̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - museums

Pacific curators restore Indigenous voices to colonial-era collections

ta385 — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 23:00:00 +0000

'Fault Lines', a new exhibition at MAA, offers an intimate exploration of Pacific cultures guided by Indigenous curators and contemporary artists from Hawai‘i, the Torres Strait, Bougainville and the Salish Sea

Report highlights ̽��ֱ��’s under-researched African collections

ta385 — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��'s collections include an estimated 350,000 artefacts, alongside natural history specimens and human/ancestral remains, from Africa, according to a new report aiming to promote further research, collaboration and engagement, especially with African scholars and communities. ̽��ֱ��report emphasises that the labour and expertise of countless unnamed African people is hidden in the histories of these collections.

Collections-based research and innovation receives vital investment from Research England

ta385 — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 10:58:00 +0000

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� cares for the country’s highest concentration of internationally important collections outside London, with more than five million works of art, artefacts and specimens. Together, these collections play a fundamental role in delivering the ̽��ֱ�� mission to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence and encompasses collaboration with and support of world-renowned researchers, game-changing research-led exhibitions and wide-ranging inclusion and learning programmes, promoting wellbeing, creativity and connectivity.

“I’m delighted that Research England has made such a strong statement of support for collections-based research at Cambridge, particularly in a challenging funding landscape,” said Kamal Munir, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for ̽��ֱ�� Community and Engagement.

“ ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� continues to invest in enhanced research infrastructure and services to generate and enable research that spans the arts and the sciences, including via a Strategic Research Initiative, Collections-Connections-Communities that provides a convening space for research that benefits our communities. HEMG funding is critical in ensuring our collections support researchers and students across the UK and worldwide, through infrastructure, services, staffing and equitable collaboration.”

This year, the ̽��ֱ�� Herbarium joins the portfolio for the first time and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences rejoins the portfolio.

Sam Brockington, academic lead for the Herbarium, which was recently awarded Designated status, said: “It’s fantastic to see the ̽��ֱ�� Herbarium receive investment in this way. ̽��ֱ��Herbarium is the fourth-largest of its kind in the country, and a rich resource that supports a huge range of scientific and humanities research. Research supported by the Herbarium ranges from the discovery of species new to science, to the genomics of crop improvement, and investigations into the history and development of scientific ideas and natural history. This investment will enable us to substantially develop our support for the wider academic community.”

Dr Liz Hide, Director of the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, which has been awarded £210,000 a year, said: “I’m delighted that Research England has recognised the strength of the Sedgwick’s collections and their importance to the UK and international research landscape. Over the next five years, this new investment will be transformative for the Sedgwick Museum, ensuring researchers can fully utilise our new Collections Research Centre, and enabling our outstanding collections to inspire many new avenues of research across both the sciences and the humanities.”

Dr Juliette Fritsch, the ̽��ֱ��’s first Director for Collections’ Strategy, said: "I’m thrilled to work across the incredible resources contained within the ̽��ֱ��’s museums, libraries, and botanic garden collections to create strategies together, building on major initiatives, such as the cross-collections Power and Memory programme. These integrated approaches enhance our collective impact and are only possible through the input of our funders, including Research England and Arts Council England.”

̽��ֱ��full list of ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge museums and collections awarded HEMG funding are:

1. Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Botanic Garden
2. Fitzwilliam Museum
3. Kettle’s Yard
4. Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology (MAA)
5. ̽��ֱ�� Museum of Zoology
6. Polar Museum
7. Whipple Museum of the History of Science
8. Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
9. Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Herbarium

Research England has supported nine of the ̽��ֱ��’s museums and collections with £3m a year of Higher Education Museums, Galleries and Collections (HEMG) funding, over the coming five years.

HEMG funding is critical in ensuring our collections support researchers and students across the UK and worldwide

Kamal Munir

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Rhododendron brookianum type specimen from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Herbarium

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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̽��ֱ�� collections and regional partners secure major AHRC funding to boost PhD research with strong community focus

ta385 — Thu, 18 May 2023 11:30:00 +0000

Fifteen fully-funded PhD studentships based in these collections, and with a strong community focus, will be offered, with the first five studentships beginning in October 2024.

