Skip to content
The Bucher-Loewenstein Internship Award In Classics

A Museum Experience in Italy

  • Dates: May 13-June 14, 2024
  • Location: FSU Study Abroad Center in Florence and Cetamura del Chianti, Italy
  • Program Cost (Internship Amount): $9515
  • Coursework: Up to 6 undergraduate or graduate credits (see list below)
  • Internship winners will need to submit an application through International Programs to the Cetamura Program. There is a non-refundable application fee of $100.
Course
Title
Credits
ARH4941
Internship in Museum Studies
3-6
ARH5942
Internship in Museum Studies
3-6
ARH4173/5174
Studies in Classical Archaeology: Etruscan and Roman Artifacts***
3
ARH4932
Tutorial in Classical Archaeology: Archaeological Sites and Museums*
3
ARH5174
Studies in Classical Archaeology: Etruscan and Roman Artifacts***
3
ARH5934
Tutorial in Classical Archaeology: Archaeological Sites and Museums*
3

This museum scholarship, provided by a generous donation in the name of Suzanne Bucher and Robert Loewenstein to work on museology on the FSU Florence Study Abroad program and the Cetamura del Chianti excavations in Italy,  awards the full program fee of $9515 to cover expenses at these programs  in Italy over a 5-week period in May and June.

Each year there will be two scholars, who will assist with the creation and evaluation of museum-level displays on archaeology and art for the programs in Chianti and in Florence.  Students will also have the opportunity to train as docents in giving tours and making explanations of the displays and the archaeological site of Cetamura to visitors and small classes.

The successful applicant will normally meet the following requirements:

  1. GPA of 3.25 or higher
  2. Significant coursework in one or more of the following fields: Classics, Art History, Anthropology
  3. University status as graduate or junior/senior undergraduate student
  4. Clear indication on the application form (Statement of Purpose) of how the student expects to use the internship and make progress in a career in museum employment

The deadline for submission of a preliminary screening application form is November 15.  It is recommended to discuss your proposal beforehand with Dr. Nancy de Grummond, director of excavations at Cetamura,  in the Department of Classics:  [email protected].  The application will consist of a student information sheet, a Statement of Purpose, and two letters of recommendation sent directly to Dr. de Grummond.  Finalists for the scholarships will then be asked to upload their materials to a Florida State University Portal. 

The internship recipients chosen for the summer of 2020 were Conor Meade and Zackery Peterson. Due to the coronavirus they were unable to go to Italy to fulfill their projects.  Below are descriptions of their proposals and progress made in their research. 

CONOR MEADE, as a first year graduate student in the Master’s Program at FSU, began research on the usage of a portable device to acquire data through X-ray fluorescence (pXRF).  The instrument was acquired for a consortium of archaeology professors through an FSU equipment grant written by Dr. Elizabeth Murphy of the Classics Department.  She proposed to apply the device to reveal differences in ceramic content of two large storage jars excavated at Cetamura, called Dolio A and Dolio B [a.]. By determining the formula of each, she hoped to study hundreds of unclassified sherds and assign them to one or the other of the great jars.  She did have an opportunity to practice using the device working under the direction of Dr. Tanya Peres in the Anthropology Department at FSU.

Earlier Conor worked on creating a poster on Cetamura for the 3-D project called Printing the Past [c.]. 

ZACKERY PETERSON, a graduating senior in History,  always loved traveling to historical places and collecting historical artifacts.  He has a long-standing interest in military history and the Middle Ages.  Thus he chose a perfect topic for the Internship, trying to reconstruct a medieval castle that was evidently torn down in the 12th century as a result of military conflict. Zack studied castles of the Chianti area and the period, and created models which he then printed in 3-D.  Even though he did not get to go to Cetamura, he already made an important contribution to museum displays for the site.

The recipients of the internships for 2021, partially funded by scholarships from Dr. Rodney Reeves, were FSU Classical Archaeology majors Jamie Fontana and Nina Perdomo.  They created the exhibition at the FSU Florence Study Center: “Coins, Pots and a Castle at Cetamura del Chianti.”  Their project can be viewed in our Museum section. “Coins, Pots, and a Castle at Cetamura del Chianti” – Cetamura del Chianti Excavations and Research

The recipients of the internships for 2022 were Classics majors Holly Piper (grad) and Brittney Soukup (undergrad).   They created a new exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery at the FSU Florence Study Center on  Life in a Medieval Castle at Civitamura between Florence and Siena,  Their event can be viewed in our Museum section, Bucher-Loewenstein Show 2022 – Cetamura del Chianti Excavations and Research