Student Summer Plans 2011

The Department of Archaeology and Art History is pleased to announce the summer plans of its majors, which include internships and employment at a variety of institutions and participation in archaeological projects in the US and in Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Hungary, Romania and Cyprus.

Lizzie B., PAST Foundation's Slobodna Underwater Field School, Key West, FL
Elizabeth B., Internship with the History of Prince William Forest Park’s 45 Cemeteries and Homesteads, National Park Service, VA
Josephine C., Internship with Palm Beach County archaeologist, FL
Elizabeth F., Excavations at Poggio Civitate (Murlo), Italy
Amber F., Excavation and Internship at James Madison’s Montpelier, VA
Chris G., Summer Program Coordinator, Fort Collins Museum and Discovery Science Center, Fort Collins, CO
Kevin K., Rough Cilicia Archaeological Survey Project, Turkey
Kaman L., Internship in the Department of Membership and Development and paid position in the museum, Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science, IN
Rachel L., Excavations at the Porolissum Forum Project, Romania
Stephanie L., Education Programs Assistant, Angel Mounds State Historic Site, IN
Samantha M., Excavations at Poggio Civitate (Murlo), Italy
Ben O., Internship at the Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University, IN
Marley R., Excavations with Courson Archaeological Research near Perryton, TX
Alyssa R., Internship at Evelyn Lehman Culp Heritage Collection, IN
Anna S., Totah Archaeological Project Field School, NM
Katy S., SHUMLA Field Methods in Rock Art Field School and Internship, TX
Sara S., National Science Foundation – Research Experience for Undergraduates funded Koros Regional Archaeological Project, Hungary and Cyprus
Leah T., Internship at George Washington’s Mt. Vernon, VA
Lauren W., National Science Foundation – Research Experience for Undergraduates funded Fellowship in Bioarchaeology, University of Notre Dame, IN
Colleen W., Excavations at Tell Timai, Egypt
Porsche W., Facilitator at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL

In addition, five Archaeology majors will participate in the Summer Session I trip to Jordan in May-June led by Professors Byrne, Ebeling and Milner: Nate B., Emma D., Emily M., Ashley M., and Marie M.

Sara S. on the Koros Project in Hungary

Sara S. was one of seven undergraduate and graduate students in the US selected to participate in the NSF-funded Koros Regional Archaeological Project.  Here is an update from the field:

Sara with her bucket of artifacts found on survey.

The Koros Regional Archaeological Project is focused on the area north of the Koros River near Veszto, Hungary. There are several different aspects of the project that I am participating in, including survey, excavation and geophysical investigations assisted by GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar). Team members are switched from one project to another, and one of the most important is surveying or surface collection. This project takes place on a good patch of farm land, which means that plenty of the land is tilled. This tilling often brings up artifacts like daub, ceramics, bones, lithics and even ground stones. A large part of the project is possible because of the survey component. For instance, the two areas where excavations are currently taking place were chosen because of the colossal amount of finds unearthed during earlier seasons by the survey team. This year we have found two more possible excavation sites for future workers.

Student Sara S. and alumna Dani R. in Hungary

Sara studying abroad in Rome in 2009.

Archaeology senior Sara Spatafore is one of seven undergraduate and graduate students in the country selected to participate in a National Science Foundation funded multidisciplinary research project in Hungary, Greece and the USA in 2011.  The Koros Regional Archaeology Project, which is funded by the NSF International Research Experiences for Students Program, will require students to participate in an archaeological research project in Hungary and design an independent research project; work with scientists in Greece, Hungary and the USA to analyze and interpret their data; present their results at conferences; publish their results in peer-reviewed journals; and disseminate their findings via the web and other media.  The Koros team is studying prehistoric European agricultural villages on the Great Hungarian Plain occupied between 5500 and 4500 BCE.

Archaeology alumna Danielle Riebe (’08), currently a PhD candidate in Central Asian Archaeology at the University of Illinois-Chicago, will also participate in the field project in Hungary as the GPS Technician. 

Alumna Profile: Dani R. ('08) in Hungary and Chicago

At the completion of my first year as a graduate student in the Anthropology PhD program at the University of Illinois-Chicago, I was invited to participate in the analyses of Copper Age skeletons and grave goods from the Great Hungarian Plain. The intent of this project was to perform a bio-distance study to determine how closely related people were across the Plain. As the Plain was a major path for migration from Asia to Europe, we wanted to see how this migration might have impacted the genetic makeup of the Plain’s peoples. We analyzed over 250 skeletons from 9 cemeteries around the Plain and concentrated on identifying genetic dental traits that could statistically indicate genetic similarities or differences. We also made sure to sex and age the skeletons and we will keep that in consideration when interpreting the material. This summer was spent gathering the information, whereas the upcoming months will focus on carrying out the statistics and the interpretations of the data.

Participating in this project has exposed me to a variety of scientific techniques, facilities (museums and universities), and researchers (American and Hungarian), all of which will aid in my own research in the coming years. However, I would not be where I am today without a strong foundational education in archaeology, which I received at the University of Evansville. I specifically chose UE because it focused on Old World Archaeology, a rarity in the States, and I have never regretted my decision. The continual support from the faculty, both during my years as a student there and after, has helped me to be where I am today and for that I am grateful.