High-tech cultural research at U.

There are very few instances where a lesson in history can imply so much about future phenomena. But for second-year Folklore doctoral student Eric Miller, a glance at the past has pivotal significance for future researchers. Miller and other Folklore graduate students have organized a new film series on how researchers have used film to study various ethnic groups around the globe. The first screening was held last week in Room 241 of Van Pelt Library. The most modern of these methods, according to Miller's lecture, is video-teleconferencing, a form of technology in which people from any location can view one another simultaneously via a monitor. It is slowly becoming more important to anthropological study, as well as to mass communication in general. "Video-conferencing is actually one of the most efficient tools in ethnographic study because it allows both the scholar to observe the targeted group in its natural context and in return, the group can observe the scholar," said Miller, who plans to use this method in his upcoming fieldwork in southern India. "It's a two-way medium, like a face-to-face conversation." Another advantage of video-teleconferencing, Miller said, is that not only does the group being studied have more control over how they are perceived by the Western world, but the new technology can eventually yield economic gains through access to the Internet and the global economy. Outside of the fields of anthropology and folklore, Penn's faculty and staff members have recognized video-teleconferencing's universal appeal as a new medium of communication. John MacDermott, director of instructional computing for the School of Arts and Sciences, has been setting up a new multi-media teleconferencing room in the Graduate School of Education building. Miller said he plans to use the technology for a show that features people performing on both sides of campus, but seen simultaneously by the audience. "Two-way, multi-party video has been around for a while, and as with any other form of technology, the barriers to entry are diminishing," MacDermott said. "As technology becomes less expensive and more accessible, people who have good ideas, but not as much money get to play with it." And Penn, as a member of the Internet 2 network -- along with schools such as Princeton and Cornell universities -- will benefit from the constant technological advances being made. "There is a great deal of experimentation going on to determine the technological, educational and research potential of two-way video over high capacity data network, especially Internet 2," MacDermott said. In addition, the University is trying to build more sophisticated audio and video facilities to enhance the quality of the content being delivered. The film series will continue throughout the semester.