Students – The Kelsey Blog

Students

Meet Thea, Hannah, and Philippe: Ushering in the Next Phase of DiSKO

The Kelsey Museum launched its DiSKO (“Digital Study of Kelsey Objects”) website—an initiative five years in the making—in August 2024, allowing students, researchers, and the public to gain up-close looks at artifacts in our collection through 3-D models. But now that the website is live, what’s next for the project? Leading the charge are Manager of Digital Assets Chris Motz and a team of dedicated students: Theodora Bilich, Hannah Edwards, and Philippe Kame. Together, these individuals are expanding and refining the project, as well as adding models to the 3-D asset website Sketchfab


Headshot of Thea Bilich.

Theodora (Thea) Bilich is a dual-degree major at the University of Michigan. She studies anthropological archaeology and the fine arts in the hope of becoming an archaeological illustrator. Thea grew up in Ann Arbor, with the Kelsey Museum serving as a home away from home. 

As a research assistant in the Archaeobiology Lab, Thea works with Kelsey curator Laura Motta on the AGROS project, which seeks to reassess assumptions on ancient sustenance, food processing, and malnutrition in Graeco-Roman Egypt. Thea’s work in the lab and with the DiSKO project involves creating 3-D models of crop remains from Karanis—objects that, as it turns out, are very challenging to scan because of their small size! 


Headshot of Hannah Edwards.

Hannah Edwards is a fifth-year PhD candidate in ancient history and a student in the Museum Studies Program. She is currently writing her dissertation on Macedonian identity and culture in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Hannah began working on the DiSKO project in the winter of 2024, when she was tasked with writing object labels and descriptions for the artifacts chosen to be modeled. 

In the fall of 2024, she not only continued writing object labels but also began learning how to make 3-D models through photogrammetry—allowing her to learn how to use several software programs, including Agisoft Metashape and Blender, and different photogrammetry techniques such as focus stacking. Hannah is also employing these skills to photograph objects collected from an archaeological survey project in Pella, Greece, this summer. “Being a part of the DiSKO team at the Kelsey has given me the opportunity to work alongside and be mentored by faculty such as Cathy Person and Chris Motz,” Hannah said. “My favorite part has been sharing the final results with other professors, faculty, peers, and undergraduate students!”


Headshot of Philippe Kame.

With a background in art history and studio art from Swarthmore College, Philippe Kame is currently pursuing a master of architecture at U-M’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. His graduate work builds on this foundation, bridging historical understanding with contemporary design practices. He is currently working on a research project exploring the potential of 3-D printing with earthen materials, supported by funding from the Arts Initiative. 

Outside the classroom, Philippe also enjoys designing and building furniture—an engaging and accessible way for him to apply architectural thinking through hands-on practice. At the Kelsey Museum, Philippe contributes to the ongoing digitization of the museum’s collection, a role that aligns closely with his interests in history and the use of emerging technologies to preserve and celebrate cultural heritage. Working with ancient artifacts that trace human origins has been one of the highlights of his experience, particularly the collaborative nature of the work, which involves troubleshooting and problem-solving as part of a team.

Meet Thea, Hannah, and Philippe: Ushering in the Next Phase of DiSKO Read More »

Strategizing Success: U-M Students Tackle Reaccreditation Plans

View from the audience of a group of three students presenting a slideshow in a darkened classroom. Text on the projection reads, "American Alliance of Museums Re-Accreditation."
Madeleine Harris, Patricia Torres-Pineda, and Anwar Mahagoub present their project on Monday, April 14, 2025.

On April 14, Madeleine Harris, Anwar Mahagoub, and Patricia Torres-Pineda, students in the University of Michigan’s Museum Studies Program (MSP), presented their capstone project, “(Re)accrediting the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology: Plans for Marketing, Development, and Interpretive Efforts.” This project was the culmination of a semester-long endeavor to help the Kelsey prepare for its upcoming reaccreditation process through the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). 

