Prof. Dr. Mona Hess

Full Professor and Lead of the chair for Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation

Dipl.-Ing. Univ. Architecture, M.A. Denkmalpflege / Heritage Conservation, PhD in 3D imaging metrology for cultural heritage (UCL Faculty of Engineering/ UCL CEGE), Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (UK FHEA)

  • Lead of the Chair of Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation, Program director of the M.Sc. Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation
  • Vice speaker and Lead of Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation at the Centre for Heritage Studies and Technologies (KDWT) , Am Zwinger 6, Bamberg

Meetings online or in person can be agreed by appointment through my personal assistant (sekretariat.ddt (at) uni-bamberg.de) .

Otto-Friedrich-Universit?t Bamberg
Kompetenzzentrum Denkmalwissenschaften und Denkmaltechnologien
Lehrstuhl für Digitale Denkmaltechnologien
Office: ZW4/01.26

Am Zwinger 4 (Villa)
D-96047 Bamberg
Germany
Tel.: +49 951 863-1634 / Secretary: +49 951 863-1633
Mail: mona.hess(at)uni-bamberg.de

Short bio Prof. Dr. Mona Hess

Mona Hess has graduate degrees in architecture from Munich University of Technology, heritage conservation from University of Bamberg, both Germany, and a PhD in 3D imaging metrology for cultural heritage from University College London (UK) in 2015. She has a 20-year-experience in interdisciplinary research projects for 3D imaging metrology and digital documentation for cultural heritage buildings and museum artefacts.

Since 2017 she is full professor and course director for the new M.Sc. in Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation at the University of Bamberg, Germany, and was vice-womens' officer of the university 2019 to 2022.  She is also co-chair at the Centre for Innovative Applications of Computer Science and vice-chair at the Centre for Heritage Conservation Studies and Technologies (KDWT) at the University of Bamberg.

She has published papers and book chapters in the cultural heritage and geomatics community (CIPA and ISPRS) She has been an expert member at CIPA ICOMOS since 2019 and will be on the executive committee of CIPA ICOMOS from 2024 as Commission Chair for Education and Dissemination.

Publikationen/ Publications

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Aktuelle Forschungsprojekte/ Current research projects

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Abgeschlossene Projekte/ Concluded Research Projects (ab/from 2017/ Uni Bamberg)

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EU COSCH - Colour and Space in Cultural Heritage, Working Group II: Spatial Object Documentation. Case study: Multi-modal imaging of Roman coins

EU COSCH Action: Colour and Space in Cultural Heritage. Part of Working Group II: Spatial Object Documentation. The main objective of this COST Action is to promote research, development and application of optical measurement techniques – adapted to the needs of heritage documentation – based on an interdisciplinary cooperation, on a concerted European level and to offer a novel and reliable, independent and global knowledge base facilitating the use of today's and future optical measuring techniques to support the documentation of European heritage. Part of COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is one of the longest-running European frameworks supporting cooperation among  scientists and researchers across Europe.

Wel(l)come@3D - knowledge exchange in 3D imaging technology, 3D printing and dissemination of archival and collection objects , Knowledge Exchange Champion, UCL Enterprise

Principal investigator, UCL Enterprise Knowledge Exchange Grant plus match funding by the partner Wellcome Trust for a collaborative project on in-house capacity building of 3D imaging in collections. "Wel(l)come@3D". Collaboration of UCL CEGE with UCL Digital Humanities, partnering with the Welcome Trust.

Stamp printing plates, dies and rollers–from vault to view

The British Postal Museum & Archive [BPMA] has a comprehensive record of stamp production in the UK from the introduction of the world’s first stamp, the Penny Black. BPMA holds approximately 1300 dies and rollers from the stamp printing process and 280 printing plates. These objects, made of metal, provide a fuller context for the cycle of stamp production. The objective for this project is to provide access to these very valuable objects. The aim is to capture these finely engraved printing plates, rollers and dies as 3D digital objects. These objects pose a challenge for 3D digitization since they are manufactured mainly from steel with high reflectance, making them difficult to measure with optical surface technologies. A public outreach event will be qualitative evaluation and feedback from the public and researchers through user testing of a public delivery with selected objects from the feasibility study. The 15 Share Academy projects 2013-2014 aim to build sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships between the higher education sector and specialist museums in London.

More information about Shareacademy
More information about the British Postal Museum and Archive
Collaborators and more information on the project

3DPetrie: 3D imaging research, digital applications and use of new technologies in the museum

3DPetrie at the UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology: 3D imaging research and use of new technologies in the museum. 3DPetrie is researching the viability of using high quality 3D images of museum collections to engage a range of audiences through the production of 3D models of Petrie Museum  artefacts and the development of end-user digital 3D applications.

