4 August 2006
Jayme
Job
Minnesota
State University, Moorhead
Moorhead, Minnesota
Dear Smithsonian Women's Committee,
I would like to sincerely thank you for the amazing opportunities
that you have made available to me through the Research Training Program
(RTP). Without your support, my participation in this wonderful program
would not have been possible, and for that I am gratefully indebted.
I will never forget the kindness and generosity that you have shown
me in this capacity. The RTP is absolutely unique among undergraduate
internships. In no other program are undergraduate students granted
the opportunities and experiences that make up the core of the RTP.
To be able to study and conduct research at one of the top museums in
the country is a rare-enough experience as it is, but to accentuate
that with a curriculum of multi-disciplinary exploration and learning
is a combination that only the RTP can offer.
My research has been primarily concerned with the sourcing of the
museum's collections of catlinite artifacts. Native North Americans
used this soft, red stone to carve pipes, gorgets, and other ceremonial
objects. By using reflectance spectroscopy, we were able to differentiate
between the artifacts composed of catlinite and those made of mimic
materials based on their different mineralogical compositions. Prehistoric
trade patterns were also discovered during the course of this study
by comparing the location where an object was quarried with its archaeological
provenience. Geophysical instruments, such as the reflectance spectrometer,
are becoming regular attributes to archaeological research, and the
experience that I've gained by working on this project will undoubtedly
be a valuable asset in my future endeavors.
As a former ward of the State of North Dakota, I have often felt that
great opportunities were to be the fare of others rather than myself,
but my participation in the RTP has proven otherwise. Through your generosity,
previous impossibilities have become possible and my most heartfelt
aspirations have become a reality. I will carry the amazing experiences
that I've had over the last ten weeks with me for the rest of my life,
and it is thanks to you that I have them.
Sincerely,
Jayme Job
Research Training Program
Class of '06