Digital Borderlands

Digital Borderlands Podcast

The Digital Borderlands podcast is brought to you by Digital Borderlands, a multi-phase grant project housed within the University of Arizona Libraries and funded by the Mellon Foundation. This podcast highlights a range of library resources and services that create culturally responsive opportunities for collaborative research and data-intensive, digital storytelling about the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. This podcast focuses on stories of diversity, resilience, and counter-narratives, and provides tools and services that can represent a more complete and nuanced image of the borderlands.

Episodes

  1. 12/01/2025

    Research Engagement: Digital Storytelling & Transborder Thinking

    This episode explores the Research Engagement department at the University of Arizona Libraries and the role of digital tools in transborder thinking. Featured guests include Sylvia Fernandez Quintanilla, Assistant Professor in Public and Digital Humanities at the University of Texas in San Antonio and Digital Borderlands Institute keynote speaker. We also hear from Megan Senseney, Research Engagement Department Head. Tune in to learn more about how students, faculty, and the community can utilize digital technologies and tools with humanities research, pedagogy, and knowledge production. This episode is brought to you by Digital Borderlands, a multi-phase grant project housed within the University of Arizona Libraries and funded by the Mellon Foundation. This Digital Borderlands podcast was collaboratively created by Digital Borderlands interns. Dugan Meyer conducted interviews and supported early production, Paulette Nevarez contributed as a segment host, and Elena Calderon led the editing and final production of the episode. Show Notes  Featured Guests: Sylvia Fernández Quintanilla, Assistant Professor, Modern Languages & Literatures Megan Senseney, Department Head, Research Engagement   Hosted & Produced By:  Dugan Meyer, PhD student in the School of Geography, Development & Environment Elena Calderon, Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Paulette Nevarez, Ph.D. student in Educational Policy and Leadership  Resources Mentioned:  Digital Borderlands Faculty Fellowship Program  The Danger of a Single Story,Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  United Fronteras  Transfronterizos Research Support  Research Engagement  Digital Scholarship Data Cooperative  Data Visualization  Data Management  Geospatial Resources & Tools Geospatial Hub  QGIS  Geospatial Data, Support, Workshops  UAL GEO StoryMaps Collection  MakerSpace CATalyst Studios Teaching, Learning, & Student Support  Student Learning & Engagement  Events, Exhibits, & Workshops  Digital Publishing & Web Platforms  Omeka Web Publishing Platform  Collection Builder Open Source Framework  Newsletters Subscribe to the Research Incubator Inquiries Newsletter Subscribe to the Data Cooperative Pipelines Newsletter

    19 min
  2. 11/24/2025

    CATalyst for Change: Designing Public-Facing Research

    This episode explores CATalyst Studios, a makerspace at the University of Arizona Libraries that is open to students, faculty, staff, and the broader community. Our two featured guests Digital Design and Fabrication Specialist, Niko Sanchez, and Assistant Professor in Public/Applied Humanities, Jacqueline Jean Barrios discuss how to bring innovative projects to and how to integrate resources from CATalyst Studios into the classroom. This episode is brought to you by Digital Borderlands, a multi-phase grant project housed within the University of Arizona Libraries and funded by the Mellon Foundation. This episode was produced by graduate intern Andres Caballero, MFA candidate in Photo, Video & Imaging at the School of Art.  Show Notes  Featured Guests: Niko Sanchez, Digital Design and Fabrication Specialist Jacqueline Jean Barrios, Assistant Professor, Public / Applied Humanities Hosted By: Paulette Nevarez, Ph.D. student in Educational Policy and Leadership  Andrés Caballero, Final-year MFA candidate in Photo, Video & Imaging at the School of Art Produced By: Andrés Caballero, Final-year MFA candidate in Photo, Video & Imaging at the School of Art Resources Mentioned:  CATalyst Studios  Maker Studio  Sound Studio  Virtual Reality (VR) Studio  Digital Borderlands Faculty Fellowship  Community Resources:  Sunnyside Foundation  El Pueblo Neighborhood Center  Tucson Water Pollution:  Pollution in Tucson Water  Santa Cruz River  Dr. Gregory S. Rodriguez oral history project for trichloroethylene (TCE) collection

    20 min
  3. 11/17/2025

    Borderlands in the Archives: Teaching with Place and Memory

    In this episode, we learn about the University of Arizona Special Collections, and how it partners with instructors to bring archival materials into the classroom, creating hands-on learning experiences that enrich student engagement and understanding. This episode features two guests: Melanie “Mele” Martinez, a Digital Borderlands Faculty Fellow and instructor of Borderlands English 101. We also hear from Maggie Dwenger, Assistant Librarian, Public Services and Instruction Lead and her work with Mele in engaging her students in rare and distinctive materials found in Special Collections that are reflective of the borderlands. This episode is brought to you by Digital Borderlands, a multi-phase grant project housed within the University of Arizona Libraries and funded by the Mellon Foundation. This episode was produced by graduate intern Elena Calderon, PhD candidate in the Higher Education program. Show Notes  Featured Guests: Melanie “Mele” Martinez, Associate Professor of Practice, Assistant Director, Placement, Writing Programs  Maggie Dwenger, Assistant Librarian, Public Services and Instruction Lead  Hosted By: Paulette Nevarez, Ph.D. student in Educational Policy and Leadership  Produced By: Elena Calderon, Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Resources Mentioned:  Digital Borderlands Project Project ADELANTE  University of Arizona Special Collections Special Collections Mentioned: The Gem Show Louis C. Bustamante Photographs Juego de la Oca Códice Starbuckstlán : [edición facsimilar] Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus 1 Cajitas Project  Birthing internal images: employing the cajita project as a contemplative activity in a college classroom  The living color of students’ lives: Bringing cajitas into the classroom

    18 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The Digital Borderlands podcast is brought to you by Digital Borderlands, a multi-phase grant project housed within the University of Arizona Libraries and funded by the Mellon Foundation. This podcast highlights a range of library resources and services that create culturally responsive opportunities for collaborative research and data-intensive, digital storytelling about the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. This podcast focuses on stories of diversity, resilience, and counter-narratives, and provides tools and services that can represent a more complete and nuanced image of the borderlands.