Workshop: "Recent Scientific Heritage at Universities" - XIII Universeum network meeting - Trondheim (Norway) - June 16, 2012

Recent Scientific Heritage at Universities

Workshop and working group at the XIII Universeum network meeting, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway, Saturday 16 June 2012, 09:00 - 14:10

While many universities are well aware of the value and importance of their historic heritage, there is little, albeit growing, awareness regarding the need to preserve the history of recent scientific activity. One major challenge of preserving recent heritage is the vast expansion of universities in the post-WWII period. Another is the changing character of teaching and research. And, most crucially, the increasing complexity and abstract nature of modern scientific research make the objects of heritage less tangible.

In the workshop we will address some specific challenges, but also the opportunities, of preserving recent scientific heritage in universities. Several universities have started to conduct surveys and pilot collection programmes to capture as much recent heritage as possible. These surveys show the urgent need for new documentation and collection practices in order to cope with the vast amount of material, as well as for collaboration with other institutions involved in conceptualizing, collecting and presenting recent science and technology.

The following themes will be discussed:

- Strategies, policies and toolkits for preserving recent scientific heritage at universities:

- Collaborations with museums and other heritage institutions outside the university

- Collaboration with scientists and technicians in preserving scientific heritage

- Recent scientific heritage in teaching and research

Each theme will be presented with a brief introduction providing time for an extensive discussion.

The aim of the workshop is to initiate a working group of Universeum that will engage with recent scientific heritage at universities and develop guidelines and recommendations for its preservation.

The number of participants in the workshop will be limited; prior registration is essential. Please register by sending an e-mail to Marta C. Lourenco, University of Lisbon:

mclourenco@museus.ul.pt

Please also send an email to Marta Lourenco if you do not plan to attend but wish to be involved in the Recent Heritage of Science and Technology Universeum Working Group.

Marta Lourenco - Lydia Wilson - Roland Wittje