Students and faculty from four universities will meet at GW next month to begin a digital humanities research project, according to a University release Monday.

The collaboration between GW, Rice University, Davidson College and Prairie View A&M is a two-year project that is funded by a $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Ben Vinson, the dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, and Geneva Henry, the dean of libraries and academic innovation, came up with the idea for the consortium, which is called “Resilient Networks to Support Inclusive Digital Humanities.”

Henry said in the release that digital humanities is the “application of computational techniques by humanities scholars to enable a deeper analysis and understanding of digital humanities content,” and that the research will improve students’ and faculty’s understanding of digital culture, according to the release.

“Digital resources and platforms increasingly shape how culture is created and communicated,” Henry said.

Undergraduate and graduate students interested in the field will have new research and mentorship opportunities through the consortium, Henry added.

“By receiving digital technology training, working intensely on project development and assessment and working alongside faculty and librarians, interested students will be better poised for pursing a career suited to their particular expertise and academic interests,” she said.

University President Steven Knapp said in a letter of support for the project that research in the digital humanities will push GW to become a top research institution, according to the release.

“The ‘Resilient Networks’ model will encourage innovation through collaboration across academic disciplines and institutions, bringing together students, scholars and librarians to share methodologies and technological tools with the goal of advancing knowledge,” Knapp said.