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Students
Millsaps students have opportunities to work in the field all over the world. Click on a marker to see where our students are!
Millsaps
Syed Ali is a sophomore Biochemistry major from Madison, Mississippi. He spent last summer in the Keck Lab performing chocolate residue analysis using a Varian 325 Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer and fatty acid analysis using a Shimadzu QP5000 Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer. He will continue research in the Keck Lab this coming summer and plans to attend medical school after graduation. When Syed isn’t engaged in his studies and research, he enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his family and friends.
Dustin Harscher is a sophomore Business Administration and Anthropology double major from Milton, Florida. He plans to study abroad in the Yucatán next year, and dig at Kiuic. He aims to stay a fifth year at Millsaps in order to get his MBA and then, hopefully, attend graduate school in anthropology. He is digging this spring with Dr. Galaty at the Millsaps-Buie house. When he is not studying business or archaeology, he plays linebacker for the Millsaps College football team.
Dylan Horne is a junior Philosophy major, with a double minor in Neuroscience and Chemistry, from Jackson, Mississippi. He has been with the Keck Lab since second semester of his freshmen year. He plans to go to law school to become an environmental and civil rights lawyer. When Dylan is not contemplating the mechanics of the LA-ICP-MS, he likes to play guitar.
Faustin Mwambutsa is a sophomore Chemistry and Applied Mathematics double major from Gisenyi, Rwanda. He just joined the Keck Lab team this year. He is planning an honors project and wants to further his studies in chemical engineering in graduate school. When Faustin is not conducting acid digestion of artifact samples, he is probably solving some complicated mathematics problems or working out at the gym.
Monica Nguyen is a sophomore Biochemistry major and Business minor from Ridgeland, Mississippi. She has been with the Keck Lab since second semester of her freshmen year, and specializes in elemental analysis spectroscopy. She plans to go to medical school to study pediatrics. When Monica is not engaged in lab research, she spends her time volunteering at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She currently is a Soprano I in the Millsaps College “Singers” concert choir.
Frances Tubb is a junior Anthropology and Spanish double major from Dallas, Texas. She has studied abroad in Vietnam and Costa Rica, and spent last summer working in Albania on Dr. Galaty’s project. She is a Keck Fellow and undertook chemical analysis of Albanian Medieval pottery. Frances is working on an Honors in Spanish thesis on the Moorish culture in Don Quixote. She works on the Yearbook Staff and is active in her sorority.
Albania
George J. Bey IV is a freshman Anthropology and Classical Studies double major from Jackson, Mississippi. He will be participating in his first archaeological dig this summer in Albania. He plans to attend graduate school at some point in the future, but not before he takes some time to travel the world. When George isn’t busy translating ancient Greek passages, he dreams about excavating there. He also runs track for the Millsaps Majors.
Dora Lambert is a junior Anthropology and European Studies double major from Sylacauga, Alabama. Last summer she went to the Yucatán. This summer she will go to Albania to participate in the archaeological field school. She is a Keck Fellow and won a Freeman Scholarship for study abroad. Dora plans to attend graduate school to study either GIS applications in archaeology or European folklore. When she is not busy thinking about archaeology, she is a starting member of the Millsaps Women’s soccer team. Last season she received the MVP offender award.
Dani Rossano is a sophomore Anthropology and (possibly!) Latin American Studies double major and Peace Studies minor from Hammond, Louisiana. She is a member of the women’s lacrosse team and is active in Chi Omega Fraternity. This summer she is traveling to Albania to gain some hands-on experience in archaeology. She hopes someday to travel the world, uncovering the past, and learning about new cultures.
Yucatán
Melinda Boudreaux is a junior Anthropology major with an African Studies minor from Slidell, Louisiana. Last summer she travelled to Tanzania with Dr. Julian Murchison to study Tanzanian culture and the Swahili language. While her focus is on cultural anthropology, this summer she will be digging in the Yucatán at Kiuic with Dr. George Bey in order to gain more experience in another anthropological subfield. Melinda plans to apply to the Peace Corps next year and hopes to be placed in East Africa or South America. Melinda is editor of the Stylus, the president of Millsaps Students for Life, and the Vice-President of the Anthropology Club.
