Coastal and Marine Professional Work Placement

Coastal and Marine Professional Work Placement
English Heritage Professional Placements in Conservation (EPPIC) – An English Heritage and IFA initiative for Historic Environment Practitioners are offering seven one-year professional work placements under the English Heritage EPPIC scheme. These placements will provide work-based learning opportunities in specialisms related to the historic environment. Placements are provided and supervised by English Heritage and administered by the IFA. The placements are designed for those with some experience of historic environment practice, but who have not yet had the opportunity to develop more specialist skills and competencies, and may contribute towards an appropriate vocational qualification.

There is one placement available in Coastal and Marine Archaeological Investigation x 1, based in Salisbury (hosted by Wessex Archaeology)

Placement holders will be paid £15,354, fixed term for 12 months. Successful candidates will be, or will be expected to become, members of an appropriate professional institute.

• Ideally, you will have a relevant degree (or equivalent experience) with 6-18 months post-graduate work experience in UK historic environment practice.
• You may have a post-graduate qualification or comparable practical experience in a heritage discipline
• You may be looking for an opportunity to diversify into a new branch of the profession or to enhance skills you have already gained.
• English Heritage and the Institute of Field Archaeologists value diversity and seek to enhance diversity within the historic environment professions

For further details about this and other placements and to download an application pack, please visit the IFA website or contact:

Natasha Kingham
Institute of Field Archaeologists
SHES
University of Reading
Whiteknights
PO Box 227
Reading RG6 6AB

Closing date: 9am on 8th February 2008
Interview dates: Between 18th February and 4th March 2008
Start date: 7th April 2008

ALSF Technical Conference 2008, Environmental Archaeology Online Access, Investigating the Oceans: Government Response Raises Concerns

Defra ALSF Technical Conference 2008
Defra’s Marine Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) 2008 Technical Conference is to be held at the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME), Essex, RM13 8EU on the 28th & 29th February 2008. Session times (tbc) are:

• Thursday 28th February 09:30h – 17:30h (followed by a drinks reception)
• Friday 29th February 09:30h – 14:30h

Lunch and all refreshments for both days are included. The programme will include the presentation of 2007/2008 project outputs from the Marine Environment Protection Fund and English Heritage portfolios.
The delegate fee is £125 (not including VAT)

To find out more about registration, please click here. For exhibitor or other information, please email: secretariat@alsf-mepf.org.uk

Online access to Environmental Archaeology
Members can now access issues issues of Environmental Archaeology dating back to 2006 online (with a subscription of course).

Investigating the Oceans: Government Response Raises Concerns
Following the publication of the important House of Commons Select Committee for Science and Technology’s report “Investigating the Oceans” in October 2007, the official Government response was published on 9 January 2008.

The response has already generated some concern at The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) for falling ” …far short of endorsing the key proposals contained in the Select Committee Report”, which members may recall “…included far reaching recommendations for the organisation and funding of UK marine science and technology; and a call for the creation of a new marine science agency to oversee a national marine science strategy and a new overarching plan for the oceans. “

IMarEST has identified key concerns with the report including:

• The Government does not support the formation of an agency, but instead proposes a Marine Science Coordinating Committee (MSCC) to replace IACMST
• This proposed replacement for the IACMST has no defined ministerial reporting line
• No independent or industry representation is envisaged on the proposed Marine Science Coordination Committee
• Whilst the need for a UK Marine Strategy is acknowledged, the proposed coordinating arrangements would seem to suffer similar deficiencies to those that the Select Committee identified in the present arrangements

The Committee’s “Investigating the Oceans” report is available to download.

International School in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, Free Maritime Archaeology Access and Learning Workshop, Other News

International School in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

ETH Zurich, the University of Siena, Italy, the FBK Research Centre,Trento, Italy and the University of California Merced are organising an International School in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage to take place in May 2008, in Ascona, Switzerland.

The School will face the problem of modern technologies in the heritage field, giving participants the opportunity to obtain a detailed overview of the main methods and applications to archaeological and conservation research and practice.

Furthermore, our School will give the chance to participants to enter in a very short time the kernel of the scientific discussion on 3D technologies – surveying methods, documentation, data management and data interpretation – in the archaeological research and practice.

The School is open to approximately 60 participants at graduate level, to those carrying out doctoral or specialist research, to established research workers, to members of State Archaeology Services and to professionals specialising in the study and documentation, modeling and conservation of the archaeological heritage.

Grant application and registration forms are available online

The deadline for any grant applications is 15th February, 2008.

Grants are provided by UNESCO and ISPRS will be available for students with limited budgets and travel possibilities.

The deadline for registration is 31st March, 2008.

The School is to be held in the congress centre Centro Stefano Franscini, Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland. The centre is an ETH-affiliated seminar complex located in a superb botanical park in the historic and cultural Monte Verità area, which also contains accommodation for participants in the integrated hotel and restaurant.

Any questions can be sent to info@3darchaeology.org . Download further details for the Ascona school.

Free Maritime Archaeology Access and Learning Workshop

The Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology still have a small number of places left on their free Maritime Archaeology Access and Learning Workshop below! The previous two courses have been extremely popular and feedback has been very positive. The courses are particularly useful for:

• Education Officers in museums
• Teachers
• Young Archaeology Club leaders
• Marine Wildlife Rangers and Officers
• Diving professionals looking to organise new and exciting events
• Education Officers within the aggregate industry
• Anyone involved in organising events for children and families who would like to have a maritime archaeology focus
• Education Officers in archaeological organisations

The course will be held near Southampton on the 6th-7th Feb 2008. Accommodation is provided. Please feel free to contact HWTMA at alison.hamer@hwtma.org.uk for more information, Please feel free to circulate this to anyone you think might be interested.

