UW-Milwaukee holds an annual Undergraduate Research Symposium to celebrate the collaborations of UWM undergraduate students with the larger research community. This year, 280 UWM students participated, mentored by over 200 of UWM’s faculty and research staff.
This year, two College of General Studies students are participating in the Research Symposium. Their names and presentation details are listed below.
The Endless Spiral of Writing a Play
Joe O’Keefe, “The Endless Spiral of Writing a Play”
Mentor: James Jackson, Arts & Humanities
Oral Presentation Block 2
My oral presentation would be about my recently completed one-act play. I would go into detail on how I wrote it and how to continue writing more. to potentially spark more interest not only in the play itself but in others’ necessity to press their writing endeavors. This one-act is only one part of the web of resources I had to uncover while the journey of getting it produced. I decided to meet with various professors and learned that there is more armor than just the teachers in my classrooms that can help me. To name a few examples I met with the bridge writing specialist and they gave me creative advice which guided me on the road towards more resources. leading me to have a conversation with the head of the theater department. While it didn’t get produced it left me with a sense of pride that I believe can be shared with other students. Because of the people I’ve talked to and the things I’ve done to meet them I feel adequately prepared to share this information and story with all who will listen. I want to tell this story to all the students that feel as if they can’t find the direction they need in their respective fields. I felt inadequate with myself until I sat down and wrote something new. I looked at my field of study and thought about what would be the most entry-level piece of writing I could do. The one-act play is a representation of how we all have to start somewhere. Instead of saying how you will do it tomorrow, I say we concur today and challenge whom we were yesterday by making us better people in the future.
An Archaeological Survey at the UWM at Waukesha Field Station
David Shaw, “An Archaeological Survey at the UWM-Waukesha Field Station”
Mentor: Gregg Jamison, Social Sciences and Business
Poster #123
This research focuses on a preliminary archaeological survey within a small portion of the 98-acre UWM-Waukesha Field Station. The objective was to learn archaeological survey methods and search for cultural resources and artifacts on the property. Using standard archaeological methods including mapping, pedestrian survey, and shovel testing, explorations were undertaken in four areas, resulting in the identification of two new archaeological sites. Subsequent laboratory analyses of recovered artifacts indicate the presence of at least two prehistoric and one historic cultural horizons at the Field Station, suggesting a long history of human land use at the Field Station. Through this research I have gained first-hand archaeological research experience and field method skills that will help me as I continue to pursue a degree and career in anthropology. Based on the results of our research, we recommend further archaeological investigations at the Field Station in collaboration with UW-Milwaukee and indigenous communities to learn how significant the cultural landscapes on the property are and to ensure these valuable archaeological resources are protected for the future.