Previous Riggs Hoenecke Funding Recipients

I would like to express my extreme gratitude to the donors of the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Experience Prize, which allowed me to have a life changing experience in Ireland this summer.

With the funding from this prize, I was able to attend a forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology field school in Birr, Ireland titled “Dead Men Do Tell Tales” through the Irish Archaeology Field School. This program provided me with valuable hands-on experience working with medieval human remains and completing all of the stages involved in a grave excavation.

Through lectures and lab activities, I learned how to complete skeletal analyses in order to  determine the age, sex, stature, and cause of death of an individual. We also learned about paleopathology and the ways to tell the difference between antemortem, perimortem, and postmortem traumas. I gained experience assembling both juvenile and adult skeletons from
a local medieval site and compiling profiles that can be used for identification of the individuals. Although I had learned a bit about determining the age and sex of an individual in my classes, this was the first time that I was able to do so with actual human remains, which allowed me to
complete pathological analyses that are difficult and/or impossible to do on a cast.

In the second half of the program, I excavated a staged burial with two other students and created an archaeological plan and a single context record of the site. We used trowels and small picks to excavate the skeleton, then took measurements using a plumbob and a series of measuring tapes in order to create a plan of the site, and finally, took levels of the site using a dumpy level. This entire process, from excavation to documentation, was entirely new to me and I really did not know if I would like it. The Riggs Hoenecke Prize allowed me to discover that not only did I love excavating, but I was also quite good at it!

During the field school, we also learned about the historical cultures of Ireland. I got to travel to historical sites such as the Clonmacnoise Monastery, where I learned about Saint Ciarán, the history of Viking and Norman attacks, and the esker ridges that past populations would use to reach the monastery. I also learned about the history of high crosses in cemeteries and the ways in which burial practices have changed over time throughout Ireland.

The experiences that I gained at this field school will stay with me forever, and I am so sincerely grateful to the donors that made it all possible. This program has given me the skills that I need to
continue pursuing a career in bioarchaeology, and the knowledge that this is a career that I would enjoy and excel in. I previously thought that field school and travel outside of the U.S. would be financially out of reach for me, so I cannot express how much this opportunity has meant to me, and the gratitude that I feel to the Department of Anthropology for selecting me and the donors for making the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Experience Prize possible.

I am so thankful for being able to attend the second session for the Program for Belize Archaeological Project (PfBAP). Thank you very much. Throughout the whole experience, I frequently thought of the generosity of others that made it possible. I currently receive financial aid and work during the summers and part-time during school to afford rent and groceries. Because of that, an opportunity like this would’ve been something I would have needed to pass up. The Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Experience Prize covered the money necessary for the program and the flights. I’d also like to thank the Department of Anthropology and the Curriculum Committee for their decision. I’ve had many excellent anthropology professors who were so influential to me.

I remember the first morning I was there. Waking to the sound of howler monkeys that had made it close to our camp, and realizing they sound completely bizarre and are exceptionally loud. Throughout the trip, they continued to remind us they were never far. I always enjoyed some coffee and breakfast right after sunrise, which happened at 5:00 am. Then I packed a lunch and got into the back of a pickup to be taken to ‘the field’ by 7 am to excavate Plaza C at La Milpa, which lies in the Three River region. During three of the four weeks I spent in Belize, I worked under Dr. David Hyde, who was collecting data as part of his research on monumental architecture at the time. I was assigned to subop 103 in Plaza C (3rd of several plazas at La Milpa), and my group excavated a stone alignment that is thought to be a range-structure wall at the edge of the plaza. My group consisted of some fantastic people with whom I am still in contact; we learned basic techniques and practices that make up excavation, data recording, and artifact handling. I had two lab days, which meant I stayed in camp cleaning and cataloging artifacts that the entire camp had found. I had the pleasure of spending a week working with Mr. Michael Maddox from Yale, who is studying Maya peasantry. He was excavating an area that he surveyed himself on the outskirts of La Milpa. These places were so remote in the jungle that he had to cut the trails to them every few days, otherwise they’d become irreconizable due to the vegetation. I’m especially pleased that I worked with two experienced archaeologists studying different areas for different questions.

I made several exciting discoveries. Granted, finding anything was super cool. I found the only bit of jade in the entire session in the form of a bead, and my whole group went wild with excitement. That is a memory I’ll certainly keep for life. I also learned that there are fascinating differences between the artifacts found in either Plaza C or the outskirts. For example, the ceramics that I found in Plaza C were robust and often glazed. Sometimes being exceptionally thin and very uniform in thickness. Meanwhile, the ceramics I found on the outskirts were noticeably more porous and were never colorful, even occasionally warped or imperfect. Another example is obsidian, which in Plaza C could be found in blades up to 7cm, but in the outskirts, it could only be found in flakes no bigger than a quarter. I learned the precision of archaeological ‘context’ and how important it is to be measured in every step, from staking off an area to the handling of artifacts and even remains. When working with Mr. Maddox, we found human teeth, fingers, and even a femur that we had to handle with the utmost care and record as accurately as possible. It’s impossible to re-excavate a site because the soil will have been churned, which means that for that area you dug up, taking thorough and precise recordings is essential.

I’ve never been to any other country except Canada, and I’ve also never been on a plane by myself. This was the most traveling and the furthest I’ve been away from home all my life, so it was truly exhilarating from the moment I was in the Detroit airport on my way there till I came back. I loved being in the jungle, especially during the rainy season. I had never experienced anything like it before, the sudden and frequent torrential downpours that might vanish just as quickly as they started or last all day. The wildlife was so fascinating; the monkeys, frogs, birds, spiders, scorpions, and even insects were all new to me, and I remained amazed, even to this day, looking back at some of the photos I took.

Now that I’m back home, I benefit from the experience immensely. The connections I made with students and faculty in the same field as me, the archaeological skills and knowledge, the life experience, and much more, help me in subtle ways. I spent a month without electricity and running water, and it was incredible; that really changed my perspective on what constitutes quality of life. I realized that working in a remote environment took away my longing for many things I expected to miss. I ate the same food, stayed off my phone, and was getting constantly bug bitten and rained on, but I was thrilled to be there. That being said, I hope to practice archaeology again soon, and thanks again for your generosity.

This summer, the Undergraduate Anthropology Department awarded me the support and resources to carry out research and deepen my knowledge in Biological Anthropology. Without this funding, I would not have been able to devote so much of my time and focus to academic pursuits. I would
like to thank all the donors and contributors to the University of Michigan’s Department of Anthropology, as well as Dr. Strassmann, for providing constant guidance and opportunities to nourish my passion for human biology and evolution.

