I would like to submit my candidature for the AWRANA Board in the function of Communications Manager. As such I would like to dedicate myself to facilitating communication and collaboration between specialists across the globe through AWRANA. I believe AWRANA is an excellent platform for bringing together different research traditions. I think the future of use-wear analysis depends largely on the ability of specialists from a wide range of perspectives to be able to implement each other’s results in their research. We will therefore depend on our ability to standardize aspects of the discipline to allow us to compare results from different specialists and research groups. I think AWRANA is the platform where we will have to discuss these topics. As a Communications Manager I would like to dedicate myself to facilitating this dialogue.
I am currently rounding up my first year as a PhD Candidate at Leiden University (NL), under supervision of prof. Dr. Annelou van Gijn, where I focus mainly on micro-wear analysis on Neolithic flint tools from the Vlaardingen Culture (3400-2500 BC). I am especially interested in how micro-wear analysis can be used to solve questions which go beyond basic interpretations of contact materials and motions. In my research I aim to use these results to better understand mobility and procurement networks.
For me personally I believe that being a Board member for AWRANA will be a valuable experience because it will allow me to work together closely with an international team of use-wear specialists from different backgrounds. I believe that this will help me to better understand different perspectives on use-wear analysis. I think being a Board member for AWRANA will be complementary to my research because it allows me to work closely with other specialists. And I believe that it is an excellent opportunity to stay up-to-date on the current developments in use-wear analysis as it will be my role to communicate these within the AWRANA network through the website and social media. I have experience with both maintaining websites and social media platforms as I have done this for both the Dutch Youth Association for History and the Workgroup for Experimental Archaeology in the association both in the capacity of chairman.
Lasse van den Dikkenberg
