Graduate student wins high praise for internship

Morgantown, WV, August 29, 2006:  For one Eberly College graduate student, the summer brought little in the way of relaxation. It did, however, bring the opportunity for a hands-on learning experience outside the classroom walls.

Hannah Cole, a graduate student in the Public History and Cultural Resource Management programs, completed a summer internship with Gray & Pape, a cultural resource consulting firm in Richmond, Va.

Cole spent three weeks in rural Greenbrier County, West Virginia, working on an architectural survey. Her work included speaking with residents and documenting nearly 300 historic properties.

“Prior to my internship with Gray & Pape, Inc., I had no idea of the immense scope of Public History and Cultural Resource Management. Through this opportunity, I came to realize how, in these fields of "applied" history, one truly has the ability to become proactive and witness results--the possibilities are endless," Cole said.

Lena Sweeten, senior principal investigator for the project, praised Cole’s work. “Hannah was energetic, enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and brought with her all of the skills that we needed to get the survey completed efficiently and effectively,” she said.

Gray & Pape, Inc., is a consulting firm specializing in full service cultural resources management (CRM) and historic preservation services. Established in 1986, the firm has conducted almost 1,000 projects. The firm operates offices in Richmond, Va., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Wakefield, R.I.

Cole was extremely appreciative of her internship experience. "The field experience was invaluable. I hope that my internship will lead to an ongoing relationship between the company and the Public History and Cultural Resource Management Masters Programs. I was the first WVU student to intern with them, but I certainly hope that I am not the last."

For more information about the Cultural Resource Management or Public History graduate programs, please contact Dr. Barbara Rasmussen at barbara.rasmussen@mail.wvu.edu or at 304-293-2421.

W-V-U