I was first introduced to Dr. Strassmann’s research during my first week of college and was immediately captivated by the depth of knowledge and theory that connect biology and behavior. Anthropology was not a discipline I had previously considered, but I quickly became fascinated by
human family dynamics, alloparenting, and the theories surrounding family structure. This summer, I pursued my own project under Dr. Strassmann’s guidance, working with one of her extensive data sets from a long-term generational health and dynamics study of a natural fertility population in Mali, West Africa. This project posed many challenges and allowed me to expand my knowledge, discipline, and understanding of academic research and methods.

I particularly developed my skills in data management and online systems, which will be invaluable as I continue to pursue broader research techniques. It has truly been a gift to have the resources and support to advance my education, build the foundation for my Honors Thesis, and prepare for a future PhD. This opportunity has greatly strengthened my commitment to higher education in biological anthropology, and I plan to continue my research throughout my undergraduate career and beyond.

I am extremely grateful to have received funding from both the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology Hays Family Endowment for Undergraduate Research and the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Student Experience Fund. Without this funding I would not have been able to participate in the Lobor Archaeological and Bioarchaeological in Lobor, Croatia. Thank you to all of the University of Michigan donors whose generous contribution to the department and museum made this experience possible.

During my time in the field at Lobor I gained hands-on experience in archaeology through excavation, lectures, labs, and museum visits. Upon arrival in Zagreb we were given introductory lectures on the history of the site at Lobor and excavation techniques including correct posture. We spent our first few days exploring Zagreb before being transported to Lobor to begin our excavation. The site at Lobor has long been associated with female religious icons. This site has a very long history of sacred buildings, with a gothic church from the 15th century built upon a romanesque church, and what is believed to be a Roman temple to the Goddess Diana. Around the entire
site is thought to be a wall dating back to the first century A.D. We continued the excavations of this wall, which the previous year’s students had begun. The very first day at site we cleared off the geotarp and cleaned out some of the surrounding forest to extend the trenches down the hill onto the outside of the wall. While clearing brush we accidentally stumbled upon our first burial site-
as one of our professors said “things tend to just pop out of the ground here!” Immediately we were able to learn how to survey the site and mark the special finds with the total station.

We continued our excavations finding Roman pottery sherds, Medieval glass fragments, and even a coin from the 1800s. For a few hours every day we would have a bioarchaeology lab in the crypt under the church. During the lab we worked with human remains from the University of Zagreb’s  collection gaining experience in proper handling techniques and identifying human remains. We also learned how to age, sex and determine potential causes of death. Towards the end of fieldwork we uncovered two more burial sites near the first. This helped confirm that the first burial we found was a part of the original cemetery and not a later addition. After expressing my interest in
archaeological illustration I was able to gain experience in drawing on site via technical illustrations of the wall and burial sites.

As I wrap up my undergraduate experience and apply to graduate programs this year the skills I learned during my field work will continue to influence my future research into burial rituals in the ancient Mediterranean. From the friends and professional connections I made to the excavations of burials, my time spent in Croatia is an experience that I will never forget. I would once again like to reiterate my gratitude for the funding I received from the University of Michigan Museum of  Anthropological Archaeology and the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Student Experience Fund. None of this would have been possible without the generous support of the donors. 

THANK YOU! This experience at the Bostel di Rotzo excavation site was truly life-changing for me, and I don’t mean that in a cliché way. I was surprised in several major ways and it impacted the entire directionality of my future.

Firstly, it taught me to pursue happiness. Before taking this trip, I prioritized events and dedications that I believed would promote my resumé. The culture that I was surrounded by in Italy prioritized self-care and introspection. Within this, I made a commitment to take home the joy that I was experiencing. Since returning home, I can proudly say that I am chasing peace and joy in every aspect of my life, not just professionally and academically.

Next, this experience taught me to value connection over personal productivity. With connection, teams are more productive than any individual can be by oneself. I worked closely with several colleagues and mentors that created an environment where we accomplished more as a team than I possibly ever could have by myself. We excavated a Bronze Age house, opening 3 new quadrants, and carefully documenting each and every stratigraphic unit and artifact with detailed precision. This would have been impossible without the collaboration and effort that each individual put into the team culture.

Finally, my exposure to hands-on work in an archaeological setting solidified my professional interests. I knew that I was interested in human osteology within a lab setting, but moving this interest into the field created a new dynamic that I have found increasingly attractive. Since experiencing archaeology without a human osteology component in Rotzo, I find myself progressively more excited to combine my two interests. Next summer, I will be pursuing bioarchaeology and hopefully returning to Italy.

Again, I cannot express my gratitude to the donors that made this experience possible for me. I may never be able to truly repay the debts I owe to those that created this opportunity.

With the funding I received from the Riggs Heonecke Undergraduate Experience Prize I was able to travel to three IndyCar races over the summer and plan trips to two Formula One races during the fall semester. I spent several hours at the tracks for multiple days during the race weekends observing fans, listening to live commentators, exploring the physical spaces of the tracks, analyzing imagery at the tracks, and interviewing fans. My initial intention with attending these races was to observe women’s participation in live racing events in order to better understand how their participation may or may not differ from that of men.

The first race I attended was the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motorspeedway. During this weekend I explored the race track and took extensive photos, observing lines for events, walking through merchandise tents, and chatting with fans. From my interview with one interlocutor, a man who had been attending IndyCar races since the 70s, I learned that the in-field (the space inside of the circular track) was once what he called a “wild” space in which women were participated almost exclusively as sexualized figures (i.e. grid girls, women who would flash drivers as they circled the track). Now, however, he regularly brings his daughter and her children to the track, which is much more “clean” and calm now. This was a theme I noticed in the broadcasting that can be heard all across the stands, commentators welcomed “mothers” who had come with their husbands and children to the track. This rang true in the crowds I observed as well. Women were certainly not only present as parts of family units, but a lot of stress was placed on affirming races as family-friendly events, and families were very much present. Taken alongside the official IndyCar ministry tent set up at each race and the prayer said before the start of each race, it seems at some point IndyCar switched from being a land for the lawless and young to a land of traditional family values. This seemingly made it a safer place for women (though I was warned more than once of certain areas in and certain hours during which I shouldn’t find myself alone as a young woman at the track), but not necessarily a progressive one.

I also attended the Indy 500 weekend in Indianapolis, arguably the biggest race in all of motorsport. On this weekend I brought my brother with me, which led to some interesting observations about how others interacted with us together as opposed to me by myself. Alone, men often gave me unsolicited directions around the track, informed me of events occurring, or did not acknowledge me at all. My brother on the other hand, though he had never been to nor watched a race before, was asked several times where things were located, if he could save them a spot in line, or if he planned on watching the basketball game that night.

