Accessible research opportunities at TU are proving to students that regardless of their major, they can get involved and meaningfully impact their community.

This summer, undergraduate student researchers Bella Hoffman ’27, Maggie Fahey ’28 and Jenna Jean ’28 supported the Trowels to Teaching workshop with the Baltimore Community Archaeology Lab (BCAL).

Helmed by anthropology professor Kat Sterner, Ph.D., and the BCAL, the Trowels to Teaching workshop at North Point State Park taught Maryland K–12 educators about archaeology best practices and skills and the value of cultural preservation.

The workshop series enabled the students to teach math, science, social studies and English teachers ethical excavation techniques, how to sift soil and how to measure archaeological features like shell midden pits with the goal of infusing what they learned into their own lesson plans in the future.

“Being able to connect to the past on a physical level while bringing history to the present and the future through this teaching workshop is really special to me as an education major,” Jean says.

Making research accessible

Summer research funding provided by TU enables undergraduate students to participate in impactful research opportunities across academic disciplines.

Roommates Fahey and Jean received a grant as part of the TIGURS program  - a summer research grant experience for rising sophomores - while Hoffman received an upperclassman grant through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry.

“TU is really special. I’ve only been here for one semester, and I’m already involved in research. This is a huge learning experience and a great opportunity to make myself known in the archaeology field” says Fahey.

During the workshop, the students learned how to distinguish Euroamerican ceramic artifacts from Indigenous pottery and stone artifacts. They even helped discover a ceramic British crest and two pre-European posts from a structure in one of the excavated units.

“This has been a really awesome introduction into research,” says Jean. “I used to think of research as a white lab coat kind of experience, so I was initially concerned about my ability to do research. But BCAL reinforced that research is for everybody, so I gave it a shot.”

The workshop and additional field and lab research were funded by a $38,000 Non-Capital Historic Preservation Grant from the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT). This external grant, awarded to Sterner, also funded two student hourly positions for upperclassmen Reagan Britt and Keely Vie Brock.

With the fieldwork wrapped up, they are now in the process of breaking down what their discoveries mean.

Making a local impact

Fahey, Hoffman and Jean then applied their own anthropological knowledge gained at TU to impact the education system that raised them.

“Students learn best when they have to teach what they’ve learned to others. This project carries with it the daily requirement that students critically assess why we excavate how and where we do and help decide what we should do next,” says Sterner, “It’s really great to see students who were just learning these skills a few weeks ago, grow in their confidence daily as they pass their knowledge on.”

Bennett Middle School teachers Julia Berg and Sarah Mason were pleasantly surprised to learn that Hoffman, their former student, was supporting the workshop.

The tables were turned, and it was now Hoffman’s chance to help teach them.

“This is a proud teacher moment for me. I had no idea that Bella was at TU or that she was taking anthropology classes,” says Berg. “It’s rare we get to see the fruits of our labor and all of the love and effort we pour into our students. Moments like these are why we teach.”

Throughout the workshop, Hoffman, an electronic media and film major and anthropology minor, has been filming the research and education process.

“This experience has been really enriching and different. It’s a lot of physical labor—more than people realize when they think of archaeology—but it’s worth it to learn how people lived and remember our history as people,” Hoffman says.

Hoffman’s documentary on archaeological methods will be screened at a conference in September and shown to K–12 students of the participating teachers.

Mary Ann Jones, a fifth-grade math, science and social studies teacher, reinforced the value of programs like Trowels to Teaching, “I love being involved with other institutions like TU. The more they bring opportunities like this to K–12 education the better.”