Monday, November 25th
On a crisp November evening, we arrive at Manchester Airport, joining the hustle of holiday travellers before heading to Sheffield for the first training camp of the CASCADE doctoral network. As an early-stage researcher (ESR), I’m both excited and (more than) a little nervous – but ready to meet the nine other PhD students and supervisors. After a quiet train ride through the supposedly-scenic Peak District (by that time, it was too dark to tell), we finally reach Sheffield. Our home base for the training camp is a stunning four-star hotel in a historic building on Leopold Square. Nestled among chic bars and restaurants, the vibe is quirky yet refined, offering a comfortable setting for both work and relaxation.
Tuesday, November 26th
Day one begins early, after a hearty breakfast in the Leopold Hotel, as we trek to the Digital Humanities Institute, where the real work begins. The Director of the DHI, Michael Pidd, and a Sheffield supervisor, Susan Fitzmaurice, break the ice by sharing their CASCADE-related research interests, setting the tone for the day. Then it’s our turn – the ESRs step up to present our various PhD projects. As the first group, the Sheffield team sets the bar high, with a presentation on “Automating the Analysis of Concepts Through Time” by Penelope Nguyen, Next up, we were all set to watch a pre-recorded video from Maria Flores Alejo, as unfortunately she couldn’t join us in person, given that she was likely somewhere above the Atlantic Ocean at the time, flying in from Mexico. Regardless, Maria’s presentation on computer-assisted exploration of lexicalisation makes it clear that, even miles away, she is still very much part of the group. We all appreciate the effort, and it certainly made for a fun, if slightly surreal, moment in the schedule. Soon we’re all deep into thought-provoking discussions.
After a quick tea and coffee break, the Helsinki team presents, starting with an introduction from supervisor Eetu Mäkelä about the Helsinki Computational History Group. Next up is Ke Shu, who discusses her approach to building a knowledge graph of political vocabulary and discourse in eighteenth-century Britain. Then it’s Yu Wu’s turn to present his project titled “Towards Large-Scale Semantic Search in Historical Documents”. Mid-morning rolls into lunchtime, and we chat over vegetable spring rolls and coffee (which made for an interesting combination), finding commonalities in both our research and our personal lives.
The last group of the day is Saarland, starting with supervisor Stefania Degaetano-Ortlieb’s presentation on “Modelling Temporal Dynamics in Language Use”. The team discuss how linguistic contexts adapt to change and, perhaps more importantly, why they adapt in a particular way. This is highlighted by Anastasiia Vestel in her presentation “Diachronic Development of Text Types” which aims to analyse how semantic fields of propaganda have shifted over time – more specifically, analysing how Russian narratives about the war in Ukraine differ greatly in word usage compared to other countries. Sofía Valdes speaks next about “Modelling Context for the Analysis of Language Variation and Change”, emphasizing the major impact context has on how we process language and aiming to further develop computational modelling techniques to allow for more comprehensive accounts of how context affects language variation and change. Late afternoon, there’s a group session where myself and the other ESR’s work together to identify common themes in our research and raise any questions we wish to ask the network leaders. It’s clear from the outset that our diverse backgrounds and academic interests will foster both stimulating discussions and collaborative opportunities in the future.
That evening, we dine at The Botanist, a whimsical restaurant that feels straight out of a storybook (fitting for those of us with literature-heavy projects!). Beneath a canopy of hanging plants and twinkling Christmas lights, our conservations move beyond our research, covering everything from our favourite foods to personal interests to holiday traditions –conversations which are just as important as our academic discussions, albeit for different reasons.
Wednesday November 27th
Day two is just as dynamic. Up first is KU Leuven, introduced by Dirk & Dirk (Speelman and Geeraerts, respectively), who discuss lexical variations and change, giving a brief overview of the current computational methods and the theoretical limitations of these methods. Bách Phan Tất further cements this in his project “Underlying dimensions in Conceptual Change”, where he aims to refine vector space modelling and other distributional semantic methods for linguistic diachronic semantic studies. Ángela Gómez Zuluaga explores the prototype structure of concept drift, explaining prototype theory and exploring the link between linguistic semantics and the history of concepts.
After another tea and coffee break, it’s time for the final group to present. The Cork team is introduced by supervisor James O’Sullivan who discusses the challenges of literary data as well as the various methodological approaches we could take. Rasika Edirisinghe, who unfortunately cannot join us in person, presents his project, “Language Modelling and Visualization for Parallel Text Analysis” online. He explores the different methods he could use in addressing such a difficult research question, in order to identify metaphors, allusions, irony, and other figurative parts of speech. And then finally, it’s my turn to present “Measuring Change in Irish Literature” which (hopefully) gives a brief overview of how I plan to use various computational methods such as sentiment analysis and word embeddings to track semantic and conceptual change in Irish literature (once I’ve defined what “Irish” literature actually is, of course).
Two days of presentations and discussions later, and its time for some lighter activities. After lunch, Michael Pidd kindly offers to give us the grand tour of Sheffield and leads us through the city’s historic spots. We visit landmarks such as Sheffield Winter Garden and the Crucible (although we’re six months too late to catch the World Snooker Championship). We even visit the Sheffield Cathedral, where a very enthusiastic Reverend Walton gives us a guided tour, sharing fascinating insights and regaling us with stories of the Cathedral’s history.
Our journey ends at the Christmas markets, where the scent of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts fills the air. With holiday lights twinkling against the cold night sky, the festive atmosphere makes Sheffield feel magical. The training camp concluded with a final meal at Silversmiths, a restaurant as elegant as its name suggests. Over a festive dinner, we reflect on the whirlwind two days and share plans for our research in the coming months. The experience provided us a valuable opportunity to build connections, share knowledge, and set the stage for future collaborations within the CASCADE network.
Thursday, November 28th
As we part ways the next morning, some of us condemned to an entire day of travel while others are fortunate enough to live in the country next door, it’s clear that the first CASCADE training camp has been an important step in setting the tone for the three years of research ahead. On the hour-long train ride back through the Peak District (turns out it actually is quite scenic!), I feel a sense of gratitude. The Sheffield training camp wasn’t just an introduction to the wider CASCADE network – it was a reminder of why I embarked on this PhD journey in the first place. Collaboration, curiosity, and a dash of adventure make the long road ahead feel a little less daunting.
Here’s to Sheffield, new colleagues, and the first of many memories in this doctoral adventure.
CASCADE is a collaboration between University College Cork, University of Sheffield, University of Helsinki, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and Universität des Saarlandes. Funded by Horizon Europe under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks and the UKRO.