In order to achieve the goals of Campus Archaeology (and to lessen the burden of the campus archaeologist), every year CAP works with several graduate students on a handful of intriguing projects. These projects use the artifacts, excavation reports and historic documents to conduct research about MSU’s past and engage the public in archaeology.  Meet our new fresh and fit CAP grad students!

Amy Michael has worked for Campus Archaeology for the past two years and is excited to start her third year as a CAP researcher. Her ongoing project is on the sustainability of the historic MSU campus with data drawn from both archival records and material culture. She has worked cooperatively with the MSU Archives to locate and record information related to early sustainability practices on campus with a focus on food, energy, and transportation. These themes can be traced from the inception of the college up to modern times, with archaeological data supporting how changes in food, energy, and transportation practices were employed or experienced by students and faculty on the historic campus. This semester, she will continue to work with MSU Archives to identify documents and photographs that can further explain some of the material culture recovered in CAP excavations. Her goal this semester is to draft a manuscript with Dr. Lynne Goldstein and former CAP researcher Dr. Jennifer Bengtson reporting the findings of their collective project. They intend to publish the results in a journal focusing on sustainability at the university level.

Blair Zaid is a dual Ph.D. student in African American and African Studies and Anthropology. Her graduate research focuses on the Kongo Kingdom of west central Africa. She looks forward to beginning her second year as a member of CAP. This year she will continue her typology project in which she is constructing a typology that will be used to assist future students with adding new information to our collections as CAP continues to unearth MSU’s past. Blair looks forward to incorporating the fantastic finds from this summer’s field research.

Andrew LoPinto is not only new to CAP, but he is also a new student in our Anthropology Department here at MSU. His specific research interests are in bioarchaeology, mortuary analysis and Egyptian archaeology.  He hopes that his experience in Egyptian mummies will add a fresh spin to our research at CAP.

As a new addition to the Campus Archaeology Program, Andrew’s project will focus on our social media. His project aims to generate creative ways to engage the public and enhance our public archaeology outreach.

Katy Meyers is a fourth year PhD graduate student studying mortuary archaeology. Her research specifically focuses on examining the spatial relationship between cremation and inhumation burials in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. She enjoys working both in the field on various projects and on the digital side of archaeology. She has been an active member of the Campus Archaeology Program since her first year here. For the past two years, she has been the CAP’s Campus Archaeologist and is proud to continue working with CAP in her new role as a graduate research fellow. Over the next year, she will be helping CAP to accession their sites, and developing a more enhanced GIS system. You can learn more about her personal research and interests at www.bonesdontlie.com, and follow her @bonesdonotlie.

Adrianne Daggett is a PhD Candidate in the MSU Department of Anthropology, and although she has been in the department for some years, this is her first year of involvement with Campus Archaeology. She is quite excited to get in on the action in what is hopefully her last year in the graduate program here. Over the last few years she has been working on her dissertation research based in Botswana. Her research focuses on small-scale prehistoric farming and herding settlements in the Kalahari Desert, how they used their local landscape, and their involvement with the trade networks and political systems of their time in southern Africa. The project she will be developing for CAP is called ‘Dig the Past: A Hands-on Intro to Archaeology’, this project will culminate as a monthly series of hands-on activity sessions at the MSU Museum. Planning for this project is actually well underway, and the first session is scheduled for September 21st! The goal of the project is to increase public awareness and understanding of campus history and the nature and practice of archaeology through direct contact with archaeologists and artifacts, as well as to provide opportunities for anthropology students to gain experience working with a lay audience. If you’re interested in getting involved with ‘Dig the Past’ contact Adrianne at daggetta@msu.edu.