Local expertise on our A-Project
On 17 December, the A-Project led by RAM members Victor Cobs Muñoz and Liudmila Slivinskaya experienced their first formal presentation. In the current context of a challenging but also sometimes helpful digital environment, the students presented their joint proposal for the remainder of the project entitled "Effects of Gentrification. A comparative study of metropolitan and micropolitan spaces in Dortmund, Minsk, and Valparaiso". On this occasion, the students not only presented to their peers, tutor, and supervisors, but also to their new external advisors: Dr María José Otero Auristondo and Dr Andrei Vazyanau.
Dr Otero, PhD in Human Geography, is a lecturer and lead researcher in the Laboratory of Urbanisms and Resilient Geographies (Laboratorio de Urbanismos y Geografías Resilientes) of the Institute of Geography, Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile, and Dr Vazyanau, PhD in Social Anthropology, is a lecturer at the European Humanities University, Lithuania and member of the NGO Minsk Urban Platform (Минская урбанистическая платформа). Made possible by the digital format of the ongoing semester, their participation has provided the students with additional insights and local knowledge of their respective contexts. Exacerbating the interdisciplinary nature of the current A-Project and our RAM Lab itself, both external advisors will accompany the research process from afar throughout the rest of the current term and the upcoming semester, supporting students in their research endeavors along with the academic team.