Through the generous donations of Sociology/Anthropology alumni, our department has developed the Student Engagement Initiative. The Student Engagement Initiative is designed to promote research and experiential learning among majors in the Sociology/ Anthropology department. Funding supports travel to field sites and conferences, purchase of materials and equipment, and access to libraries and other research facilities.
Applicants should complete the online application which can be found using the link or QR code below.
https://forms.office.com/r/t2DCpM7Ag5
Field Trip
Approved and funded Fall 2025 ($87)
Students in Dr. Hollis Miller’s ANT 301: Archaeologies of North America will have a guided tour of Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, NY on October 3, 2025 to learn about Seneca Nation archaeology and local Haudenosaunee history.
Research Assistantship: Risk Terrain Modeling
Approved and funded Summer 2025 ($100)
The SEI purchased a software for Parker Arenas to continue engaging in risk terrain modeling and analysis with Dr. Anna Curtis and Adam Levine.
Travel Grant - William Kennedy
Approved Spring 2025, Funded Summer 2025 ($400)
William Kennedy conducted spatial analysis (using Geographic Information System software) at the Ing'yuq Village Archaeological Site in Kodiak, Alaska. His research focused on creating better visualizations of the site. This visualized data could show potential rises and declines in fishing/ hunting habits, different methods for processing food, different goods produced, or different goods received from trade and interactions both with other Indigenous communities or with the Russian colonizers.
Travel Grant - Gabriela Castro Sierra
Approved Spring 2025, Funded Summer 2025 ($400)
Gabriela Castro Sierra conducted analysis of glass objects at the Çadır Höyük Archaeological Excavation site. Gabriela constructed a database that categorizes different types of glass artifacts. She hopes to develop some theories as to where the most affluent/elite residents may have lived, based on their ability to engage in trade and to own nicer glass objects.
Travel grant - Anjuli Latchmansingh
Approved Spring 2025, Funded Summer 2025 ($400)
Anjuli Latchmansingh conducted faunal analyses at the Çadır Höyük Archaeological Excavation site. The faunal skeletal remains found dating to the Middle through Late Iron Age have not been examined yet at this site. Anjuli worked on developing an inventory, assessing species MNI and NISP, and as far as can be determined, age at death to determine slaughtering patterns.
Teaching Equipment - Kent Johnson
Approved Spring 2025, Funded Summer 2025 ($1,928)
The Student Engagement Initiative purchased a second high-quality replica of a human skeleton for use across multiple anthropology courses (particularly for the Forensic Anthropology minor). The purchase of a second skeletal replica means that we can stop using actual human skeletons in the Forensic Lab.
Travel Grant, Conference - Janet Martinez
Approved and Funded Spring 2025 ($489)
Field Trip
Approved and Funded Spring 2025 ($189)
Students in ANT 302: Native American Peoples, Cultures, and Activisms will have a guided tour at the Ska-nonh Center (also known as the Great Law of Peace Center), a museum and research center that is jointly operated by the Onondaga Historical Association and the Onondaga Nation. On the tour, students will learn about the history and contemporary culture of the Onondaga Nation, including how their shared cultural values inform the Nation’s current activism and advocacy work.
Research Assistantship Equipment: Risk Terrain Modeling
Approved and Funded Spring 2024 ($200)
The Student Engagement Initiative purchased two software packages to give two students (Parker Arenas and Meghan Rothmund) access to risk terrain modeling software and appropriate data sets for analysis. This research project focuses on crime analysis training with a particular emphasis on risk terrain modeling.
Microscopy for Archaeology Internship Equipment: Conservation
Approved and Funded Fall 2024 ($166)
Archaeology lab interns are working on conservation of artifacts and materials primarily be sourced from the Rozanne M. Brooks Museum. The microscope will help lab interns further observe the artifacts found within the Archaeology Labe (where it will be permanently stationed) and the Brooks Museum for the purpose of preservation and education. In utilizing the microscopy, we will be able to determine certain factors such as hairline fractures in pottery, chemical makeup of ceramics, tarnish patterns on metal, and warp and weft on fabrics. Knowing such factors will help to ensure that the artifacts are properly preserved and saved within out lab. In addition, proper preservation will ensure that we will continue to be able to use the artifacts for the education of multiple generations of Cortland students.
