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The LAUNCH (The Lab at UNC History) an initiative within the Department of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, promotes the use of digital tools for historical teaching, research, and storytelling. We support the Department’s commitment to prolific, cutting-edge research with dedicated, creative teaching and a commitment to diversity and inclusion through our educational programs and community-building initiatives. Our guiding principles ensure that the undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty who study and teach history at UNC-Chapel Hill benefit from the latest advancements in digital technology.

Our work is guided by four core principles. First, we strive to create compelling digital storytelling projects that engage diverse public audiences and bring historical narratives to life. Second, we support the department’s pedagogical and research objectives by providing expertise, tools, and resources to ensure projects are both innovative and impactful. Third, we connect students, faculty, and scholars, fostering a vibrant, collaborative community around the use of cutting-edge digital tools in the humanities. Finally, we promote the department’s news and accomplishments throughout the Triangle and beyond, elevating the visibility of our work and its significance.

By equipping undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty with access to the latest advancements in digital technology, LAUNCH empowers the UNC-Chapel Hill history community to explore, teach, and communicate history in transformative and accessible ways.

Directed by graduate students Dani McIvor and Nick Sifford, with faculty leadership from Lauren Jarvis, the LAUNCH is supported by a dedicated team. This includes two work-study students, Cameron Neale and Ha Lien Gaskins, as well as high school intern Charles Eubanks.