Archaeology and Art History Majors Present at NCUR

Three of the twelve UE students who presented their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) held April 11-13 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin were archaeology and art history majors!


Alexandra Cutler: “Scams and Shams: The Importance of Forgeries in Archaeology.”

Samantha Miller: “Evolution of the Villanovans to the Etruscans Through a Transition in Societal Beauty.”

Hilary Waltz: “The Savage Indian? 19th Century American Attitudes Toward Natives and the Work of George Catlin.”

Congratulations to these May 2013 graduates!

Professor Alan Kaiser Wins Teaching Award

We are very pleased to announce that Associate Professor of Archaeology, Alan Kaiser, was awarded the Dean's Teaching Award from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Evansville yesterday! This award recognizes Dr. Kaiser's commitment to student learning and mentoring during his twelve years at UE. Congratulations, Dr. Kaiser!

Dr. Kaiser at Hadrian's Wall.

Our Field Trip to Vincennes, IN

On April 13, a group of archaeology and art history students and beloved alum Mike K. toured a number of historical sites in Indiana's First City, Vincennes, with good friend of the department Ms. Alexandra Leich. After we watched an introductory video, an interpreter in period dress demonstrated the type of rifle used by George Rogers Clark and his men to capture Fort Sackville from the British in 1779.

We then visited the impressive George Rogers Clark Memorial, which was dedicated by President Roosevelt in 1936.

 

After a tour of Indiana's oldest church - the beautiful Old Cathedral - and its very interesting library and museum with Father Schipp, we visited the Old French House and Indian Museum. Built in 1809, the house is an excellent example of French Creole architecture. Historian Richard Day was our interpreter and we were really impressed by his knowledge of early Indiana history.

 





 

After a somewhat chilly picnic lunch featuring Alexandra's awesome brownies, we were given an excellent tour of Grouseland, the mansion owned by first governor of the Indiana Territory and 9th US President, William Henry Harrison.

 

 

We concluded our trip with a visit to historic buildings next to Grouseland, including a log cabin, a print shop, a building used by the Territorial Legislature, and the Jefferson Academy (precursor to the oldest university in Indiana, Vincennes University). A good time was had by all!

 

2012 Graduate Michael K. Talks about Recent Experiences and Future Plans

Graduation! It happened. Then, post graduate life quickly became a reality. Fortunately for me, I had a plan. I returned home for a short respite before venturing to Israel with the Jezreel Expedition. Participation in this program provided me invaluable archaeological experience as we surveyed the area surrounding Tel Jezreel to prepare for future fieldwork. We also had an opportunity to explore other sites, excavate at Megiddo, and spend time with friends — new and old. It was a truly rewarding experience.

Mike at the Amman Citadel in Jordan after finishing the 2012 season at Jezreel.

After returning home, I continued applying for jobs and was fortunate to be offered a Team Member position at Target. My time at Target has been a worthwhile experience, and I have learned a great deal about the retail industry through my duties on the Sales Floor and Presentation Team. Most of all, I have developed my abilities to communicate effectively with other members of the team and with guests.

In my spare time, I prepared for my ultimate goal: graduate school. I continued studying Greek, Latin, and French in order to hone my language abilities. A solid understanding of these languages will be beneficial in graduate school and future research. The faculty at UE has even continued to support me since graduating, and I have spoken with them on multiple occasions and sought their advice on my future endeavors. When it came time to apply to graduate school, I enacted my plan and attacked my applications with great results. I recently accepted an offer from the University of Arizona and will begin work on my M.A. in Classics with an emphasis in Classical Archaeology this fall. I am very excited to begin the next step in my academic career.

If I can offer any advice to current and future students it would be this: whatever you do or wherever you go, continue to work hard and make the most of every opportunity. People will recognize you for your efforts and it will make you a better person.

Heidi Strobel to present at Reitz Home Museum

Dr. Heidi Strobel will present her research on Evansville-area "Rosie the Riveters" at 7:00 pm tonight at the Reitz Home Museum. Hope you can attend!

Alumnus Alex T. ('10) at St. Andrews

Hello fellow archaeologists! I write to you from the cold, foggy beaches of St. Andrews on the west coast of Scotland. After graduating from UE in 2010, I started working on a Master of Divinity as a Pitts scholar at Candler School of Theology in Emory University. While seminary is a very different environment than the archaeology classes of UE, the skills I gained in critical thinking, historical research, and ancient languages have proved invaluable as I spend my time negotiating historical theology, biblical studies and their modern application to the life of faith. Besides my time spent in class, I was also chosen to take a trip to Israel with several students to discuss issues of peace and religion in Israel. Although the conference was exhausting, I made time to see several local sites including the excavation at Megiddo.

Alex visits Israel.

Two years into my theological education in Atlanta, Georgia, I was awarded the Bobby Jones fellowship for a year of funded study at the University of St. Andrews, where I am currently living and working on a Masters of Letters (similar to an M.A. in the States). While living in Scotland, I have had the opportunity to work with many noted biblical scholars including N.T. Wright, as I explore the connection between the Bible and its role in shaping theology. St. Andrews is a beautiful place with cathedral ruins along the rugged coast only a few yards from my room, not to mention the coffee shop where the now princess Kate and prince Will first met. Although I have been primarily focused on my school work and research on Acts, I plan on doing some travelling this summer once the weather gets nice. After finishing my time here, I will be returning to Candler to finish up my M.Div and applying to Ph.D. programs in New Testament and Early Christianity.

The cathedral ruins in St. Andrews.

Alumnus Jon-Paul M. ('07) in Sudan

This past winter, I went to Sudan to work with the Sudan Archaeological Research Society/British Museum survey of part of the 5th Cataract. This area is to be flooded by the construction of the Shereik Dam, which is likely to be built given Omar al-Basheer's specific reference to its eventuality. My specific interest was to pair my participation in the project with independent work to collect data toward a dissertation. I am working toward a PhD in Geography at the University of Cincinnati focusing on geoarchaeology. My intention was to determine how the environment of this cataract area changed with the southern shift of the rainbelt and how that related to settlement patterns in the area.

Jon-Paul at Meroe.

Unfortunately, despite promises that everything was in order from NCAM (the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums of Sudan), after only a week's worth of work we were confronted in the field by a group of villagers from a settlement in the region (though not from the specific island we were working on at the time) and told to stop. Despite a week of negotiating, no arrangement could be made and the project leader, Derek Welsby made the decision to utilize the remaining time productively rather than sit and hope for a change in circumstances. We closed up shop at the 5th Cataract and moved farther north near Dongola in order to conduct excavations at Kawa, a site where Derek has been conducting excavations for a number of years. The remainder of the season (4 to 5 or so weeks) was spent doing excavations in the settlement's cemetery. I am currently reworking the material for my dissertation, but I do hope to focus on environmental change in relation to cataracts along the Nile.

Trip to the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit in Cincinnati

On April 6, 20 UE archaeology, art history, classical studies, history and Honors students traveled to Cincinnati to see the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center. The exhibit is only on for another week, so please try to visit if you're in the area and haven't already!