Dr. Amy Kowal is a professor of Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, and Biological Anthropology here at FSU. Beginning last year, she has had the amazing chance to be a mentor for the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), helping UROP students by assisting them in conducting research for their projects.
In the Spring of 2024, under the guidance of Dr. Kowal, UROP students Sophia Landi, Taylor Montchal, and Rolando Sucena researched projects related to anthropology, each applying their own interests and majors. These came out to be projects on Biocultural Anthropology, Spanish Mission archaeology, and Zooarchaeology. In the following semester, Dr. Kowal’s Museum Anthropology class, AT4041 applied the research that her UROP students did and created real museum exhibits in display cases within the Carraway building—the headquarters of the anthropology department.
Dr. Kowal standing in front of one of the many exhibits located within the Carraway building. Anyone is free to stop in and see the amazing work put on display
This semester, Dr. Kowal once again is acting as a mentor to UROP students: Kaia Clemente, Katherine Jones, Francesa Cerezo, and Legion Taylor, who are all once again doing their own projects related to anthropology. Kaia is working on an exhibit on The Māori People and the Archaeology of Rapa Nui, Katherine on the Ethnology of Textile production, and Francesa and Legion are working together on a Gaming and Anthropology exhibit.
We were able to interview two of these current UROP students, Katherine Jones and Kaia Clemente. As mentioned, their projects focus on the Ethnology of Textile production and The Māori People and the Archaeology of Rapa Nui, respectively. Katherine is a junior anthropology major who decided to join UROP to gain an edge over her peers, and she was able to hone the expertise she gained from previous opportunities through her research. Kaia is a freshman International Affairs major who joined UROP in order to get research experience and differentiate herself from other undergraduates.
What is your experience working with Dr. Kowal?
“My experience working with Dr. Kowal so far has been positive, as she connects me with faculty members who can help provide useful insight and resources, while providing guidance to best present my research findings. She is very involved with students and likes to keep in frequent contact to remain aware of the progress made so far and what obstacles have potentially been encountered. She is also a wonderful sounding board to bounce ideas off of, and some of her contributions enhance the quality of the project.” - Katherine Jones
“My experience of working with Dr. Kowal has been excellent! I always know what is expected of me and it's always reasonable. I came into the program feeling nervous because I had absolutely no research experience before, but Dr. Kowal set me at ease and made sure that I could always come to her with questions. We have weekly meetings where I update her on my progress, giving me the perfect balance between self-guided work and hands-on instruction.” - Kaia Clemente
Knowing what Dr Kowal's anthropology students did with previous UROP projects, setting up display cases in the Anthropology building, are you looking forward to seeing your work on display in the future?
“I am very excited to know that my research is the backbone of a new exhibit and I am intrigued to know what alterations they will make. Future students will conduct some of their own research to build off of what I provided depending on the direction they want to take the project. It will also be a nice end note to my time at FSU as it will be completed the same semester I graduate.” - Katherine
One of the exhibits researched by Dr. Kowal’s previous UROP students; Zooarchaeology: Decoding Decay. Preliminary research was conducted by UROP student Rolando Sucena, and curated by Shena Kamata, Audrey Lendvay, Harris Mosteller, Lana Nelligan, Alberta Pagliotti, Jessica Vandergriff, and Shea Winters. Supervised by graduate student Kendall Holland.
“I chose my UROP project because I told Dr. Kowal that I was interested in Polynesian history and culture during my interview, and she then told me that she had a Polynesian focused project in mind, so I knew it was a perfect fit. It's all been going well; I'm very happy with my poster plan. I'm very excited to present at the symposium, but a bit nervous!” - Kaia
How did you choose your UROP project? How is it coming along? Are you looking forward to presenting at the symposium? Let us know your feelings about the whole project.
“I chose my UROP project based on its relevancy to anthropology and my aspirations to continue working in a university or museum setting. Overall, the project has been coming along rather nicely and I am already close to completing my poster. The anticipation for the symposium is real—I am very interested in learning about other students’ projects as well as presenting my own.” - Katherine
“I can't wait to see my research being presented as a museum exhibit! It's going to be amazing having work that I've been doing all year turn into something tangible, helping to educate people about a topic that not many know about.” - Kaia
Dr. Kowal claims that her favorite part of working with UROP students is getting to teach anthropology to people who may not even know what it is. She loves that UROP students can spread the word about the anthropology department, and even if they aren’t anthropology majors, they can still get an incredible experience out of the work they do with her. She also appreciates how the research the UROP students do can help her students in her Museum Anthropology class; instead of spending all their time doing research, they are able to get hands on experience with the work the UROP students have provided.
If you are interested in learning more about FSU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, visit https://cre.fsu.edu/undergradresearch/urop.
One of the exhibits researched by Dr. Kowal’s previous UROP students;Unveiling Sleep: A Biocultural Exploration. Preliminary research was conducted by UROP student Sophia Landi, and curated by Alexander Apap Bologna, Emma Baker, Grace Hirshfeld, Jake Markham, Andi Ocean, Jeny Sanchez, and Tyler St. Onge.
One of the exhibits researched by Dr. Kowal’s previous UROP students; Legacies of the Land: Archaeology of the Spanish Missions in Florida. Preliminary research was conducted by UROP student Taylor Montchal, and curated by Zoe Albrigo, Keegan Billie, Rhiannon Drysdale, Michael Maestri, Jack Rowell, and Liberty West. Supervised by graduate student David Schuler.