Wossen G. Balcha

Wossen G. Balcha is an academic research staff member (Bijzonder Academisch Personeel – BAP) at KU Leuven (Belgium) in architecture and urban planning. After his Master research thesis on the topic of rural-urban transformation, Wossen is currently working towards his project entitled "Tracing indigenous urbanisation in Ethiopia".

Why did you choose to take part in this summer school?

I found the interdisciplinary nature of the programme and the topic particularly interesting as I am currently preparing my research proposal on the subject of urbanisation in Ethiopia. My objectives were to expose myself to ongoing interdisciplinary research practices and methodologies, and to interact with participants from different backgrounds.

What did you learn from this experience?

The programme had a lot to offer and covered a multitude of disciplines over the course of just one week. It was intensive, but very motivating as well. I should also mention that it was exceptionally well organised despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The interactive online platform and the quality of translation of some of the lectures were the exceptional highlights of my experience.

Anything else?

I would also like to thank the organisers for their relentless efforts, for the smooth running of the programme which included participants from everywhere in the world, multiple languages, group activities and very interactive sessions.I am also very grateful to have had the chance to participate in the programme with a tuition waiver based on my application. I am definitely looking forward to programmes of this sort in the future!