4 August 2006
Paige
Hamilton
University
of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
Dear Distinguished Members of the Notre Dame Anthropology Community,
I would like to offer my most sincere thanks for the opportunity to
participate in the Research Training Program (RTP) at the Smithsonian's
National Museum of Natural History. The summer that I spent in Washington,
D.C. was one of the most fulfilling and enriching experiences I could
ever hope to have.
My summer project, guided by Dr. David Hunt, combined the two areas
that I love to study most, anthropology and medicine. I was able to
learn human osteology and pathology from the perspective of a biological
anthropologist through my study of tuberculosis found on specimens in
the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Skeletal Collection. I also observed
the inner workings of museum research and collections management through
my daily interactions with the professional anthropologists and curators.
Exposure to anthropological research was not the only education I received
from the Research Training Program. I benefited immensely from the countless
tours and lectures that were made available to me and my peers. We experienced
every possible field of natural history, from ichthyology to botany,
and were shown priceless specimens that few people have access to. During
our mineral sciences tour, I was able to hold the oldest object I will
ever encounter, a meteor that is more than 4.56 billion years old. That
experience is one example of the innumerable privileges I was given
as a member of the RTP Class of 2006.
From the moment I arrived at the Museum, I was exposed to so many areas
of natural history that I knew little or nothing about. This was made
possible by of the wealth of resources available, and I doubt that such
an experience would be achievable at any other place. Thank you again
for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime in our nation's capital.
I can only hope that many more Notre Dame undergraduates have the chance
to do the same.
Sincerely,
Paige Hamilton
Research Training Program
Class of '06