November 2011 - Student of the Month - Kurt Rademaker

Kurt Rademaker, an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. student is the Graduate School's November Student of the Month.

Graduate School:  Where are you from originally?

Rademaker:  I moved to Maine from Kentucky after working as an archaeologist in a lot of places in the U.S.

Graduate School:  What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?

Rademaker: I attended the University of Kentucky, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology in 1997.

Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?

Rademaker: UMaine has one of the few interdisciplinary programs in the country where archaeology and earth sciences are combined – this kind of perspective is really effective for understanding the long-term evolution of landscapes and the relationship between people and their environments, both past and present – that is my main interest as a scientist. 

Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?

Rademaker: I am in my final year as an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. student in Geoarchaeology. My home departments are Anthropology, Dept. of Earth Sciences, and Climate Change Institute. 

Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?

Rademaker: I hope to get a tenure-track professor position in a beautiful, rural area of the U.S. starting Fall 2012.

Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?

Rademaker: Realizing my own independent research in the remote Peruvian Andes is one of my most important accomplishments. My PhD dissertation field work has involved the discovery and excavation of the world’s highest-elevation ice age archaeological site - “Cuncaicha” is a rock shelter (shallow cave) at 4500 m (about 14,750 feet) elevation dating to about 12,500 years ago. The site is special because it stands to tell us much about environmental conditions in the Andes at the end of the ice age, the timing and process of human settlement of the Americas, as well as the evolution of humans’ physical capacity to live in high mountains. 

Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?

Rademaker: I’ve gone on 12 field expeditions in the last eight years, and I would guess that during that time I’ve spent about two years of my life living in a tent in the high Andes, getting to know traditional Andean pastoralists, and working with fellow grad students from UMaine and other institutions. It’s been fun to assemble teams of people who have different interests and specializations and go to work solving common research problems. Also, I’ve been fortunate to teach courses in the Department of Anthropology. That has been very rewarding.

Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?

Rademaker: The college forest. I live in Old Town and walk to and from school every day with my dogs. I have the best commute in the world! I love to ski the trails in the winter.

Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?

Rademaker: I am proud to have received both national graduate student awards in Geoarchaeology in 2008 – the Society for American Archaeology Douglas C. Kellogg Award and the Geological Society of America Claude C. Albritton Award. I have written a lot of grant proposals while in grad school, and while I have not always been successful on the first try, I’m lucky to have received just about every small grant possible.