Research is at the heart of the DHI's mission. Most scholars in the humanities do not have access to powerful computers capable of manipulating multimedia data files, nor do they often have the expertise necessary to engage in such endeavors. However, there is a strong and growing desire among faculty in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts to explore such possibilities and use them as a means to enhance their research agendas and create new, dynamic multimedia projects or manipulate large scale data sets impossible to perform with standard desktop computers. The DHI seeks to create an interest-based community that allows faculty to learn from each other, get mentoring on grant applications, and collaborate on projects.