Heritage Science

"Heritage Science" is interdisciplinary educational course, which aims to help students with understanding of "how" and "why" the most actual tasks of Cultural Heritage preservation can be resolved by means of combined use of engineering and humanitarian knowledge. The aim of the school "Heritage Science" is to provide students with information about the current achievements in the use of physical, chemical, laser and optoelectronic techniques in Cultural Heritage preservation. Heritage Science is a new, but rapidly growing field of technical and natural sciences which deals with analysis, restoration and documentation of works of art.

Admission information

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Key points

1. Heritage Science is one of the most important modern disciplines in preparing the qualified experts in the field of Cultural Heritage preservation;
2. The course “Heritage Science” provides unique information about role of modern physical, chemical, laser and optoelectronic techniques in Cultural Heritage preservation;
3. ETU “LETI” and our partners have considerable experience in this field, as well as specialized facilities;
4. Participation in the school is a good option for those who want to upgrade professional knowledge through foreign experience;
5. The students get 2 weeks of various practice, including access to University’s and our partners' research laboratories.

About the program

The remnants of past civilizations are an important part of the historical and cultural identity of the population of each country. Exactly for this reason the Cultural Heritage preservation is one of main kinds of human activity for past 2 centuries around the world. Unfortunately, there are many factors of risks for preserving of our patrimony, which are both of natural origin (earthquakes, floods, fires, wind, sand, etc.) and on the human one (intentional damage, war destructions, anthropogenic air pollution). Recently, the latter has become the main cause of deterioration of monuments of architecture, historical buildings and museum collections in connection with the increasing role of environmental problems.

The uniqueness of each piece of Cultural Heritage treasury justifies the need of the most developed means in order to preserve the material itself against the many sources of deterioration. Because of this, the conservation community has always explored the potential of newly developed science & technology for solving the problems they are everyday facing. Since the opening of a modern meaning of restoration, chemistry has been most involved, providing reactants, poultices for consolidation, cleaning and protection. However, for last 2 decades physics, laser engineering and optoelectronics became disciplines which may give even more important contributions. It resulted in forming a new, but rapidly growing field of technical and natural sciences which deals with analysis, restoration and documentation of works of art, which is called the Heritage Science.

The School "Heritage Science" is focused on extra education of Bachelor's degree senior students and Master's degree students in physics, optics, electronics, electrical engineering, and materials science. This course includes lectures, practical training workshops and master classes that will acquire and/or upgrade understanding of students of complex problems of restoration, storage and exhibiting of artworks and their solution by means of use of achievements of modern science. 

The School "Heritage Science" covers the following areas of knowledge:

• Art history;
• Fundamentals of conservation of artworks;
• Basic principles of storage and exhibiting of works of art;
• Basic physical, chemical, laser and optoelectronic techniques and methods, which can be used in Cultural Heritage preservation for analysis, diagnostics, documentation, restoration and replication of artworks.

Participation in the School "Heritage Science" allows you to:

• Get general knowledge about the basic principles of Heritage Science;
• Study advanced physical, chemical, laser and optoelectronic techniques, which are used in Cultural Heritage preservation;
• Learn about the design and operation of modern lasers, laser and optoelectronic systems for restoration and analysis of artworks;
• Get skills of practical work on modern laser and optoelectronic equipment.

Modules

Module 1 - Introduction to Cultural Heritage Preservation

This module includes:

• Art history;
• Conservation and restoration of artworks;
• Deterioration of works of art due environmental factors.

Module 2 - Chemistry, Physics, Material Sciences and Biology in Artworks Conservation and Restoration

This module includes:

• Materials used for creation of artworks;
• Modern materials for artworks conservation and restoration;
• Chemistry in Conservation and restoration of artworks;
• Physical methods of diagnostics and analysis of artworks;
• Biology in artworks conservation.

Module 3 - Laser & Optoelectronics Techniques in Cultural Heritage Preservation

This module includes:

• Optoelectronic techniques in analysis and diagnostics of artworks;
• Laser techniques in restoration, documentation and replication of artworks. 

Partners

I.E.Repin St. Petersburg Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture

The State Russian Museum

St. Petersburg State Museum for Urban Sculpture

About the Department

Department of Photonics was established in 1931 and it is one of the oldest and the most renowned departments in the University. The research activity of the Department is focused on pioneering research in the fields that in modern science are referred to as solid-state Electronics and Photonics. In the last few decades research and academic activity were focused mainly on laser technologies and photovoltaics.

Many outstanding Russian scientists and engineers have graduated from the Department of Photonics for the last decades and the most renowned of the Department’s alumnus is the laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physics (2000) Prof. Zhores Alferov.

Vadim Alexandrovich Parfenov

Program coordinator

Doctor of Sciences, Professor

Contacts

International Students Office