Fieldwork Opportunities for Students

Internships

Over the past few years a number of student internships have been provided in collaboration with government underwater cultural heritage management agencies such as Heritage Victoria, the Port Arthur Historic Sites Management Agency and the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service as well as museums such as the South Australian Maritime Museum . From 2007 this collaboration will expand to include the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) in Florida as well as Fieldwork practicums run jointly by the university and one or more of the agencies which will provide students with valuable fieldwork experience and to further develop their fieldwork skills. During the internships, students are usually able to conduct research for their own studies.

"During the summer of 2004-05, I was offered an internship co-sponsored by the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service and the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority. During the three months I spent in Tasmania, I was able to conduct research into various convict sites around Tasman Peninsula, as well as research and survey several shipwrecks around Tasmania - an opportunity I would not have had without the internship. I received a stipend for living costs and stayed in a cottage in the historic precinct of the Port Arthur Historic Site. This internship has certainly been one of the highlights of my postgraduate studies at Flinders University". Rick Bullers, MMA (Flinders).

"I completed an internship at the South Australian Maritime Museum during the university summer break of 2004-5. Under the supervision of curator Bill Seager, I assisted with the preparation of a museum exhibition entitled "Wrecked!" a thematic social historical view of shipwrecks along the South Australian coast. Some of the many tasks that I completed during my internship included: sifting through archives to locate primary sources, arranging object loans, writing exhibition labels and installing the exhibition in the museum. This complemented my research for my masters thesis "How are shipwrecks represented in museums?" The research allowance that I received during this internship provided for travel and living expenses over the summer break. I enjoyed doing my internship at the South Australian Maritime Museum, it gave me an insight into the workings of a museum and I was able to complete some of my own research at the same time!" Peta Knott, GDMA (Flinders).

Masters Classes

In addition to the courses offered to students in the Graduate Program, the Department of Archaeology conducts regular extra-curricular classes on a wide variety of topics to give students a diverse range of skills to offer potential employers. These classes are not part of the formal course and participation is not compulsory. However, most internal students have found that participation in the classes is highly beneficial. Classes held over the past 2 years have included:

Basic seamanship (students are taught basic boat handing skills and gain a recreational boat handling licence); History of ketches in the intracolonial trade; Use of underwater magnetometers; Basic photography; Taking and plotting ships' lines; Taking and processing photo mosaics; Advanced Diver and Rescue Diver courses; Senior First Aid training; DAN oxygen providers training Mudmapping exercises.

Field School

The annual Field Schools are an integral part of the Graduate Program in Maritime Archaeology at Flinders University. The field schools offer students the opportunity to learn all the basic field methods necessary to conduct underwater archaeology. To participate in the field schools, students must hold a minimum of Open Water Diver certification with at least 15 hours of logged bottom time. Previous field schools have been held at a wide variety of venues including Port Arlington, Victoria; Port Victoria, Victoria; Wardang Island, South Australia, Port Arthur, Tasmania, and Mount Dutton Bay and Victor Harbour, South Australia. The 2008 field school was held 4 - 18 February 2008 at Port Arlington, Victoria.

AIMA/NAS

The internationally recognized NAS (Nautical Archaeology Society) four part training program is seen as an important component of the practical training provided by Flinders University . Associate Professor Mark Staniforth (the current convenor of graduate studies in maritime archaeology at Flinders University ) was instrumental in bringing the NAS training program to Australia in the mid -1990s, he was the first NAS senior tutor in Australia and was involved in tailoring the NAS training program to suit Australian conditions - the AIMA/NAS training. Students who complete the Graduate Certificate in Maritime Archaeology, for example, also complete virtually all of the requirements for AIMA.NAS Parts 1, 2 and 3 certification - in order to complete the final requirement they just need to attend a suitable two-day conference.