Anthropological Sciences Students Present Research at Conference

Anthropological sciences alumnus and 2012 Dean's Scholar William Willis and anthropological sciences students Brandon Buck and Daniel Riegel, under the mentorship of anthropological sciences professor Cliff Boyd, recently presented their research results at the Upland Archaeology in the East Symposium at Roanoke College.

Buck, a Pulaski native and senior anthropological sciences major, began his research regarding the Heth family cemetery in Radford City as a freshman student.  "This allowed me to immediately use in the field the methods that I was learning in the classroom," says Buck.

His project is ongoing with other students in the program.  They are using ground penetrating radar (GPR) to locate possible unmarked graves within the boundaries of the cemetery.  Another goal of the project is to restore the cemetery since it has become overgrown and eroded due to decades of neglect.

Buck says this project has solidified his interest in archaeology. "My career will be in archaeology, so the projects that I have worked on and continue to work on give me the practical experience needed to achieve success within my field," says Buck.