Publication

Re-engineering Watt: 3D laser scan and 3D printing in museum artefact documentation

Re-engineering Watt: A case study and best practice recommendations for 3D colour laser scans and 3D printing in museum artefact documentation. The project completed the full production cycle from an original negative plaster cast to the final product in the form of a physical exhibition replica of a newly discovered bust of James Watt. The replica has been accessioned and exhibited by the Science Museum, London, in "James Watt and our World".

More information on the projekt
The project in the media
Publication

British Museum War Canoe - 3D virtual reconstruction and digital repatriation

3D digital documentation of a highly significant cultural heritage object from the Melanesian Southwest Pacific, held in the ethnographic collections of the British Museum. The object, which dates from about 1910, is a large plank-built war canoe from the island of Vella Lavella in New Georgia, Solomon Islands. 3D laser scanning is paired with anthropological research, which aims to deliver a holistic virtual 3D reconstruction and multimedia interactive delivery of the boat for the digital repatriation to the source community.Collaboration: University of Bergen, Norway; British Museum, London.

Publication

Play it again SAM. Design with Heritage.

The project will investigate issues of authenticity of historic objects and the relationship between original and reproduction(s), in particular digital reproduction, by making a reproduction of a kinetic interactive work. The project will use SAM (Sound Activated Mobile), by Edward Ihnatowicz (1968), as an exemplar by 3D scanning the existing artefact, constructing a 3D virtual model and validating the model by 3D printing the constituent parts. Design with Heritage is a twelve-month Knowledge Exchange project supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The aim of the project is to develop connections between designers, academic researchers, and arts and heritage institutions by identifying shared interests and creating opportunities for collaboration.

E-Curator: 3D colour scans for remote object identification and assessment

The project 'E-Curator: 3D colour scans for remote object identification and assessment' was a one-year project from 2007 to 2008 at UCL Museums and Collections. This project draws on UCL's expertise both in curatorship and in e-Science. It takes advantage of the presence at UCL of world class collections across a range of disciplines and of a state of the art colour scanner, the quality of which is unequalled in the UK. The project explores the use of 3D colour scanning and e-Science technologies to capture and share very large 3D colour scans and detailed datasets about museum artefacts in a secure computing environment. The combination of these technologies could assist curators and conservators in object identification and assessment, both locally and remotely. The E-Curator project was jointly funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Arts and Humanities e-Science Support Centre (AHESSC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). The aim of this project is to bring together, through workshops, practical sessions and conferences, as well as in an edited publication, museum conservators, educators, scientists, curators and other professionals from the higher education and museum sectors who are interested in this technology and its implications across the heritage sector.

Publication

Teaching and Tutoring

Teaching for M.Sc. Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation

GL Foundation course, P Profiling Course

  • Online Information Dasy  (autumn and spring each year)
  • Induction to the programme
  • M-DDT-GL-1: Introduction to Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation
  • M-DDT-GL-2: Principles and Theories of Heritage Conservation and their Significance for Digital Heritage Technologies
  • M-DDT-GL-4: Technical Drawing and Computer-aided Design (CAD),  subject: architectural drawing by hand (together with Univ. of Appl. Sciences Coburg)
  • M-DDT-GL-6: Digital Object Recording and Digital Imaging Technologies
  • M-DDT-GL-12 : Digital Modelling of 3D Spatial Data und Data Analysis
  • M-DDT-V-4: Architectural Design 1 (partly, together with Univ. of Appl. Sciences Coburg)
  • M-DDT-P-1: Digital Modelling and Building Information Modelling 2
  • M-DDT-MM: Methodologies for the Master Thesis and Science Communication
  • M-DDT-Masterarbeit: Colloqium and Seminar for Master thesis and doctoral theses in Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation

Additional teaching, also outside Bamberg University

Mai 2024: ICOMOS CIPA Summer School, Rhodos, Tutor for 3D-Laser scanning

2021 - ongoing: A lecuture in  : Digital Imaging & Conservation of Tangible Cultural Heritage, Hadassah Academic College Jerusalem

 

2020- ongoing Digital Technologies in heritage conservation - integration of optical surveying and measurement methods and sensor technologies into clasical heritage conservation and museology, interactive seminar with student presentations for University of Roma III, Attività didattica nell’ambito dei Master “Didattica Museale Generale”, Master di II livello in “Studi avanzati di educazione museale”, Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, Italien.” e nell’ambito dei seminari autunnali del progetto di ateneo “Il progetto Inclusive Memory nell’era post covid”, per Prof. Dr. Antonella Poce (organiser)

09/2022 Ukrainian - German Project week during the VRscan3D Projektes, Host at KDWT/ Uni Bamberg

2/2020Digitale Strategien in den Denkmalwissenschaften (Digital Strategies in Heritage Sciences), Gastvorlesung an der Universit?t Würzburg, Professur für Museologie und materielle Kultur (Lecture for a seminar in museum studies) hosted by Dr. Menke and Prof. Dr. Guido Fackler