It was also at the Indy 500 that I began to note how live IndyCar racing events are surprisingly a-political. Few fans wore overtly partisan merchandise (i.e. MAGA hats), and flags flown in the campsite were predominantly patriotic rather than partisan. Politics went unmentioned in any of my conversations with fans, and people seemed to avoid them actively. However, after the Indy 500, I saw several TikToks of women documenting themselves at the track with captions like “this, but in a liberal way” or “if you’re looking for people who voted for Kamala at the track today, we’re here.” Thus, there was an awareness of a political subtext at the live races that women in particular found somewhat problematic. However, discussion of such things was delegated to online spaces. This is one way I imagine this in-person research fitting in well with my extensive online research of motorsport fan spaces and how women participate in those.

In conclusion, the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Prize allowed me to immerse myself in IndyCar race spaces, perform participant observation during race weekends, and conduct interviews with participants which will be incredibly important and useful to developing my honors thesis over the course of the year.

Before anything, I would like to give a massive thank you to the Anthropology Department for providing me with funding for my archaeological field school this summer. It was an honor to receive the funding, and it played a pivotal role in my ability to attend the field school without too much financial burden. I hope that I’m able to pay it forward and use the knowledge and skills that I learned there to be an exemplary student and be an undergraduate that the department can be proud of both during and after my time as an undergraduate.

The field school I was able to attend thanks in part to the anthropology department’s funding was the Wyoming Archaeological Field School run and hosted by the University of Wyoming. In this field school, we went to three separate sites in western Wyoming, each of which covered a unique temporal period in the archaeological record of the region. The first of these sites was Willow Springs, a site approximately 20 minutes south of Laramie; this site has evidence of paleoindian, late prehistoric, and historic occupation, and is believed to have been a stop on the Overland Trail. This site served as a good primer for the rest of the field school, as we were able to stay in the dorms and avoid living in the bush, which made it easier to focus on learning the fundamentals of archaeological excavation (e.g. pedestrian survey, shovel/auger test pits, dry screening, 1x1s, field curation, etc.). This effort was sullied by the wind and mosquitoes, however; on days where the wind wasn’t blowing at least 20 miles an hour, we were being eaten alive by mosquitoes who were capitalizing on the only water source in a 5 mile radius. Another rude awakening, at least for a Michigan native, was that it becomes exponentially easier to get sunburnt as you go up in elevation. I don’t think there was a single day where the UV index was below 8 there, and my nose suffered greatly from it. In other words, it was a perfect introduction to working in the field!

The second site we excavated was the La Prele mammoth site, a Clovis period mammoth kill site that’s been dated to approximately 13,000 years old and has a long history of excavation. The work here was quite a lot more precise than at Willow Springs, and the sediment all but ensured that we had to work for every last centimeter of depth. Picking the screens here was brutal; 5 gallon buckets of dirt would take upwards of an hour to pick through despite us hosing them down with enough water to irrigate an entire field of crops. I think the most important thing I learned here was how to work in and around a lot of other people. There were upwards of twenty-five people working side by side at once here, and it required a lot of coordination (and squeezing) to ensure that everyone was able to excavate and get readings from the total station without encroaching on other people’s 1x1s. Being able to hear Dr. Bob Kelly’s stories from his early days in the field made all of the hard work during the day worth it, though. Additionally, this was the final season they’re hosting at the site, and I’m honored that I was able to contribute to a site that’s as important as La Prele is before it was left for future generations.

The final site we excavated was the former city of Carbon, located in the middle of nowhere in Carbon County. Carbon was the first coal mining town in Wyoming, established in 1868 by the Union Pacific Railroad, and was abandoned before the turn of the century after the mines ran dry. Excavating here was quite a bit different from the other sites, as the amount of plainly visible artifacts you'd turn up with a single motion of the trowel dwarfs what you'd find in an entire session at La Prele. It being a historic site meant that many of the artifacts were familiar as well, which was a nice change of pace for someone who’s not very familiar with faunal remains and lithics. My favorite personal find of the field school was something I found here: a little dachshund, no bigger than my thumbnail, made of metal. I thought it was a piece of slag when I first picked it up! Carbon served as a good wrap-up to the field school, as it brought together all of the skills we learned at the previous two sites (excavation, survey, etc.) while also helping us learn what it's like to work at a truly remote site.

Overall, I'd say that my experience this summer was a resounding success. I learned a ton from some really great people, and I'm sure that the professional and personal connections I made there will last far into the future. I want to again thank the Anthropology Department for their generosity and for allowing me to participate in this opportunity. 

I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to all of the donors to the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Experience Prize, as it is thanks to their generosity that I have been able to take this crucial first step in my journey as an anthropologist and an archaeologist.

With the funding received through the Riggs Hoenecke Prize I was able to participate in a field school led by the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project, who have been conducting fieldwork in western Belize for several decades. My three weeks working in Belize this summer were spent at the site of Baking Pot, the name given both to the administrative and religious center of a Classic- and Postclassic-Period polity, as well as to the polity itself. Occupation of Baking Pot spanned centuries across most major periods of pre-contact Maya history, though the excavation I participated in was primarily concerned with the Postclassic and Late Classic periods. Myself and a team of other students and professional archaeologists from across the United States and Belize led by Dr. Julie Hoggarth excavated first the eastern span of the stairs leading to the top of a structure on the western edge of one of Baking Pot’s two primary plazas, thought to have served primarily an administrative function. Our aim in excavating the stairs was to locate their center in order that a trench may later be dug perpendicularly through the center of the staircase to expose all architectural and cultural phases at Baking Pot. After reaching and exposing the latest extent of the stairs our work turned towards the central trench itself, which we dug to expose also the latest form of the full height of the stairs.

Over the course of our excavation we uncovered thousands of artifacts and ecofacts associated with both the Postclassic and Late Classic periods of Maya history, including countless potsherds, pieces of quartz, chert, obsidian blade fragments, and freshwater shells. Another common find  was daub, chunks of hard red-orange material formed from the burning of clay used to seal and waterproof structures, the presence of which suggests that the the administrative structure we excavated, and others like it, may have been topped with organic structures not unlike the palapas that dot the modern Belizean landscape. The distribution of these materials in the stratigraphy we excavated suggest that Baking Pot, unlike most other monumental sites in the western Belize Valley, was occupied fairly late, extending well into the Postclassic when most sites had long been abandoned. Over the past several years of excavations it has become clear that Baking Pot is something of an enigma among Maya sites in Belize. I must say I am honored to have been able to contribute to our understanding of such a fascinating site, and look forward eagerly to future scholarship on new discoveries at Baking Pot.

