ICUB and ArchaeoSciences Platform Bring Interdisciplinary Archaeology to Students within the “Gheorghe Lazăr” College’s TITANS Academy

The collaboration between the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest (ICUB) through the ArchaeoSciences Platform, “Gheorghe Lazăr” National College, and Endava continued with a new educational event. Researchers specialized in archaeometry and experimental archaeology from the ArchaeoSciences Platform were invited to present students a modern vision of archaeology within the TITANS Academy, a program dedicated to students preparation and the exploration of interdisciplinary studies, organized by the college and the TITANS robotics team.

The event, held on November 20, 2025 in the college’s event hall, brought together high school students, members of the TITANS team – award-winners in national and international robotics competitions – and teachers, all attending a presentation delivered by Sebastian-Valeriu Dumitrescu and Bogdan Manea, research assistants (ASp-ICUB) and PhD candidates of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of the University of Bucharest.

The session, titled “Archaeology Today: From Interdisciplinary Methods to Artificial Intelligence,” offered an overview of modern scientific tools used to investigate the past. It addressed topics such as: Archaeometry, as a bridge between the exact sciences and the study of artefacts; Radiocarbon Dating (C14) and its essential role in establishing absolute chronologies; Physical and Chemical Analyses for determining the composition and provenance of materials; Digital Archaeology, from 3D scanning of artefacts to the reconstruction of historical landscapes; Geophysics (magnetic sensors, UAVs) for non-invasive site investigation; and the Application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the automatic recognition and classification of archaeological materials.

The presentation was followed by an interactive Q&A session, which discussed the complementarity between the students’ fields of interest – such as robotics, computer science, and engineering – and new research directions in archaeology. The dialogue highlighted how technology can open innovative pathways for understanding, conserving, and valorising cultural heritage.

“The participation of the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest in TITANS Academy, an event organized by the students and teachers of the Gheorghe Lazăr College, demonstrated, once more, the potential of collaboration between the academic environment, pre-university institutions, and industry partners, such as Endava. The direct dialogue with students showed that, regardless of their passions or the fields they are drawn to, archaeology can be more than just a simple curiosity; it can be an extremely attractive field, through its potential to utilize knowledge from the vast majority of interdisciplinary domains,” stated Sebastian Dumitrescu, PhD candidate and affiliated researcher at the University of Bucharest.

The open atmosphere and interest shown by both students and the teaching staff and college administration have paved the way for future collaboration plans, offering a window into STEM education perspectives and supporting pre-university excellence.

Through such initiatives, ICUB and the ArchaeoSciences Platform reaffirm their commitment to promoting research excellence and building sustainable bridges between the university, society, and industrial partners, bringing significant contributions to excellence based on knowledge and innovation.