CONTACT
RESUME
EDUCATION
-
MA Public History with a specialization in Curatorial Studies
2024
Carleton University -
BA Hons. History with a minor in Drama Studies
2022
Carleton University
CERTIFICATIONS
Standard First Aid and CPR Level "C" and AED
April 14, 2022 – April 14, 2025
Ottawa Paramedic Service
Public Education
Indigenous Sensitivity Training,
Level A
2019
Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
REFERENCES
Dr. Jennifer Evans
Professor at Carleton University
Supervisor on the Populist Publics Grant and one of the Professors I TA-ed for
Dr. Tom Everrett
Curator, Communications Technology at Ingenium
Supervisor for my Collections Research practicum
LECTURES & CONFERENCES
Jewish Otherness in The Golem and Nosferatu
Zelikovitz Centre Student Colloquium,
Carleton University,
April 4, 2023
Humanizing the Inhuman: Holocaust Memory Through Perpetrator Photography
Fourth Annual Montreal Central European Workshop,
L’Université du Quebec à Montréal, March 2023
The Sobibor Uprising and the Telegenics of Genocide: Problematizing Filmic Representations of the Holocaust
Underhill Student Colloquium,
Carleton University,
March 17, 2023
Jewish Experiences and Bismarck’s Anti-Catholic Laws in Nineteenth Century Germany and Austria
HIST 2510: Nineteenth Century Germany (guest lecture),
Carleton University, November 8, 2022
About Nicholas Surges, MA, BA Hons.
I am a dynamic museum professional with experience in both analogue and digital research, content creation, and, over the course of my studies, exhibit design. Prior to returning to school to study History, I worked as a performing artist and in the retail sector, including in a managerial capacity. During my spare time, I co-produce a monthly literary salon and enjoy playing board games.
Experience
Ingenium (Canada Science and Technology Museum)
Collection Researcher
September 2023 - April 2024
- Review existing catalogue entries in KE Emu to identify knowledge gaps in our collection
- Research collections objects using trade literature, archival materials in acquisitions files, Ingenium library resources, and patent database
- Write an accessible, public-facing channel blog for the museum’s website discussing digital tools for collections reassessment
- Attend curatorial division meetings and present updates on the new discoveries
- Contact independent scholars and manufacturers in order to consult them on collections items in need of external expertise
Summer Contractor
June 2023 – August 2023
- Write research packets on Canada’s LGBT Purge to be used internally in preparation for the Aviation and Space Museum’s Cold War exhibition
- Create accessible, public-facing channel blog posts summarizing takeaways from my research
Carleton University
Teaching Assistant
September 2022 – April 2024
- Prepare educational materials such as PowerPoint presentations, polls, and quizzes
- Facilitate two weekly discussion groups in which we discuss assigned readings and interrogate primary source materials
- Grade student assignments and provide constructive criticism
- Design and lead workshops on scholarly skills such as Chicago formatting, primary source analysis, writing a thesis, and using university databases
- Provide direction and coaching to students upon request via office hours
- Organize extra credit activities for students
Research Assistant
October 2017 – April 2024
- Monitor traditional and social media for content related to the research grant’s focus (hate speech, mis/disinformation, and social media oversight)
- Gather data from public-facing sites such as Twitter and Facebook using open-source tools (e.g. TAGS, a Google sheet with a script for performing data scrapes)
- Draft and publish policy analyses on the Populist Publics blog drawing from our research
- Develop strategies for teaching primary and secondary students media literacy skills
- File news stories and scholarly articles in Zotero to build a database for future researchers
Naked Boys Reading Ottawa
Producer
July 2023 – present
- Schedule and plan themed monthly shows
- Liaise with both the venue and community partners (such as MAX Ottawa)
- Conduct reader intake and contact prospective readers for each show
- Write the agenda used by the cast and crew for each show
LCBO
Product Specialist
June 2022 – August 2023
- Handle large amounts of cash and prep deposits for the evening
- Challenge, check, and refuse intoxicated patrons in accordance with provincial law)
- Interpret customer requests in able to match them with the best possible product for their evening
Stag Shop
Sales Associate/Key Holder
December 2019 – August 2022
- Train new staff on policies, procedures, and corporate culture.
- Achieved a 62% increase in sales
- Educate customers on sexual wellness and safe product use
- Responsible for preparing banking
Toronto Public Library
Page
October 2018 – November 2019
- Listen to and assist patrons with their needs
- Sort and shelve books according to cutter
- Conduct daily reads to ensure shelves are in order
Theatre Artist
2009-2020
- Develop theatre grants through frameworks such as Nova
- Familiar with Canada’s artistic landscape and DEI within the theatre community
- Excellent presentation and creative writing skills as well as the ability to work under pressure and adapt in a live environment
Publications
Blog. Ingenium Channel
April 29, 2024
“Mystery Music”: Digital Strategies for Collections Research
Editorial. Xtra Magazine
November 30, 2022
By refusing to drop Libs of TikTok, Shopify is selling hate
November 30, 2022
Blog. Populist Publics
April 22, 2022
The Information Arms Race: Media and the Russo-Ukrainian war
April 22, 2022
Blog. Populist Publics
February 16, 2022
‘Who watches the watchmen?’: Digital Moderation in the Age of Misinformation
February 16, 2022
Skills
Writing
Research
Critical Analysis
Grant Writing
Project Management
Event Coordination
Public Speaking
Facilitation
Portfolio
HIST 5707 Final Project
"Your City Cousins" - Cruising the Nineteenth Century
"Your City Cousins", was a gallery piece on Victorian homosexual sex work and cruising culture. The intention was to fabulate a missing visual record and to reflect on continuities between cruising culture in the nineteenth century and in the present.
HIST 4006 Medieval Manuscripts
Medieval Bookmarks
A series of bookmarks that I designed as a deliverable for HIST 4006 Medieval Manuscripts in the Digital Age with Dr. Marc Saurette. Our final project for the class was to collectively design an exhibit.
May 2023 - Aug 2023
"Polyphonia: The Sounds Continue"
For our class project for CURA 5002, our class was tasked with re-curating several display cases which housed the ISLAC Loaned Collection of Indigenous Percussion Instruments.
Toronto, ON
Performing Arts Pieces
Before returning to school to study history, I worked as a performing artist in Toronto. In that time, I wrote and produced a number of film and theatre pieces.