Alumni Spotlight: Brooks Hosfeld

Posted by essmith3

Brooks Hosfeld is a Butler University 2019 graduate in History & Anthropology and Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies (now Race, Gender, & Sexuality Studies). He currently works as the Development Director of Sprout City Farms in Denver CO.

 

Q: How has your experience in the HAC Department helped you after graduation?

A: My experience in what was previously just the History & Anthropology department has been foundational to the ways I see the world and approach my career. I got into fundraising through museum work, in which various museum and archive collections internships during college introduced me to grant writing. My academic writing within the department made me a very strong grant-writer, and this department equipped me to build the professional insight necessary to intersect my passions for justice and community into professional spheres.

Q: How have your Majors helped in your current position?

A: The COVID-19 pandemic moved me away from museums and into more fundraising roles through small community organizations, and I have since ended up flourishing in nonprofit development. Skill-building aside, my degrees and the support I received from Butler faculty have been essential to the ways I perceive current events, communicate with people who want to build a better future (in part by avoiding mistakes of the past), and build relationships in both personal and professional spheres. I love when I’m asked how I got into fundraising for an urban farming nonprofit, because I get to offer a surprise of saying that I was professionally trained in history and anthropology, and that every step to get me where I have been a happy, semi-intentional accident.

 

Q: Any plans moving forward?

A: After doubling the organization’s operating budget in three years, I am currently seeking other professional opportunities to grow. In and out of work, I root myself in community and the belief that collective liberation is possible.

Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and Classics Lab Update

Posted by ehusleto
Student sitting with ancient world artifacts.
Lead Lab Intern Cole Himmelheber with some of the artifacts in the AMCA Lab.

By: Elijah Smith, Class of 2026

Since opening its doors, the Butler University Ancient Mediterranean Cultures and Archaeology (AMCA) Lab staff has handled, refurbished, interpreted, and cataloged various historical artifacts from the Ancient World. Located on the third floor of Jordan Hall, the Lab has employed many student interns to help AMCA Director, Archaeologist, and Classics Professor, Lynne Kvapil with the collection. Dr. Lynne Kvapil. Students earn credit or receive an hourly wage for their work. Recently, I spoke with two of the interns: junior History Major and Classics Minor, Cole Himmelheber, and junior Anthropology, and Criminology and Psychology majors and Sociology minor, Emma Podvorec.

The day-to-day activities of the lab vary based on what is needed. The Lead Intern, Cole, delegates and makes sure that everything is running smoothly and efficiently. The list of projects can be extensive but rewarding ranging from simply updating information in the in-house database to working directly with an artifact. Currently, Emma is working with an Egyptian funerary cone which she describes, as “my baby. So I’ve been like translating the hieroglyphic setter on that and then on any other artifact from different museums across the world to see how that works.” Cole is working with Boaty, an ancient Egyptian model boat, to refurbish it. The antiques are stored at a specific temperature range. The interns carefully avoid chipping the wood or paint and constantly check for mold. They are also working on display cases for the front of the Archeology Lab to present artifacts to the Butler Community. As Cole describes it, “Once that is completed, it might be just outside the door, but it is a mobile display case. So, there are many opportunities to integrate the wider Butler community to what we’re doing. We can see a lot of our little treasures in here.”

The Lab doesn’t just deal with artifacts, they also develop and cultivate a variety of research texts for students to utilize. While every college has a library students can pull from the HAC department has a unique one in the AMCA Lab. Previous students have used lab resources for final papers/projects, Butler Summer Institute research, and thesis work. Curious? Just stop by the Lab or email Dr. Kvapil.