Student News

2011 Ritzenthaler Museum Research Internship Award

Seth Schneider is the recipient of the 2011 Ritzenthaler Museum Research Internship Award and is working this spring in the Department of Anthropology at the Milwaukee Public Museum. His research project includes shell-tempered pottery and globular shaped jars from the Walker-Hooper site on the Grand River in Green Lake County, Wisconsin. The site is part of the Oneota Tradition and dates from A. D. 1200-1300. The aim of the current research is to compare the vessels and decorative styles on the pottery with other Oneota sites in Eastern Wisconsin that date to the same time: the Crescent Bay Hunt Club and Schmeling sites on Lake Koshkonong in Jeffereson County, Dambroski and Blinded by the Light sites on the Waupaca River in Portage County, and the Bornick site a few miles from the Walker-Hooper site in Marquette County.

Compositional analysis of the clay and inclusions will be conducted by submitting samples from the sites to Energy Dispersive X-ray Florescence (EDXRF) to help determine if the source of clay in the pottery was procured locally or comes from a different area. The project will result in a ceramic analysis report for the Museum that can be utilized by future researchers. Materials and an EDXRF demonstration will be presented at the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) Archaeological Fair in March and during the "Behind the Scenes" event in April. These events are aimed at demonstrating the use of modern technology on archeological collections and presenting a slice of Wisconsin prehistory to provide a better understanding to the public of prehistoric Native Americans and Wisconsin state history. This research internship provides the student with personal and professional development, while elucidating a part of Wisconsin prehistory for both institutional and public enrichment.

Student Internship Projects:

Wisconsin

Bergstrom-Mahler Museum
Cable Natural History Museum
Campbellsport Area Historical Society
Cedarburg Cultural Center
Charles Allis Museum
Eisner Museum of Advertising and Design
Great Lakes Archaeological Research Center
Haggerty Museum of Art
Harley-Davidson Archives and Museum
Heritage Hill State Historical Park
Hmong/American Friendship Association Museum
Kenosha Public Museums
Logan Museum of Anthropology
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee County Historical Society
Milwaukee County Zoo
Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee School of Engineering, Grohmann Collection
Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservancy (Domes)
Museum of Wisconsin Art
National Railroad Museum
Neville Public Museum
Oconomowoc Area Historical Society
Outagamie Historical Society
Old World Wisconsin
Pabst Mansion
Sheboygan Historical Society
St. John's Northwestern Military Academy Archives
Ten Chimneys
University of Wisconsin Zoology Museum
Urban Anthropology, Inc.
Villa Terrace Art Museum
Walker's point Center for the Arts
Waukesha County Historical Museum and Society
Wauwatosa Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Museum
Wisconsin Veterans Museum

Institutions Beyond Wisconsin

American Museum of Natural History, New York
Anasazi State Park, Utah
Hayes Presidential Center, Ohio
Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, Illinois
History Center of Olmsted County, Minnesota
Historical Society of Cecil County, Maryland
Mackinac State Historic Parks, Michigan
Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum, Oregon
Museum of Jurassic Technology, California
National Baseball Hall of Fame, New York
National Mining Museum, Colorado
National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Iowa
Newseum, Washington, D.C.
Olmsted Historical Society, Minnesota
Red Cloud Indian School and Heritage Center, South Dakota
Ringling Museum of Art, Florida
Scotty's Castle, California
Spertus Museum, Illinois
Tirimbina Biological Reserve, Costa Rica
Vesterheim Norwegian Museum, Iowa
Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Washington