Thursday, November 20, 2025
DENTON (UNT), Texas 鈥� Faculty and students at the celebrated the grand opening of a new center that will bring humanities scholarship to the Dallas-Fort Worth region through applied research and collaboration.
UNT College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences executive dean Albert Bimper attends the grand opening of the Lab for Engaged, Applied, and Public Humanities
The (LEAPH) connects humanities scholars to the public to solve real-world problems. The lab is comprised of faculty working groups and student researchers invested in tackling societal challenges and creating accessible scholarship.
鈥淭he humanities are an active part of everyday life, sometimes in ways that are not always obvious. This is an opportunity to engage the public and help our students see the different ways they can apply the skills they鈥檝e learned,鈥� said , director of LEAPH and clinical assistant professor in the .
Jennifer Wallach, UNT CLASS divisional dean of humanities and professor of history, welcomes attendees to the lab grand opening
Housed in the (CLASS), the lab is both a research incubator and a multimedia lab space. The center includes a conference room with space for meetings and work sessions, as well as a studio for audio-visual recording. , CLASS divisional dean for humanities and professor of history, said the lab will serve as a central location for faculty looking to collaborate across disciplines.
鈥淲e see this as a place to generate and uplift faculty research projects that have public-facing components. The space is jointly owned by all of the humanities disciplines, and that鈥檚 powerful,鈥� Wallach said.
One such project now housed in the lab is the (MAPP), which received funding from the USDA鈥檚 National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Faculty and students affiliated with MAPP are working on several public-facing initiatives, including the creation of a seed library for public use, an educational partnership with a Denton-based community garden and seedling giveaways at local farmer鈥檚 markets and festivals.
From left: UNT's Kimberly Grey, assistant professor of creative writing, and Sara Park, assistant professor of rehabilitation and health services, discuss the Neuro-Narratives Project
Although the lab has a humanities focus, interdisciplinary partnerships are also encouraged. One of its inaugural initiatives is the Neuro-Narratives Project, a collaborative effort between CLASS, the and the . Faculty and students from the Departments of History, , and are working to create an archive of stories, knowledge and perspectives from autistic and neurodiverse community members that will serve as an educational tool and a public resource. Another is the Texas Animal Humanities Project 鈥� a collaboration between faculty and researchers from the Departments of History and 鈥� which blends humanities scholarship with ecological conservation efforts, like distributing soil and native seed blends to attract and provide shelter for threatened Texas horned lizards.
鈥淐ommunity service and engagement are the central tenet we鈥檙e working toward. We鈥檙e really working to build lasting connections with the Dallas-Fort Worth community,鈥� Burnham said.
At the lab鈥檚 grand opening, faculty and researchers shared information about their projects and distributed samples to attendees. Madison Black, a master鈥檚 student in history and graduate assistant for the LEAPH, helped prepare the seed and soil samples in support of the Texas Animal Humanities Project. She believes working with the lab is preparing her to pursue a career in museum administration.
鈥淚 think working on these interdisciplinary projects, collecting oral histories and working with the public is giving me the knowledge and skills to enter the workforce,鈥� Black said.
Sofia Stevens-Garcia, a senior double-majoring in history and Spanish, works as a research administrator for MAPP. Now that the project has support from the lab, she is excited to collaborate with researchers from other fields.
鈥淭he path forward for all fields of study is interdisciplinarity and working together to achieve common goals. I鈥檓 really excited to work with students majoring in the sciences because it鈥檚 important to have those perspectives.鈥�
Once she finishes her undergraduate degree, Stevens-Garcia plans to pursue a master鈥檚 degree abroad. She said her work with the lab is already helping her prepare for that next step.
鈥淚鈥檓 making connections with people in other fields that I wouldn鈥檛 have made otherwise 鈥� this space is really creating a network of people,鈥� she said.
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