SpokenWeb AmpLab Coordinator Research Assistant, Summer/Fall 2022

Posted On: August 2nd , 2022

Deadline: August 16th, 2022

Position Context and Who We’re Looking For

SpokenWeb – a SSHRC funded Partnership Grant, Principal Investigator Jason Camlot – is seeking one (1) student to support our work completing construction of and coordinating activities in the The Amplitude Lab (AmpLab) for Literary Sound Studies. The AmpLab is a CFI-funded research space. The SpokenWeb Research Network is a research project that aims to develop and connect collections of recorded literary performances from across our international network of partners, engaging with a broad spectrum of inquiries and activities from digitization, metadata curation, pedagogy, podcasting, to audio signal analysis. The AmpLab is the hub of SpokenWeb’s work on campus at Concordia University. It stores and makes available an array of analog and digital audio equipment, digitization systems, computers and multimedia equipment for AV editing and production. You can find out more about SpokenWeb at its website: https://spokenweb.ca.  Creation of content for a webpage that will document the contents and functions of the AmpLab will be one of the projects of this posted RA.

We are looking for someone who has strong research and organizational skills and who enjoys working in a team with other students. Previous experience working in a lab context, or managing and describing technical equipment, designing equipment tracking processes, and an interest in audio equipment and digitization processes will be an asset. The work will be well suited for a student who enjoys working independently, but also works well with teams in person and virtually. The position will serve a diverse cohort of academics, librarians, web developers, designers, artists, other students, and community stakeholders from across the SpokenWeb Research Network.

This position will be supervised by Jason Camlot (Concordia, English), in coordination with the SpokenWeb Project Manager, with the ultimate goal of completing an inventory of the equipment in the lab, facilitating lab use by SpokenWeb RAs and researchers, coordinating the off-campus use of this equipment by the SpokenWeb team, developing instructional and process documents, creating content for a Lab website, and providing a guidance for the established best-practices for use of equipment in the lab.

Description of Job Duties

Primary responsibilities of the position would be as follows:

• Support the SpokenWeb Principal Investigator and Project Manager in completing the assembly of the lab—this may include some light furniture assembly.
• Complete the equipment inventory of items in the lab.
• Support the development of any instructional documentation on the use of the AmpLab digitization system including drafting, proof-reading, etc.
• Develop high-level familiarity with AmpLab digitization system and vintage equipment including reel-to-reel tape machines, digital audio workstations, software, etc.
• On an on-going basis coordinate the borrowing and return of AmpLab equipment by SpokenWeb RAs and affiliated researchers.
• Be present in the lab to support student work through the week.
• Develop content for a new AmpLab webpage.
• Attend SpokenWeb team meetings and events to share lab updates and news and discuss work with Concordia and broader network.

 Salary & Eligibility

Position open to any student in good standing. Rate to be determined by the Collective Agreement for 10 hours per week. The initial contract will run from the date of hire in August through December 30, 2022.

Union/Association

TRAC

How to Apply

Send a statement of interest, including information about relevant experience, and a resume to: Ben Hynes, SpokenWeb Project Manager, at ben.hynes@concordia.ca.