Student Contributions to International Collaboration in MIA Cases: A Personal Case Study

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Fulfilling a Nation’s Promise: The Search, Recovery, and Accounting Efforts of DPAA and Its Partners" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Investigating archaeological sites related to the recovery of MIAs from past conflicts requires international collaboration among various agencies and civilian volunteers. I graduated in 2023 as an art history and archaeology student at the University of Namur (Belgium). I served as an archaeologist and French translator on two different DPAA missions (Belgium and France), where I was able to apply theoretical knowledge and the fundamentals of archaeology that I learned during the course my degree. As a student volunteer, I benefited from those collaborative experiences and grew professionally through the practical application of historical and archaeological research and field methodologies (survey, mapping, excavation, life support equipment/material evidence processing, chain-of-custody documentation). As the site translator, I facilitated communication between the lead archaeologist and local stakeholders to ensure understanding between all parties. Students can contribute to the educational experience of both civilian and veteran volunteers on DPAA projects by bringing fresh perspectives and aiding in the use of technological innovations to help tell the stories of MIAs. Although this period of history may seem long ago to many students, we can all feel empathy, no matter our background, because these recovery efforts are all about our promises to people.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Fulfilling a Nation’s Promise: The Search, Recovery, and Accounting Efforts of DPAA and Its Partners

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37988.0