UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1288

Submission information
Submission Number: 1288
Submission ID: 21036
Submission UUID: 3af9e5d0-2f52-43bd-bff6-140dbe8f8d2b

Created: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 10:52 PM
Completed: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 10:54 PM
Changed: Thu, 09/04/2025 - 10:23 AM

Remote IP address: 46.110.204.100
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Primary Research Mentor Name George Williamson
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? Dr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) gwilliamson@fsu.edu
Position Title Faculty
FSU College (if applicable) Arts and Sciences
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation History
Headshot (optional) George 2020 w beard.jpg
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above)
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable)
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Title of the Project Transcribing Historical Handwriting Using AI Tools
Project Keywords Handwriting, Transcription, AI
Are you currently looking for research assistants? Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed 1
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? No, the project is remote
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): Fully Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 5-10
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description This project involves learning and applying new tools that make it easier to read centuries-old handwriting. For decades, historians of Europe interested in reading letters, diaries, or government documents from 1500 forward have had to master a new form of handwriting just to make out individual letters and words. In the past five years or so, however, new software tools have emerged that can do the work of transcription on their own. My current project involves a large number of archival documents in the late 18th-century/early 19th-century German handwriting, often referred to as Kanzleischrift. The UROP student would work with me to master the basics of transcription software (we will start with Transkribus) to decipher these sources. For the final UROP project, the student could either present on their use of this software or apply their new found skills to decipher and discuss a particularly interesting text from the past.
Research Tasks dealing with old handwriting
using AI-based transcription tools
organization of files and documents
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: * required: facility with computers and software
* recommended (but not necessary): a basic knowledge of German (German I or higher)
Mentoring Philosophy I look at UROP as an opportunity for students to become familiar with and, eventually, partners in the research process as it is carried out by historians engaged in original archival research. This involves bringing students up to speed regarding the key questions underlying a research project, the sources that will be used to answer those questions, and a sense of just what is at stake in the project as a whole. The project on the assassination of Kotzebue is, in part, a study of political violence, its origins, and its effects, but it also offers a window into an era and culture that was different from our own but also quite alike. As a mentor, I will attempt to match research tasks with the interests and preferences of my UROP students. As students demonstrate competence in one area, they will be given opportunities to explore other areas of the research. Along the way, I will provide help and advice regarding the work you are doing on the project, as well as your final UROP poster presentation.
Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): See below.
Please add any additional information here (if applicable): For those who are interested, background on the Kotzebue assassination and its impact can be found in these articles. I have a handout available that background information for the first article. If you'd like a copy of the handout (or of the articles) you can contact me directly at gwilliamson@fsu.edu
* George Williamson. "What Killed August von Kotzebue? The Temptations of Virtue and the Political Theology of German Nationalism, 1789-1819," Journal of Modern History 72:4 (2000), 890-943. [Accessible online via Strozier Libraries at this link: https://www-journals-uchicago-edu.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/doi/full/10.1086/318549]
* George Williamson. "Thought Is in Itself a Dangerous Operation": The Campaign Against 'Revolutionary Machinations' in Germany, 1819-1828," German Studies Review 38:2 , 285-306. [Accessible online via Strozier Libraries at this link: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/582108]
Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links
Roundtable Info
  • Day: Thursday, September 4
    Start Time: 4:00
    End Time: 4:30
    Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/8576263967
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation Yes
Materials Grant Yes
UROP Poster Presentation Yes
Year 2025
update url https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?element_parents=elements/research_mentor_information/headshot_optional_&ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=jhDu7HetoAJ021wPN0m5AJp8Fb7ujpUcIlrruJp69PA