Digital Humanities beyond the Human
Michelle Westerlaken speaks about multispecies worlds in this “DH Beyond the Human” Lightning Lunch on 14 January 2022. Hosted by the Critical Digital Humanities Initiative at the University of Toronto.
Smart Forests
How are forests becoming digital environments? The Smart Forests project investigates the social-political impacts of digital technologies that monitor and govern forest environments. Funded by the European Research Council, and based in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge.
Digitalization and Restoration
As part of the symposium, “Ecological Restoration and the Conservation of Biological Diversity” on 13 December 2021, Danilo Urzedo examines the digitalization of forest landscape restoration. He particularly explores how technologies impact stakeholder engagement and inequality.
Narratives about Earth
For this “Narratives about Earth” evening of films and talks on 3 December 2021, Jennifer Gabrys will give a lecture that addresses the topic of the planetary and outlines “Being Planetary as Praxis,” a concept that informs the ethos of her Planetary Praxis research group. (Image | La Loge)
Sentience and Sensing Smart Forests
As part of the “Sentience” lecture series at Concordia University on 2 December 2021, Jennifer Gabrys discusses sensory infrastructures and sesning practices in smart forests. (Image | USGS)
Interrogating Global Traces of Infrastructure
This infrastructure series critically explores infrastructures, with this second workshop focusing on global infrastructures. Jennifer Gabrys will participate in a panel on 18 November 2021 to discuss infrastructure and collective world making.
AI for Earth: Investigating the Social Consequences of Environmental Technologies
With a focus on Smart Forest technologies, Jennifer Gabrys will consider the social consequences of environmental technologies in a keynote presented as part of this series of Cambridge Zero Research Symposia on 17 November 2021.
Smart Forests and the Vegetalization of Digital Technologies
As part of the Humlab’s 20th anniversary conference at Umeå University, Jennifer Gabrys will give a keynote on 17 November 2021 that explores the digitalization of forests, and how forests become media.
Sonic Eco-Surveillance
Max Ritts presents “Social and Political Consequences of Acoustical Monitoring Networks,” at the Anthropology and Conservation Conference (25-29 October 2021). He reviews some of the general trends exhibited in the “sonic eco-surveillant” turn in conservation, drawing on examples from around the world. (Image | Kellogg, Cornell)
Sensing Smart Forests
As part of the event, “Human Entities 2021: Culture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” Jennifer Gabrys will present work on “Sensing Smart Forests” on 21 October 2021. (Image-USDA Forest Service)
Re-constituting the Sensory Infrastructure of Smart Forests
As part of the “Sense Ecologies” panel, Jennifer presents “Re-constituting the Sensory Infrastructure of Smart Forests” at this year’s 4S virtual conference in Toronto (6-9 October).
Internet of Trees
This year, Jennifer Gabrys gave a lecture titled “The Internet of Trees,” for the summer school course “The Posthuman and New Materialism,” (16-27 August). The annual course is organised by Professor Rosi Braidotti at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Conservation Surveillance
Trishant Simlai presented his work on conservation surveillance at the Drone Ecologies workshop, which is now available to view online.
Multispecies Design
In this recently published podcast, Michelle Westerlaken talks about her research on multispecies design. Towards the end of the episode, she reflects on the forests as “multispecies ecologies that can be looked at from all the different species above the ground and under the ground.”
Smart Forests at Just AI
Videos from the Just AI event series are available online, where you can watch Jennifer Gabrys provide an overview of the Smart Forests project from the perspective of AI, ethics, data and the environment.
Drone Ecologies
Is conservation surveillance a means for state repression? Trishant Simlai considers this topic in his plenary presentation to an international audience at Drone Ecologies at the Cabot Institute for the Environment (July 5-6, 2021). The event addresses questions about environmental justice, the rights of rural communities and surveillance from the proliferation of monitoring technologies.
Parallel Ecologies symposium
As part of this investigation into technical-natural milieus, Jennifer Gabrys will present work on the sensory infrastructures of smart forests. The event is hosted by the University of Oslo and Kunstnernes Hus in Norway on 24 June 2021.
Prototyping AI ethics futures: Data, AI and environment
In this conversation on data, AI and the environment, Jennifer Gabrys will discuss how Smart Forests contribute to the challenges of digital technologies that would manage environmental crises, while also contributing to them. The event is hosted by the Ada Lovelace Institute and the JUST AI network on 22 June. (Image from wayra)
The Animal Turn podcast
On 26 April 2021, Smart Forests researcher Michelle Westerlaken will participate in The Animal Turn podcast to talk about her research on multispecies design. We will share the recording as soon as it’s out.
Digital Ecologies workshop
The Smart Forests research group is taking part in the Digital Ecologies workshop at the University of Cambridge from 29 to 30 March 2021. We will discuss monstrosity and digital games, ecoacoustics and conservation, surveillance technology and forest labour, and the Internet of Trees.
New Smart Forests researchers appointed
We are delighted to announce the appointment of new Smart Forests research associates Danilo Urzedo, Michelle Westerlaken, and Max Ritts, as well as research assistant Trishant Simlai. Learn more about their research areas on our People page.
Hiring: 3 Postdoctoral Research Associates
The Smart Forests project is hiring 3 Postdoctoral Research Associates. The positions are each 3.5 years in duration. Researchers will be based in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge. Applications were due 11 October 2020. We will announce news of our expanding research group soon.
From Planetary Sensing to Becoming Planetary
Jennifer Gabrys gives a keynote presentation on planetary sensing, smart forests, and becoming planetary as part of the ISEA 2020 26th International Symposium on ‘Sentience.’
Sensing a Moving Planet
Jennifer Gabrys discusses the role of sensors in composing and responding to environmental conditions as part of this Critical Zones exhibition launch event at the ZKM in Karlsruhe.
Smart forests and data practices: From the Internet of Trees to planetary governance
This Big Data & Society commentary published in February 2020 provides a conceptual overview of the Smart Forests project.