145 Research Reflection by Samuel Enke

Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Watt (Environmental & Sustainability Studies, University of Utah)

The summer prior to my last year of undergraduate studies, I reached out to Dr. Brian Codding, a distinguished professor in the Anthropology Department, regarding the potential to begin archaeological research with his mentorship. He provided me with the opportunity to work through an unsorted box of artifacts that were excavated from a prominent Fremont site in the 1970s. I had lots of freedom during this project and this allowed me to experience unbounded research, guided purely by my fascination for the Fremont people. I’m incredibly grateful for this first step into the realm of undergraduate research, as it ignited my passion for this type of work.

During this initial research project, I was introduced to Dr. Jennifer Watt. She invited me to join ongoing research surrounding the Baja Peninsula, and ever since this moment, my interests and horizons within academia and scientific research have exponentially grown. In the Fall of 2024, I will begin a Master of Science in Geography here at the U. My focus will be on Baja Peninsula paleoclimate, and more specifically, I will be analyzing fossilized evidence of prehistoric shifts in regional ecology and wildfire. Without my initial undergraduate research experience in the summer of 2023, my professional future would be drastically different. I’m quite grateful for the opportunities which have been given to me, and I can’t wait to begin further research in the Fall!