Get to know Mary
Please describe the UPP-funded or affiliated project(s) you are currently working on or have worked on in the past?
The UPP project I’m working on is called “Linkages Among Pre-colonial People, Skakhwǝl (Lamprey), and Landscapes in the Willamette Valley: Pilot Study to Identify Key Questions, Develop Methodology, and Initiate Data Collection.” Pacific lamprey is a culturally and ecologically significant species, but most of what we know of their behavior and habitats is based on contemporary populations. Our goal is to support holistic understandings of lampreys, landscapes, and people in the past. Pacific lamprey are a culturally and ecologically significant species, but most of what we know of their behavior and habitats are based on contemporary populations. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (CTGR), Portland State University (PSU), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) are partnering to examine and synthesize archaeological, climatic, ethnographic, geologic, hydrologic, and oral history information within the Willamette River Basin to better understand lamprey. Examining and synthesizing geological, hydrological, archaeological, and oral history information, which encompasses thousands of years of life in the Willamette Basin, may provide insights about suitable lamprey habitats prior to major anthropogenic landscape changes that occurred in the region in the past ~200 years, which influence contemporary understandings of lamprey.
Who are your USGS supervisor and PSU advisor?
USGS: Mackenzie Keith (mkeith@usgs.gov) PSU: Shelby Anderson (ashelby@pdx.edu)
What are your primary responsibilities/roles of your research position?
For the UPP Seed Grant project, my role as a graduate research assistant will involve communicating with and providing support to other members of the research team, and assisting with supervising undergraduate interns. My work will also include taking a leadership role in gathering, digitizing, and managing geospatial data for the project. I also will write sections of project reports, project publications, presentations, and public outreach materials. Additionally, I will create maps, figures, and other graphics (posters, pamphlets, web material) for analysis, reporting, and public outreach, in addition to completing other related tasks as assigned.
What skills have you gained from your research experience?
I anticipate this research project will improve my database management skills, build my written and oral communication through collaborative research, and improve my understanding of project budgeting and management.
What aspects of your project have you enjoyed the most?
The project is just beginning. So far, I'm enjoying getting to know new colleagues and absorb what I can from their wealth of knowledge and experience in various disciplines. I also am glad to learn about lampreys’ habitats and life cycles, and about Willamette Valley’s human and natural history, which are all somewhat new to me.
absorbing
What have you learned or hope to learn from this experience?
I hope to learn about grant project management and how to be a helpful contributor to collaborative research efforts. I am also excited to learn more about hydrology and to better understand how humans engaged with the Willamette Valley and with lampreys in the past.
What are your academic and/or career aspirations after graduation?
After I earn my master’s of science degree in anthropology, I plan to continue my career in cultural resource management (CRM) archaeology. CRM practitioners ensure various projects comply with tribal, federal, and state natural and heritage resource laws; we seek to understand past peoples and the environments those peoples inhabited. The connections and skills I gain through this research project, working with federal and tribal government personnel, will support me in continuing my career as an effective CRM practitioner.
What's your favorite way to use or interact with water?
I love to swim and float in water, especially in the Salish Sea! I also enjoy watercolor painting which is impossible without water!