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Anthropology Student Research Opportunities

Here you can learn about current research opportunities for Butler Anthropology students.

Seitz Award

Award for Study & Research Abroad for Natural Science Students

The Seitz Award is designed to financially assist Natural Science students who desire to study science and conduct research abroad, outside the normal academic classroom setting. All students with sophomore or junior status majoring in Biology, Chemistry or Physics are eligible to apply. Sophomore and junior majors in Psychology, studying Physiological or Cognitive/Neuropsychology, or in Anthropology, studying Biological Anthropology, Primatology or Archaeology, are also eligible to apply.

What do you need to do to apply?

• Meet with your department head or advisor to discuss study/research options.
• Write a statement describing the nature of the academic experience and the importance of this experience to personal development and career plans - no more than 2 pages.
• Provide a timeline of where you are going and what you intend to accomplish.
• Develop a budget estimating the cost of the trip (transportation expenses, lodging, registration fee, etc.)
• Print a copy of your transcript from my.butler.edu and append it to your statement.
• If applicable, supply documentation showing that what you intend to do is feasible (e.g., you have a letter from a research lab welcoming you to their lab/field station).
• For travel to non-English-speaking countries, verification of language proficiency is required. Language proficiency is defined as skill equivalent to that achieved after a minimum of two full years of collegiate study.

When do you apply?

Apply by February 15^th. Bring the complete application package to the LAS Dean's Office in Jordan Hall 237.

What is expected after your return?

At the completion of the study abroad experience, the student will submit a written report to the office of the Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences and be available to make an oral presentation to the Seitz family and the Butler community.

Student Experiences

Butler Anthropology students have had many research experiences throughout the world. Below you can find listings of those experiences and get an idea of the exciting things that our students have done.

• Jon Irons digs himself into a hole in Kenya
• Maggie Maxwell's experience in Latvia

Jon Irons digs himself into a hole in Kenya

These are photos from an archaeological and ethnographic project I worked on in western Kenya last summer in partnership with Northern Illinois University and the Field Museum. I remember vividly the pride (and fear that I might be stuck) I felt standing in my finished, six-feet-deep trench, as well as the day we walked six miles with some potters to document how they harvested their clay. They walked barefoot and carried about fifty pounds of clay on their heads on the return journey!

This was my second field school in archaeology and it was on this trip that I further explored my ideas about how to make archaeology relevant. After I graduate I plan on pursuing a doctorate in New World, Pre-Colvis archaeology. I hope to one day help sort out how and when and why people first came to North America and show people why archaeology really matters!

Jon Irons in a hole during an archaeological dig.

Kenyan pots and pans and a Kenyan potter.

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Maggie Maxwell's experience in Latvia

Over the summer I had the opportunity to go to Latvia with nine other students through the Center for Faith and Vocation. This was the first experience abroad that I am old enough to remember. Our trip was incredible! Though the trip had a strong focus on the diversity of religion present in the area, we had the opportunity to really absorb the vibrant culture that surrounded us everywhere we went. Because of excellent planning and coordination done by Dr. Valliere, Dr. McGrath and the Center, we had a chance to explore areas of the Baltic that would not have otherwise been accessible.

This photo was taken on a day trip to Jurmala, which is a popular vacation destination for members of the bureaucracy and wealthier citizens. Here we are wading in the Baltic Sea, which was incredibly cold! Even though it was raining, the beach was beautiful.
Left to right: Amanda Belcher, Maggie Maxwell, Dr. Valliere, and Krista Chernausky.

Here we are at the Hill of the Crosses, which is located in Siaulai, Lithuania. It is an incredible pilgrimage site where people come from all over the world to place crosses on this hill. There are literally millions, some of which have incredibly ornate detail, like these.
Left to right: Dr. McGrath and all of the students from the seminar.

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