Are you a past or present Engaging Eurasia Teaching Fellow? Have you participated in
the Heart of Silk Roads Study Trip hosted by the National Consortium for Teaching
About Asia (NCTA)? Do you want to teach about Central Asian societies, politics, and the
environment with the innovative tools of digital history?

With support from Pitt’s Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies and
the NCTA, the University of Pittsburgh’s newly established Institute for Spatial History
Innovation (ISHI) invites you to a free, two-part virtual professional development
workshop tentatively scheduled for 6:00-8:00 pm (EST) on October 22 and November 5,
2025.

What does this workshop offer you?
An introduction to ISHI’s World Historical Gazetteer, including the newly launched
Historical Gazetteer of Central Asia;
The ability to create and publish your own historical place collections;
The opportunity to develop lesson plans that facilitate place-based learning through
the incorporation of historical geography with feedback from peers and workshop
facilitators;
A stipend of $250 per person and ACT 48 hours paid for Pennsylvania teachers.

Attendance at both sessions is required. Participants are also expected to prepare and
present lesson plans during the concluding session. Final versions of lesson plans must
be submitted by December 1, 2025 for publication with the World Historical Gazetteer.