My name is Lana and I am studying my Masters in Digital & Computational Archeology at the University of Cologne. My relationship with HESCOR began in October 2025 when I started an internship for Dr. Isabell Schmidt and Prof. Andreas Maier. My interest is agent-based modeling, and as part of this internship I designed an agent-based model to explore the exchange of personal ornaments in the Aurignacian. At the time I was still quite inexperienced with agent-based modeling, so for me this was an excellent opportunity to develop myself and my interests.
Following that internship, I was hired as a student assistant for HESCOR. It was, and still is, quite exciting! I received a very warm welcome from everyone at HESCOR. I am always encouraged to be involved with events, talks, and projects.
I particularly enjoy the diversity of the HESCOR project. Not only do I get to meet researchers from all over the world, but there are so many different disciplines represented within the project. The interdisciplinary nature of HESCOR is, in my opinion, its greatest strength. And it is incredibly rewarding to experience that first hand. For instance, I helped with the HESCOR Vision Forum in March 2026. This included checking the attendance register, preparing for lunch and coffee breaks, and running the microphone during presentations. The content of the Vision Forum was very engaging, and it was quite fascinating to see the experts of their fields to discuss the challenges currently facing HESCOR.
My work at HESCOR is highly varied, and may range from researching the economics of Medieval Germany, to preparing geospatial data in QGIS. The variety and the challenge make my work very rewarding, and it’s refreshing to know, even with some of the more minor tasks that I’m involved with, I’m still making a positive contribution to scientific research.
Over these last few months my interest in academia has only grown, and I am very grateful for the opportunities available to me.
