The Ancient Animals Project

About the Project:

This exciting project focuses on documenting, cataloging, and analyzing animal imagery and related motifs on archaeological artifacts from Central America, Mexico, and the southeastern United States! Animal motifs were a very important part of many artistic traditions and writing systems in the ancient Americas, and they can provide a lot of information about culture, identity, and sociopolitical systems. We will focus on animal motifs on pottery, in murals, and on other kinds of decorated items. Students will be able to catalog and describe animal motifs; document, record, and analyze their archaeological contexts; and contribute to the development of a research database that is part of the Human-Animal Interfaces Past and Present (HAIPP) Lab in the Animal Studies program at Eckerd. This unique opportunity will also allow for hands-on work with archaeological materials and for potential collaborations with students at other institutions.

Dr. Kathryn Hudson is an archaeologist, anthropologist, and linguist focusing on global animal studies. Her research explores the human-animal interface as well as mechanisms of identity (re)construction, processes of visual and non-verbal communication, ceramic analysis, ethnohistory, historical linguistics, and the documentation of cultural and linguistic traditions. Her main geographic foci are Mexico and Central America, southeastern Europe, the Pacific, the southeastern United States, and west Africa.

The First-Year Research Associate Program at Eckerd College honors academically outstanding students with awards of up to $1,000. The program also provides the opportunity, during the freshman year, for the award winners to work closely with a sponsor (faculty or administrative personnel) on a project of mutual interest. Associates might assist with research for faculty publication or new courses, conduct scientific experiments, work with creative artists, or develop projects related to any phase of the academic, cultural, and social life of the college. Scholars are selected on the basis of achievement in high school and on the creativity and depth of responses to items on this application.

Online submission due no later than February 1, 2025.

Email Address

First Name

Student Information

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Last Name

Birthdate

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Intended college major(s):

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Reference / Letter of Recommendation

A letter of recommendation is required for your First-Year Research Associateship (FRA) application. Please make sure letters of recommendation include the contact information of the writer. Letters of recommendation for the FRA can be uploaded with this application, emailed to admissions@eckerd.edu, or submitted via mail to the address below:

Eckerd College
Office of Admission
4200 54th Ave S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33711

Would you like to use the letter recommendation provided with your application to Eckerd College for your FRA application?

Yes

If you already have a reference or letter of recommendation (.doc, or .pdf only), upload here:

Academic Performance

Unweighted GPA (4.0 max):

Class rank ______ of _____ (if applicable)

Did you apply test-optional?

Yes

Please list your SAT and/or ACT scores.

SAT Score (Critical Reading, Math, Writing)

ACT Score (Composite: Math, Science, Reading, English)

Personal Responses

For the following questions, please include detailed descriptions and/or examples in paragraph form.

Honors

Please list any significant academic honors accomplishments you have received while in high school (academic excellence awards, special recognition of any kind, etc.). Please do not list athletic awards or participation. Where appropriate, provide a brief description. If none, write N/A.

Activities

Describe any academic extracurricular activities you have participated in. Examples include: volunteer research, academic competitions, academic summer camps, volunteer work, etc. If none, write in N/A.

Short Answer

In one paragraph, describe why you would like to participate in this project for Eckerd College's First-Year Research Associate Program.

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