AAM accreditation is the highest recognition afforded the nation’s museums, serving as a marker of excellence to institutional peers, grant-making individuals and agencies, and the general public. Approximately 1,000 museums are currently accredited by AAM—constituting about 3 percent of museums in the United States. The Kelsey Museum was first accredited in 1997 under the leadership of Elaine Gazda. It has since then been reaccredited twice, in 2007 and 2017. 

As part of this rigorous process, the AAM requires a self-study laying out a museum’s core operations, a site visit conducted by peer reviewers, and five “core documents”: a strategic plan, a mission statement, a code of ethics, a collections management policy, and an emergency response plan. But based on past suggestions by AAM officers, the Kelsey is also looking to submit three additional plans—development, interpretive, and marketing—that align with priorities put forth in our newly developed strategic plan. 

The challenge with creating these particular documents, however, lies in staffing and capacity: although the Kelsey Museum has long wanted to put pen to paper to draft these plans, we do not have full-time staff members devoted to development and marketing. 

That’s where the MSP students came in. After an initial meeting in January to learn more about our aspirations, the accreditation process, and the Kelsey’s particular needs, Madeleine, Anwar, and Pat hit the ground running. They researched comparative institutions, consulted AAM resources, and participated in brainstorming sessions with Jennifer Kirker (associate director), Will Pestle (director of education), and Emily Allison-Siep (communications editor). 

Next, the three students divided and conquered: Madeleine drafted the development plan, Anwar worked on the interpretive plan, and Pat took the reins on the marketing plan. The collaborative, iterative nature of the project meant that all three students contributed to all three plans, but this division ensured that each document had a self-appointed specialist to work through the intricacies of researching, writing, editing, and organizing, with continued input from Kelsey staff. 

“I found it challenging to coordinate so many people’s schedules for meetings, and to divide my focus across three plans simultaneously, although this became easier later in the semester, as we each took the lead on one of the three plans,” Madeleine noted. “But the project was still very rewarding, because these documents had never before been written for the Kelsey’s AAM reaccreditation, so I knew we were creating a blueprint that could serve the museum even years down the line.”

Anwar also commented on the challenges and rewards of the process: “It’s challenging to understand and plan a strategic solution for a museum problem in two months. However, pressure can sometimes generate the brightest ideas.”

Madeleine, a third-year PhD candidate in classical studies, tapped into her experience as a docent for the Kelsey Museum and U-M Museum of Natural History to devise strategies for the development plan. While the bulk of the Kelsey Museum’s funding currently comes from the University of Michigan, one of our strategic goals over the next ten years is to diversify our revenue streams. Madeleine’s plan thus lays out concrete objectives and plans of action to expand contributions from various income categories, including membership, planned and annual giving, and foundations.

A second-year student in the Masters in International and Regional Studies (MIRS) program, Anwar specializes in decolonizing archaeological practices. His role in developing and curating a community heritage center in El-Kurru, Sudan, meant that working on the Kelsey’s interpretive plan was a natural fit. Anwar’s document establishes a framework for communicating and engaging with the museum’s diverse audiences, intentionally shifting our interpretive focus by emphasizing audience engagement, multivocality in storytelling, inclusivity, active learning, and connections between ancient cultures and contemporary issues. 

Patricia is a fourth-year PhD student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She drew upon her work at Museo de Historia Natural de Santo Domingo and the U-M Museum of Zoology to draft a marketing plan that balances aspiration with the Kelsey’s practical needs and current resources. Pat’s plan contained detailed analyses of our positioning, target audience, visitor experience, and branding, before offering an array of strategies that seek to expand visitorship, program participation, data-collection efforts, campus visibility, and more.

“I have always had an interest in the interpretation work happening in museums, but before this project, I had never thought deeply about the details regarding financial development or marketing that happen backstage,” Pat said. “Participating in this project was very relevant for my future career plans, which include curation of natural history collections and exhibitions by furthering my interpretation skills and developing new insights into how to make these projects financially sustainable and marketable.”

Participation in this project likewise aligned with Anwar’s personal and professional interests: “Given that I am collaborating with the Michigan team to establish a community heritage center, the knowledge I gained from working with Kelsey’s team will make my task easier and help me make informed decisions.”

