DSSRF 2025 Cohort (From left to right): Deryn Varney, Aura Chuck Hernandez, Aaron Ruohoniemi
Learn more about the members of the 2025 cohort by reading their biographies and digital humanities values statement below.
Aura Chuck Hernandez '27
Aura Chuck Hernandez is a rising junior at Bucknell University double-majoring in Computer Science and Literary Studies. She was born in Tamaulipas, Mexico, but was raised in the Rio Grande Valley and currently calls Pittsburgh home.
Aura is interested in the ways storytelling and technology can have tangible impacts on underserved communities. Her research interests include digital accessibility and digital humanities, and her current project investigates how regions across Mexico write about the epidemic of femicide (the systemic murder of women).
Final Project: Mujeres Juntas “Women Together”: Combating Data Driven Distortions of Femicide Through Narrative
Aaron Ruohoniemi '28
Hello! My name is Aaron Ruohoniemi and I am a rising sophomore at Bucknell University majoring in Markets, Innovation, and Design and double-majoring in Studio Art with a minor in Russian Studies.
Having spent my childhood moving back and forth overseas from the US to Russia, Mongolia, and Nepal, I developed a love for exploring cultures and expanding my knowledge of the world. I find my passion in the art, language, and history all around me, which has translated into my research analyzing the decline of language and culture for the Buryat people in Russia.
Final Project: Тоонто Нютаг “Homeland”: Exploring the Declining Language and Culture of the Buryats
Deryn Varney '27
I am a rising fourth-year transfer student at Bucknell, studying computer science and French. I was raised in Pennsylvania and I have a lot of love for my state. I love nature walking, sci-fi, and karaoke.
I am animated by ethical questions and explorations. For this summer’s research, I plan to explore facets of overconsumption, energy use, and the global waste crisis. An enduring question for me is to ask why environmental concerns are so deeply minimized in the minds of many Americans.
Final Project: Data Centers
What Does Digital Humanities Mean to Us?
Broadly, digital humanities encompasses both the use of digital tools to explore humanities issues and the examination of those tools through a humanities lens. We think of humanities as the exploration of the human experience through cultural analysis, history, literature, and art. We believe that undertaking work in the digital humanities requires the self-conscious and ethical application of technology to humanities topics. Inherent to digital humanities endeavors is a recognition that we should strive to use technology to develop new ways of thinking about and presenting humanities scholarship.
What are our Values?
Accessibility: We care about ensuring our scholarship reaches beyond the ivory tower.
Community-oriented: We’re focused on working collaboratively while building our projects, but also focusing on outreach after they’re completed.
Consent: Now more than ever, it’s easier to utilize technology to create projects that lack attribution. The backbones of many of our projects are the perspectives, scholarship, and livelihood of other individuals. As such, we think it’s imperative we collect research mindfully. We recognize that people are more than data points or stories we can reference, but individuals with the willingness to refuse to participate in our work.
Activism: We want to give a voice to underrepresented, marginalized communities that don’t fit the traditional narrative they’ve been assigned.
Humility: We’re conducting our projects with the recognition that we aren’t better than our audience or the people we source our data from.
What Do We Hope to Gain From This Program?
Aura: “DSSRF is providing me an opportunity to engage meaningfully with digital humanities. I hope that through my project I can continue asserting a notion I began to believe when I declared my CS & Literature double-major–scholarship is its best when it’s multidisciplinary.”
Aaron: “Through this program and our research, I hope we can become more conscious of the issues people around the world face every day. This is our first step towards learning how to be active thinkers and makers with the intent of making a positive difference and change in the lives of people who need a voice.”
Deryn: “My hope for this summer is to progress in clarifying my own thinking on the social and environmental issues I consider essential for humanity to face. I also hope to progress in my ability to present information thoughtfully, honorably, and persuasively.”