The Lobor Archaeological and Bioarchaeological Project provided me with an introduction to archaeological fieldwork and bioarchaeology, with a combination of theoretical lectures and hands-on activities. Throughout the field school, we had multiple lectures on relevant archaeological topics. We began by learning about the history of the Lobor site and its context in the history of Croatia. We next learned about excavation techniques, including survey methods, the use of tools, and how to maintain healthy posture while working. Additionally, we had bioarchaeology lectures, where we learned about the human skeletal system and how to identify the age and sex of a skeleton.

I practiced what I learned in the classroom in the field; I used the Total station to measure the  trenches, dug, troweled, cleaned and identified bones from previous excavations, and more. From my experience at my field school, I have the foundational knowledge necessary for future archaeological fieldwork.

The Lobor field school also provided me with the opportunity to explore Zagreb, Croatia and surrounding areas. We toured the city, visited  museums, such as the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb and the Neanderthal Museum in Krapina, and visited small towns near our site. I am grateful that I was able to learn about Croatian culture through first-hand experience during my field school.

 What resonated with me most from this experience was the ever present need for patience and adaptability. Archaeology can be a slow and frustrating process–you never know when or if you will find something. While we originally intended on finding a grave, we instead uncovered a segment of the medieval wall surrounding the Lobor church. Along the wall, we expected to find a considerable amount of pottery fragments; due to archaeology’s unpredictable nature, this was not the case.

 Although our findings were disappointing, this experience gave me a glimpse into a frequent reality in the field of archaeology. From this field school I can go into future excavations with the necessary understanding that archaeologists do not always find what they are looking for. I will approach future field work with the patience and flexibility I learned from working on the Lobor Archaeological Project.

 I chose to attend the Lobor Project to get a deeper look into what it means to work in archaeology and to apply the theoretical knowledge I have gained at the University of Michigan in a hands-on environment. Field work is a valuable component of a well-rounded education in the field of anthropology; having this experience will enrich my future anthropology classes at the University of Michigan. I plan to take more archaeology classes in my remaining semesters at Michigan and hope I can delve deeper into the area of burial. In the long term, this experience that University of Michigan donors funded, will prepare me to succeed in future excavations and help me pursue graduate school.

 I am thankful for the Sophomore Prize from the Riggs Hoenecke Student Experience Fund, which helped me pursue my passion for archaeology at the Lobor Field School in Croatia!

It is with extreme gratitude that I am even able to talk about my experiences with the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance project. Without the generosity of the donors of the Riggs Hoenecke Student Experience Fund and the award that I was given, I would not have been able to afford to participate in fieldwork in Belize and take the first crucial step toward a career in anthropology.

For the three weeks I spent in Belize, I gained the invaluable experiences and skills that a field school provides as well as some unique insight from my superiors on the project. Along with roughly twenty other students, we learned the technical skills required to do archaeological fieldwork. This included surveying, setting up units and measuring, artifact identification, laboratory work at the start of every day, and the actual act of excavating. I learned how to use a lot of tools - including a plumb bob, which was something I didn’t even know existed! - from professionals who use them everyday; and then, I got to use them. I spent about eight hours a day excavating and doing laboratory work and then spent the nights attending lecture series provided by typology experts and Belize’s best archaeologists. I had several quizzes, including a unit quiz and an artifact identification quiz, and a final summary exam. The grade I received from the classroom aspects of the field school will count for my major once the credits transfer. On the weekend, we were given the option to attend tours hosted by the project’s faculty. I toured the Maya sites of Caracol, ATM Caves, Cahal Pech, and Baking Pot, and the tours were led by the people who actually discovered and excavated them themselves. This was an amazing experience. There are currently only two Belizeans in the world who hold PhDs in Belizean archaeology, and I got to meet both of them, including Dr. Jaime Awe, the former Director of the Institue of Archaeology. Learning from Dr. Awe was an extraordinary opportunity. He is the pinnacle of what an expert in archaeology looks like - we could drive past what seemed like to me to be a slightly hilly field, and he could identify with just a glance what was and wasn’t a structure - not only that, but he could guess with fairly decent accuracy what kind of structure it was. Every archaeological site that I visited, worked at, or heard about had been managed by him decades ago. He was really inspiring about what a long-term path in this field looks like. As for my personal work, I worked on Xunantunich excavating what we believed was a house complex, but turned out to be a residential structure for middle-elites of Xunantunich society. The locals of San Ignacio helped us excavate, the tourists watched us and asked questions, and we even saw a documentary crew come in and try and interview our supervisor for a special on haunted Maya ruins. I found my first artifacts on this project: an incense burner, marine shells, some obsidian flakes, and lots and lots of pottery and chert. I was able to learn how to identify not only what the artifacts were, but what they meant in a broader sense for the site. The incense burner and pottery sherds I found were indications of late-terminal deposits. The obsidian - not just blades, but flakes - implied that the residents of the complex were working with obsidian. Not only was this proof of an artisan in residence, but it also was proof of trade going on between other Central American regions, as obsidian is not native to the region. Again, I reiterate how important this opportunity was for my career and how grateful I am to the donors of the Riggs fund for making it possible. Field school is an essential step toward any career in this field, and combined with the normal expenses of college, I worried it would be out of my grasp. Using this field school as the basis for any further  research, I plan to try and narrow down my regions of interest and maybe focus more on ethnographic research in my remaining three years as an undergraduate. The Riggs Hoenecke Student Experience Fund gave me the financial confidence for this to be possible, and I can’t wait to see what other opportunities I can utilize at the department of anthropology at the University of Michigan. 

