Research Project
NigerHeritage: Research, Development, and Planning for Novel Museum, Cultural Center, and Field Station
Project Team:
Project Summary
This collaborative effort developed designs for a museum, a cultural center for nomadic peoples, and a fossil field site—each with a distinct role in the preservation of Niger’s paleontological, archaeological and cultural heritage. |
This project involved rethinking the design and function of a museum, a cultural center for nomadic peoples, and local field stations—each with a distinct role in the preservation of Niger’s unique paleontological, archaeological and cultural heritage. Scientists, social scientists, architects, planners and the public in Niger collaborated to develop the mission and plans for these innovative, energy-efficient cultural initiatives, which will shepherd the repatriation and long-term stewardship of priceless artifacts originating from the region.
Research Team
Ralph Austen
Ralph Austen
Professor Emeritus of African History, African Studies, and the College
University of Chicago
Ralph A. Austen's current research (and limited teaching) focuses on the political economy and cultural dimensions of European overseas expansion (including autobiographical writings by "colonial subjects") and African literature.
To learn more about Ralph A. Austen's research and...
Lauren Conroy
Lauren Conroy
Researcher, Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy
University of Chicago
Lauren Conroy oversees research projects at the University of Chicago Fossil Lab.
Paul Sereno
Paul Sereno
Professor, Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy and Committee on Evolutionary Biology
University of Chicago
Paul Sereno, a professor at the University of Chicago and Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society, works with students, technicians and artists in his Fossil Lab to bring to life fossils unearthed from sites around the world. Sereno’s field work began in the foothills of the...