Elspeth Geiger and Kimberly Swisher, both doctoral students at UMMAA, won the Museum’s James Bennett Griffin Fellowship in 2019.

Two archaeology grad students have won UMMAA's Griffin fellowship for their dissertation research.

Elspeth Geiger used the award to fund the 2019 season of her dissertation fieldwork at the Cloudman Site in northern Michigan. This fieldwork is part of a larger examination of Contact Period sites she will analyze for her dissertation.

Kimberly Swisher will be using the award to help complete her dissertation in the Lower Chattahoochee River Valley in southwest Georgia. Particularly, Kimberly will be conducting fieldwork at the Florence Marina State Park Site 9SW124, which is an Averett site that dates to the Late Woodland and Early Mississippian time periods.

James B. Griffin, former director of the Museum, and his family established the fellowship to support graduate students conducting archaeological research in the Eastern United States. The fellowship can cover tuition, room and board, field research expenses, and additional research necessities including equipment, radiocarbon dates, and other analytical needs.