Training
Factual acquisition of new competence will be tested, over the development of the curriculum, through understanding performances that progress starting from scholastic exercises, e.g.: (i) working through sets of strategically varied examples, (ii) experimental tutorial problem solving, and (iii) informal seminars, and leading to culminating performances represented by real life challenges, such as: (a) peer-reviewed research articles publication, (b) oral presentation at public scientific conferences, (c) organisation of public events or scientific dissemination activities, (d) submitting applications for postdoctoral research grants, (e) application for open positions, and (f) developing a business plan and leading an idea through all steps of technological development up to real-world commercial exploitation.
Principles
TEMPERA provides international, and intersectoral training for early stage researchers (ESRs) to read ancient protein sequences and interpret the recovered information. This will improve knowledge about production techniques and chemical preservation of cultural heritage materials, ultimately improving their safeguard and conservation. Through the creation of a training environment based on the principles of constructive alignment and coherence, interdisciplinary knowledge, as well as specific research-related and transferable skills, will scaffold future ESRs’ professional thinking.
The overarching goal of the TEMPERA training programme will be preparing a new generation of young, highly qualified professionals mastering use of paleoproteomics for cultural heritage diagnostics and conservation, at top level worldwide. ESRs will acquire interdisciplinary knowledge, as well as research-specific and transferable skills to develop advanced competence and a unique expertise. ESRs will be selected among candidates with demonstrated deep, analytical approach to their studies. The pervasive “signature pedagogy” extending throughout the entire training program, and across all the TEMPERA institutions, will significantly contribute to scaffold their professional thinking, i.e. mindset or “ forma mentis ”, and consequently their professional practicing. The acquisition of threshold concepts about proteomic analysis and cultural heritage conservation will link together basic concepts, leading ESR to pass procedural thresholds and to acquire advanced ways of practicing in their expertise field. The appropriation of functioning knowledge by ESRs, to invent original solutions to progress toward future discoveries, will be favoured by training activities focused on research and product-development. ESRs will be initially provided with step-by-step instructions to “scaffold” effective learning strategies, but this support will then be progressively removed to ensure that the ESRs will begin to use the strategies independently.
Implementation
Network-wide interaction will be established during the programs Kick-Off meeting through a set of team-building activities and maintained over the entire duration of the course by using a common dedicated IT cloud infrastructure enabling common storage of resources, shared creation and condivision of documents and videoconferencing.