I recently received notification that I have received a grant through the MU Department of Anthropology to fund preparation of petrographic thin sections for my M.A. thesis. Petrographic analysis will be used to identify the minerals, manufacturing methods, and paste characteristics of the pottery from a late-seventeenth century Native American archaeological site in New Hampshire (see image above for examples).

And, if that good news wasn’t enough, I also learned that I will be traveling to Peru this summer to participate in an archaeological project directed by one of my committee members.  I’ll be helping her map and document archaeological sites, structures, and canals on the north coast.  Since I first went to Peru in 1999, I’ve dreamed of going back to do fieldwork.  I suppose this is my chance.  I’m just glad that this time I’ll have a digital camera.  Last time I spent 150$ developing all of the 30 or so rolls of film I took.  Time to start practicing my Spanish!