08/2020 Tutor at the Summer School Monitoring Heritage 2020, Surveying the castle ruin Burg Neideck in the Fr?nkische Schweiz, Course directed by Prof. Dr. Till Sonnemann, with Prof. Dr. Mona Hess and Phil Burgdorf

05/2020Digitale Rekonstruktion/Digital Reconstruction , seminary 'Deckenmalerei Digital', geleitet von PD Dr. Matteo Burioni, Institut für Kunstgeschichte, LMU München. Cooperative Project with : Akademieprojekt Corpus der barocken Deckenmalerei in Deutschland

09/2019 Second Internationalal Summer School Monitoring Heritage in Havana/ Cuba , by Prof. Dr. Till Sonnemann/ Prof. Dr. Mona Hess/ Dr. John Hindmarch/ .

2019/08 Tutor at the Summer School LEVERAGE ICTs : Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism for preserving Living Heritage,  August 24 - 31, 2019 , Lugano & Müstair, Switzerland, Universita della Svizzera Italiana, Schweiz

2019/05 Tutor at the 2-day course: Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation - integration of optical surveying and measurement methods and sensor technologies into classical heritage conservation. for the Master annuale di II livello “Didattica Museale Generale”, Master di II livello in “Studi avanzati di educazione museale”, Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, Italien.

07/2018 First International Summer School Monitoring Heritage in Bamberg, led by Prof. Dr. Till Sonnemann, Prof. Dr. Mona Hess and Dr. John Hindmarch together with Gastprofessor Prof. Dr. Jesus Pacheco Martinez

 

 

May to July 2021

Visiting Professor at the Politecnico di Milano, 3D Survey Group, ABC Department (Architecture, Built environment and construction engineering), Italy

Januar 2019to December 2022

Vice-Womens officer of the University of Bamberg

Since Oktober 2017

Appointment to Professor of Digital Technologies in Heritage Conservation and Chairholder as well as programm director of the M.Sc. at the University of Bamberg, Germany

November 2019 - October 2022

Honorary Senior Research Associate, Centre for Digital Humanities, University College London, United Kingdom

October 2017 to September 2019

Honorary Senior Research Associate, 3DIMPact Research Group, UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering,

January 2014 to September 2017

Research Associate, Research Manager for the 3DIMPact Research Group, Module coordinator (Bachelor of Arts and Sciences , one elective module), UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, UK

September 2016 to January 2017

Research Fellow, Preserving Maya Heritage, Department for Africa, Oceania and Americas at the British Museum, Coordinator via Adecco UK on assignment to Google (The Google Cultural Institute), London, UK

August 2015 to June 2016

UCL Robotics Coordinator, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council – Impact Acceleration Award, UCL Robotics and Autonomous Systems, UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, UK

2008 to 2013

Research Associate, The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL Public and Cultural Engagement, University College London, UK

September 2006 to August 2007

Graduate Research Intern, Getty Conservation Institute, Fields Projects department, The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, USA, Project: Middle Eastern Geodatabase for Antiquities – Jordan (MEGA-J)

February 2005 to August 2006

Freelancer: Digital Cathedral Archives, Bamberger Dom, Dombauhütte, Staatliches Hochbauamt Bamberg

June 2004 to August 2006

Research Assistant, Otto-Friedrich-Universit?t Bamberg, Professorship of Building Preservation Sciences, Institute for Archeology, Heritage Sciences and Art, cooperation with Prof. Dr. Rainer Drewello

August 2002 to September 2003

Apprentice Architect, L’étude de Louis Brillant, Montreal, Canada, Architect's office with a focus on the preservation of architectural monuments and conservation

August to September 2000

Apprentice Architect, Luca Gazzaniga & Carlo Ceccolini Architetti, Lugano, Schwitzerland

August to Oktober 1999

Apprentice Architect, Braunfels Architekten, Munich

2024

Science Communication Qualification, Academy of Sciences Mainz, WissCommAcademy

2017

Appointment to Professor and Chairholder for Digital Technologies in Heritage conservation

2016

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) for supporting and learning in higher education, Descriptor 2. certificate of educational qualification

2015

PhD in 3D imaging metrology for cultural heritage, UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, UK

2014

Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA UKPSF)

2005

Master of Arts in Heritage Conservation, Otto-Friedrich-Universit?t Bamberg/ Fachhochschule Coburg

2002

Dipl.-Ing. Univ. Architecture, Technische Universit?t München (TUM)

Professional Memberships

  1. CIPA ICOMOS Heritage Documentation
  2. ICOMOS Germany
  3. ICOM Germany
  4. Deutscher Hochschulverband/ German Association of University Professors and Lecturers