Heritage Experience Initiative International Student Conference
The conference will bring together students from archaeology, museology, conservation and cultural heritage studies.
19 October 2023
HEI International Student Conference 2023
Time: Oct. 19, 2023 – Oct. 20, 2023 at the Historical Museum
The conference will bring together students from archaeology, museology, conservation and cultural heritage studies. The conference is a collaboration between the universities of Newcastle, Oslo, Gothenburg and Aarhus and is taking place in a hybrid format this year. The aim of the conference is to function as a platform where students can present their research to other students, discuss and gain new insights, and build international networks. This conference unites PGRs and early career researchers (ESRs) in both formal and informal settings, providing a platform to explore the latest developments in the field of heritage studies. Three of our PGRs from the Centre for Heritage presentied across the two days.
13:05-13:20 Thursday, October 19 (Day 1)
Presenter: Ashwini Rajiv More, Newcastle University
Title: Heritage Water Infrastructures with a focus on Delhi.
15:05-15:20 Thursday, October 19 (Day 1)
Presenter: John Witchell, Newcastle University
Title: Using deep mapping techniques to curate an historic landed estate as a multi-dimensional educational and cultural resource.
10:40-10:55 Friday, October 20 (Day 2)
Presenter: Derrick Mwebaza, Newcastle University
Title: Revitalizing Africa’s Earth Heritage: Enhancing Durability of Compressed Earth Bricks through Microbial Self-Healing
Presenters' first-hand experience
The Heritage Experience Initiative conference held in Oslo, Norway in October 2023 was an intriguing one that covered myriads of topics mainly focusing on Heritage. The conference kicked off with a keynote reminding and reassuring everyone of a supportive and encouraging space provided by the conference – much needed as an early career conference! This was followed by various talks from students from the UK, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. What was most interesting was learning the multidimensions of heritage and the professionally diverse bodies of work that the participants presented. This included the journey of Māori skulls, the vernacular architecture of Sweden, the tradition of foraging, Heritage water management systems particularly in Delhi, India, mapping of an English heritage estate, place-making, etc. In my experience, the HEI provided a great space to learn and present for early careers working on heritage in different capacities and stages of their research.
John Witchell (PGR, School of History, Classic and Archaeology)
I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be part of it. The annual conference, held in Oslo, was a golden opportunity to share my research and ideas with other like-minded academics. The conference was organised by students and staff, with an emphasis on informality, giving everyone the opportunity to shine. The conference included five keynote talks and 15 presentations, with participants from Aarhus University, the University of Gothenburg, Newcastle University, University of Stirling, and the University of Oslo, as well as a poster session. The topics were truly interdisciplinary, ranging from engineering to art via, amongst others, history, archaeology, and geography. I was fascinated by how much these disciplines encompassed my own subject of landscape history; and all in the name of understanding and promoting our shared heritage.