Presenting your final year thesis results is always a nerve-wracking experience for students. Usually, you will present to your supervisor, members of staff who have mentored you, fellow students and perhaps a few faculty members. Imagine the surprise of Cyprus University of Technology Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology student Zelia Desouki when her audience for her presentation as part of her Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering included representatives from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities and the Ambassador to Cypus from Sweden!
Ms Desouki presented the digitisation pipeline which she and fellow students under the guidance of Dr Marinios Ioannides, UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage and the DHRLab at CUT, undertook at Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm, Sweden in January 2024.
The mission to Sweden digitised 31 artefacts of Cypriot origin excavated The Swedish Cyprus Expedition 1927-1931 under the patronage of the then crown prince Gustaf VI Adolf. The collection, numbering thousands of artefacts formed the basis of the Medelhavsmuseet (the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities) opened to the public in 1954.
His Excellency Martin Hagström has closely followed the progress of the Swedish-Cyprus digitisation initiative and this was his second visit to CUT following his visit in December 2024. His Excellency said, “Archaeology, and the Swedish Cyprus expedition, these are things that are really important ties that bind us together, now with your work these ties are bought into the digital age.“
The Swedish-Cyprus digitisation initiative is unique and represents a watershed moment in cultural diplomacy “soft power” to promote understanding between nations. It is the first time that a national holder of cultural heritage has invited the original state of origin to digitise a collection and through collaboration gain a deeper understanding of cultural heritage artefacts and how they can be preserved and shared through new digital tools like the Europeana portal.
We are delighted to report that Ms Desouki graduated achieving her Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the Cyprus University of Technology on the 19th of July 2024 and wish her all success in her future career.
