Memory Across Time and Disciplines: Tracing, Storing, Reawakening
Fourth Hybrid Bridging the Gap Conference Series to be Held May 16-17
Posted in: Anthropology, Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies, Classics and General Humanities, History Department, Homepage News and Events
Memory is more than just a function of the human brain—it is a fundamental structure embedded in the natural world, human culture, and technological systems. From the stratified layers of the Earth to the neural networks of the mind, from the meticulous organization of historical archives to the complex architectures of digital storage, memory takes many forms.
Memory across Time and Disciplines is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together researchers from the sciences, humanities, and technology to explore the diverse ways memory is formed, stored, forgotten, and recovered. By bringing together scientists, historians, archivists, geologists, linguists, technologists, and artists, the conference aims to uncover the deep connections between how we remember—whether through neurons, fossils, books, or bytes. This conference will not only highlight cutting-edge research but also inspire new ways of thinking about memory in a rapidly changing world.
Organizing Committee, Montclair State University
Deborah Chatr Aryamontri (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities)
Dawn Hayes (Dept. of History)
Sophia Hudzik (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities)
Joanna Madloch (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities)
Greg Pope (Dept. of Earth & Environmental Studies)
Timothy Renner (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities)
Peter Siegel (Dept. of Anthropology)
Sponsored by the Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies and the Department of Classics and General Humanities, Montclair State University and with a contribution of the Classical Association of the Atlantic States
The conference will be held in-person and virtually. Join the conference on campus in Schmitt Hall, Room 327, or via Zoom here (passcode: 521293).
View the program schedule below.
9:30–9:45 – OPENING REMARKS: In Memory of Our Beloved Colleague, Prof. Jean Alvares
Deborah Chatr Aryamontri, PhD (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities, Montclair State University)
Ling Fan, PhD (Dept. of World Languages and Cultures, Montclair State University)
SESSION I: Cultural & Historical Memory – Recording, Interpreting, Preserving
Chair: Sophia Hudzik, MA (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities)
9:45–9:55 – Chair’s Welcome
9:55–10:25 – Morgan Palmer, PhD (Dept. of Classics & Religious Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln)
Remembering Ancient Roman Priestesses: The Vestal Virgins and Construction of Memory
10:25–10:45 – Dahlia Reigns (Independent Artist, New Jersey)
Time in Focus: Artistic Perspectives on Antique Imagery
10:45–10:50 – Discussion
10:50–11:05 – Coffee Break
11:05–11:30 – William Peniston, PhD (Librarian and Archivist, Newark Museum)
The Librarian and Archivist as Keeper of Institutional Memory
11:30–11:50 – Joanna Madloch, PhD (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities, Montclair State University)
Photography: Death, Memory, and the Dialectics of the Gaze
11:50–12:00 – Discussion
12:00–2:00 – Lunch Break
SESSION II: Local and Global Approaches to Memory – Neuroscience, Cultural Heritage, Environmental Imprint, and Digital Memory
Chair: Deborah Chatr Aryamontri (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities, Montclair State University)
2:00–2:05 – Chair’s Welcome
2:05–2:25 – Haidy M. Behman, MD (Affiliations: Old Bridge Medical Center, JFK University Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center, New Jersey)
Evaluation and Management of Memory Decline
2:25–2:45 – Thomas J. Hudzik, PhD (Founder/Principal Executive at ALA BioPharma Consulting)
The Neuroscience of memory – Everything is connected to Everything Else
2:45–2:55 – Discussion
2:55–3:00 – Coffee Break
3:00–3:30 – Peter Siegel, PhD (Dept. of Anthropology, Montclair State University)
Archaeological History, Memory, and Heritage at the White Marl Site, Jamaica
3:30–3:50 – Jacob Welch, PhD (Dept. of Anthropology, Montclair State University)
Ancient Memory and Ancestral Places in Yucatán, Mexico
3:50–4:10 – Greg Pope, PhD (Dept. of Earth & Environmental Studies, Montclair State University)
Memory in the Landscape: Exploring Evidence of Inheritance at Earth’s Surface
4:10–4:30 – Michele Collauto, VCP, PMP (Vice President Information Technology at Cantor Fitzgerald)
Data, Memory, AI
4:30–4:40 – Discussion & Final Remarks for Day One
4:40–5:00 – Mix & Mingle: Light refreshments and informal discussion with speakers
SESSION III: Reawakening and Mapping Memory of Present and Past
Chair: Joanna Madloch, PhD (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities, Montclair State University)
9:30–9:40 – Chair’s Welcome
9:40–10:10 – Tiziana Rinaldi Castro, PhD (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities, Montclair State University)
Counter-Mapping the City: Reawakening Radical Memory in Urban Space
10:10–10:40 – Christopher W. Parker, EdD (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities/Theatre and Dance, Montclair State University)
Igniting the Spark: Bridging Creative Thinking and Classical Memory in the Journey of Recovery
10:40–10:50 – Discussion
10:50–11:00 – Coffee Break
11:00–11:30 – Alexandra Counter (Senior Student, Classics Major/Intern, Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies, Montclair State University)
Preserving Repositories of Memory: Bookbinding Workshop
11:30–12:00 – Sophia Hudzik, MA (Dept. of Classics & General Humanities, Montclair State University/NJ Historical Commission)
Historical Commemoration: The 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution
12:00–12:20 – Ling Fan, PhD (Dept. of World Languages and Cultures, Montclair State University)
Memory and Experience: Strategies for Effective Language Learning
12:20–12:30 – Discussion and Final Remarks