Work in the Burke

This quarter I have been working with Museology and Archaeology departments in the Burke Museum. I have learned quite a bit about collections, worked with some very knowledgable and fun people, and broadened my laboratory experience. 

The above pictures are of me and Jordan (another undergrad at UW) sorting level bag materials from a site in Alaska in the 60s and below I am organizing the level bags in boxes.

Organizing Level Bags

Behind the Scenes night was on Wednesday the 20th. As the title suggests, it is a night where members of the museum get to go behind the scenes, and look at various collections and learn about research that goes on beyond the museum displays that can be seen daily by the public.

My Station
discussing cat scans 

This was also an exciting experience for me because I not only worked in the Archaeology department talking about Nelly the 2000 year old mummy but got to tour other areas that I had not seen before.

Cat Scans & Bulb

Some Info on Nelly:

She is from Egypt and died 2000 years ago when she was 19 years old.

Nelly's Coffin

Her cat scans show poor restoration work done in the 60s. The bones above her waist were removed and water lilly bulbs were found inside her intestines. The bulbs are considered a symbol of rebirth and purposefully put there. Because her bones were removed they put an expanding foam inside her chest and stomach areas along with a road and chicken wire to support her body and prevent collapse. All of this can be observed in the cat scans that were done. You can also see some of the foam extruding from one of her eye sockets. This just shows what a poor job was done in the 60s. Adding to this neither of the feet that are currently with her body belong to her. Her feet fell off and they decided to put a male foot and a cast of a male foot with her body.  


Some of the other areas that were open include ethnology, ornithology (birds), herbarium, ichthyology (fish), mammalogy, paleobotany, vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology and entomology. Below are some pictures from some of these areas.

Dinosaur Bones

Mammalogy

Ornithology

                                                           

           

Ethnology

Ethnology

Ethnology

At the beginning of this quarter I thought taking this laboratory class that combined museology and archaeology would be a good way to see if I would eventually want to pursue a job at a museum. I cant say that I have now found my life calling but I am glad to have been exposed to various professional and academic fields in museum work. I think my favorite part and the part that I would want to get more involved with is the community outreach and interaction aspect.

Here is a link to the Burke website for other information

Oh Canada!

This weekend I went to visit the wonderful city of Vancouver, BC with a couple of friends and as always had a great time. Vancouver never disappoints!

In the four years that I have now lived in Seattle I have been able to make it up to Canada five times. Each time has been amazing and provides its own unique experiences. 

Here are a couple other photos from my previous trips that sum up some of things I have done in Canada

Stanley Park

Granville Island

The two pictures above were from my first trip to Vancouver and upon my return to the states I declared my love for Canada and wanted to move there.

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

This trip included venturing off a bit out of the city of Vancouver to the suspension bridge park. It was a very touristy thing to do but was fun and worth the experience.

Cool Statue to Play on

Vancouver Museum of Art

Another fun trip where I got to explore the city more.
Each trip to downtown Vancouver has included exploring various aspects of the city by day and going to bars and clubs on Granvill by night.

Whistler!

Fun Running Around in the Snow

Whistler!

Exploring the Village 

Going out to Night Clubs

Pool+ Hot Tub+ Snow= Great Combination

Olympic Rings 

My trip to Whistler was over college weekend in 2012 after the summer I lived in at Phi Kappa Tau and was with mostly people I had met living in. We had a pretty large group go and had two sweets that had two queen beds each and still had people sleeping on the floor. Whistler was a beautiful winter wonderland with a vibrant night life.  

Fluid Mechanics

I am currently taking Geomechanics and my professor George Bergantz sent us an email of a video he put together to get us excited about moving into learning about fluid mechanics. It is an awesome video, that not only makes me want to go kayaking but successfully sparked my curiosity in what we are embarking on academically. 

So far this class has been really challenging but in a positive way where the professor really wants the students to learn the concepts and inspires curiosity and exploration in academia and the outdoors (a combination that I love). 

Looking Ahead

I have been looking more into my options and finalizing graduation requirements and post graduation plans.

I previously had planned on graduating after taking an extra quarter in the fall. Then, working somewhere while living in Seattle during the winter and in the spring participate in a NOLS program in East Africa. However, I have been looking in more detail at my degree audit and the classes offered in the next several quarters. I will not be able to take all classes that I will necessarily want to take but regardless they will count towards my major and a sooner graduation which saves money on tuition.

I am hoping to take spring and summer quarter and finish off with a study abroad trip in Jordan. I applied for two study abroad trips one engineering program in Jordan and the other a biology program in Peru. My top choice is the Jordan program but it depends on if I get accepted... so now I wait... While I wait, I am trying to figure out classes to work so that I can make this plan a reality. If I can figure everything out and be able to have my last quarter be studying abroad I would want to travel around the Middle East, maybe Africa, and Europe for a while afterwards. After this, I suppose return to Seattle and find work. Maybe find work in some other state or look into living in another country but Seattle would be what I would consider returning home. I am leaving these options open and although it is a bit unsettling not having a concrete plan it is also exciting to venture into the unknown.

As I approach this time of transition I reflect on my past and what has brought me to where I am today. This includes my interests, studies, ambitions and goals. Not all of which I can trace to their root, however, several things I can or look at key events that have lead me to my current being. I don't feel like I have had many life transitions that while in the moment I have been able to appreciate the change. The largest transitions that I have experienced thus far have included moving to California from North Carolina and graduating high school and moving to Washington for college. When I moved to California from North Carolina I was going into the fifth grade and didn't have any say about the matter. Needless to say I was unhappy with my parents for forcing me to leave my home, my friends, and my school. I was born a tar heel and did not want to leave for California which I knew only one thing about. The one thing I knew about California was that they had strange looking roofs for their houses from watching Rugrats on Nickelodeon. I eventually learned that they were spanish style roof tops that dominated most areas of Southern California but not all of it. As for my move to Seattle for college, that was complete my choice; however, college to me was an expectation. The transitions that I will soon face have no expectations attached to them; I only need to be able to financially support myself.

Throughout my college experience I have become more independent and realize that all the choices that I make wether I realize it or not have a huge affect on the outcome of my life. I am looking at the transitions that are quickly approaching in a new way. I acknowledge that I have control over my decisions, however, the outcome might not be what is completely anticipated. I look at this with optimism because as long as I am making decisions that make me happy I feel that I will end up in a good place.

In general I want to live an honorably life, make a difference, be happy and able to live with all the choices I make, and satisfied with the outcome of whatever work it is that I do. Currently I can not say that I am at a point where I can say this is entirely the case. Yes, I love UW, Seattle, and in general the life I have created for myself here. However, I am at a point where I am craving the transition that is approaching and want a change that takes me out of my comfort zone, challenges me, and takes me into not only the unknown but the extraordinary.

It has become a tad bit mundane after four years of basically the same thing and because of this I am ready for something new. The main enjoyment for me has been taking classes which allow me to explore and challenge myself on an academic and personal level.

There are so many senieros that my future holds and I am unbelievebly lucky and privileged to have had the opportunities that I have that have lead me to today and cant wait to turn the page to see what tomorrow brings.

From my Trip to Thailand