Previous Internships

Public Relations/ Marketing/ Journalism

Natalie Doyle, a Communications major from Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), honed her public relations and marketing skills as a Mound House intern. Her project was to gather data about how other historical and environmental sites in the area operate including visitation, marketing plans, programmatic offerings and fees, and other information. Residents and visitors to south Florida alike have a variety of options to visit places that are historically, environmentally, or archaeologically based. Natalie investigated how best the Mound House fits into this web of public resources and helped develop a marketing plan for the center.

FGCU Journalism and English majors Christina Gerwitz and Amber Wynn, respectively combined passions for writing, anthropology, and working with the public through Mound House internships. Amber and Christina wrote articles and informational pieces to educate the public about the Mound House's history and current activities or events. Submission of these articles to local newspapers and the Mound House newsletter raised public awareness about the site. At the time of her internship, Amber planned to go into education as a career and stated "the opportunity to transform scientific and historical information into interesting and understandable articles is a valuable experience." Christina also participated in ongoing archaeological excavations at the site to gain background information for many of her newspaper pieces. Eckerd College Communications graduate Tamsyn Pyper held a similar internship, focusing her writing on articles for the Mound House Happenings newsletter.

Archaeology

Regan McBride, a Liberal Studies major from FGCU, worked primarily in the Mound House's Archaeology Lab where artifacts like pottery from site excavations are reconstructed by volunteers. Regan also designed a series of archaeology 'day camps' for school children to be held in March in connection with the State of Florida's Archaeology awareness month. Regan found her internship at the Mound House rewarding because she could see "public interest and respect for preserving cultural resources raised in visitors and volunteers" and now works at the facility guiding educational programming, website development, and grant reporting.
FGCU Anthropology majors Deena Woodward and Corey Foster interned during archaeological excavation of the Calusa shell mound exhibit. This hands-on opportunity provided experience in archaeological methods, laboratory analysis, and working with and scheduling volunteers. Deena later conducted her senior project on a historical archaeology excavation at Mound House associated with the house restoration.

History

History majors from Florida Gulf Coast University have gained research experience with primary sources while building the archives at Mound House. John Crayton spent a semester scouring through mortgage and deed records and newspapers from the 1920s. His research corresponds with the time period when the Mound House was expanded into a full two-story house by Jack DeLysle. John presented a summary of this research at the Estero Island Historic Society. Additional research on Jack DeLysle has been conducted by University of South Florida Anthropology major Denys Beecher and University of Florida History major Angel Thomas.

Christine Merchant, a History major at Florida Gulf Coast University, researched the activities of the James Foundation at the Mound House between 1947 and 1951 and developed an archive of newspaper records and correspondence from this era. This research was continued by fellow student Chris Tenn providing further insight into the life of Dr. Robert James. During this time he also wrote articles for local papers with information pertaining to the Mound House, its significance as a cultural resource, and the work being done to preserve and enhance the site as a valuable property for the local community. Following graduation, Chris continued with the site as an archaeological intern, working on the archaeological excavation underneath a swimming pool once constructed in the Calusa Shell Mound.

Education & Programs

William Moss, a Liberal Studies major and Anthropology minor from FGCU focused his internship on simplifying cultural history and complex archeological concepts and methods into a standardized curriculum for fourth and fifth grade students who visit the Mound House on tours. He also provided adult tours of the facility and represented the Mound House at community education outreach events.

Scott Goodwin, an Environmental Studies major and Anthropology minor at FGCU, combined environmental science and public education in his internship. He assisted with a variety of activities including archaeology field work, environmental education programs for adults and children and photo documentation of projects at the site. The primary focus of Scott's internship was assisting in the production of a basic field guide to the common flora and fauna associated with Estero bay and an interpretive booklet on human-environmental interactions in southwest Florida over the last 6,000 years for use on water-based educational tours. Docent scripts for each of three kayak tour programs offered by the Mound House were further enhanced by the careful research of Anthropology major Bridgett Wheeler.

Ethnobotany

Misty Snyder, an Environmental Sciences major at FGCU with an interest in native plants, assisted the Mound House by providing a plant survey of existing vegetation and compiling literature references on the use of plants in the prehistoric and historic periods. This information provided valuable background data for the landscape architects producing a landscape master plan for the property. Fellow student Lance Anderson, an Anthropology major, continued this project by locating information related to the cultivation and use of specific botanicals, native and non native, by the residents of the Mound House property from the early pioneer period and the early 1920s. By compiling relevant newspaper articles, this internship has added data to Mound House archives that will be utilized to support interpretive signage on the property.