Emma Schlauder

University of Sheffield Postgraduate Award, University of Sheffield - Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology

I am from Connecticut and graduated from Boston University with BAs in History and Archaeology with a minor in Classical Civilization. My love for the past started at a young age and grew through museum trips and travels. Much of what we know of past civilizations comes from burial contexts and my archaeological focus grew out of a series of finds that reshaped what we knew of the past. During my undergraduate studies, I received the opportunity to excavate alongside Dr George Milner of Penn State University in Denmark where he served as my mentor. Through Fulbright, I will attend the University of Sheffield for their MSc Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology. Studies in this field are not offered in the United States due to its colonial past. Additionally, Sheffield is the only school that combines the cultural study of graves with the scientific study of remains. I look forward to exploring historic sites in the UK. Ultimately, I will gain a doctorate in museum studies. Through organising exhibits that showcase differences/similarities in funerary practises, I hope to achieve a level of understanding amongst extinct/existing cultures. Learning about other cultures is key to promoting acceptance in our continuously divided world.