As the Kelsey Museum continues to work on its self-study, refine its documents, and prepare for an on-site inspection in 2026, we are grateful to Madeleine, Anwar, and Pat for laying a solid foundation for these three plans. Their hard work and big ideas not only will set us up for success in reaccreditation but also leave us excited about the future of the Kelsey Museum.

Strategizing Success: U-M Students Tackle Reaccreditation Plans Read More »

Mollusk Shells and Mammal Teeth: UROP Students Explore Tel Anafa’s Faunal Past

Four women inspect bones at a lab table covered in equipment, including computers, reference books and papers, microscopes, trays, and bags full of faunal materials in the Kelsey Museum's Archaeobiology Lab.
Left to right: Emma Nelson, Bailey Franzoi, Janet Larios, and Alyssa Wakefield work with Tel Anafa materials in the Archaeobiology Lab.

For the past two semesters, three students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)—along with curator Laura Motta and IPAMAA student Bailey Franzoi—have been working on cleaning, categorizing, and studying faunal remains excavated at the site of Tel Anafa. Janet Larios, Emma Nelson, and Alyssa Wakefield will present their research at the 2025 UROP Symposium on Wednesday, April 23, and the Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Department of Classical Studies on Friday, May 2. The students’ completed projects will also be displayed in the Kelsey Museum.

The site of Tel Anafa, located in modern-day Israel, was excavated in the 1960s–1980s under the direction of Saul S. Weinberg (University of Missouri) and Sharon C. Herbert (University of Michigan). Of the tens of thousands of faunal remains uncovered there, only about 15 percent had been studied prior to 2024. A project of the late Richard Redding, this research painted a picture of the evolution of Tel Anafa’s agriculture. 

The most recent work being conducted in the Kelsey Museum’s Archaeobiology Lab intends to expand this inquiry by quantifying the remains, identifying bones, and applying modern techniques, all in an effort to understand more deeply the interplay between Tel Anafa’s inhabitants and their environment. So far, the team has cleaned and sorted approximately 15,000 specimens—about one-fifth of the material—and identified around 1,000 bones.

“Tel Anafa stands as a reference point for many archaeologists studying the Levant, due to its excellent display of cultural changes post-Roman expansion,” said Emma, an environmental studies and Earth sciences double major, “so having access to the vast amount of well-preserved, physical material means a great deal.” 

Janet, who is majoring in ecology, evolution, and biology, aspires to be a marine biologist and an artist. During her time in the Archaeobiology Lab, she has been especially drawn to the remains of aquatic life found at Tel Anafa. Her project, “Tel Anafa from the Bronze Age to the Roman Period: Shells by the Lakeshore,” focuses on mollusks excavated at the site, with a goal of investigating elite residents’ interactions with their local environment. By comparing the structures of ancient gastropods and bivalves with modern counterparts, Janet’s research also points to environmental and ecological changes that have taken place across millennia and shines a light on the use of freshwater species in the Southern Levant—a topic about which little is known. 

Emma and Alyssa, the latter of whom studies the archaeology of the Mediterranean and classical languages, are working jointly on a poster, “What Dental Wear Tells Us About Livestock Diets in the Late Hellenistic/Roman Time Period in Tel Anafa.” After spending much time washing, sorting, and assessing faunal remains, they decided to focus on the question of what dental wear from livestock can tell us about the human diet, since such tooth-wear patterns provide insights into the ages that these animals were typically butchered. Emma and Alyssa’s study of mammal teeth—which they have compared to published standards—contributes to wider analyses of Tel Anafa as “a bridge between several cultures and time periods in the Levant.”

Mollusk Shells and Mammal Teeth: UROP Students Explore Tel Anafa’s Faunal Past Read More »

New Faces of IPAMAA—2023 Edition

This fall, the Kelsey Museum and the Interdepartmental Program in Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology (IPAMAA) welcomed three new students: Gabriel Key, Julian Thibeau, and Volkan Topal. 

Although these new students have no doubt been busy this semester, they kindly took the time to tell us a little bit about themselves and their interest in the ancient world. Welcome, Gabriel, Julian, and Volkan—we’re glad to have you here!


