What is your current job?

Science Laboratory Technician / Teaching Associate

When did you graduate from CRMP? What was your degree?

Graduated 2015 - Professional Specialization Certificate in Collections Management

Describe a typical day in your current job.

Anything from leading science expeditions (palaeobiology, archaeology, marine conservation…) to remote islands in the Pacific to climb up Italian Alps in order to discover and recover rare specimens for scientific research.

In the lab I manage Palaeobiology Laboratories and supervise numerous students and volunteers (Undergraduates, Masters and PhD students). Preparation, Curation and Conservation are all part of the job from the field to the lab, the development of new techniques in this areas and producing scientific publications on the new findings are all part of a day's work.

How do you think the CRMP influenced the way you approach your job?

Having worked for Natural History research and museological institutions for several years, the CRMP course was very effective in "forcing" myself into taking time from work and read some of the books in the to-read list that usually I wouldn't have time to.

The fact that lots of case-studies were from Canadian examples proved to be a very effective way to have an in-depth view of a different reality which made me think or analyse certain cases with new eyes through different perspectives, very important since I work worldwide. The way certain aspects of Heritage Management is approached, with such different laws and sometimes mind sets from European ways made me look at collections, their materials and the ways they are handled and communicated with the audiences in different ways.

What courses have you found most valuable in informing you in your current career?

The Heritage Resource Management and Collections Management were both highly valuable for the diverse work I do for museums and research institutions, managing and curate historical collections is a big part of my job and these two courses provided several tools and new ways of thinking-management.

What is one piece of advice you have for our current and graduating students?

Interact! The way the course is structured allows you to have contact with different professionals from all around the world, besides the invaluable comments of the unit's Lecturer, this is a great way to change ideas, debate topics and share experiences. Many times you are both working on very similar projects, however techniques and ways to solve or address a certain issue are more than one, having this easy intercontinental communication makes it an extremely useful networking tool.

Describe your best memory from CRMP.

Realizing that a course colleague was working at the same institution you once did and to be able to discuss and know the current state and reality of that institution - it is a small world and this course gives us the opportunity to interact with everyone across the globe.

• Posted July 1, 2015