Hartwick to Host Summer Archaeological Field School at Pine Lake

Want to get muddy this summer? Interested in getting to the roots of history? Ever wondered what people were doing in the area thousands of years ago?

Hartwick College and SUNY-Oneonta will once again give students with an investigative streak an opportunity to explore these interests while developing important skills in scientific observation, analysis, and collaboration.

Now in its 16th year, the Summer Archaeological Field School at Hartwick’s Pine Lake Environmental Campus will offer “Field Research in Archaeology,” an advanced course for undergraduates that introduces students to the basic methods that archaeologists use to identify, excavate, record, and interpret archaeological sites.

The four-week session, which runs from May 29 to June 28, 2019, is open to students from all majors.

Hartwick Assistant Professor of Anthropology Dr. Namita Sugandhi will conduct the four-week session with SUNY Oneonta Lecturer in Archaeology Cynthia Klink.

“The Field School is an excellent opportunity for students from many different academic majors to learn the basic principles of scientific data collection and management,” said Sugandhi. “Being in the field is what it’s all about – it’s a part of my job I really love – and I am very excited to share the experience with students.”

Many entry-level jobs in a variety of field-based disciplines require prior fieldwork experience, often specifically a field school, as they provide more expansive, in-depth, and rigorous training than more informal field opportunities.

The Summer Archaeological Field School – a combination of fieldwork, labwork, and some classroom lecture – provides students first-hand experience with methods and skills of excavation, as well as field and lab procedures for processing materials recovered during excavation.

In previous summers, students have found 4,000-year-old cooking hearths, fire pits, nutting stones, projectile points (arrows), and other evidence of early Native American communities.

Upon successfully completing the six-credit course, students will have proficiency in the systematic procedures of scientific field research, and will be qualified for employment in the field of cultural resources management (CRM), as well as other field and material collections-based opportunities.

For more information or to enroll in the 2019 Summer Archaeological Field School, visit the webpage  or contact Sugandhi at 607-431-4853 or sugandhin@hartwick.edu.