The Archaeological Institute of America is pleased to announce the Waldbaum Field School Scholarship for Summer 2010. Established in honor of AIA Past President Jane Waldbaum, this scholarship is intended to help students who are planning to participate in archaeological field work for the first time. Students majoring in archaeology or related disciplines are especially encouraged to apply. The Scholarship Fund provides $1000 each for up to seven successful applicants to help pay expenses associated with participation in an archaeological field work project (minimum stay one month). The scholarship is open to students who have begun their junior year of undergraduate studies at the time of application and have not yet completed their first year of graduate school at a college or university in the United States or Canada. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and must not have previously participated in archaeological field work. Undergraduate minority students in Classics or Classical Archaeology are also encouraged apply for the APA-AIA Minority Scholarship Program

For more information, please contact Laurel Sparks, Fellowship Coordinator.

The Waldbaum Scholarship will be awarded to junior and senior undergraduates and first-year graduate students only.

Application Process

The next deadline for applications is March 15, 2010; click here for the application form.

All applications must be made online. Submissions made via postal mail, fax or any other means will not be accepted. Please review the following Guidelines and Required Information prior to completing the application form.

All applicants must complete the following:

• Completed online application form
• Names and emails of two references
• Transcripts: Post-baccalaureate and 1st year graduate students should submit both graduate and undergraduate transcripts.

Your references will receive an email with login information and instructions on submitting their recommendations. You are responsible for ensuring that both referees have submitted their letters of recommendation online by the application deadline.

Transcripts must be mailed to: Laurel Sparks, AIA Fellowships Coordinator, 656 Beacon St. Boston, MA 02215. ALL ranscripts must be received by the March 15 deadline. All other application materials must be completed online, and received by the March 15 deadline.

Guidelines and Required Information

Applicants must complete the online application form that asks for the following:

1. A brief cover letter (300 words or less) in the applicant’s own words explaining why you want to participate in this archaeological project and how the experience will contribute to your current course of study and eventual career goals.


2. An outline of anticipated expenses associated with participation in the project and a statement from the applicant indicating any other financial resources available or applied for to help cover these expenses.


3. One or more official transcripts from the applicant’s college(s) or university(ies). Post-baccalaureate and first year graduate students should also include undergraduate transcripts.


4. The names and emails of two professors or academic advisors at the applicant’s college or university who know the applicant’s work and who are willing to provide letters of recommendation

All application materials including transcripts and letters of recommendation must be received by the March 15 deadline. Incomplete or late applications will NOT be considered by the review committee. Applicants will be notified of the committee's decision no later than April 20, 2010.

In addition to the application, letters of recommendation and transcripts, winners of the scholarship must provide a letter from the director of the project or coordinator of the field school program indicating that the applicant has been accepted for participation. Deadline for receipt of this letter is May 10, 2010. This letter must be on letterhead and signed by the director or administrator of the field project. It must be mailed, faxed, or scanned and emailed to Laurel Sparks, AIA Fellowships Coordinator, 656 Beacon St. Boston, MA 02215. Fax: 617-353-6550, email: lsparks@aia.bu.edu. Final determination of the scholarship winners cannot be made until this letter is received. [NOTE: if one of your letters of recommendation is from the director of the field project and he or she certifies that you have been accepted for participation, this requirement will be considered complete.]

Winners of the Scholarship must agree to submit a final report on their use of the funds and what the experience meant to them no later than 60 days after completion of the field project and to join the AIA at the student membership rate if they are not already members. Final reports will be posted on the AIA's scholarship web page and may be featured in other AIA publications.

2009 Field School Scholarship Winners Announced
The AIA offers congratulations to the following 2009 Scholarship recipients, who were chosen out of the field of nearly 100 applicants.

