BGU Hosts Third Research Festival Spotlighting Computational Humanities
The Research Festival at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the flagship event for advancing research at the University, focused this year on the integration of computation and the humanities, highlighting the University's commitment to promoting interdisciplinary excellence.
The Third Annual Research Festival, the flagship event dedicated to promoting academic research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, took place this week. Initiated by the Vice President and Dean for Research and Development, Prof. Raz Jelinek, this year’s festival focused on the intersection of computation and the humanities, highlighting the university’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary excellence. The event featured a keynote lecture, TED-style talks by university researchers, and the presentation of research grants and awards to outstanding scholars and students.
As artificial intelligence (AI) models continue to evolve at a remarkable pace, impacting both the scientific world and popular culture, the integration of computational methods with the humanities is gaining unprecedented momentum. Organized under the leadership of Prof. Raz Jelinek, this year’s festival aimed to advance research in this burgeoning field.
The program included a keynote lecture by Prof. Liad Mudrik from Tel Aviv University, who addressed the topic of consciousness and artificial intelligence, TED-style presentations by university researchers, and a student project competition with awards for innovative initiatives.
“Computation makes significant contributions to the humanities, and the humanities, in turn, enrich computational research. This year’s Research Festival showcased the groundbreaking work being conducted at Ben-Gurion University at the intersection of these fields,” said Prof. Jelinek. “We are committed to continuing to encourage research in this direction.”
“How do we preserve the human spirit in this new world?” posed Ben-Gurion University President, Prof. Daniel Chamovitz. “The world and society are changing rapidly, and we must not forget to preserve our humanity.” He added, “In recent years, we’ve seen a growing demand for humanities studies, reflecting the strength of our faculty and the interdisciplinary approach embodied in this festival.”
The festival concluded with the announcement of the research grant recipients. Dr. Michael Fire and Prof. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal were recognized for their development of AI tools to analyze visual content in historical manuscripts. Professors Ofer Hadar and Maayan Amir received grants for their work on a model addressing copyright issues for AI-generated images.
Additionally, awards were presented to students who showcased their research in a poster exhibition. Winners included Ofek Walikerstone from the Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering, and Ophir Yitzhak Shahar and Gur Elkin from the Department of Computer Science.
The Research Festival reaffirmed Ben-Gurion University’s dedication to interdisciplinary innovation, emphasizing the pivotal role of computational methods in shaping the future of the humanities and society at large.
