Data Science Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence presents Data Salon, featuring Kent Schull: Jan. 30

The Data Science Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence (DS-TAE) presents its first data salon this semester, on Friday, Jan 30, from 12:15 to 1:15 in AD 148, led by Kent Schull of History. Schull will present "The Pitfalls and Possibilities of Handwritten Text Recognition Development: Ottoman Turkish as Case Study." Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) is a rapidly expanding field that intersects digital humanities, data science, and large language models to harness artificial intelligence and machine learning to read and translate handwritten texts. HTR is still in its infancy and vastly more difficult than deciphering Optical Character Recognition (OCR) using AI, due to the unique traits of handwriting. This presentation engages the pitfalls and potentialities of HTR development, and the techniques we have developed to overcome challenges of comprehension, showing great promise for other languages other Ottoman Turkish including Arabic, Ladino, and Persian. Through interdisciplinary cooperation that combines humanities, linguistic, and computer science expertise here on campus, we can make major strides in HTR development.

The Data Salon session features a short talk to spark ideas, followed by generous time for open discussion and social interaction. The emphasis is on creating space for dialogue, connection, and exploring opportunities for new collaborations. More than a lecture series, Data Salon is a catalyst for community-building and cross-disciplinary connection. Forward this announcement to new faculty members who may be interested in joining the Data Science TAE listserv and becoming part of the community.

Lunch is provided for the participants. In-person participation is encouraged, however a Zoom option will also be available here: https://binghamton.zoom.us/j/95763543977 Passcode: 379441

Contact Xingye Qiao, chair of the DS TAE at xqiao@binghamton.edu with questions or click the link below for the event flyer with abstract details.

About the speaker: Kent F. Schull is a two-time Fulbright scholar to Turkey. His research and teaching interests include the social and cultural history of the Ottoman Empire and modern Middle East, criminal justice, Middle East Diaspora Studies, Israeli and Palestinian History, missiology and forced migration in the MENA region.

File Attachments: data_salon_Kent_Schull_Jan_30_2026

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Xingye Qiao

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