	Eric Mentges is a senior with Ohio State University, pursuing a double major in Ancient History and Psychology. He will be participating in Ohio State University's excavations at Isthmia in Greece, directed by Dr. Timothy E. Gregory since 1987. Mr. Mentges's interests focus on Roman society during the Julio-Claudian period, especially the emperor Nero and his fascination with the Greek east. Isthmia is a site that Nero himself visited, and Mr. Mentges greatly anticipates working there this summer and furthering his research. He intends to complete an honors thesis next year, and going on to graduate work in ancient studies. Click here to read about Eric's field school experience.
	Kaitlin Moleen is a senior with Rutgers University, majoring in Ancient Civilizations and Art History. She will be participating in the Gabii Project in Rome, sponsored by the University of Michigan and directed by Dr. Nicola Terrenato. The Gabii Project, begun in 2007, is excavating the ancient Latin city on that site. Ms. Moleen has a particular interest in Classical Roman art, and intends to pursue a graduate program in Classics. She is looking forward to the work at Gabii this summer, as it will help her determine whether to focus her future studies on Classical archaeology; she also plans to take advantage of the Project's proximity to Rome, to view Classical art first-hand, to further the writing of her thesis. Click here to read about Kaitlin's field school experience.
	Max Price is a senior at the University of Chicago, majoring in Anthropology. He will be attending UCLA's Misti Archaeological Project in Peru, directed by Ran Boytner and Maria Cecilia Lozada. Mr. Price's interests are especially in zooarchaeology, which was the topic of his senior honors thesis, and in which he intends to pursue a Ph.D. He has done previous work at Professor Gil Stein's lab at the Oriental Institute, on Near Eastern fauna. The Misti Project, while giving Mr. Price his first archaeological field experience, will also allow him to study mammalian remains from the Andean pre-historic period. Click here to read about Max's field school experience.
	Margaret Stack is a first-year graduate student with the University of South Florida, Tampa, where she is earning an MA in Applied Anthropology. She will participate in Project Roatan on Roatan Island, Honduras, sponsored by the University of South Florida and directed by Dr. Christian Wells and Dr. Karla Davis-Salazar. Ms. Stack is concentrating her degree research on Heritage Studies and Cultural Resource Management, and plans to pursue a career as a Mesoamerican public archaeologist. She is eager to take part in the Project Roatan work, excavating the Mayan and Pech village of El Antigual, as a first step in combining studies with fieldwork. Click here to read about Margaret's field school experience.
	Alexander Zarley is a junior at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, majoring in Classics and Classical Humanities, with a certificate in Archaeology. He will be taking part in the University of British Columbia's excavations at Petra, Jordan, directed by Dr. Leigh-Ann Bedal. Mr. Zarley intends to pursue graduate work in Classical Archaeology and Ancient Mediterranean History, and to that end has been studying abroad in Athens. His work at the Pool and Garden Complex at Petra will greatly enhance his efforts to immerse himself in Mediterranean culture and history, and he expects to use his experiences there in the completion of his honors thesis. Click here to read about Alexander's field school experience.

2008 Recipients

	Jacqueline DiBiasie, a junior at Washington and Lee University, will be attending the San Felice Classical Archaeology Field School in Puglia, Italy, run by St. Mary's University. Ms. DiBiasie is a classics major, and has been interested in archaeology since studying ancient coins in her high-school Latin class. At university she has taken archaeology and anthropology courses, and participated in a Robert E. Lee Fellowship in 2007 with her advisor, Dr. Benefiel, analyzing Pompeian graffiti. Ms. DiBiasie hopes to continue her studies in graduate school, and her experiences at the San Felice Field School will help her decide whether to focus on classical archaeology. Click here to read about Jacqueline's field school experience.
	Jacob Morton is a first-year graduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, studying classics. He will be attending the University's Archaeological Field School at the Villa of Maxentius in Rome. Located on the Via Appia Antica south of the modern city, it is the only American-led excavation being conducted in Rome this summer. Mr. Morton's current studies have focused on languages, primarily Latin, and he plans to pursue doctoral studies in archaeology. His extensive studies in ancient Rome have made him particularly eager to conduct his first fieldwork there. Click here to read about Jacob's field school experience.
	Renee Pascouau is a junior at Central Michigan University, majoring in anthropology and geology. She will be participating in the Bolivia Field and Lab Archaeological Project at Copacabana, Bolivia, run by Dr. Sergio Chavez of Central Michigan University. Ms. Pascouau is particularly interested in the project's multidisciplinary approach of geology, ethnohistory, and biological anthropology to provide a more complete interpretation of the archaeological record. She plans to use her experience at the project to inform her further graduate studies, and future research and teaching opportunities. Click here to read about Renee's field school experience.
	Emily Stevens is a first-year graduate student at Bryn Mawr College, studying classical and Near Eastern archaeology. She will be taking part in the Keros Archaeological Research Project at the Early Bronze Age sites of Dhaskalio and Kavos in the Cycladic Islands, Greece. The project is conducted by the University of Cambridge (McDonald Institute) and the British School at Athens. Ms. Stevens's interest is in the Bronze Age Aegean generally, and was sparked particularly by early third millennium B.C. marble figurines from the Cyclades. She is very pleased that the Keros Project, fitting so well into her current studies, will be her first fieldwork experience. Click here to read about Emily's field school experience.
	Sarah Trabert, a graduating senior at Kansas State University, will be participating in the Kansas Archaeological Field School. Ms. Trabert is majoring in anthropology, and plans to begin graduate studies this fall. She has had research experience with the archaeology lab at Kansas State University, and was the principal analyst for ceramics at the Scott Site of the Stranger Creek Valley area, where this field school will be held. Ms. Trabert's participation in the field school will help prepare for her planned career in Great Plains archaeology. Click here to read about Sarah's field school experience.

Past Field School Scholarship Recipients

2007: Sean Burrus (UNC Chapel Hill; Yotvata, Israel), Emily Button (Williams College; Mitrou, Greece), Susan Kooiman (University of Wisconsin-Madison; San Ignacio, Belize), Hillary Pietricola (Bowdoin College; Torano di Borgorose, Italy), and Allen Rutherford (Northern Illinois University; Huaricanga, Peru)