Full or part-time, undergraduate or graduate students are invited to participate in the annual Student Paper Award. You will present your paper at the annual Plains Conference. The winner will receive a cash award and the winning paper will be published in the Plains Anthropologist.
Students attending the Plains Conference are invited to compete for this annual award. Separate undergraduate and graduate student awards will be granted. The award is a cash payment of $200 to undergraduates and $300 to graduate students and an invitation to submit the paper for publication in Plains Anthropologist. The winner will be announced at the conference banquet, to which all presenters will receive two complimentary tickets. Nominations are currently solicited for the 2008 Award
For additional information, contact
Laura Scheiber
Indiana University
Department of Anthropology
Student Building 130
701 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47405-7100
Tel.: 812- 855-6755
Fax: 812-855-4358
E-mail: scheiber@indiana.edu
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Who qualifies for the award?
You must be enrolled as a full or part-time student.
You may be enrolled as either an undergraduate and graduate student.
You must indicate your intent to participate in the competition when submitting
your abstract to the conference program organizer.
You must present your paper in the student paper session. Papers presented
in other organized symposia are not eligible.
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How do I apply?
To be eligible for the 2008 award
1) Register for the conference
On the abstract form, note your intention to enter the Student Paper Award
competition.
Deadline: September 1
2) Submit an electronic written version of your paper AND an application form to the chair of the student paper award committee who will distribute them to the committee members (Laura Scheiber, scheiber@indiana.edu)
Deadline: September 26
Application Form:
Note: If you cannot submit an electronic copy, please email Laura Scheiber to make other arrangements to send it via regular mail (with an earlier deadline).
Entrants are responsible for conference registration.
Submitting a paper to the committee will not register you for the conference!
The research, written paper, and oral presentation all are important. No paper will be considered for the award if it receives fewer than 30 points in any of the following three categories.
Research (maximum of 100 points/10 points for each aspect)
Research question shows originality and thought
Project is placed into a context of previous research
Research methods are appropriate, ethical, and logical
Data gathering identifies all variables and minimizes bias
Data are accurately gathered, recorded, and summarized
Data set is appropriate to the question
Conclusions are logical and well supported by the data
Project leads to recommendations for future research
Implications of the project are clearly identified and logical
Research contributes to Plains anthropology
Written Paper (50 points/10 points each)
Paper is written in article format (not a dissertation chapter or contract
report)
Paper is clear, concise, and original
Paper clearly explains each of the research aspects listed above (question,
research context, methods, results, and conclusions)
Paper is well organized and logical
References are complete, correct, and relevant
Presentation (50 points)
Presentation is well rehearsed; speaker is thoroughly familiar with the
material, speaks audibly, maintains eye contact with audience, and conveys
an enthusiasm for the subject (30 points)
Slides, overheads, and other audiovisual aids are easy to see, relevant,
and appropriate in number (20 points)
1. Ask a colleague or professor to read your paper and listen to your presentation.
Try to incorporate their suggestions into the final product.
2. Your written paper and presentation will not be the same. The presentation must "cut to the chase" or you will run out of time. The written paper is the place for listing the details of your data.
3. Carefully proofread your paper and check the bibliography. Don't try to sound important by using big words, unnecessary jargon, or long sentences. Just express your ideas simply and clearly. Remember that all sorts of Plains anthropologists must be able to understand your ideas.
4. Time your presentation. Nothing is more disastrous that finding yourself only halfway through when your time is up. Practice what you will say. Change any words or phrases that you tend to trip over.
5. Don't overload the slide tray. A few eye-catching slides or overheads are more effective than a mind-numbing race through dozens of images. Remember that different people respond best to different kinds of information. Let your visuals (or audios) reinforce what you are saying. A simple graph is worth 1000 words. Complicated graphs, charts, and tables do not work well. Don't copy these out of your written paper, but make new ones just for your talk. Try to keep what is on the screen related to what you are saying. If you proceed to another topic, then proceed to another visual.
6. If you are not used to using audiovisual aids, practice beforehand. Go through your slides to make sure none are upside down or backwards. Know how to place your transparencies so they project correctly. Sometimes it works best to have someone place the transparencies for you as you speak.
7. If you are nervous, remember almost everyone in the room has felt the same way, especially the first few times out! People attend your talk because they are interested in what you have to say. You won't find a friendlier audience anywhere! Visit the room before your session begins so you can get a feel for the podium, screen, etc. Recruit some friends to occupy seats around the room so you can practice making eye contact. If you can remember to smile, it will help both you and the audience relax.
8. Have fun! This is your chance to show off your research to people who
care about it!
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When is the grant awarded?
The award winner is announced at the Plains Conference banquet. Every student
in the competition will receive two free banquet tickets, so please join
us at the banquet.
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Who are the past recipients?
2006: Jayme Job (Minnesota State University-Moorhead): “Sourisford
Salamanders: Renewal Iconography of the Devils Lake-Sourisford Ceramic Complex”
(Undergraduate Student Award) and Michael P. Jordan (University of Oklahoma):
“Religion and Reservation Life: Kiowa Revitalization Movements of
the 1880s” (Graduate Student Award)
2005: Patti Kinnear (University of Colorado): “Cooperation and Conflict:
Examining Alternative Views of Archaeology on the Great Plains” (Graduate
Student Award) and Tomasin Playford (University of Manitoba): “Establishing
Site Seasonality: Importance, Problems and a Potential Solution” (Graduate
Student Award)
2004: Raven Carper (University of Montana): "A Study of the Utility
of a 'Symmetry Index' in the Assessment of Biface Production Goals"
2003: Lucy Burris (Colorado State University): "Western Harvester Ants:
Archaeology's Little Helpers"
2002: Jodi Jacobson (University of Tennessee): "Identification of Mule
Deer (Odocoileus hemiounus) and White-tail Deer (Odocoileous virginianus)
Post-cranial Remains as a Means of Determining Human Subsistence Strategies"
2001: Charles Egeland (Colorado State University): "From Cutmarks to
Behavior: The Reliability of Cutmarks for Inferring Processing Intensity"
and Chad Goings (University of Arkansas): "A Predictive Model for Lithic
Resources in Iowa"
2000: Paula Renaud (University of Wyoming): "Sticks, Stones, and Cyberwaves:
Creating an International Community of Aboriginal Philosophy in the 21st
Century"
1999: Rhonda S. Fair (University of Oklahoma): "Becoming the White
Man's Indian: An Examination of Native American Tribal Web Sites"
1998: Jesse Ballenger (University of Oklahoma): "Late Paleoindian Land
Use in the Oklahoma Panhandle: Goff Creek and Nall Playa"
1997 Susan Tanner (University of Nebraska): "An Analysis of Use-Wear
on Nebraska Phase Ceramics."
1996 none
1995 Bruce Low (University of Saskatchewan): "Swan River Chert: Its
Geological Occurrence, Geographical Distribution, and Archaeological Collection
- A Ubiquitous Pre-Contact Lithic Resource of the Northern Plains/Southern
Boreal Forest
1994 ?
1993 none
1992 Elizabeth Miller (University of Nebraska): "Evidence for Prehistoric
Scalping in Northeastern Nebraska"
1991 none
1990: Jeffrey A. Huebner, "Late Prehistoric Bison Populations in Central
and Southern Texas