Author Archives: ec002

New Graduate Student Spotlight

by ec002

Hey everyone! My name is Madilyn House, and I’m a first-year graduate student in the Applied Archaeology program at IUP. My background is in environmental science and GIS, and I’m especially interested in geospatial technologies and the many ways they can be applied to archaeological research.

During my undergraduate studies at Shippensburg University, I had the opportunity to conduct a research project that shaped my path forward. I worked with Dr. Paul Marr at the Green Cabin site in Adams County, Pennsylvania, where Paleoindian quarrying took place thousands of years ago. At this site, people were extracting rhyolite, a fine-grained stone used to create tools. My rese

A preform found on the surface of the Green Cabin site.

arch focused on identifying where lithic reduction, the process of removing excess material from the stone to make it easier to transport, may have occurred. To explore this, I used a combination of predictive modeling in GIS and targeted test excavations. Collaborating with professional archaeologists, soil scientists, and cultural resource professionals gave me a firsthand look at how interdisciplinary this kind of work truly is. That experience confirmed that archaeology was the career path I wanted to pursue.

Looking back, I’m so glad I pushed myself to take on research outside of my comfort zone. Now that I’ve found my area of interest, I’m excited to make the most of all the resources IUP has to offer! If I had one piece of advice for other students, it would be to take advantage of opportunities, even when they feel new or unfamiliar. You never know when one project, one class, or one field experience might shape the entire direction of your career!

Myself surrounded by a looter’s pit full of preforms at a nearby lithic reduction site.

Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences at IUP

 

New Public Archaeology Assistant

by ec002

Hi everyone! My name is Emily Czelusniak, and I am the new Public Archaeology Graduate Assistant for the Applied Archaeology program at IUP. One aspect of my job here is to update this blog about all things archaeology and I’m excited to share our experiences with you. 

I have wanted to be an archaeologist since I was a little kid, and I’m happy to be finally pursuing it as a career. I love archaeology because I love learning about people, and our past affects so much of the present day. I am particularly passionate about decolonization studies in US archaeology. In general, I like learning about all time periods, but I am most fascinated with ancient cultures in the US and abroad. 

I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology with a minor in Religious Studies from Skidmore College in May 2025. I have interned at the New Jersey State Museum and the William Trent House Museum, where I worked on artifact analysis and cataloging. I have field experience from a course at my college, and this past summer I attended the Monticello-UVA field school in Charlottesville, Virginia. Working at Monticello was amazing; I learned so much about how to do archaeology (in very hard, red clay!) in the field and in the lab.  

Each week posts will be uploaded by myself, Dr. Lara Homsey-Messer, or a member of the Applied Archaeology program. Everyone is doing great work here and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you. Also, please follow our Instagram @iup_archaeology, X @IUPAnthropology, and the IUP Anthropology Facebook page for updates about the program, behind the scenes of research projects, and more!  

Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences – IUP