Join us in Cottbus for Heritage GradConnect 2025 - an event that brings together BTU’s vibrant international heritage community to celebrate the most recent World Heritage Studies and Heritage Conservation and Site Management MA graduates. Outstanding research from the 2024/2025 graduate cohort will be presented at the conference in the afternoon, with a graduation ceremony for the class of 2024/2025 taking place in the evening. Celebrations at an after party to follow!

NEW! Heritage GradConnect 2025 coincides with 25th Anniversary of the World Heritage Studies MA at BTU. Join us for the opportunity to reflect on the programme's past and share exciting updates on the bright future of the programme. 

NEW! This year, Heritage GradConnect has partnered with the International Association of World Heritage Professionals (https://iawhp.com/), who will be hosting a DAAD-funded alumni conference at BTU from 24 - 29 November 2025 centred upon 70 Years of the Hague Convention. Together, these events offer a dynamic platform for networking with students, alumni, and heritage professionals from across the globe.

Event Highlights: 28 November 2025

• Reflections on 25 years of World Heritage Studies: 11 AM to 12:30 PM*
• Graduate conference: 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Graduation ceremony: 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM
• After party: 8:15 PM to 10:00 PM

^{* All times in local German time (CET)}

Location

Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus Main Campus

Atelier Mies, first floor of building LG 2C/D, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 8, 03046, Cottbus

Online attendace in Webex: https://b-tu.webex.com/b-tu-en/j.php?MTID=m3a26667943e1bb18c6bb7901e916194c

Graduate conference speakers

• Jaclyn Chua - Finding one's place in the city: Hawkers of George Town, Malaysia from the 20th and 21st century (online)
• Mayté Mora Roldan - Heritage in Agony: Vernacular Architecture in Northeast Mexico
• Melike Atmanoglu - Turkish birthing rituals in German diaspora
• Sayali Milind Athale - Workers' identity around Mughal inlay art in India (online)
• Abigail Schemenauer - Adapting to the Spotlight: Evaluating the Evolution of Skellig Michael’s Sustainable Management in Response to Film Tourism
• Maryam Hashemi Hosseinabadi - Enhancing Visitor Engagement in Car Museums: A User Experience and Visitor Journey Mapping Study of the Automuseum Dr. Carl Benz
• Blair Mueller - Technology at Museums and Heritage Sites: A Hidden Danger
• Meenu K. - Big Data’s Role in Shaping UNESCO’s Cultural Policies: A Critical Analysis Within the Scope of the 2005 Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

Conference schedule