INTRODUCING THE AIA-NYS SCHOLARS RECIPIENTS - COHORT VI (2024-2025)
The AIA-New York Society is pleased to introduce our newest cohort of Scholars. Our sixth cohort consists of six students from colleges and universities throughout the five boroughs. Our Scholars receive membership into the Archaeological Institute of America and a subscription to the American Journal of Archaeology and Archaeology magazine; they are invited to report on their archaeological work in our Newsletter; and they attend various lecture-meetings of the AIA-NYS. Each spring, members of this Scholars cohort are eligible to apply for a $1500 scholarship to support their participation in an excavation project, field school, or other archaeological research endeavor.
Siena Cohen-Parikh, NYU
Siena Cohen-Parikh is a junior studying Global Public Health, Anthropology, and Ancient Studies at New York University. She has excavated at and worked as a research assistant for the Lyktos Archaeological Project (LAP). She is particularly interested in cultural heritage and bioarchaeology, and aims to pursue a graduate or law degree with a focus on protecting sites and artifacts as well as promoting the rights of local indigenous and stakeholder populations.
Asli Erem, Hunter College
Aslı Erem is a MA student studying at Hunter College CUNY, majoring in Anthropology. Her interests consist of lithics, zoo-archaeology, and osteology. Her goal is to incorporate cultural heritage, preservation and digital archaeology ethically within her work. For the summer of 2021 and 2022, she had the opportunity to participate in excavations at Nixtun Chi’ch’, a Middle Pre-Classic Maya site located in Petén, Guatemala. In the summer of 2025, she will participate in two field projects: one in Northern Mongolia and the other at an ancient site called Phoenix in Marmaris, Turkey. She is also currently working on her graduate thesis paper, which involves a thorough analysis of various lithic artifacts excavated over the years at Nixtun-Chi’ch’.
Brenna Gomez, Bard Graduate Center
Hello, my name is Brenna Gomez and I am currently a first-year MA student at Bard Graduate Center. My research focuses on ancient jewelry and its production center in the Roman world, and investigate how they contributed to identity formation in the ancient Mediterranean. I previously attended the University of Virginia where I received my BA in Art History and Archaeology. I have excavated with the Caesarea Coastal Archaeological Project as a field school student and then again as a lab supervisor. I am currently planning to gain more hands-on experiences with archaeological materials by joining other excavations and participating in research-based internships.
Melvin Mofus - City College of New York
Hello, my name is Melvin Mofus, I am 22 years old, and I am a recent graduate of the City College of New York. My passion for anthropology began after having a discussion with an anthropology professor who introduced me to the idea of social change through anthropology. My research passions are in the archaeology of sub-Saharan Africa, specifically West Africa, as I am Nigerian American. For me, connecting with the archaeology of Africa was a way to connect with my heritage but also to utilize it as a means of decolonization and restorative justice. I recently completed a two month internship at the New York City Archeological Repository and, in the future, I would like to get more involved with archaeological research and advocacy in Nigeria and broader West Africa!
Talia Sankari, NYU-ISAW
Talia Sankari is a first-year PhD student at NYU's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. She is interested in the bioarchaeology and paleopathology of the ancient Levant and Eastern Mediterranean, and hopes to study human skeletal remains within their burial contexts to answer questions about life, death, ancestry, religion, and burial practices in the ancient world.
Roxanne Zaroff, Columbia University
Roxanne Zaroff is a senior studying Ancient History & Archaeology and Classical Studies through Columbia University's Dual BA Program with Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests lie in the archaeology and history of Hellenistic Anatolia and the Aegean, particularly the iconographies of religious syncretism and the historical significance of its appearances on coinage. She has excavated with the Antiochia ad Cragum Archaeological Research Project in Gazipaşa in Antalya, where she also served as a numismatic assistant, Columbia University's excavations at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, and most recently, the Sector B of the Lyktos Archaeological Project in Crete, where she served as a trench supervisor. After graduation, Roxanne hopes to pursue a PhD in Classical Archaeology. She engages with archaeology in New York City by volunteering with the Columbia Department of Archaeology's weekly labs and is currently taking a class at the American Numismatic Society.