Teaching Equipment - Kent Johnson
Approved Spring 2024, Funded Summer 2024 ($1,675.25)
The Student Engagement Initiative purchased a high-quality replica of a human skeleton for use across multiple anthropology courses (particularly for the Forensic Anthropology minor). This will facilitate the creation of mock outdoor crime scenes and the analysis of osteological features post excavation.
Travel Grant - Ryan Wheeler
Approved Spring 202, Funded Summer 2024 ($500)
Ryan Wheeler will conduct research at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy in Summer 2024. His project focuses on the museum’s objects belonging to King Taharqa, a pharaoh from the 25th Sudanese dynasty (the “Black Pharaohs”). By researching the religious prominence of King Taharqa, as well as the original archaeological contexts of his religious statues, Ryan seeks to better understand how this king participated in the religious and geo-political conflicts in the early Biblical Iron Age, alongside his prominence and importance to the people of ancient Egypt.
Summer 2024 Research Travel Grant - Janet Martinez
Approved Spring 2024, Funded Summer 2024 ($500)
Janet Martinez will accompany Dr. Sharon Steadman in Summer 2024 to conduct archeological field work in Çadır Höyük, Turkey. Janet will work on building a database focused on redware ceramics (where the items are found, quantities, age, etc.). This research is part of a project focused on ancient plants, diet and trade in the area.
Conference Travel Grant - Kathryn Cosman
Approved Spring 2024, Funded Spring 2024 ($500)
Kathryn Cosman will present her work on community-based archeology from an undergraduate perspective at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in April 2024. He presentation focuses on her time conducting fieldwork on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska in Summer 2024. Part of her time was spent at the Nuniaq Culture Camp, learning about native Alaskan activities, and sharing her knowledge about site excavation.
Equipment Purchase - Ryan Baumgartner
Approved Spring 2024, Funded Spring 2024 ($150)
Ryan Baumgartner applied for funds to pay for soil testing kits to date samples collected from sites in Turkey and Alaska. He will test the soil samples for nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to assess the effects of major climate events on soil health. He will use these data in his honors thesis focused on theories about human responses to climate events.
ANT 329: Historical Ecology
Funded Fall 2023
For their final project, students in ANT 329: Historical Ecology are each researching a piece of the history of human engagement with Onondaga Lake and creating a professional poster to showcase their findings. In lieu of a final exam, they hosted a public poster session to present their research to the campus community on Friday, December 8, 2023 from 1-2:30pm in Moffett 120. The posters covered topics such as Onondaga Nation’s relationships with the lake, the salt industry, recreation on the lake, pollution, cleanup efforts, and environmental justice. The poster session was an opportunity for students to practice public presentation skills, prepare a professional poster, and is good experience for any future conferences that they may participate in, such as Transformations or other professional conferences within their disciplines.
Dr. Hollis Miller requested funds to cover the costs of printing the 6 student posters.
Ronde Wood, double major in Anthropology and New Communication Media, Senior
Jenn Baker, double major in Sociology and Anthropology, Senior
Conference Travel Grant - Caleigh Pfalzer
Approved Fall 2023, Funded Spring 2024 ($350)
The Student Engagement Initiative provided partial support for Caleigh Pfalzer, a dual anthropology and criminology major, to present her research from her 2023 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship at a conference in Cuba. Caleigh worked with Dr. Kent Johnson to inventory comingled skeletal remains donated to the Department twenty years ago. The remains are likely indigenous in origin and the inventory work conducted is the first step in repatriating the remains to their descendants.
For a more detailed description of the project, check out this article posted in Campus News. Three Cortland students attended the international conference. You can read about their experience an article posted in Campus News.
