The Public Digital Humanities for Lunch (PDH4L) series kicks off its theme of "March Mapping Madness" by bringing out the People's Weather Map.

Barbara Eckstein, Jim Giglierano, and Mark NeuCollins will present "The Arc, the Wall, and the Line: Mapping the People's Weather" from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13 in 1117 University Capitol Center (UCC) Conference Room A.

The People's Weather Map is an ongoing research project using multimedia tools and citizen scholarship that allows users to input their stories about climate changes to create a nuanced history of how weather has impacted their area. The goal of the People's Weather Map is to provide the public information about major weather events—like the 2008 floods in Iowa—as a way of discussing climate change, to create historical context for weather events, and to show how the geography and population had changed.

What separates the People's Weather Map is the addition of personal stories of individuals who were present for weather events. Through online participation of public users, the researchers are also providing an opportunity for persons voicing their own experiences with major weather events, and how these singular experiences compare to those of other Iowans.

This is the first in a series of PDH4L presentations on mapping technologies in digital humanities during March. On Thursday, March 28, Colin Gordon and Catherine Hale will present "From Iowa to Africa: The Many Uses of WorldMap."

PDH4L talks throughout 2013 will focus on the nature and role of public digital humanities in contemporary culture. Over the course of this series, audiences will interact with prominent public digital humanities researchers and help shape the discussion of this rapidly rising field of study.

The PDH4L series is sponsored by the Digital Studio for Public Humanities (DSPH). All lectures are free and open to the public. Lunch is not provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own.

Eckstein is a Fall 2012 Obermann Fellow-in-Residence and a University of Iowa professor of English. She is also on the faculty of the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER) and is affiliated with International Programs. She's previously served as Associate Provost for Academic Administration.

Giglierano is a research geologist currently working with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in the Geological and Water Survey group. He received his Bachelor of Science in geology from Eastern Kentucky University and his Master of Science in geology from Purdue University.

NeuCollins is an intermedia artist who studied natural sciences at Carleton College, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, has run a successful graphic design and medical research data management company for nearly 20 years, and attained his Master of Fine Arts degree in intermedia art with a minor in art history from the University of Iowa in 2007. NeuCollins is also the lead researcher for DSPH.