Chantae spent this past Summer of 2009 at an  Archeology Field School at Range Creek Canyon, Utah sponsored by the Department of Anthropology at University of Utah and the Utah Museum of Natural History to learn modern archaeological field and lab techniques in an ongoing field research program. Chantae studied prehistoric Fremont Indian sites. She states, “I went because I wanted to decide if field work was really something I wanted to do. I learned a lot about archaeology, and had a lot of fun. I learned basic field methods, participated in survey work, helped record new sites, and worked in three excavation trenches. Something I didn't expect was the volume of the notes taken each day; nobody tells you about that part of archaeology. I learned to sketch maps, keep a field journal, the importance of knowing the local environment and history, and many practical skills that are useful to archaeologists.”  Chantae also learned to identify artifacts, even when they were covered in dirt.  She states, “One of the most rewarding feelings was to be able to recognize and pull out flakes as small as the nail on my little finger when sifting through a screen full of rocks and dirt.”  She says the experience was hard work, but that each day was a new experience.     

 
Justin Nichols spent the summer of 2008 in an applied ethnographic field school sponsored by the Center for Social Well-Being in Carhuaz, Department of Ancash, Peru. The field school involved language study in both Spanish and Quechua, Andean ethnography, and initial stages of articipatory action research in the local communities. Struck by the number of plastic bags blowing around town, he and his colleagues pursued a project focused on local ecology and recycling including interviews with townspeople and administrators about the local dump.  This experience has made Justin more appreciative of the application of anthropological knowledge and more confident with his ability to interact with people living a very different lifestyle – even in a language he barely knows, like Quechua! Justin demonstrates his dedication to anthropology by investing in developing his own knowledge through field work and course work and exploring the interdisciplinary intersection of anthropology and other fields. While anthropological approaches to understanding human cognition generally involve observation of human behavior, his Cognitive Science minor emphasizes the linguistic and philosophical approaches to brain process.  After Truman, Justin is deciding between a PhD program in Anthropology, specializing in indigenous/ post-colonial issues, law school with the goal of supporting indigenous activism, or being a municipal fire fighter.