This summer, I had the rewarding opportunity to participate in a lab season with the Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológico Muyumoqo (PIAM), in Cusco, Peru. Over thecourse of the Winter 2024 semester, I worked with the director of PIAM, Matthew Brown, to develop an honors’ thesis project utilizing burial data from the project site,which had already been excavated. However, given the nature of and with respect to the provenance of the excavated material, it was necessary that I travel to Peru in order to analyze it. During my time in the lab, I was trained in portable X-ray fluorescence analysis and scanned at least 1,000 flakes of obsidian in an effort to determine where it had been sourced. Additionally, I was trained in methods of ceramic analysis and archaeological survey, the latter of which included some precarious treks to quarries in search of an andesite source local to Muyumoqo. Lastly, I was able to sort and analyze the burial goods associated with the 29 burials excavated at Muyumoqo, which was an essential step in the progress of my honors’ thesis project, as I seek to analyze the connection between material culture and gender within mortuary contexts. All in all, this lab experience was an invaluable addition to my education and experience as a student of Anthropological Archaeology, especially as I begin the process of applying to graduate schools. After completing a field school in Lesotho earlier this summer, it was enriching to explore and learn more about the non-excavation side of archaeology and doing so has fueled my desire to learn more about methods of analysis in bioarchaeology, the discipline which I hope to pursue in graduate school. Not only did I learn new methods of analysis, but I was also able to cultivate a deeper understanding of Andean archaeology and culture by visiting a variety of archaeological sites near Cusco, such as Muyumoqo itself, Pisac, and Pikillaqta. Seeing these sites enabled me to contextualize the research I’ve been doing in a way that reading alone simply cannot. Being able to see the feats of Inca architecture at Pisac, with its terraced fields, carefully built administrative structures, and canals, gave me a deeper understanding of the scale of Inca society, the integration of spiritual and political sectors, and some of the innovations that played a role in daily life. Viewing the site of Muyumoqo was another pertinent experience, given that I was able to develop a better spatial awareness of the site, how it’s location related to political and social changes that were occuring, and the resources that were available in the region. For all of these experiences and more, I am deeply grateful for the scholarships I received from both the Riggs Hoenecke Student Experience Fund and the Derrow/Goodman Fund. Without the generosity of donors, my trip to Peru would not have been possible. As a first-generation, non-traditional student who supports herself, the cost of this experience was too great to cover on my own, but these scholarships made it possible and gave me the opportunity to pursue my research project, which will open so many doors when it comes to pursuing a career in academic archaeology. Equally as important, though, was the opportunity to really see and experience a new part of the world, which has always been a goal of mine, but always seemed financially out of reach for me. For this reason, I truly can’t give enough thanks to the Department of Anthropology and its generous donors!

This summer I was lucky enough to attend a 4 week archaeological field school in azardzhik, Bulgaria working at Tell Yunatsite, a late Neolithic and Chalcolithic site. The program was intense and a lot of work but it was also incredibly rewarding. We started off each day bright and early, arriving at site around 6:30 in the morning and getting right to work. As we pulled the tarps off each unit and  gathered our tools we would all watch the sun rise from the top of the tell and watch the sky change colors as we began digging. Once the sun came up it was sweltering but even so I had a great time talking to the other students and supervisors and listening to music as we worked. After enjoying  traditional Bulgarian cooking for breakfast and dinner we all went back to our hotel rooms to enjoy our much needed reprieve from the heat.

In the evenings we traveled back to the site for find processing, lectures, and workshops. We washed pottery and bones and learned how to float soil samples to pull out charcoal and burnt seeds and  later sorted through the heavy fracture remains for things like flint, fish bones, and beads. Our lectures ranged in topic from using and organizing GIS data to warfare in prehistoric and human migrations through the Balkans. In our workshops we learned how to use equipment like the dumpy level and skills like field and pottery drawing and I was exposed to some of the niches within the field of archaeology in ways that I had never been before.

I worked in a part of the site called Mikov’s Trench which had been hastily excavated in the 70s and 80s and was one of the deepest portions of the site. The unit I was working in was intimidating at first, there were multiple trenches, pits, and post holes that made it difficult to walk through and even more difficult to interpret. As the weeks progressed though, I found myself understanding the site more and more. I was starting to see the minute changes in soil color that previously looked like the same sandy clay and as my supervisor explained each feature I was starting to piece together a picture of what this tell might have been like thousands of years ago. We discovered so many incredible things while digging but one of my favorite finds was a small figurine in the style of the late Neolithic that I found while cleaning our unit. There was some debate over whether it was a bird, chicken, or pregnant woman but the overall consensus was that it was a great find either way. I also spent a lot of time excavating the several ovens in our unit and identifying and uncovering the clay walls built around them. While creating profiles of one of the ovens I got the chance to practice my drawing skills by making my own field drawing of the cross sections of the oven which I deeply enjoyed.

Overall I’m incredibly grateful to be one of the recipients of a grant from the Riggs Hoenecke Student Experience Fund. Without this money I wouldn’t have been able to go on this trip and enrich not only my archaeological knowledge but also my cultural knowledge of Bulgaria. The skills I learned while abroad will be incredibly valuable to my future and I met so many wonderful people and made memories that will be near and dear to my heart for years to come.

It is difficult to find the words that adequately express my gratitude for the generosity of the Riggs Hoenecke fund. For as long as I can remember, my dream has been to contribute new knowledge to the world. During my final year at the University of Michigan, that dream became a reality, and it would not have been possible without the assistance from the donors.

After studying how tectonic forces influence faunal community composition in Lake Turkana last summer, my advisors were encouraging me to submit an abstract to the national meetings so I could present our findings to other up-and-coming and established biological anthropologists. I sent drafts of my abstract back and forth for weeks, editing and re-editing the same two lines, before finally submitting it. I was elated to hear that the abstract had been accepted and quickly began working on visually representing months of research on a 3x4 poster.

While at the conference, I was able to reconnect with the researchers that assisted me on the project, as well as meet with faculty at other universities. I was also able to attend presentations on emerging research in the field, which inspired me to pursue new research projects. I built my network, improved my presentation skills, and most importantly, learned a few new pieces of knowledge. However, the value of this experience goes beyond a few bullet points on my CV. I was able to do what every scientist dreams of: talk to anyone that would listen about my research.

My experience at the conference was a major professional milestone for me, and the funding was the foundation of that. Therefore, it is with my sincere gratitude that I thank you for your generosity; without it, I would not have fulfilled my childhood dream. 

I am truly honored to be a recipient of the Riggs Hoenecke Student Experience Fund. Words cannot fully express how much I appreciate your generosity. Thank you!

In the summer of 2023, I traveled to Greece to attend the Pelion Summer Lab for Cultural Theory and Experimental Humanities (PSL). PSL is a space for graduate students, researchers, academics, artists and cultural producers to come together for ten days each summer in a small village in Pelion, Greece with the aim of exploring different approaches to some of the world’s most significant problems. PSL’s focus for 2023 was Ec/o/ntologies, a theme which closely examines the field of Environmental Humanities and imagines ways to mitigate the current negative ecological trajectory as a result of climate change. Throughout the ten days, I participated in seminars led by a group of international experts alongside graduate students of various disciplines representing eleven countries, united in their desire to leverage their diverse perspectives in pursuit of potential solutions. This involved an examination of the intersections of climate chaos and other prominent systems at various levels, ranging from more theoretical analyses of capitalism, colonialism and patriarchy to more local examples. The ten days concluded with a collaborative public experiment in the form of a sound-based geolocated walk.

