Best of CASE District VI Award
 

Institution: University of Missouri - St. Louis

Title of entry: Digging up the past

About this entry: University of Missouri–St. Louis Professor Michael Cosmopoulos is an internationally recognized archaeologist, known for his work unearthing the remains of the ancient Greek city of Iklaina and discovering evidence of the origins of a two-tiered system of government. His work has been featured in The New York Times, and he’s been inducted into various international academies, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada and the European Academy of Arts and Sciences. Our team has highlighted those honors and achievements. But on the heels of his induction as one of the “Immortals” in the famed Academy of Athens, we wanted to showcase Cosmopoulos in a new way – showing the impact his work has had on the educational experience of students. More than 500 students – both from UMSL and other institutions in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia – have studied at the field school at Iklaina and learned what it’s like to be part of an archaeological excavation. This feature showcased that experience through the eyes of two students from different backgrounds and with different academic interests. It showed both the challenges that come with rising early and working for long stretches in the hot sun and dirty, rocky terrain, but it also described the excitement of discovery and the bigger lessons each took away from being part of it. One couldn’t wait to go back. The other was happy to hang up his shovel but changed by being there at all.