Anna Church is a junior Anthropology major and Religious Studies minor from Brandon, Mississippi. She spent the summer of 2011 as a Keck Fellow surveying in Albania, and during the fall semester she performed wine residue analysis on artifacts she had recovered there. She is now in the process of researching her Honors thesis on Mayan residue analysis. She will spend the summer of 2012 digging at Kiuic in Yucatán, where she will be collecting artifacts for chocolate and fatty-acid residue analysis. She is also the Secretary of the Anthropology Club, a staff member of the Stylus, and an archaeology intern at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Updates From Our Students
Lots of evidence for prehistoric occupation of an upland valley near Koder Box. #millsapsarch http://t.co/kPTC5JZm
East and south profiles, quadrant one, tumulus 85.
View of the upland valley near Koder Box, surveyed by Team F in 2012.
This map shows the locations where we have found prehistoric pottery. The upland valley near Koder Box was surveyed in 2012 and was, it seems, heavily settled in prehistory.
This map shows all tracts surveyed in 2010, 2011, and 2012. With three survey teams in the field in 2012, we covered a lot of ground.
PASH 2012 came to an end about a week ago. The dust has settled and we have analyzed our data. And the results are very interesting! Perhaps most importantly, we have found strong evidence for substantial prehistoric occupation in an upland valley, beyond the line of hill forts we documented in 2010 and 2011. In terms of the prehsitoric settlement pattern, this likely means that the hill forts had a defensive function, the valley beyond was farmed and settled, and the dead were buried on the plain below, closer to the lake. We managed to excavate one quarter of Tumulus 85 down to bedrock. It seems that the mound was place above a natural hill and was likely built in the Iron Age. We found no evidence for an Early Bronze Age central grave. Unfortunately, the Iron Age burials were removed when the tumulus was destroyed. While we were disappointed not to find a central grave, we learned a lot about the region’s stratigraphy and how to use the ground penetrating radar. We have already identified a partially destroyed tumulus for excavation next year.
Last. Full. Week. Time has flown exceedingly fast. I did not think it would but it has. Everyday is an adventure and something new is always learned. Being a skeptic and cynic, I did not even imagine this would be the case in Albania. Those surprising experiences involved chance encounters most of the time, whether it is drinking Turkish coffee at the house of a landowner in our survey area, or playing futbol with the local village boys during lunch break. My educational experience here has been more than expected as well. I have learned GIS techniques and shortcuts while working with Ceti, the GIS specialist hired to work on the PASH project. I have also learned more than I thought I would about discerning lithics with Rudenc, a student specializing in lithics for his Ph.D. research in Albania. The field school has taught me more through experience than I could have learned reading about it in books. This has been the best and most useful study abroad experience I have had while being at Millsaps.
So it’s our last week of the field season. It definitely does not feel like I’ve been in Albania for a month. I suppose the old adage “time flies when you’re having fun” definitely applies. This experience has been absolutely eye-opening. I have learned about the methodology of archaeology as well as the practical application of archaeological finds. At times, there is a disconnect between the history of a place and its present state. The importance of the past accomplishments can be easily forgotten if they are not celebrated and revered. As I leave for the States, I leave with a greater understanding of the duty to protect and champion cultural heritage.
I can’t believe that this is our last week in Albania. This month has flown by so quickly. I have loved every minute of my experience and I can’t even explain how much I’ve learned. Not only have I learned about archaeology, but I’ve also learned to love Albania and the people who live here. This country is full of history and the people here hold on to the traditions of their ancestors. I would love the opportunity to come back one day and to see more of this beautiful country.
Medieval church on the outskirts of Kullaj, in PASH survey team E’s territory.