Following my time at PSL, I embarked on a brief visit to the island of Cephalonia to make preliminary observations in support of my future research goals. Cephalonia is the focal point of my research because my grandmother fled the island as a result of a period of prolonged violence during and immediately following World War II (which included Axis occupation under Italy and Nazi Germany, the Greek Civil War, and massive earthquakes that destroyed much of the infrastructure). This time period is rarely discussed and not well understood outside of survivors and their ancestors; as such, my primary research interest is to identify lingering aspects of destruction in all forms on the island in order to bridge this knowledge gap. Through this experience, I gained numerous insights about Cephalonia that I then incorporated into a plan for undertaking my research in subsequent years.

In summary, this trip offered multiple areas of development and contribution. It allowed me to deeply engage in critical thinking and collaborative experimentation with my peers through Ec/o/ntologies, to lay the groundwork for my work on the legacies of destruction in Cephalonia, and to elevate my knowledge, skills, thinking and contributions as I advance into higher education. Additionally, the trip was a catalyst for learning the Greek language, as my experience highlighted how instrumental it would be in terms of both my own understanding as well as for establishing the rapport necessary for my research. On a more personal note, the trip led to a deeper connection with my heritage, providing a unique opportunity to better understand my late grandmother’s life prior to her immigration. Thank you!

Thanks to the Anthropology donors, I was able to conduct research on the behavioral ecology of the Dogon of Mali this summer. I investigate what drives religious conversion in a rural Malian population together with Prof. Beverly Strassmann. The Dogon of Mali practice three religions: the local Dogon religion, Islam, and Christianity. Since the 1940s, participation in the traditional religion has been decreasing in favor of Islam which has become the dominant religion in the community. Catholic and Protestant missions established local churches around the same time that have attracted members away from the Dogon religion on a minor scale. Since most conversion has been out of, rather than into, the Dogon religion, we asked: given the father practiced the Dogon religion, what drives his son to adopt a new religion in adulthood?

We test two hypotheses: (1) sons of poorer fathers were more likely to convert to Christianity and sons of wealthier fathers were more likely to stay with the Dogon religion or convert to Islam and (2) sons of monogamous fathers were more likely to convert to Christianity than sons of polygynous fathers. The first hypothesis is based on the Dogon themselves, who reported that Christianity was attractive to poorer individuals. The second hypothesis is premised in the fact that Christianity is alone among the religions in Mali whose doctrines specify monogamous marriage. With the help of Prof. Kerby Shedden, we use multinomial logistic regression with general estimating equations using father’s wealth and father’s number of wives as predictor variables and the son’s religion (Dogon, Islam, Christianity) as the outcomevariable for n = 570 father-son pairs to test these hypotheses. We adjust for the son’s village of residence and decade of birth.

Our main finding is that as a man’s father becomes wealthier, he is less likely to convert Christianity, which is true whether Dogon or Muslim sons are used as the reference category. A one unit increase in father’s wealth (one SD of population wealth) decreases the odds a son will convert to Christianity by around half; this effect is marginally higher using Muslim sons as the reference category (0.57) than when using Dogon sons as the reference category (0.47). The wealth effects are highly significant, with P values below 0.0001. Father’s number of wives does not influence what religion his son adopts for any pairwise comparison. We attribute the former finding to the fewer expenses associated with Christianity compared to Islam and the Dogon religion in this community and the latter to either a lack of relationship in father’s and son’s number of wives, the inability of religious doctrines to impose a real impediment in taking on another wife, or a combination of both the above. Our results suggest that in the Dogon, conversion often serves the interest of the convert and that the benefits of conversion are important on an individual, rather than group level.

In the summer of 2023, I was honored to receive the Riggs Hoenecke Prize for Undergraduate Research, which enabled me to conduct extensive fieldwork and interviews in Laredo, TX. My thesis, titled From Ghosts to Altars: Ancestors, Kinship, and Cultural Memory within a Chicano Family, explores the intricate ways my family interacts with ancestors, establishes kinship, and how displacement or migration has influenced these dynamics.

 My research spans three generations: the first generation, including my grandmother and her siblings; the second generation, comprising my mother, aunts, uncles, and cousins; and the third generation, which includes my siblings, cousins, and myself. Thanks to the Riggs Hoenecke grant, I was able to travel to Laredo, TX, where I engaged deeply with the first and second generations of my family. This immersive experience provided invaluable context and historical insights that were crucial in shaping my thesis.

 During my time in Laredo, I delved into family foodways, gathered photographs and documents, and visited cemeteries where my ancestors have been laid to rest for generations. These activities allowed me to collect data that expanded the scope of my thesis. The interviews and photographs I gathered not only enriched my understanding of my family’s history but also highlighted the cultural interplay between Laredo and Detroit, illustrating how these two cities have uniquely influenced my family’s narrative.

Below are some pictures I was able to take in Texas:

This summer, funds from the anthropology department made possible my participation in a field school through North Carolina State University at the Makounta-Voules Archaeological Project in Poli Chrysochous, Cyprus. The project was specifically focused on Late Chalcolithic and Early and Middle Bronze Ages, through the lens of copper exploitation, long-distance trade, agricultural practices, and rising social inequality immediately before the first Cypriot urban centers appear in the record.

I found this project incredibly interesting and my experience in Cyprus this summer will shape my long-term academic goals. My participation, made possible by this generous award from the anthropology department, was an important step in my training in hands-on archaeological science. Not only was I able to gain experience in excavation, but I also had valuable exposure to pottery washing, artifact cataloging, and the data processing required for these large excavation projects. From a more modern perspective, I also had an absolute blast learning more about the local culture. As a student of modern Greek, I found my time abroad invaluable for practicing my Greek. My favorite part of the program overall were the weekend field trips, where I had the opportunity to visit countless sites, both archaeological and modern cities, all over Cyprus.

In my future career, I intend to earn a PhD in anthropological archaeology focusing on the  Mediterranean region as well as the Near East. I know that this field school will open the door for my further study into these regions, particularly as I now plan to work in Cyprus next summer and ongoing in my career. I was also able to make connections with professionals in Cyprus at the CAARI conference we attended in Nicosia, expanding my web of contacts in the field.

