TREnD session at EAAS 2026 explores using XR and Critical Mapping in the classroom

The TREnD project partners held a dedicated session on 2 September at the biennial Conference of the European Association for American Studies (EAAS), “1776–2026: Visions of Freedom,” at the University of Bologna, Italy (1–4 September 2026). The session was opened by Gaetano Di Tommaso (Roosevelt Institute for American Studies, the Netherlands) and Dario Fazzi (Universiteit Leiden, the Netherlands), who introduced the partnership, its rationale, and progress to date. Angela Santese (Università di Bologna, Italy) presented the TREnD Lab course she will run in 2027. Dovile Dudenaite-Tierney (Media & Learning Association) introduced the project website and the online staff training programme. Nancy Mykoff (University College Roosevelt, the Netherlands) presented the virtual exchanges and VR initiatives she is developing, while the course “Planet, People, and Power”, developed in cooperation with Leiden University, was presented by Jola Ajibade (Emory University, USA). The session offered a valuable opportunity to bring together the TREnD partnership and the wider EAAS community around shared questions of environmental democracy and resilience, and innovative ways of teaching, learning and assessment.