̽��ֱ��Collections and Communities in the East of England CDP consortium, the region’s first, will equip future research leaders with the skills and experience for careers in the creative and cultural sectors, supporting a pipeline of staff into the museum and cultural sector.

̽��ֱ��Consortium holds extraordinary collections of over 20 million items, spanning the globe and hundreds of millions of years, including art and archaeology, anthropology, social history, natural history, books, archives, photography, born digital material, buildings and living plants.

In line with the priorities of the new ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Strategic Research Initiative Collections-Connections-Communities, the PhD students will undertake research around today’s societal challenges, with a focus on health and wellbeing, environment and sustainability, and identity.

Each student will benefit from a cross-consortium training programme, providing experience in both ̽��ֱ�� and local authority museums, as well as professional internships in organisations including BT. Consortium members will also ensure that students are equipped to undertake interdisciplinary research using participatory methodologies, where local communities play critical roles as co-researchers.

This CDP will create an inspiring, diverse, transdisciplinary, inclusive and supportive environment for doctoral students that will shape the provision of doctoral training for the 21st century.

Dr Neal Spencer, Principal Investigator of this award and the Fitzwilliam Museum's Deputy Director (Collections & Research) said: “Collections are ever more prominent in the debates around our history, present and future. We’re thrilled to be able to offer the next generation of researchers the opportunity to use these incredible collections to ask questions that will help shape our collective future.

“These PhD projects will engage our communities and employ a truly interdisciplinary approach. We look forward to welcoming the first students next year, who will benefit from the rich diversity of collections, institutions, expertise and training support provided by this partnership.”

̽��ֱ��Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) offers up to 50 collaborative research studentships per annum to galleries, libraries, museums and archives, the creative industries, and public and third sector organisations. This new consortium will collaborate with CDP organisations across the UK.

Frank Hargrave, Colchester + Ipswich Museums manager, said: “Collections and Communities in the East of England offers the unrivalled opportunity to look at our collections differently, researching themes that are of particular relevance to our changing communities. To work with world-renowned academics on this research is an unrivalled opportunity and Colchester + Ipswich Museums are delighted with the funding announcement.”

Sarah Wilson, Heritage Manager at Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery, said: “Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery is delighted to be involved. ̽��ֱ��museum collections are hidden gems, a treasure trove for researchers that span 150 million years, cover a diverse range of subjects and offer endless opportunities for learning.”

Steve Miller, Director of Culture & Heritage, Norfolk County Council, said: “Norfolk Museums Service is delighted to be a partner in the Collections & Communities in the East of England consortium. ̽��ֱ��initiative supports our commitment to building the skills and experience of a diverse workforce in the museums and cultural sector and we look forward to supporting the researchers to work with our local communities to gain important new insights into our collections.”

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge collections, together with Colchester + Ipswich Museums, Norfolk Museums Service and Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery, will join the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) scheme funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

These PhD projects will engage our communities and employ a truly interdisciplinary approach

Neal Spencer

̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge / Julieta Sarmiento

Visitors are welcomed to Cambridge's Zoology Museum beneath its fin whale skeleton

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Heritage science investment to unveil secrets of Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� collections

zs332 — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:44:50 +0000

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has been awarded £3m from the AHRC's Capability for Collections Fund to invest in equipment and refurbishment that will enable researchers from across the UK and worldwide to undertake new research into its heritage collections.

Unexpected experiences: George Doji reflects on putting museum storytelling into the digital world

zs332 — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 08:00:22 +0000

George Doji, host of Museum Remix at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Museums, describes the digital experiment in museum storytelling that began when the collections were forced to close their doors.

Beggarstaffs: William Nicholson & James Pryde

ehs33 — Fri, 10 May 2019 11:59:35 +0000

New exhibition puts the ̽��ֱ��'s collections of two leading figures in Modern British Art into context for the first time.

Cambridge in the 2019 New Year honours list

plc32 — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 22:31:00 +0000

Professor David Klenerman, FRS was knighted for Services to Science and for the Development of High Speed DNA Sequencing Technology.

Professor Klenerman said: “I feel very humbled to be recognised in this way.”

