Honours students analyzed the Alberda Sundial through a cross-disciplinary approach

Students from the Honours College’s Mukwege cohort had the opportunity to study the Alberda Sundial, a fascinating historical three-meter high artifact. The sundial was once owned by the Alberda family from Groningen, and it was made by the Groninger sculptor Jan de Rijk (1661-1738) in the 1700s. The Groninger Museum recently acquired funding to buy the Alberda Sundial, an important artwork in Groningen’s history. This cultural heritage item will now be preserved for all to see in Groningen, thanks to the help from sponsors and donations.

The students analyzed the sundial from a cross-disciplinary learning perspective in their Interdisciplinary Mindset honours course - part of the Broadening Part of the Honours Programme, with each of these disciplines offering them unique insights into the sundial’s significance. They learned about the Sundial’s historical, cultural and scientific importance from the Museum’s curator, Edgar Pelupessy. By working together and learning from each other through using the tools of multiple disciplines, students were able to develop a deeper understanding of the Sundial.

The aim of the Interdisciplinary Mindset projects is to give the students the opportunity to learn to approach various themes and find solutions to problems from outside their own discipline, working in interdisciplinary teams, and to develop their own vision and solution-oriented approaches.

News article about the Alberda Sundial