Adam Freeburg
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA
Dear Smithsonian Women’s Committee,
I am writing to express my deepest appreciation and gratefulness for your
support of my participation in the National Museum of Natural History Research
Training Program. This summer has allowed me to broaden my knowledge of my
specialized field while introducing me to the depth of scientific research
in the museum at large. Having recently completed my undergraduate degree,
the Research Training Program allowed me to devote myself to new and interesting
research. Being my first research experience outside of an academic setting,
I learned the freedoms and responsibilities that comes with a research appointment.
The lesson has been a rewarding one. I have now been exposed to a career option
that I had not previously considered.
In addition to discovering new career options, I have begun work on an important
contribution to archaeology and archaeobotany. For the past 30 years, archaeologists
have used a single set of correction factors to reconstruct sizes of carbonized
sunflower seeds found in archaeological contexts. The original size of these
seeds is important when reconstructing the process of plant domestication
in North America. This information says much about dynamic human societies
that previously occupied our continent. Domestication research is also critical
for the health and preservation of current economically important sunflower
types. Recently, the accuracy of the existing size correction method was called
into question. In three months of experimenting at NMNH, I have collected
data that not only confirms the inaccuracy of the existing method, but also
allows me to propose new, variable reconstructive factors. My findings will
hopefully provide researchers with a new tool to aid in archaeological analysis.
Through my RTP internship, I have also had the pleasure of meeting and working
with respected scientists in several disciplines, with whom I will be able
to maintain valuable relationships throughout my professional career. Continued
collaboration with my RTP advisor on the results of my research will lead
to my first scientific publication.
In so many ways, this summer has been an incredible and invaluable opportunity for me. The experiences I take away from the Research Training Program will not only open doors in my future academic and professional career, but has provided me with a new standard of intellectual curiosity, to which I will hold myself forever.
Sincerely,
Adam Freeburg
Research Training Program, 2002