DHOXSS 2025 - Attending the Text to Tech strand

María Florencia Vieira Ferrero was awarded a bursary to attend the Text to Tech strand of the Digital Humanities Oxford Summer School in 2025. To join the mailing list and learn about the next summer school sign up here. Read about María's experience at the summer school here:

The Digital Humanities Oxford Summer School was an incredible experience, and I am deeply grateful to have received a scholarship that allowed me to attend. Many aspects made the week remarkable: the instructors, the atmosphere, and, of course, Oxford itself.

I attended the Text to Tech strand to explore new textual analysis methods and to familiarise myself with Python for my PhD project. The strand was taught by Mariona Coll Ardanuy, Kaspar von Beelen, and Federico Nanni, three professionals who are not only highly knowledgeable but also skilled at explaining and adapting complex topics for a beginner audience. Their teaching was engaging and accessible, and they were generous with their time when it came to individual questions and advice. Thanks to them, I not only learned the basics of Python but also gained the tools to continue developing the methods I will need for my research.

The atmosphere of the summer school was another highlight. Both instructors and participants created a truly multicultural, multilingual environment that I greatly enjoyed. I had the chance to meet people from all over the world, working in different languages and disciplines, and we shared both the challenges and the progress of our projects while exchanging feedback and ideas.

The additional activities around Oxford were a wonderful complement: the poster competition at the Weston Library, the banquet dinner at St Hilda's College, and the walking tour of the city. I met interesting people, discovered a wide range of projects, and learned more about this beautiful city and its fascinating university.

All in all, it was an enriching and unforgettable experience.