Intern Experiences

The CEAD is designed to help students to participate in creative hands-on activities while keeping a scientific approach. The goal is to learn new skills but also to work on writing scientific publications in the spirit of a professional training. Over the years, we've had a great team of students involved with the CEAD. Here are just a few of their stories 

Victor Castellanos

I am a recent graduate from UCD with a Bachelor's of Science in Anthropology, choosing to specialize in archaeology/cultural resource management. For now I don't have any specific emphasis within archaeology but through my intern/volunteer experience with the Department of Anthropology I have some training in zooarchaeological craniometrics and maceration, and I am hoping through more work with the Department(/Kevin) to be more experienced in lithics and paleoindian technology. So far I've presented research in the form of a poster at the most recent annual Society for California Archaeology meeting detailing some analysis of the lithic artifacts that were found during UC Davis' Archaeological Field School during summer 2015. In time I want to do more research on Mendocino National Forest-area archaeology in the Late Archaic period to flesh out those findings and perhaps publish a report in a journal. ​

Samantha Dunham, Senior

​I am a fourth year Evolutionary Anthropology and English double major, and I am emphasizing in archaeological research.

I have been working with various other interns on several projects which include examining Tulare Lake lithic crescents for heat treatment and studying the distribution and production of shell fishhooks from the Channel Islands of California; the work was completed through the use of replicative studies, lab analyses, and comparing our own data with previously completed archaeological studies. We have presented our research as posters at four different conferences within 2016:
Society for California Archaeology March 2016 Annual Meeting, University of California Davis Annual Undergraduate Research Conference 2016, C_WESS California Workshop on Evolutionary Sciences 2016 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and at the 39th Annual Sacramento Archaeological Society, Inc. Conference.

Additionally, during the summer of 2016 I will be going to Belgium to study Neanderthals for a month; I have also received the Sacramento Archaeological Society, Inc. 2016 Scholarship to help me fund my trip to Belgium. All of these opportunities have allowed me to utilize what I have learned in class and showed me what to expect from a career in Evolutionary Anthropology; furthermore, through my research I have made so many great connections with people whom I hope to have the opportunity to continue working with.

Chang Lui 

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​​​I am currently a part of the fishhook undergraduate research group. The other group members are Trisha Mcneil, Samantha Dunham, Nicholas Radtkey and Lauren Duckworth. I have been working with them since last quarter. Our research focused on learning the fishhooks from Channel islands and how people use different techniques targeting different shells by using experimental archaeology. I have learned how to carry out research and how to use data to testify the hypotheses from this research. I have been attending two poster presentation, the University California, Davis Undergraduate Research Conference 2016, and C-WESS California Workshop on Evolutionary Social Sciences last week with other members from our group. 

Nicholas Radkey

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​From March 2015, I was an intern cataloging and analyzing lithic crescents for use wear and breakage patterns. I assisted in curation and research design for multiple experimental projects pertaining to the function of lithic crescents as transversely hafted projectile points. Through this internship I was able to learn the nuances of the research and writing processes, as well as the fundamentals of North American prehistoric technology. I was also afforded the opportunity to present at the 2016 Society for California Archaeology conference. Currently I am a field technician at Far Western Anthropological Research Group, working in data recovery

Lauren Duckworth, Senior 

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I am a double major in Evolutionary Anthropology  as well as Psychology – with an emphasis in Perception/Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience. I am an intern with Samantha Dunham, Liu Chang, Trisha Mcneil and Nicholas Radtkey for Dr. Zwyns and Kevin Smith. We are currently working on two projects: "Experimental Archeology Of Fish Hook Production From San Nicolas Islands, California" as well as "Analysis Of California Tulare Lake Crescents With Post-Depositional Fractures For Evidence Of Lithic Annealing." We are also in the process of editing our San Nicolas Island research for proposed publication. As a team, we have now presented 4 times: Poster Presentation - Society for California Archaeology March 2016; Poster Presentation - University California, Davis Undergraduate Research Conference 2016 Poster Presentations - C-WESS California Workshop on Evolutionary Social Sciences; Poster Presentation -  39th Annual SAS Conference

Angela Evoy, Senior

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Anthropology Major, Evolutionary Wing
As an intern with Dr. Zwyns in 2015 I participated in a lithic heat treatment experiment. This was a great project, and I got hands on experience learning the different ways heating chert improves flakability. This year as an intern, I participated in a heat treatment experiment, learned XRF analysis of obsidian, and presented a team research poster at the Society for California Archaeology Conference. The skills I have developed will be a great asset as I set my sights on grad school and beyond.

Shane Martin 

​My many tasks in Dr. Zwyns' lab include and have included two bouts in experimental archaeology, standard stone tool analysis, a lot of photo editing, and research for a poster presented at the 50th annual SCA conference and the 27th annual Undergraduate Research Conference, but that's not all! I look forward to publishing my soon-to-be first ever site report as well as getting involved with an upcoming stone heat treatment experiment. Working in the lab has continually presented enormous opportunities and has made me realize my own potential in this great field, and I will be eternally grateful for that! Lastly, I don't think I would have gotten a job doing CRM at Stanford University this summer if it weren't for the great people I've work for/with in the lab!

Trisha McNeill

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​My experience working in the lab with Dr Zwyns and Kevin continues to enrich my understanding of ancient technologies and the methods used in their manufacturing, These projects have allowed me to broaden my understanding of ancient lifeways and have refined my ability to analyze the human behavior represented in the archaeological record

Aurora Allshouse

My work as an intern in Dr. Zwyns’ lab has focused primarily on lithic analysis and methods of digital presentation of archaeological data. As a third year, I participated in a project that identified evidence for heat treatment in an assemblage of early Holocene crescent artifacts from Tulare Lake California, which was presented at the Society for California Archaeology’s annual meeting in 2016. I also presented an independent study project focused on the potential of 3D methods such as photogrammetry for morphological analysis of stone tools at the Undergraduate Research Center (UCR).
As a senior, I am completing an honors thesis that sent me to excavate last summer in northern Mongolia. The study considers the lithic artifacts found in layer four of the Tolbor 16 site as a proxy for mobility strategies during the Last Glacial Maximum. In addition, I have continued to work on the experimental heat treatment of chert from different raw material sources in Northern California with the team led by Kevin Smith.
My internship with this lab has enabled me to gain invaluable field experience (with support from the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship) and training in data analysis of archaeological assemblages. This experience ended up being a key component of my acceptance into a PhD program at Harvard University, and I am excited to be able to bring the methods and skills I have learned here at UC Davis with me as I begin my research career.

          They interned with us!
2016-2017:
Alexandra Campbell-Grey
Anna Chen
Aurora Allshouse
​Christopher Beckham
Danica Magana
​Erika Ebel
Haley Bakarich 
Kaitlyn Groh
Jentin Joe
Sonya Crocker
Trisha McNeill
Zoya Thomas
2015-2016:
Alycia Davis
Amanda Porter
Angela Evoy
Aurora Allshouse
Breezy Akeson
Brianna Ramsey
Bryna Hull
Chad Hoover
Darren Guthrie
Gao Ly Yang
Haley Bakarich
Jess Almarez
Kyle Deutsche 
Kyle Walsh
Lauren Duckworth
Liu Chang
Marcos Contreras Ramirez
Mark Pense
Nicholas Radtkey
Ratanne Chum
Shane Martin
Trisha McNeil
Victor Castanellos
2013-2015
Brittni Blanco
Eden Washburn