In this spotlight interview, the department caught up with Rebecca Bushee, an Anthropological Archaeology concentrator, to learn more about what she looks forward to accomplishing in Anthropology's Research Apprenticeship Program. The Program aims to foster collaboration between students and faculty on faculty research.
"I became interested in the Yucatán, more specifically the Maya region, after taking Classic Maya Civilization with Professor Houston. I wanted to get involved with research in this area, and had shopped a class with Professor Morell-Hart about Paleoethnobotany (Archaeobotany) that semester. After hearing about the apprenticeship program with my advisor, I reached out to Professor Morell-Hart because of her work in the Yucatán. It was the first we had both heard of the program, but since then, she has sponsored multiple student apprenticeship projects!
I have worked on two projects with her. The first, this fall, involved curating a plant reference collection. This consisted of labeling and filing modern seeds for the Mesoamerica collection to be used for comparison with archeological samples. My second project, that I am working on this spring, is more hands-on. Using that same reference collection I helped create, I am performing starch-grain analysis to determine plant taxa of common domesticates present in special skull-platters from Tikal. This project involves looking at what seems to be a ceremonial context, and attempting to determine possible uses for these skull vessels based on diagnostic starch grains found on the vessels.
Over the course of the year, I have learned many skills that I hope will set me apart as an Archaeology student. But beyond that, it has been amazing to work with such a supportive mentor as Professor Morell-Hart. I hope to continue working with her in the future, as I further develop my interest in the Maya region."
