By Evie Martell, SCDNR Archaeology Intern

When people think of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), hunting, fishing, and shooting sports might come to mind. The first thought in my mind though, is archaeology. For over 50 years, the SCDNR Heritage Trust Program has protected cultural and natural properties for everyone – past, present, and future. In order to achieve this lofty goal, SCDNR employs a team of archeologists, or people who study human history.

This summer I got to be an archaeologist by interning with SCDNR, and met some amazing people, including Meg Gaillard, the Archeology Public Outreach Manager. She works to help preserve the cultural resources of South Carolina, focusing mainly on the 19 SCDNR Cultural Heritage Preserves. She supervises archaeology education and public events, as well as being a safety officer and trained in disaster response and preparedness. Meg says that every day is different, and she loves that about her job.

She started the internship program in 2014 with only one intern. Eleven years later, 82 students have interned with the SCDNR Archaeology team. Interns get to learn by doing classroom sessions about archaeology and related fields, working in the lab, and even doing fieldwork. She wants summer interns to gain a better understanding of the diverse field of archaeology, and to be able to decide if this is the right career path for them. Interns should have an interest in archaeology, eagerness to learn, and flexible thinking skills. Meg wants her interns to develop “a greater sense of self. A better understanding of the diverse field of archaeology, and hopefully, a better sense of if archaeology or another field is the right career path for them.” Personally, I think she’s succeeded.

Why should people, and especially 4-Her’s, care about archaeology and history? Meg says that she thinks “of archaeology as a pathway to shed light on the unwritten past, and to provide a greater understanding of past peoples and the deep history of places. There is so much that we don’t know. So many individual stories and events that were not recorded in history books, or through other methods. Archaeology can help illuminate voids in our knowledge about the past.” Understanding our past can give us a better vision of our present and hope for our future. We aren’t so different from the people here before us, and we should keep this in mind as we learn and study. Archaeology is a fun and dynamic career, with jobs all over the world. Archaeology uses a lot of different subjects, including math, science, history, writing, and even art. Every day is different, exciting, and challenging.

4-Her’s can get involved in archaeology! There’s no age limit, and SCDNR has had volunteers as young as two or three years old. If you want to be an archaeologist, Meg says that you should be eager to learn, have a sense of adventure, and an inquisitive nature.