I received the good news about a month ago that I won an National Science Foundation CAREER grant. I have been working on this grant, permits, etc. for over two years and I still can't believe that it's been funded. I am so looking forward to doing the research outlined in the proposal and it's given me an opportunity to reflect on where I've been and where I'm going as I kick off five years of research funding. Grant writing is a weird mix of wishful thinking and robust planning. There are so many interesting facets of archaeology, in central Alaska and beyond, that really get my gears turning. In many ways, it's fun to list some of the things that I've been most passionate about and get reviewer comments on them. Writing a grant like this has also pushed me to pursue parts of my research that are more risky or difficult. Even if I hadn't received the grant, I had a solid foundation by making the connections I needed to in order to submit it. So what will I be up to? Over the next five years, I'll be working in the lab and in the field to better understand the whole environment of central Alaska's past, both natural and social. This is something I've been thinking about for a long time. I'll look at cooking features already recovered, sometimes as long as 50 years ago, across the region. I'll also try to identify more of these features at Swan Point and Niidhaayh Na', using the same techniques that have worked so well for my team at Bachner.
The grant also comes with lots of funding for students and other researchers. I'm looking forward to hiring a post-doctoral researcher who can help me to identify plant remains in the cooking features, something that has only been done at a few sites in central Alaska. Expanding what we know of cooking will help us to trace traditions into the past, by working with Nenana and Healy Lake villages. In turn, this will help us to understand and explore natural and social factors that shaped traditions surrounding food and cooking in the region. A grant like this is a big first step for an assistant professor. I get to put my ideas to the test alongside other experts in my region. It's hard not to feel intimidated. I'll have to face that once I actually overcome my disbelief that I got this grant. Now the work begins! Comments are closed.
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AuthorBree is an Alaskan Archaeologist originally from Fairbanks. Today, she's an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming. Archives
February 2024
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