2024
DAVID SYMANZIK-STOCK
University of Maryland, College Park
David Symanzik-Stock (he/him) is a PhD student studying Aegean Archaeology with Dr. Emily Egan. He received a BA in Archaeology and an MA in Art History from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM) and an MA in Aegean Archaeology from the University of Sheffield in the UK.
His two Master’s theses reflect his dual interests, having explored the function of Cycladic Frying Pans through an iconographic and historiographic analysis at Sheffield and producing an exhibit (Negotiating Authenticity: Reproducing the Past for the Present) and accompanying thesis catalog at the Emile H Mathis Art Gallery (UWM) which explored the complex relationships between ‘original’ artifacts and their reproductions and how this ongoing dialogue blurs the boundaries between materiality and authenticity and, consequently, manifests in our desire to build bridges between the past and the present.
David has also supported a variety of anthropology, archaeology, and ancient history curatorial and research projects in numerous roles with the Milwaukee Public Museum (WI, USA), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the British School of Athens and has participated in excavations in Wisconsin (USA), Greece, and Cyprus.
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With the Craft Fellowship, David was excited to attend this year’s AIA Annual Meeting where he was able to connect with several archaeologists working on projects in the Cyclades that he has been following throughout his studies. He was also able to attend two important sessions (a workshop and colloquium) integral to engaging with current issues and challenges in Aegean and island archaeology, helping him to identify and clarify potential research avenues for his dissertation. David is extremely grateful to the AIA-DC society and Elisabeth Craft for their generosity and support!
2024
STEPHANIE KORTH
University of Maryland, College Park
Stephanie Korth is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, studying Art History and Archaeology. She anticipates graduating in the spring of 2025, after which she plans to pursue graduate school in Archaeology. After her first excavation in Italy during the summer of 2023, she became interested in archaeological recording practices and afterward joined the School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation for their Restoring Ancient Stabiae project as a Research Assistant in the 2024 season. There, she performed photogrammetry on many of the Villa Arianna’s mosaic floors. This project uses photogrammetry, Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM), and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to document the Villa Arianna in its current state using measured line drawings. Her work was then expanded through the Student-Proposed Innovation & Research Experience (SPIRE), which provided her with the opportunity to continue her research on the mosaic floors of the Villa Arianna using LiDAR and photogrammetry to create digital line drawings.
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At the 2025 AIA/SCS Joint Annual Meeting, Stephanie was thrilled to present a portion of her honors thesis entitled "The Role of Mosaics in the Decorative Program of the Villa Arianna, Stabiae” in the undergraduate paper session. She is incredibly grateful to the Elisabeth Student Travel Fellowship and the Washington D.C. Society of the AIA for providing this generous opportunity.
2023
MEKAYLA MAY
University of Maryland, College Park
Mekayla May (she/her) is a current PhD student at the University of Maryland, studying Roman art and archaeology with Dr. Maryl B. Gensheimer. She received her MA degree from UMD in May 2022, and a BA in Art History and Classics from Emory University in May 2020, summa cum laude. She has been a part of the American Excavations at Samothrace team since 2019, excavating in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods and the City Walls, working as Registrar, and helping understand the contexts on the Stoa terrace for its upcoming publication. She also has begun working with the Restoring Ancient Stabiae project run through the Architecture Department at UMD as a Research Assistant, and she is eager to join them on-site in Summer 2024 as Co-Instructor.
With the Craft Fellowship, Mekayla is excited to present excerpts two chapters of her MA thesis at the AIA Annual Meeting; she discussed Roman oscilla, double-sided marble reliefs suspended in the intercolumniations of predominantly domestic atria and peristyles, and the importance of their disposition as mobile and mutable objects on guiding social interactions within the reception spaces. Mekayla is immensely grateful to the DC-AIA society and Elisabeth Craft for their generosity and support!
2022
PARKER BLACKWELL
George Washington University
Parker Blackwell (she/her) is an undergraduate student of Archaeology and Classical & Ancient Near Eastern Studies at George Washington University. She expects to complete these degrees in spring 2023, and plans to pursue graduate study in Near Eastern art and archaeology. On campus, Parker is involved in the University Honors Program and the anthropology fraternity, Delta Iota Gamma (DIG). She is also a passionate advocate for cultural heritage preservation. In 2021, under the guidance of mentors Eric Cline (GWU) and Tess Davis (The Antiquities Coalition), and with the support of the Luther Rice Foundation, Parker investigated rising threats to cultural heritage in West Africa. Thanks to support from the AIA Craft Fellowship, Parker is excited to share her findings and field dialogue on this important topic at the AIA Annual Meeting in 2023.
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2018
TARA WELLS
University of Maryland
Tara Wells (she/her/hers) is a current Masters student in Classics (Latin and Greek) at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, after graduating from Oberlin College in 2018 with a BA in the Latin and Greek languages and literature. Tara has also studied in Classics and archaeology programs in Italy and Greece, especially enjoying work with Roman pottery studies at the American Academy in Rome. In summer 2018 she participated in her first excavation (also thanks to AIA funds through the Jane C. Waldbaum Scholarship!) when she worked as a finds- and ceramics-team volunteer in Sicily with the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (AEM:CAP).
