zotero, this includes both the BCaT Library Books and our recommended articles of interest, categorized by relevance to respective collaborative projects and topics.

  • The BCaT Lab welcomes affiliates from the University of Maryland and inter-institutional communities. BCaT Lab affiliates gain access to the BCaT Lab and BCaT Lab resources. Contact Dr. Rianna Walcott or Dr. Catherine Knight-Steele for more information about becoming a BCaT Lab affiliate.