Gabriel Key, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, crouches in an excavation site, holding a handful of dirt in their hand.

Gabriel Key graduated from Swarthmore College with a BA in Greek and minors in Latin and religion. While attending Swarthmore College, they were a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. Gabriel cemented their passion for archaeology in 2017 while studying abroad at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. They completed the Bridge MA Program in Classical Studies at the University of Michigan in the spring of 2023. 

Gabriel has been involved in fieldwork in both Greece and Italy. They participated in the Azoria Project on Crete (2017) and have spent four seasons working with the Gabii Project (2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023)—two as a volunteer and two as a staff member in the Environmental Lab. Gabriel’s research interests are centered around early Central Italy, particularly on identity formation, food, archaeobotany, and zooarchaeology.

How did you get interested in studying the ancient world?

I got interested in studying the ancient world when I was five years old. In kindergarten, we learned about the Greek gods, and I was so enthused that I came home to tell my mother I was converting to the Greek pantheon.

What is your favorite thing about studying the ancient world?

My favorite thing about studying the ancient world is learning about the lives people led long ago, particularly those of the non-elite and marginalized who are not represented in grand histories and monuments. 

What are your career aspirations?

Before graduate school, I spent two years teaching middle school Latin and enjoyed the experience of showing others what I find fascinating about the ancient world and helping students learn how to think critically. After I finish my PhD, I hope to become a professor and have the opportunity to engage with an older audience in this way.

Who is your favorite person from history?

I don’t think I could choose one favorite person from history—there are far too many to choose from, and each with their own stories!


Julian Thibeau stands before a desert landscape with archaeological ruins.

Julian Thibeau received a BA in Near Eastern studies from the University of Michigan in 2017 and an MA in Middle Eastern studies from the University of Chicago in 2020. Their MA thesis dealt with the landscape of crocodile cults in the Graeco-Roman Egyptian Fayum Oasis. They participated in the University of Chicago excavation of Horvat Duvshan in Israel in 2019. Julian worked for three years at the University of Chicago’s Center for Ancient Middle Eastern Landscapes on projects using geographic information systems (GIS) to document archaeological sites in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also spent two years performing cultural resource management archaeology surveys in the United States. 

Julian is a member of the Northeast Fayyūm Lakeshore Project. In 2023, they took part in the excavation of the site of Karanis in the Egyptian Fayum and carried out a field survey of Graeco-Roman canals. Julian’s research focuses on human interaction with the landscape in Egypt during the Graeco-Roman period. They have presented papers on irrigation systems and trade routes in the Egyptian Western Desert and its oases. In addition, they founded a local chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt—ARCE Detroit—in 2023 and served as its first president.

How did you get interested in studying the ancient world?

I first became interested in studying the ancient world through my childhood love of ancient Egypt. I rediscovered my passion for studying the ancient world as an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan through classes taken in the Department of Middle East Studies.

What is your favorite thing about studying the ancient world?

My favorite thing about studying the ancient world is the moments when I feel close to people who lived in the past. The feeling of standing inside a home that someone inhabited in antiquity is an incomparable experience.

What is something you think everyone should know about the ancient world?

I think everyone should recognize the humanity we share with people who lived and died in the ancient world. 

What are your career aspirations?

I aspire to work in academia. I would love to be able to split my time between teaching students and carrying out fieldwork. I would also enjoy working in a museum.

Who’is your favorite person from history?

My favorite person from history is Lou Sullivan, a pioneering activist for trans rights who inspires me.


Volkan Topal received his bachelor of architecture and MA in history of architecture at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. His MA thesis essentially focused on assessing the role of the architectural language of the imperial cult and imagery in the transformation of the urban spaces in Roman Ephesus, which employed a kinesthetic method that incorporates the dynamics of space and movement. 

Volkan has participated in several archaeological projects in Turkey—in Ephesus, Teos, Lagina Hecate Sanctuary, Ayasuluk, and Notion. He is interested in cultural encounters, landscape, and urban studies, as well as the dynamic relationship between identity and the built environment.

How did you get interested in studying the ancient world?

