CROSSING BOUNDARIES

from 2022 Annual Report

EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS

For Graduate Research Grant recipient Emily Schumacher, her fascination for exploring different cultures, their histories, and practices came early, even begging her mom at the tender age of 7 to stay home from a family reunion to watch a PBS special on Egypt featuring Dr. Zahi Hawass.

Now a doctoral student in anthropology at The University of Tulsa, Schumacher has been able to lead her own team of researchers at Fort Louise Augusta, a former Danish costal battery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, becoming the first group to excavate at the location. Schumacher spent two weeks on the island working with a group of three undergraduates from The University of Tulsa Department of Anthropology, one faculty member from the university, and members of the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources.

In addition to the grant funding her project, Schumacher credits the grant for propelling her in her degree and getting one step closer to achieving her goal of a professorship.

“I have always been curious, and my passion for gaining and imparting knowledge has only increased as I have continued my studies.

My decision to attend graduate school was based on my desire to be a professor rather than some aim to be a renowned archaeologist,” Schumacher said. “I adore anthropology and archaeology, and there is nothing quite like being in the field, but I love learning more.”

Since the completion of her project, Schumacher has been able to serve as an adviser and mentor for three undergraduate independent study projects and a senior thesis project derived from the excavation and recovered archaeological materials. “These experiences, made possible with the financial assistance provided by the Graduate Research Grant, have further cemented my passion for teaching at the university level and helped me hone my craft as a teacher,” Schumacher said.

Schumacher’s excavation has since provided the basis for a recently submitted Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant through the National Science Foundation’s Archaeology Program. The preliminary results from the excavation will also be presented at the Society for American Archaeology’s 2023 Annual Meeting.

“My research crosses boundaries, applies novel methods, and is exciting to pursue. It is excellent,” Schumacher said.

More than 325 chapters in the United States, its territories, and the Philippines.