I am so grateful to have been chosen as a recipient of awards from the Derrow/GoodmanFund and the Riggs Hoenecke Student Experience Fund. The funding allowed me to buy necessary equipment and live in Ann Arbor as I worked on my honors thesis investigating the social flexibility of wild chimpanzees during play behavior.

My project seeks to understand how chimpanzees change their gestural behavior depending on social context, such as the age, sex, and kin relationship of their play partner. Previous research has shown that chimpanzees do change their gestural communication depending on their play partner during play solicitation, so my project will see if similar patterns extend into play behavior too. Since play behavior has been shown to positively correlate with social development, play behavior might also be an important context to see social flexibility develop.

Throughout the summer, I furthered my background reading and literature review. I also made significant progress in data collection and analysis of video data collected from two chimpanzee communities and spanning 2 years. I have more data collection and analysis ahead, but my preliminary results are exciting, and I am excited to see what patterns develop as I continue my project.

This funding allowed me to develop and pursue an independent research project that I am passionate about. Once again, thank you for your support this summer. The experience I have gained in developing methods and collecting and analyzing behavioral coding data has been invaluable.

This summer I participated in archaeological fieldwork in Israel-Palestine at the sites of Tell el-Hesi and Khirbet Summeily. It was an incredible experience only possible through the Riggs Hoenecke Prize and the Daniel Carl Maier Fund and the anthropology department here at the University of Michigan. I am deeply grateful for the generosity and encouragement I received in support of my endeavors.

This field season was split between two sites. At the first, Tell el-Hesi, led by University of Michigan PhD candidate Kara Larson, our project was the first new excavations since the 1970s and the goal of our project was to identify early Bronze-Age domestic structures outside the namesake tell that consisted of the upper city. Our team was relatively small but this led to us all becoming a tight-knit community of people who loved to dig in the dirt together. Even the longest days flew by with our amazing crew. We only opened two units, but all things considered we made incredible progress and I am so excited to see the future of this project as it continues to develop and unearth groundbreaking discoveries.

The second site I worked at was Khirbet Summeily with Mississippi State University and their  summer field school. Most of our team from Hesi also moved over to work at Summeily and we were divided among the team from Mississippi State to finish excavations at Khirbet Summeily. It was
an interesting juxtaposition with starting new excavations at one site and finishing them at another. I’m very thankful to get the perspectives of both ends of a project.

I was also able to gain experience outside of excavation on this trip. My skills in scientific illustration also caught the attention of our project leaders and they organized, to my surprise, a day trip for me to travel to Bar-Ilan University and work with their resident scientific illustrator to learn about her process, experience, and gain useful insights as I enter the field myself. This special trip reinforced the knowledge that our team leaders wanted us to succeed as individuals as well as a team and I will never forget their generosity.

Weekends provided time to travel across the country to renowned archaeological sites, culturally significant locations, and the region's must-see attractions. Among the memorable highlights were the experience of floating in the Dead Sea (a word of caution – avoid getting the water in your eyes, trust me, it’s not pleasant), visiting Masada, where some of our team braved climbing the snake path while others took in views from the gondola, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, and, my personal
favorite, the opportunity to explore Jerusalem's Old City.

The knowledge, experiences, and friendships I gained during this fieldwork season have shaped my growth in ways I could not have imagined. I made professional connections with experts in my field, I learned more than I could have ever hoped about Israel, its people, history, and culture, and how I want to do good in the world as I move forward. As I continue in my academic and professional pursuits, I am committed to carrying the knowledge and experiences from this summer with me and I aspire to make meaningful contributions to the field of archaeology, thanks in no small part to the support I received through the anthropology department, Riggs Hoenecke Prize, and the Daniel Carl Maier Fund.

My appreciation for your generosity is hardly measurable. The $2000 I received from the Riggs Hoenecke scholarship allowed me to participate in field research, an infrequent opportunity for those who, like myself, are not directly tied to the archaeological subfield of anthropology.

Currently, I am a junior majoring in Biopsychology, with an emphasis on human biology and evolution. I intend to pursue graduate-level education studying the interrelations between the biological bases of the human psyche and cultural variations across ancient to modern human populations. Knowing this, it appears that archaeology deviates from my personal goals, yet archaeology is the study of cultures in the past, making it inextricably intertwined with my tentative academic destinations.

I consider my brief time at the excavation in the Gobi to be enriching: the experience was dense with interactive activities that explored work spanning from field methodologies to laboratory techniques. I helped excavate one Xiongnu burial, two Bronze Age burials, and a cave, and of the four sites, the cave seemed to yield the most fascinating results of the season.

For the first time throughout Mongolian archaeology, Bronze Age beads were found outside of a burial, and more specifically, found from our cave. That scarcity of Bronze Age beads appears to have led some archaeologists to theorize that such beads were not worn in Mongolia; however, this finding has since then weakened, if not dismantled, that theory.

Aside from archaeology, I was also able to assist in more personal endeavors, such as becoming translator and co-director for an independent documentary film featuring the lifestyle of the nomads of the Mongolian Gobi, initiated by another student volunteer. This, along with all of the wonders that are encapsulated within my archaeological field experience of this summer, was beyond my imagination. I again thank the Anthropology Curriculum Committee and the donors’ benevolence for selecting me for the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Experience Award, and allowing me to partake in a wholly magnificent adventure in the Gobi.

In summer 2022, I was granted funds to conduct fieldwork in Israel focusing on the Early Bronze period of Tell el-Hesi, a site located on the northern border of the Negev desert. My work in Israel this summer was focused on archaeological survey with my graduate student mentor, Kara Larson. We engaged in a pedestrian survey of the area surrounding our site, as well as other sites in the area that had been flagged following a 2008 survey. Our specific focus was on looking for any Early Bronze Age pottery, lithics, or other artifacts, but we were careful to note any of our findings. We also took particular note of zooarchaeological findings, as my mentor is also conducting isotopic analysis on this site for her thesis.

This funding was invaluable for my participation in this work, and I was so fortunate to have been able to go and build these new relationships and gain hands-on experience. On-site, I developed my skills in identifying different types of artifacts, as well as learning how to set up this kind of survey as well as the things that I will need to know once I move into graduate school and start leading my own projects. I learned how to set up such a survey method with flagging tape and squares as well as the process of cataloging and analyzing all the data. I also had the opportunity to work closely with Bill Isenberger, our Hesi GIS specialist, and familiarize myself with the methods and tools for his kind of research. I really found this interesting, and was so grateful for the opportunity to work in the field with him and the rest of the team at Hesi this summer.

