Nominations are now being accepted for The Ed Bachta Memorial Scholarship at MCN 2015. The 2015 scholarship–representing conference registration, travel expenses, accommodation, and a daily stipend–will allow one museum professional (or a student or professional in a related field) to attend Museum Computer Network 2015. The conference will take place from November 4-7, 2015, in Minneapolis, MN.
About Ed Bachta and the Bachta Memorial Scholarship:
In January of 2013, our friend and colleague Ed Bachta passed away at the age of thirty-six. A senior application developer at the Indianapolis Museum of Art for five years, Ed was a key member of the IMA Lab team that developed groundbreaking projects for the museum community, including Steve.Museum, Art Babble, TAP and TourML, and the Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative (OSCI) toolset, as well as innovative web and interactive projects for the Indianapolis Museum of Art such as the IMA dashboard and FLOW Can You See the River. People who had the privilege of knowing Ed will remember him as a quiet and gentle man, with a sly sense of humor and a passion for his work. Though he was a technical wizard with a background in data visualization and human computer interaction, Ed was also an infinitely patient translator of technology who helped less technical members of the museum community apply and embrace advanced computing techniques. The Ed Bachta Memorial Scholarship was started in 2013 with contributions from Ed’s friends in the museum community who wanted to honor his achievements and collaborative spirit.
How to Nominate a Scholarship Candidate:
We hope to award this year’s scholarship to a current or future colleague in the museum field who represents Ed’s spirit of community, sense of curiosity, humor, and decency. We’re looking to support someone with an interest in actively participating in our community’s work, and who would be fun to have a drink with. We’d love to support a first-time conference attendee, though that’s not a requirement for winning the scholarship. To nominate someone (including yourself), please send us a brief text (250 words) or video (3 minutes maximum) describing the reasons why we should meet your candidate. Please ascertain in advance that your candidate is able to attend the conference and is willing to be nominated. Finalists will be interviewed by members of the Scholarship Team this summer, and a winner will be selected by August 1, 2015.
Please send your nominations to bachtascholarship@gmail.com by no later than June 1, 2015.
The Ed Bachta Memorial Scholarship Team:
The scholarship is administered by friends and former colleagues of Ed’s, including Kristen Arnold, Dallas Museum of Art; Gray Bowman, Indianapolis Museum of Art; Susan Chun, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Kyle Jaebker, Indianapolis Museum of Art; Emily Lytle-Painter, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Rob Stein, Dallas Museum of Art; and Rita Troyer, Indianapolis Museum of Art.
To Support the Scholarship Fund:
We welcome your support. Donate online at: http://www.payitsquare.com/collect-page/11740.