Other News
Underwater survey of “lost city” of Dunwich

Campaign to protect River Severn hulks

IFA Conference 2008, Flinders University Newsletter, Museum Consultant Tender- Dublin

IFA Annual Conference 2008
The IFA’s Annual Conference is being held in Swansea from 18-20 March 2008. A copy of the conference programme and booking form can be downloaded from the IFA website. Bookings can also be made online. Copies of the programme can also be sent out from the IFA office on request.

The deadline for discounted booking rates is 20 February 2008.

Flinders University Maritime Archaeology Newsletter
The new Flinders University Maritime Archaeology Newsletter (FUMAN) for 2008, with details of various field projects and news from their work in Australia and further afield is now available. Flinders Newsletter 2008

Museum Consultant Tender- Dublin
The Heritage Office of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in Dublin, wishes to engage a museum consultant to undertake an Assessment of the National Maritime Museum

Tender proposals must be submitted by Monday January 21, 2008 at 16.00. Further details are available here.

24th Offshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round: Appropriate Assessments, Logboat Regatta, New IFAMAG blog contact details!

24th Offshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round: Appropriate Assessments
Appropriate Assessments of 3 blocks in Cardigan Bay (106/30, 107/21 & 107/22) and a block in the inner Moray Firth (17/3) applied for in the 24th Offshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round have been issued for comment.
These Appropriate Assessments can now be downloaded from the SEA website, and the deadline for comments is March 14th 2008.

Proposed Logboat Regatta
Slovenia currently holds the presidency of the European Union for the first half of 2008. This has provided an opportunity for the Municipality of Ljubljana to part-finance a project to promote ancient vessels – log boats- as a part of the identity of the city.

An initial request to find log boat researchers in Europe, particularly those who have completed replicas, has met with a fair response, although if you are active in this field you can still contact Miran Eric of Zavod za Varstvo Kulturne Dediščine Slovenije (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia) at miran.eric@guest.arnes.si with details of your own project/replicas.

In response to the first appeal for information on logboat replicas in Europe, there is now a proposal for a regatta of prehistoric logboat replicas. Provisional plans from Mr. Eric are are given below

Time: June, 2008. Duration: 5 days

Initial preparation: Timely transport of the vessels to Ljubljana.

Day 1: Introductory meeting of the participants (welcoming speech on the part of the hosts)
Day 2: Exchange of experience, preparation for experimental work, workshops for the public, navigation on the Ljubljanica River for the public
Day 3: Exchange of experience, group navigation of all the participants from Ljubljana to Vrhnika
Evening: Presentation of the vessels at Vrhnika
Day 4: Exchange of experience, group navigation of all the participants from Ljubljana to Vrhnika
Day 5: Morning: Short symposium on experimental archaeology and making log boats (5 to 7 contributions)
Afternoon: Socialising and regatta of known politicians and media personalities
Evening: Formal conclusion

Final activities: Return of the vessels to their local institutions

Initial plans have raised questions regarding financing attendance at the regatta. These summed up here:

• Costs of the vessel transport? (the Municipality of Ljubljana seeks to establish contact with participants’ local municipalities to invite them to participate with Ljubljana)

• Costs of accompanying the vessels and their makers? (the Municipality of Ljubljana seeks to establish contact with participants’  local municipalities  to invite them to participate with Ljubljana)

• Costs of the event? (in the competence of the Municipality of Ljubljana)
  In order to organise the event as successfully as possible, Mr Eric requests that with the authorisation of the co-organiser, possible participants make an estimate of the cost of participating with their vessel. This should include costs for those who either participate in the event or accompanying vessels, and the cost of renting essential equipment etc. To meet these costs, the Municipality of Ljubljana wishes engage in international cooperation among cities willing to share the costs of participation with participants from their local municipalities.

If you are interested in participating contact miran.eric@guest.arnes.si.

New MAG Update Contact Details
As promised the new email address material for IFAMAG is: brian.hession@hwtma.org.uk. Please send any material for MAG updates/ blog to this new address.

ACUA 2007 Proceedings Available, Captain Kidd’s ship found?, Contacting IFA MAG

ACUA Conference Proceedings Available
The ACUA Underwater Archaeology Proceedings 2007, edited by Victor Mastone, from the SHA-Williamsburg conference is now available.
The volume is available as both a hard copy for $20 and as a one-time downloadable full-colour PDF file for $10. It is hoped that this more flexible format will make it possible for more people to obtain a copy.

If you would like to purchase the ACUA Underwater Archaeology Proceedings 2007, please visit one of the two websites below and follow the links:

www.ACUAonline.org or http://www.lulu.com/content/1593028 (the publisher)

Captain Kidd’s Ship found?
A team of underwater archaeologists led by Charles Beeker of Indiana University have found a vessel thought to be Quedagh Merchant, a ship left in the Caribbean by Kidd in 1699. More details can be found at the Telegraph and UPI

Contacting MAG with Updates
Members should note that my current email brianhession@wessexarch.co.uk will no longer be available to keep me informed of any relevant news for MAG Updates. I will post my new address in the next update.