As a child of an archaeologist, I had the opportunity to visit numerous sites, mostly in the southern section of Central Anatolia and the Central Taurus Mountains, starting from a very young age. Those journeys were before any formal education and training, so they were only casual, personal experiences of things, objects, and places of the past. Such interactions had a significant impact on me, endowing me with a firm interest in the field and forming a monumental background for my future works.

What is your favorite thing about studying the ancient world?

Studying the ancient world is a fulfilling thing in general, but I think one of the most important things for me is that the ancient world seems to be always relevant to our time, or people make it relevant for various reasons to our current discussions.

What is something you think everyone should know about the ancient world?

I think that they should know that our reception of the ancient world can be very personal and there are multiple possibilities for us to conceptualize the ancient world.

What are your career aspirations?

I would like to carry on my studies and hopefully find a place for myself in academia.

Who is your favorite person from history?

I do not have one particular favorite person from history, but those who expressed their very honest opinions with graffiti in many places, whose voices could otherwise not have been heard, are the people that I am very interested in.

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Notes from the Field—Tharros Archaeological Project

By Bailey Franzoi, IPAMAA

Bailey Franzoi, a young woman with dark brown hair wearing a Brown University T-shirt, smiles widely while holding her arms out as she sits at a table covered in bone fragments sorted into piles.
A bone bonanza! Bailey with faunal finds from the Tharros Archaeological Project.

I spent the month of June in Sardinia, Italy, at the Tharros Archaeological Project run by the University of Cincinnati. Tharros was a Punic and Roman city inhabited from the 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE.

I spent most of my time at Tharros in our finds lab in the nearby town of Cabras. I was responsible for washing, processing, and recording all of the project’s faunal material for the first time since it began in 2019. Our goal for the season was to begin to understand some of the patterns of animal use visible in the excavated material and to identify which contexts were worth coming back to for a closer look in later years. 

This year, the field team excavated an 18-meter trench within a Roman house from the 3rd century CE, as well as two trenches in the temple area of Tharros. I enjoyed working with colleagues from Cincinnati, Stanford University, and Brown University. Finding equid and deer bones in areas all over Tharros was very exciting, but my favorite finds were hedgehog mandibles.

I could not have accomplished any of the work I’ve done at Tharros or elsewhere without the support of the Kelsey Museum and, in particular, Dr. Richard Redding, whom I miss very much.

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Summer Interns at the Kelsey

Hello, Kelsey Blog readers! Please join us in welcoming Taylor Tyrell and Lily Zamora to the Kelsey Museum. These students have joined us for the summer of 2023 and will be working on a variety of tasks to support the projects and operations of the Education and Administrative Departments.

Headshot of Taylor Tyrell, a young woman with curly brown hair wearing a purple blazer.

Taylor Tyrell (she/her) completed the Bridge MA Program in Classical Studies in 2021 and recently finished her second year as a doctoral student in the Interdepartmental Program in Ancient History. Her academic interests focus on gender and sexuality in the Roman Empire as well as reception studies, particularly queer reception of antiquity. She is also interested in the digital humanities—an interest that was sparked by an opportunity she had as an undergraduate to help create a virtual reality site of the Asklepion at Epidaurus, Greece.  

This summer, Taylor will assist the Education Department with its DiSKO (Digital Study of Kelsey Objects) project, which intends to make Kelsey artifacts available online in an effort to increase their accessibility to professors and students. To that end, she will help create 2-D and 3-D imaging of objects using photogrammetry and lidar, edit and prepare completed scans, conduct research for the information that will accompany each object, and develop lesson plans with which professors can teach using groupings of objects. She hopes that, by the end of summer, she will be close to having an initial assemblage of items ready to be published online in the fall.  

When asked what she most looks forward to working on this summer, Taylor noted that she was excited to use the Kelsey Museum’s new lidar scanner (previously, the Education Department had been using an application on an iPad to conduct this scanning). “It is incredible how affordable that technology can be,” Taylor commented. “I think that the Kelsey will be able to get a lot of use out of it outside of this project.”