My visit to Israel also afforded us the opportunity to visit plenty of archaeological andcultural sites in the region. We visited Masada, the Dead Sea, Petra, Jerusalem’s Old City (and all the cultural, religious, and historical monuments therein). These were incredible and unforgettable experiences of exploring a country and culture so different from Ann Arbor, where I grew up.

I’m also excited to be bringing this trip and my new experiences with me: in October, I plan to present a summary of our survey at the UMMAA Centennial Poster Session, and also to present my own research stemming from my visit to Israel at the ASOR conference in Boston in November as well as the 2023 SAA meeting in Portland. I am so fortunate and grateful for the opportunity to have met such wonderful people working in this field while abroad, and even more grateful to be able to see them again at these events and to meet even more professionals.

I’m truly grateful for the funding I received, as it is truly my stepping-off point into my field. I send my gratitude and endless thanks.

For six weeks this summer, I participated in an archaeological field school in Mongolia. It was truly a life-changing experience, causing me to realize the importance of archaeology, cultural heritage, and connecting with people around the world. I am sincerely grateful to have received support from the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Student Experience Fund in order to facilitate my participation in this field school.

The first day we visited the excavation site remains vivid in my mind. Our leaders gave us a tour of the top of the steppe, which was dotted with no fewer than twelve looted burials. Burials typically consisted of a deep pit encircled by piles of stones, often with a larger pile on one edge, signaling where the looters had dumped the dirt as they dug. They varied in how recently they had been looted: in some pits, the grass had grown thick, while fresh dirt still covered the bottoms of others. As we walked along the steppe, someone proclaimed they had found a human bone, and it struck me how real these people had been. And how despicable it was that their graves had been dug up, their bones tossed carelessly to the side. At another burial, I found a piece of a human cranium. This was the first of many bones I would find during the excavation—so many that the shock eventually faded—but I remember the anger and sadness I felt picking it up. Archaeology, I realized, had tremendous potential to do good, and I felt more and more affirmed that I had made the right choice in my future career.

With each burial we completed, I grew more confident in my excavation skills. We started each burial by peeling off the layer of grass and moss that grew on the stone circle around the pit, stopping to take a progress picture when the rocks were brushed clean. We normally found a few broken pieces of artifacts on the surface, ranging from scraps of birch bark arrow quivers to carved bone ornaments, and occasionally human bones as well. Then we began on the pit itself, where we unearthed more substantial artifacts, such as bolts of silk, gold buckles, and bronze mirrors. We also found more human remains; some burials even contained mostly complete skeletons.

In Mongolia, I found that I was capable of so much more than I had ever imagined. Not only was I successful in doing archaeological fieldwork, further affirming my love for the subject, but I discovered that I love camping and traveling to distant places. Above all, I enjoyed making friends with the Mongolians we worked with—it was an honor to be able to learn about their culture and history as we excavated alongside them. Of course, I am very appreciative of the support of the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Student Experience Fund for helping me have this amazing experience.

Thank you sincerely for your generous gift via the Riggs Hoenecke Undergraduate Student Experience Fund. Thanks to this grant, I was able to attend an archaeological field school in northern Mongolia this past summer. This was an incredible and enriching experience both to me personally, and to the cultural preservation of the region.

The sites we studied had been targets of heavy looting and consequently faced destruction, but with careful work, we were able to recover a number of artifacts including large pieces of silk and birch bark that had been nearly perfectly preserved in the cold and arid soil of the mountains for centuries. Additionally, we were able to recover and preserve human remains that had been disturbed by looters; later analysis of these specimens will be able to provide a wealth of information on peoples’ diets and use of landscapes in the Medieval period. I feel fortunate to have gained invaluable experience in working with these remains and artifacts in away that was both respectful and observant of important scientific methods.

I am confident that the memories I made and skills I gained on this trip will serve me well as I pursue my future career in archaeology. My summer would not have been possible without your support; thank you again for your generosity.

I am extremely grateful to have been selected as a recipient, and I would like to thank you for your generous donation.

This funding allowed me to explore my research interests and gain valuable lab experience by working in the Primate Behavior Lab at the University of Michigan. The specific goal of my research project was to determine if the Dual Hormone Hypothesis is supported in mountain gorillas. This hypothesis proposes that glucocorticoids interact with testosterone to influence status-seeking behaviors such as aggression, competition, and risk-taking. Several studies have provided evidence in support of this hypothesis, showing that high levels of cortisol block the effects of testosterone on these status-seeking and reproductive behaviors. However, the results are not conclusive, and some studies have described the opposite effect.

During summer 2022, I used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to detect testosterone levels in male mountain gorilla fecal samples. With this data, I was able to present preliminary results at the Midwest Primate Interest Group Conference in late October – my second scientific conference – and after further analysis, I will also be incorporating these results into my honors thesis on behavioral endocrinology. Furthermore, I plan to use my work on my honors thesis to contribute to a manuscript on the Dual Hormone Hypothesis that will be submitted for publication.

Overall, this funding has provided me with the opportunity to gain hundreds of hours of lab experience, present a poster at a scientific conference, pursue an honors thesis, and co-author a manuscript. I would like to thank you again for your funding that has provided me with incredible opportunities and enabled me to pursue my passions.

I was extremely pleased to recieve the Riggs Hoenecke Prize this year in order to complete my senior thesis project. My project, which is investigating the intraspecific variation in tooth abrasion in the genus Odocoileus, was made possible by this funding and I cannot thank you enough. It was my pleasure to be able to use this funding for travel and equipment in order to collect the data necessary for this project.

Below I have included some pictures that were taken at the museums I traveled to for this project.

As an overview, I traveled to the University of Florida Museum of Natural History where I
collected data from over 150 deer specimen, including 20 craniodental measurements and mesowear scoring (a metric of tooth abrasion). In addition to this I also used the funding to travel to the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History where I was able to collect data from around 100 more specimen. In addition to covering travel expenses, this funding was also used to purchase equipment such as digital calipers as well as statistical software for analyzing the data I collected.

Again, thank you for your generous donation which allowed me to explore my research
interests. This funding was instrumental in allowing me to collect and analyze data for this project. 

Madison Caldwell

Jenna Dagher

Isabel Matias

Armando Otero

Josephine Schmidt

Macy Afsari

Patrick Potoczak

Madeline Topor

Angelina Adam

Martin Anderson

Gabriella Armstrong

Roy Gebara

Sabrina Kettler

Nicole Newman

Duey Smith

Madline Topor

Faith Williams

Alex Cashman

Emma Creamer

Caroline Richburg

Nicole Smith

Allegra Ward

Kelly Garland

Maya Goldman

Caroline Richburg

Brianne Yeskey