Elīna Vikmane Appointed Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution
Researcher Elīna Vikmane of the Institute of Culture and Arts at the Latvian Academy of Culture has been appointed Research Associate status at the Smithsonian Institution. The appointment recognizes her international scholarly standing and enables continued collaboration with the world’s largest museum and research complex.
“I am sincerely grateful for this opportunity, which is meaningful to me both professionally and personally. It affirms the possibility of connecting museum research with practice. It is important for me to remain active in Latvia, and this status makes that balance possible. I hope, over time, to contribute to building new connections between researchers and cultural heritage professionals in Europe and the United States,” Vikmane noted.
As Research Associate, Vikmane will continue her research project, “Participatory Science in Museums,” initiated during her Fulbright Visiting Scholar appointment, and will collaborate with the team of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on the research and development of new digital public outreach initiatives.
Research Associate Appointment is an academic appointment that confers a formal, scholarly SI affiliation to a researcher who is not an employee of the Smithsonian. Research Associates have professional status in the occupational field related to their appointment and they are in residence to conduct scholarly research and/or collaborate with Smithsonian staff and/or are otherwise regularly engaged in the scholarly activities of the Smithsonian.