Dragen Lab

Meet John Loudfoot, PhD Candidate exploring the environmental and social history of medieval England’s mining industry (1100-1450) 👋

John brings an interdisciplinary lens to the DRAGEN Lab, blending environmental, social, legal, economic, and political histories. Since joining the DRAGEN Lab and Environments of Change Project back in 2022, he’s supported the development and operations of projects like Digitizing the Pyke Coin Collection, which resides at the University of Waterloo’s Dana Porter Library, as well as co-leading non-credited Paleography workshops at no cost to the campus community.

Over the years, John has provided support in various areas, always offering a helping hand in every area of the DRAGEN Lab. He’s been in the field, engaged in Archaeological excavations at Streethouse, UK, and will return this July to support project collaborator Dr. Stephen Sherlock on a new and exciting project.

The DRAGEN Lab’s engagement network connects the Tri-University community, bringing together students from the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of Guelph.

Undergraduate Research Fellow Ethan Gowland joins us from , where he is completing his Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in History and Medieval Studies, with a minor in Archaeology. His research interests span 15th-century military history, medieval social history, and U.S. foreign policy from the 20th century onward.

Ethan, as well as some of his colleagues from the DRAGEN Lab Undergraduate Caucus will be showcasing his spectacular tabletop display and recreation of a medieval village at the Open House on Saturday, March 28th, on the campus.

Be sure to stop by, explore his work, and learn more about SJU’s Medieval Studies program!

Over the years, the DRAGEN Lab has supported, and been supported by many dedicated students on the St. Jerome’s Campus. One student who has stood by our initiatives since the very early stages has been PhD Candidate Jordan Tardif.

Jordan was involved with the DRAGEN Lab during his Undergraduate experience, and worked to support the previous-version of our Undergraduate Caucus through event planning and ex*****on, as well as fundraising. We were pleased to welcome him back with open arms for his PhD in Arts, History back in Fall 2024.

Since his return, Jordan has played a pivotal role in the development and ex*****on of our Medieval Latin and Paleography workshops, as well as maintaining the non-circulating collection held in the DRAGEN Lab.

St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto will host Mappa Mundi: Mapping the Mediaeval World, an in-person symposium exploring medieval cartography and how people in the Middle Ages visualized and interpreted their world. The event will take place Saturday, April 11, 2026.

Hosted by Dr. Jacqueline Murray, the Medieval Symposium examines mapping from two key angles: how medieval societies conceptualized the globe — including spherical representations of Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as mysterious regions beyond the known world — and how modern use maps to deepen understanding of medieval life and space. Attendees will also consider maps depicting pilgrimage routes, trade networks and even mythical creatures once thought to inhabit the margins of the world.