Connecting Students to Local History
Trent Community Research Centre pairs students with the county of Peterborough for research projects
A partnership between the Trent Community Research Centre (TCRC) and the County of Peterborough is creating opportunities for Trent students to research local history and produce interpretative materials for Peterborough-area museums and historical sites.
The five-year agreement is funded by the county of Peterborough, and aims to harness the skills and passions of Trent students to produce high-quality research in the service of the county. The TCRC is applying its decades of experience facilitating community-based research at Trent to make the projects a reality.
“I’m thrilled with the quality of the work students have done with us for the County so far,” says John Marris, executive director of the TCRC. “Community-based research is about connecting the University to its wider community context, and with this support from the county of Peterborough, we’re able to do just that.”
While the agreement can support any kind of research, so far projects have focussed on historical documentation and interpretation. In 2015, Trent graduate students studied and documented the collection of heritage farm equipment at Lang Pioneer Village Museum, a project that will support the opening of Lang’s Agricultural Heritage Barn in 2017.
Now, with the former Peterborough county Jail being converted into a new hill-top park, fourth-year History students Laura Schindel and Logan Taylor are studying the history of this fascinating building to help the county develop interpretative panels to be installed in the park when completed.
“We truly value this partnership and find so much value in the experiences offered to the participants, but to us as well,” says Sheridan Graham, director of Corporate Projects & Services for the County of Peterborough.
» Learn more about the Trent Community Research Centre’s work with the County of Peterborough