{"id":246,"date":"2022-05-18T11:12:24","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T10:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/molecular-science-engineering\/?p=246"},"modified":"2022-05-18T11:12:24","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T10:12:24","slug":"setting-up-conservation-science-collaborations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/molecular-science-engineering\/2022\/05\/18\/setting-up-conservation-science-collaborations\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting up conservation science collaborations"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday 10 May, IMSE staff Leah Adamson and Isabella von Holstein joined Ambrose Taylor<\/a> of the Science and Engineering for Cultural Heritage (SERCH) network<\/a> for a tour of the new Victoria and Albert Museum Conservation Science laboratory.<\/p>\n

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In the John Madejski garden: the architecture of the V&A is unmistakable!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We’re neighbours: the V&A is just down the road from Imperial’s South Kensington Campus.<\/p>\n

Senior Scientist Lucia Burgio led the tour and Lab Coordinator Valentina Risdonne demonstrated the equipment. Head of Conservation Pedro Gaspar joined us to discuss future collaborations.<\/p>\n

The V&A conservation science lab was recently upgraded thanks to a \u00a32.3 million grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council<\/a>. This enabled the lab to buy state-of-the-art equipment including new XRF (X-ray fluorescence) spectrometers, a range of digital microscopes, an SEM-EDX (scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray analysis) and a suite of other high-tech instruments<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Valentina Risdonne, of the Conservation Science Laboratory, demonstrating the HIROX digital microscope. She’s taking very high resolution images of a pen-and-ink drawing by Palladio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The V&A lab enables conservation science within the V&A. It allows conservators and scientists to examine an object at very high resolution. They use non-destructive spectroscopic analyses to establish how it was made, whether it is damaged, whether it has been repaired and how it can be best conserved.<\/p>\n

IMSE helped set up the SERCH network in 2021. It\u2019s a network of excellence within Imperial College London, bringing together scientists, engineers, conservators and curators. The aim of the network is to foster collaboration, in two ways:<\/p>\n