Lily Zamora (she/her) will work as an intern in the Administrative Department over the summer and beyond. As the administrative assistant, she will focus on various admin-related projects such as supporting and revamping the Kelsey social media pages, event planning, file management, and other tasks as needed to assist the work of the chief administrator and other staff members at the museum.

An undergraduate studying media and communications, Lily recently transferred to the University of Michigan from Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU). Previously, she served as the marketing and communications assistant at U-M’s Center for Cell Plasticity and Organ Design, as well as the student grant assistant in the Center for Rural Behavioral Health and Addiction Studies at SVSU. 

Lily enjoys engaging in technical writing with the goals of improving user experience and making information understandable for all. She is also interested in designing elements such as newsletters, flyers, and social media posts. In her administrative position at the Kelsey, Lily hopes to improve her skills relating to editing, social media coordination, and information design. She is very excited to help show off everything the Kelsey has to offer!

Lily Zamora, a young woman with brown hair wearing a windbreaker, against a background of water, mountains, and a city.

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Congratulations, IPCAA Students!

The semester here at U-M has come to a close, and that means that our resident IPCAA students will soon be drifting away to do their summer research. These guys have been super busy this past year, and we have a whole slew of amazing updates to tell you about.

Caitlin Clerkin successfully defended her dissertation, “Seleucia-on-the-Tigris, Revisited.” Caitlin is currently in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as the Frederick Randolph Grace Curatorial Fellow in Ancient Art at the Harvard Art Museums. She’s working on a range of curatorial activities, including object-based research, exhibitions, and gallery/object teaching with the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and ancient Middle Eastern collections.  

Christina Difabio also successfully defended her dissertation, “Synoikism, Sympolity, and Urbanization: A Regional Approach in Hellenistic Anatolia.” She’s currently at Koç University, Istanbul, finishing her fellowship at the Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED). 

Leah Bernardo-Ciddio: has been awarded a Graduate Student Fellowship at U-M’s Institute for the Humanities to support her work next year. Leah’s research addresses material traces of trans-Adriatic interactions between human, cultural, and object mobility in the Iron Age (early first millennium BCE).

Amelia Eichengreen has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in Italy. Amelia will use the fellowship to research her dissertation on Archaic domestic architecture in central Italy under the sponsorship of General Director Massimo Osanna (Ministry of Culture in Italy and University of Naples Federico II) and Prof. Paolo Brocato (University of Calabria).

Joey Frankl has been awarded a fellowship for the American School of Classical Studies in Athens Regular Member Program. The program is an immersive academic experience that includes residency in Athens for an academic year together with a small cohort of graduate students in Classical studies. The year will include visits to sites and museums across Greece, as well as coursework and independent research. Joey is hoping to use part of the year to make progress writing his dissertation, while also having an opportunity to gain a broader and deeper understanding of Greece’s archaeology.

Laurel Fricker has been awarded a White Fellowship from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Machal Gradoz has received a U-M Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship to work on her dissertation, which examines local reactions to Roman hegemony in northwest Greece/ southwest Albania in the late-Hellenistic–early Roman period (ca. 150 BCE–150 CE). In June, Machal will be working as field director for the Brač Island Project (BIP) in Croatia. She will then head to Albania and Greece to finish up data collection for her dissertation.

Alex Moskowitz has been awarded an Olivia James Traveling Fellowship from the Archaeological Institute of America.

Theo Nash received a Vermeule Fellowship from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Caroline Nemechek will be working as a volunteer intern at the MFA Boston with the department for the Art of Ancient Greece and Rome this summer, as part of her graduate certificate program in Museum Studies. She will be working in the recently re-opened galleries, updating the database to reflect the results of new research, and giving talks and tours based on the new presentation of the material in these galleries.

We are so proud of all of our amazing IPCAA students. We wish them all the best this summer, wherever their research takes them.

Congratulations, IPCAA Students! Read More »

Welcome, 2021–2022 IPCAA students!

The fall semester is in full swing here at U-M. Now that we’ve all hit our stride, let’s meet the incoming cohort of IPCAA students.


