S-STEM/TRAIN Scholar Alicia Fritz's Blog

  I spent this week doing more data collection and trying to find all the information necessary to take the next steps with my project. I also spent a significant amount of time learning about Netlogo and Gini coefficients from modern economics. I want to spend spring break organizing my sources in a more efficient and easily accessible way, as well as further understanding the interdisciplinary techniques I will be using.  A past archaeology professor of mine was kind enough to provide me one of her past papers on the study of emerging inequality on the island of Cyprus during the Bronze age (2400 -1700 Cal BCE). That has been really interesting and helpful in considering my own research and how I want to modify what I’m doing. I’m looking forward to taking the time to organize and work out the kinks in what I have compiled so far. ( https://www.britannica.com/place/Cyprus)

Things are looking good this week guys! I’m finally able to start picking out classes at ASU after many many distressing emails, and I’m very excited to be moving forward. I did fall a tad bit behind on my project after dealing with that situation, but I’ll be back on track in no time. I had the pleasure of speaking to one of my previous professors about the kinds of research that have been done for archaeology in conjunction with Netlogo. She discussed how after compiling archaeological data, it can be statistically analyzed in the same fashion as the random, small world, and scale-free models are on Netlogo. Once that has been done, you can look for patterns between the two sets of data and conclude what kind of model the archaeological data follows. This gives insight into what kind of society the information that was collected is from, based on what model it aligns with. A random network is most closely related to an egalitarian society, a society where everyone is relatively equal

  Unfortunately, I’ve done very little this week regarding my project. I did get some great advice back from professors about paths to take, including using Netlogo to model an environment and base an experiment on some sort of anthropological conditions. I haven’t gotten the chance to explore further or construct a question just yet. I ran into a lot of difficulties with the transfer process this week, and I got some bad news regarding my major plans at ASU, so I’ve spent the majority of my time dealing with that. It was very unexpected news, and it changes my plans a great deal. I definitely feel a little discouraged right now, but plans go awry, and all I can do is move forward. I know everything will work out in the end, but the initial shock of plans suddenly changing is always a stressful experience. One thing I’ve learned to embrace during my time in college is the ability to be adaptable and roll with the punches.  Next week, I’m hoping to finish up the final touches of my rese

This week has primarily consisted of doing background research into a few different topics that I’ve been interested in pursuing as a research project. I'm gathering information about the cross-over between technology and archaeology, as well as experimental archaeology. There are many types of technology that have become crucial parts of the archaeological process such as 3D modeling, LiDAR, VR, and machine learning. Something that I have been reading about that was previously unknown to me is the use of robotics in the exploration of archaeological sites, such as the ROVINA project. There are so many applications of technology in this field and new stuff is always being developed; the integration of new tech is exceptional. I’ve also stumbled upon a few research papers using mathematical modeling for various situations, for example, the spreading of the wool-bearing sheep in a population of herders in the Near East and Southeast Europe between 6200 and 4200 BC. There's a lot

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a restful break and that your semester is off to a great start. I’m excited to be back blogging and chatting with you all. I’m really enjoying my classes so far, and I feel pretty good about this semester (but a little sad too because it’s my last at PC).  I learned a lot from the fall about what I need to work on so I’m hoping to use that newfound knowledge to make this time around even better. Last semester, I explored the socioeconomic impact of Marigold, specifically Tagetes erecta , on Mesoamerica, and I wrote about a possible experiment to explore its antibiotic properties and relate that to its economic importance. I loved doing research for that question; I learned so much about its uses and ties to burials in Mesoamerica as well as its value in rituals. I’m glad I had the opportunity to research something so interesting that ties into my interest in anthropology and archaeology. Regarding a project for this semester, I’m not too sure what dir

  I can’t believe the semester is pretty much over already; it’s been a crazy one. Working on this project for only the last half of the semester was a challenge, and there are definitely improvements that need to be done with my paper and poster. Thankfully, I have the spring to do better and improve what I struggled with this time around. I’m looking forward to next semester when i’ll have more time and this experience to look back on. I felt really shy doing these blog posts at first, and I felt like I didn’t want to put too much of my project in it because it felt so incomplete. However, next semester I want to try and document my research a lot more and keep a better log of what I’m doing. Everyone’s positivity in the discussion posts really helped me get through a hectic end of the semester, and I can’t wait for the spring! Happy Holidays!

  Happy December everyone. I fell a little being this week dealing with personal issues, but I’m looking forward to reviewing the feedback on my rough draft so I can finish up my final draft for submission. I mostly have to work on my methods section; it’s a bit of a mess currently. Dr. Ortiz and Matt have been great in helping out with that particular part though, so I’m not too worried about that. Finding the time to get everything I need to done with everything going on right now is the part that has me a little nervous, but all I can do is the best that I can. I always feel a bit crazy towards the end of the semester with so much happening. Hopefully, it shouldn’t take me too long to complete my paper so I can work on the presentation and wrap up this project.