We are thrilled to share the good news with you! Our Steering Committee member, Davison Chiwara, has received his PhD award!
Below you can find Davison's bio and the abstract of his PhD thesis.
Davison Chiwara (PhD) is a lecturer in the Department of Archaeology, Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. He is also the coordinator of the African Museology Project for the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. He has just earned his PhD in Heritage and Museum Studies with the University of Pretoria, South Africa. His research interests are on the conservation of heritage and museums and gallery practice. He has presented several research papers at American Institute of Conservation (AIC) Annual Meetings; International Institute of Conservation (IIC) Congresses; ICOM-CC, Culture in Crisis Conference; Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) Living Matter Symposium and other regional conferences on cultural heritage management in Africa. He has published his research works with the Museum International Journal, Studies in Conservation Journal of the International Institute of Conservation and the Journal of American Institute of Conservation. Email: davisonchiwara87@gmail.com.
Collections conservation practices and possibilities of contamination by hazardous pesticide contaminants: Towards a non-pesticide approach of conserving collections at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe.
Abstract
The research focused on the analysis of collections at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe to determine pesticide contaminants and assess their effects on the conservation of collections and human health. The data collection methods used included XFR spectrometry (for inorganic heavy metal pesticides), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (for organic pesticides), condition assessments of collections, desktop survey and staff interviews. Research findings showed that collections at the museum are contaminated with toxic pesticides, with some reacting with the collections resulting in their deterioration. Staff and researchers are also in danger of using contaminated collections and accessing contaminated environments in the museum. The research recommended safety protocols for the handling and use of contaminated collections as well as accessing contaminated environments of the museum. It also recommended non-pesticide methods of pest control in the museum.