Student Spotlight: Meet Kylie!

Kylie Ham is a Forensic Science major  at UNL. She is very excited about this trip and eager to learn more about mummies and the culture in Sicily. We tracked Kylie down to ask her about taking part in the UNL Mummy Studies Field School this summer.

Hey, Kylie! How did you hear about our program?
UNL education abroad search program

What made you interested in our program?
After I read about it through education abroad, I was immediately interested. I thought that it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

What are you most looking forward to about our program?
I am most looking forward to getting to work with the mummies, especially with facial reconstruction.

What are you most worried/anxious about your upcoming adventure in Sicily?
I am worried about missing a flight or not making a connecting flight. 

What are your goals after you finish your undergraduate degree?
After I finish my undergrad degree I hope to work in the forensics field, and possibly in the FBI one day.

Is this your first time out of the country?
This is not my first time out of the country. I have been to Mexico three times for family vacation. And two summers ago I went on a two-week trip to France and Belgium. 

Do you know any Italian words or phrases yet?
I don’t know much Italian, but I am pretty proficient in Spanish. 

Who is your favorite mummy?
I don’t have a favorite mummy yet because I haven’t studied them that much. I hope to have a favorite after the trip.

Student Spotlight: Meet Emily!

Emily Hintz is a Forensic Science major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has expressed that she is super excited for this trip! We tracked Emily down to ask her about taking part in the UNL Mummy Studies Field School this summer.

Hey, Emily! How did you hear about our program?
In class and on the study abroad page.

What made you interested in our program?
Traveling to someplace new and learning more about mummies.

What are you most looking forward to about our program?
To learn and experience something new.

What are you most worried/anxious about your upcoming adventure in Sicily?
Amount of studying for this trip and studies.

What are your goals after you finish your undergraduate degree?
Hopefully get a job. :)

Is this your first time out of the country?
Nope, I have been to South America (Peru) and Mexico (Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta).

Do you know any Italian words or phrases yet?
Nope, but hopefully I will learn some.

Who is your favorite mummy?
I don’t know many mummies.

Student Spotlight: Meet Maggie!

Margaret (Maggie) McManus is a a triple major in Anthropology, History, and Ancient Greek and Roman Studies at the University of Delaware. Just in case three majors isn't enough, she's also getting a minor in biology. She loves seeing the overlapping material and broader contexts that connect her majors and minor together. (Hey, she's going to love the interdisciplinary world of mummy studies!) We tracked Maggie down to ask about taking part in the UNL Mummy Studies Field School this summer.

Hey, Margaret! How did you hear about our program?
I learned about this program through my school’s anthropology department. It was actually a chance thing that I saw the email advertising this program! However when I first saw it, it immediately caught my attention. 

What made you interested in our program?
I’ve always been fascinated with mummies and the cultural practices that go along with mummification. I also like studying old stuff in general and Italy has always been one of the top places I’ve wanted to visit.

What are you most looking forward to about our program?
I’m really excited to actually get to work with the mummies since I’ve never really had much experience with handling and analysing them. I am very excited to be able to analyze dietary remains, learn about paleo-pathology, and facial reconstruction. All of these aspects really help us as the examiner to kind of rehumanize the individuals we’re studying while also learning so much about those who came before us. I am also very very excited about traveling to Italy for the first time! I really love the history of Italy. Sicily especially is exceedingly rich and unique in its history and culture as influences of past civilizations like Rome, Greece, Carthage, and many more left their marks on Sicily. 

What are you most worried/anxious about your upcoming adventure in Sicily?
I think I’m most worried about the flight over to Sicily. In general I don’t really like flying. I have done international flights by myself before, but I don’t really like to travel alone. I think I’m most worried about finally arriving there and not knowing where to go and not sure of how to meet up with other people from the group since I’m coming from UD and flying from Philly. 

What are your goals after you finish your undergraduate degree?
I definitely wish to pursue my masters and eventually a PhD in the field of bioarchaeology or paleopathology. What I hope to do with this degree is to be able to apply knowledge from the past to better understand issues we face today in the fields of biology, specifically pathology. The fairly new field of epigenetics also appeals to me as it concentrates on how environmental and biological factors affect how your genes are expressed. While this is what I envision for myself in the long run, I know that right after I graduate undergrad I want to take a gap year or two. During my gap year I want to travel as much as possible and really figure out what I want to do career wise. 

Is this your first time out of the country?
No it's not! I’ve had the great privilege of being able to travel around a bit. I’ve been to a lot of states in the US including Alaska. I also have been out of the country a few times. For family vacations my parents have taken us to Canada multiple times. We also went to China one summer which was really special since I was actually born there but was adopted when I was a baby by my now family. I’ve also been to Israel and Germany. Israel was more of an academic trip through my high school's winter program and Germany was a short exchange student program to improve my German and to experience German culture. 

Do you know any Italian words or phrases yet?
No, I’m really not all too familiar with Italian. The most I know is how to say Hello and Goodbye. I am taking an intensive Latin course before this trip though so hopefully knowing Latin may make learning Italian a little easier...

Who is your favorite mummy?
My favorite mummy is actually the 1,000 year old Buddhist monk mummy encased in a Buddhist statue. This mummy is actually the Chinese Buddhist monk Liuquan who researches believe may have practiced “self mummification” to prepare for life after death in the Buddhist tradition.

Student Spotlight: Meet Chase!

Chase Horn is an Anthropology major at UNL. He is a proud dad of his little cat, Kevin, and a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. (Don't worry, he does, of course, still love the Huskers.) He's also a big fan of superhero movies, especially those about Batman. We tracked Chase down to ask him about taking part in the UNL Mummy Studies Field School this summer.

Hey, Chase! How did you hear about our program?
I heard about this program through Karl; he visited a couple of classes I was in with Dr. Hammerl and talked to us about the trip. 

What made you interested in our program?
I thought it was a really cool opportunity. Traveling to Italy and getting to look at mummies... why wouldn't you want to go? 

What are you most looking forward to about our program?
I think that I am most looking forward to studying the mummies, but I'm also really excited about being immersed in an entirely different culture. 

What are you most worried/anxious about your upcoming adventure in Sicily?
I'm sure I'm not the only one, but the travel makes me a little nervous. I've never flown to Europe, or any other continent/country for that matter, so it should be an interesting experience.

What are your goals after you finish your undergraduate degree?
My goals are still being formed, but as of right now, I plan on going to graduate school and seeing where things go from there. 

Is this your first time out of the country?
I've only ever been to Canada and even then I was really young, so I don't remember too much. I've flown to Alaska before, which I know isn't a different country, but it was a very interesting trip. I've always wanted to go to Europe, so I am very excited to finally get to go.

Do you know any Italian words or phrases yet?
I don't know any Italian words, but I think it will be interesting to learn some.

Who is your favorite mummy?
My favorite mummy is Ötzi the Iceman because of how cool his story is and how much we are able to learn about him from his frozen body.