Lauren Alberti

Lauren Alberti graduated magna cum laude with her BA in anthropology and classical studies at the University of New Mexico. She received an MA in classics with an emphasis in classical archaeology and a certificate in geographic information science at the University of Arizona. While in this program, she investigated the exclusivity of the Mycenaean state-sponsored feast by analyzing the built environment of potential feasting locales. Lauren also received an MA in comparative literature and cultural studies at the University of New Mexico. For this thesis, she explored Greek sympotic drinking behavior contextualized within the concept of the metron. Lauren has participated in archaeological projects in Greece, Italy, Ireland, and the American Southwest. She is also a collaborator for the WebAtlas of Ceramic Kilns in Ancient Greece. Her research interests include the sociopolitical implications of communal drinking events, sympotic poetry (particularly archaic Greek), identity construction and manipulation, and GIS.

Caroline Everts

Caroline Everts received her BA at Union College, New York, in 2019, with a double major in classics and anthropology. Graduating with honors, her undergraduate thesis examined the connections between burial practices and social identity in early Iron Age Greece as evinced through grave goods. During the spring of 2018, she studied at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. In 2021, Caroline earned her MA in classical art and archaeology from the University of Colorado Boulder. She has excavated the children’s cemetery on Astypalaia, as well as completed fieldwork in Italy at Aeclanum and worked with pottery from the Suburban Baths at Pompeii. Caroline’s research interests include the use of spatial and visual narratives, their connections to social identity, and their relationship within structures, particularly as shown through domestic architecture in the provinces.

Abigail Staub

Abigail Staub earned her BA in archaeology and art history with a Latin minor from the University of Virginia in 2020. During her time at UVA, she conducted a multi-year, independent research project focused on cult spaces across Pompeian industries that resulted in the creation of a comprehensive database of shrine niches and religious paintings in Pompeian commercial spaces. This ultimately culminated in a distinguished major thesis, for which she earned high honors. During her time in Charlottesville, she also worked as an education intern at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Australian Art Collection and was employed as a museum assistant and docent at the Fralin Museum of Art. After the completion of her BA, she earned a post-baccalaureate certificate in classical studies from the College of William & Mary (2021). Abigail has completed a research assistantship in Pompeii (2018) and has excavated with the University of Michigan’s Gabii Project as a field school participant (2019). Her research interests include liminal identities in the Roman world (such as laborers, enslaved peoples, the elderly, and women), personal religion, and the materiality of domestic space. She is also passionate about museum pedagogy and accessibility of information to those outside the field of classics.

 


A hearty welcome to you all! We’re looking forward to getting to know you better and following your academic progress here at Michigan.

Welcome, 2021–2022 IPCAA students! Read More »

Nadhira Hill Receives Public Scholarship Award from the Women’s Classical Caucus

IPCAA student Nadhira Hill has received the Public Scholarship Award from the Women’s Classical Caucus (wccclassics.org) for her blog, Notes from the Apotheke. The citation reads as follows:

“In the few months since Nadhira Hill started her blog, Notes from the Apotheke, she has curated invaluable resources for BIPOC in Classics, ancient history, and archaeology. Her blog posts bring people of all backgrounds together by providing professional development advice in an accessible way, by engaging in dialogues on the state of the field, and by highlighting BIPOC scholars in ancient studies from different backgrounds and career stages.”

Congratulations, Nadhira!

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IPCAA Alum Diana Ng to Speak at the Humanities Institute

Tomorrow at 12:30 pm, IPCAA alum Diana Y. Ng will speak on the topic of “The Roman-period Theater as Cognitive Microecology: Setting, Seating, and Costume.” This FellowSpeak talk examines the Roman-period theater as a cognitive ecology, one that supported and engaged different modes of thinking and learning by its occupants during nondramatic, civic and political gatherings.

Diana received her BA in classics and fine arts from New York University and her PhD in classical art and archaeology from the IPCAA program at the University of Michigan. She remains a frequent collaborator with the Kelsey Museum, and we encourage you to go see her speak tomorrow. Find all the details here.

IPCAA Alum Diana Ng to Speak at the Humanities Institute Read More »

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