Students learn afloat unique museum

There are many ways to study over the summer break, but taking classes on a floating museum must rate among the more exotic options.

The unique experience was recently shared by a group of UQ postgraduates, who worked on a string of sites in the Ha Long Bay area of Vietnam as part of their Museum Studies program.

Offered annually, the summer school is organised by Professor Amareswar Galla, who has spent more than a decade working in the World Heritage Listed areas of Vietnam for UNESCO.

Professor Galla said the school drew together people from areas as diverse as archaeology, anthropology, applied history, gender studies, environmental science and law to determine the benefits of museums to the local community and analyse the flow-on effects of heritage tourism.

“Tourism continues to be the fastest growth industry in the world and is having significant negative impacts on both heritage and environmental values, as well as on the cultural diversity of the world,” he said.

“One of the most gratifying outcomes of our work has been witnessing the creation of thousands of jobs that contribute to poverty alleviation, an outcome that has been measured and applauded by international agencies such as UNESCO and UNDP.”

Professor Galla said the 16-day course had a real world focus, with the evaluation work carried out during the visit submitted to the Vietnam National Cultural Heritage Department for follow up.

“Students literally get their fingers in the dirt working on problem solving exercises in a collaborative learning partnership to understand sustainable heritage development,” he said.

The field school is part of a series of lectures, tours and workshops made possible by UQ’s links with the International Council of Museums and the Smithsonian Institution.

For further information about the 2007 Summer School, contact Dr Kim Selling on 07 3346 9804 or k.selling@uq.edu.au.

Media: Dr Selling (07 3346 9804, k.selling@uq.edu.au) or Cameron Pegg at UQ Communications (07 3365 2049, c.pegg@uq.edu.au)