Sir David is a professor of biophysical chemistry at the Department of Chemistry at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and a Fellow of Christ's College. He is best known for his contribution in the field of next-generation sequencing of DNA, which subsequently resulted in Solexa, a high-speed DNA sequencing company that he co-founded.

“I also want to acknowledge and sincerely thank the highly talented people who have worked with me over the years and without whom my research would simply not have been possible. In particular the development of Solexa sequencing was the result of a massive team effort.”

Klenerman was educated at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge where he was an undergraduate student of Christ's College and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in chemistry in 1986 as a postgraduate student of Churchill College.

Sir David has received a string of honours for his work, including a 2018 Royal Medal from the Royal Society for his outstanding contribution to applied sciences. He was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2015 and Fellow of the Royal Society in 2012.

Professor Madeleine Julia Atkins, who was first honoured as a CBE in 2011, has been promoted DBE for her Services to Higher Education.

Dame Madeleine, lately Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, has had a long and distinguished career in higher education, most recently providing outstanding leadership in ensuring a smooth transition between HEFCE and the new Office for Students and Research England. She has also been a Trustee and Board member for Nesta, and was until recently a Deputy Lieutenant in the West Midlands. She has been a Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Newcastle ̽��ֱ��, is a former Vice-Chancellor of Coventry ̽��ֱ��, and is now President of Lucy Cavendish College here at Cambridge ̽��ֱ��. She studied for a degree in law and history at Girton College and has a PhD from the ̽��ֱ�� of Nottingham.

Dame Madeleine said: “I am honoured to receive this award, which recognises the contribution of my former colleagues at HEFCE who worked so hard to make the transition to OfS and Research England both smooth and successful. I am delighted now to be bringing some of my experience in the higher education sector to support the students and Fellowship of Lucy Cavendish College”.

Professor John Frederick William Birney, FRS, the joint director, European Bioinformatics Institute was awarded a CBE For Services to Computational Genomics and to Leadership across the Life Sciences.

Professor Birney is Director of EMBL-EBI, Europe's flagship laboratory for the life sciences, and runs a small research group. He played a vital role in annotating the genome sequences of human, mouse, chicken and several other organisms. He led the analysis group for the ENCODE project, which is defining functional elements in the human genome. Birney’s main areas of research include functional genomics, assembly algorithms, statistical methods to analyse genomic information (in particular information associated with individual differences) and compression of sequence information.

Professor Birney, known as Ewan to his friends, family and colleagues, was educated at Eton, Oxford and St John’s College, Cambridge.

Dr Jennifer Mary Schooling, Director of the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC), ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge was awarded an OBE For Services to Engineering and to Digital Construction.

Dr Schooling is a Fellow of Darwin College and has been the Director of CSIC since April 2013. CSIC focuses on how better data and information from a wide range of sensing systems can be used to improve our understanding of our infrastructure, leading to better design, construction and management practices. CSIC has strong collaborations with industry, developing and demonstrating innovations on real construction and infrastructure projects, and developing standards and guidance to enable implementation. Dr Schooling is also Chair of the Research Strategy Steering Group for the newly formed Centre for Digital Built Britain. Dr Schooling is founding Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Smart Infrastructure and Construction Proceedings journal (ICE). She recently served as a member of PAS185 smart cities security standard steering group and of ICE’s State of the Nation 2017 ‘Digital Transformation’ Steering Group. Prior to joining CSIC, Dr Schooling worked for Arup, leading the firm’s Research Business, and before that for Edwards Vacuum (then BOC Edwards) as a manager for New Product Introductions. She has a PhD from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.

Andrew Nairne, Director of Kettle’s Yard, was awarded an OBE for Services to Museums and the Arts. Kettle’s Yard is the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s modern and contemporary art gallery.

Andrew Nairne said: “I am delighted to receive this recognition following the hugely successful reopening of Kettle’s Yard in 2018: a magnificent team effort.”

“As Director of one of the eight ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Museums, I believe museums have a vital role to play in the life of both the ̽��ֱ�� and the community.”

̽��ֱ��Honours list, which dates back to around 1890, recognises notable services and contributions to Britain.

Members of collegiate Cambridge recognised for outstanding contributions to society in science, education, engineering and art

“I feel very humbled to be recognised in this way.”

Professor Sir David Klenerman

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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