Photo (left to right): John Sullivan '23, Mathew Ragonjan '22, Elise Griffin '24, Devin Nessler '24, Monika Poudel '25, John Alexander Schone Scobbie (Archaeological Specialist), Erin Hughes (Research Archaeologist), James Pisell (Staff Archaeologist). July 2022.
Members of the Illinois College summer student scholarship cohort met with staff from the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) at the Western Illinois Field Station in Jacksonville, Illinois. Staff members John Alexander Schone Scobbie, an archaeological specialist, Erin Hughes, research archaeologist, and James Pisell, staff archaeologist, shared an overview of the mission and services of the ISAS and led a behind-the-scenes site tour.
"We gave the students an overview of ISAS’s mission and what we do for the State of Illinois with the help and backing from the University of Illinois, IDOT, and the Prairie Research Institute. We gave them an overview of archaeology and discussed past research, current research, and how we conduct our research," said Pisell. "We also talked about our educational background and how internships, field schools, and independent studies helped prepare us for our current field and research positions at ISAS."
ISAS team members also shared some about their own career paths, emphasizing the importance of hands-on internships and the exciting range of educational and career pathways.