At the 2019 AIA/SCS Annual Meeting, Tara was able to re-unite with many colleagues from these prior experiences and even attend a session which showcased the progress of AEM:CAP, including the work which she contributed to in her summer there. It felt incredible to see everyone's hard work come together! Tara was also delighted to connect with many new friends in the fields of classics and archaeology, especially upon joining the newly-founded Mountaintop Coalition which uplifts scholars of color in these areas of study, in addition to learning of other organizations and efforts committed to social justice causes which Tara cares about. Finding such communities as these has been instrumental in fueling Tara's passions and shaping her goals for how she hopes to improve issues of diversity and inclusion as she embarks on her academic career. Tara is so grateful to the DC-AIA society and to Elisabeth Craft for making it possible for Tara to attend her first Annual Meeting, as she otherwise could not have afforded it - thank you endlessly for this incredible experience!
2017
REYNEIR MAGEE
Howard University
Reyneir Magee is a 2018 graduate of Howard University where she majored in both Biology and Chemistry and performed research within the Department of Classics. For approximately two years, Reyneir worked for the ASOR Punic Project, where she amalgamated and organized files of artifacts from the Tunisian site, inputted and corrected the files, and, lastly, created a database so that the files would be accessible to the public in the near future.
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Reyneir's attendance at the AIA conference was a fantastic experience. There, she witnessed the next level of professionalism and was able to observe and interact with many AIA members. She attended an array of sessions ranging from "Galen in Medicine and Disease" to "Eating and Drinking in the Ancient World." Having been affected by such profound scholarship, Reyneir would like to participate in more annual meetings!
2017
SR. MARIA DEL FIAT MIOLA
The Catholic University of America
Sr. Fiat Miola graduated in May 2018 with a Ph.D. in Early Christianity from The Catholic University of America. She dedicated a large part of her dissertation, "Spaces of Salvation in Sixth-Century Arles: The Women's Monastery as Household and Family," to the examination of the archaeological and material evidence. Through an interdisciplinary methodology of integrating insights from the fields of archaeology, early medieval economy, late Roman law, manuscript studies, liturgical sourcing, and textile studies, her work can point the way towards the reexamination of other monastic foundations, and provide a methodological model for future studies in history and religion of any period.
Through the generous AIA Craft Fellowship, Sr. Fiat was eager to attend the 2018 annual meeting of the AIA in Boston, hearing sessions on trade routes, funerary practices and objects, domestic space, Roman economy, and digital approaches to the field. Unfortunately, the Boston bombogenesis impeded her attendance, after four attempts at re-routing and re-booking flights. Nevertheless, the Craft Fellowship gave her an opportunity to get involved with the AIA on the local level and attend lectures in DC, and it more broadly encouraged her to continue incorporating archaeology in her scholarship.
2016
AMANDA CHEN
The University of Maryland
With the generous support of the Washington D.C. Society of the AIA, Amanda Chen was able to attend the 118th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in Toronto. As a first-time attendee, the Craft Fellowship not only supported her travel, but also provided her with a network of DC-based scholars. In Toronto, Amanda attended numerous panels, learned about the latest research, and exchanged ideas with scholars from across the country, including the archaeologist with whom she will be excavating in summer 2017. Amanda was also able to attend a number of special interest group meetings, including the Student Affairs Interest group, for which she will be helping plan workshops, panels, and social events for students at next year’s annual meeting. Hearing from experts inspired her own research and will no doubt be instrumental as she prepares for her comprehensive exams.
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Amanda Chen is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at the University of Maryland, where she studies Roman and Etruscan art and archaeology, focusing on the material culture of death and mortuary practices.
2015
PERI BUCH
The George Washington University
Peri Buch graduated in May 2016 from the George Washington University with a B.A. in History and Archaeology. During her time at GW, her interest peaked in digital humanities and she was a research assistant, doing social networking analysis of the past. In the fall of 2016, she embarks on a Fulbright in Israel where she will study the Roman trade and technology, specifically the usage of Dolia, in the Mediterranean.
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As an undergraduate student, attending the 2016 AIA Annual Meeting was a wonderful opportunity to hear from experts in the field of digital humanities and Roman archaeology. She hopes to find avenues to connect these two fields in her own research.
2014
LUKE PETROCELLI
The University of Maryland
At the 2015 AIA Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Luke Petrocelli presented the poster "Digital Recording of Architecture at the Villas of Ancient Stabiae." As an architecture graduate student at the University of Maryland, Petrocelli worked at Castellammare di Stabiae to help document and analyze the archaeological sites. In an effort to expand the technology used at the ancient site and share this information with the world, Petrocelli persuaded the School of Architecture at UMd to split the cost of LiDAR equipment with the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS).
The work in Stabiae and his trip to New Orleans was arranged in order to compare two methods of digital recording (EDM and LiDAR), and help archaeologists and historians determine the best method of recording for their own projects.
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For a 3-D reconstruction of one of the ancient villas using LiDAR, click here. Posted on You Tube, the video shows a fly-through of this incredible reconstruction.