Suzanne Pilaar

Suzanne Pilaar is a senior double-majoring in paleoecology and in evolutionary anthropology. Recently, she was named one of three Gates Cambridge Scholarship recipients from Rutgers University—and one of 45 nationwide. The Gates Cambridge Scholarships, established in 2000 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, cover all fees and living expenses for a student's full-time master's or doctoral studies at Cambridge, one of the oldest and most esteemed universities in the English-speaking world.

Suzanne's impressive scholastic record, which includes conducting research at Rutgers, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the American Museum of Natural History in New York, as well as serving as president of the university's Anthropology Club, naturally set her apart from the more than 600 applicants for the scholarship. Before she begins her studies at St. John's College at Cambridge University, Suzanne agreed to answer some questions about her experiences here at Rutgers Cook College (now known as the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences) and her future plans.

What made you decide to come to Rutgers, and specifically to this school within Rutgers?

Rutgers was a clear choice for me. It was close, but not "too close" to home (I live about 45 minutes away in north Jersey), so I would be able to enjoy living independently on campus and be able to go home and visit my family and boyfriend, also in north Jersey. The price was right--didn't want to pay more to go to a private institution when I knew what I got out of Rutgers would be what I put into it. I liked the fact that I would have the advantages of a large research university at my fingertips. I chose Cook because it was centered on the natural sciences, and I knew I wanted to pursue something in that vein. I didn't know how much I would fall in love with Cook--there is a real sense of community among the students, faculty, and administration.

What are your research interests?

In general, I am most interested in understanding human ecology in the archaeological record and in developing better methodologies for analyzing human-environmental interactions and interpreting quantitative results to answer anthropological questions. Right now, I have been focusing on initial domestication of livestock in the Near East at the start of the Holocene (about 10,000 years ago) and trying to understand how inferences about subsistence patterns based on archaeological evidence can allow us to think about human mobility and impact on local and regional environments, and also relating that back to present-day manipulation of the environment by humans.

How did you become interested in this area of research?

I've always been interested in learning...just about everything! And I love the natural sciences. When I look back it seems almost a natural progression for me to be doing what I'm doing. I always aspired to become an archaeologist. As I became more and more interested in understanding how humans interact with their environment and how that's changed through time, and how culture plays into all that, it's amazing the kinds of questions you can come up with that have real bearing on the way we understand ourselves and our role in the environment today.

Who are your mentors and how have they helped you?

My greatest mentor and inspiration was [the late] Dr. Barbara Goff, who invited me after my first semester here to join the Cook Honors Program, which opened up a lot of research opportunities. She helped to me create my own interdisciplinary major here at Cook. Drs. Peter Smouse and Tim Casey at Cook have also been great mentors and friends. Over at the School of Arts and Sciences, in the Anthropology Department, my thesis advisor, Dr. Rob Blumenschine, and Dr. Jack Harris have also had a huge influence on my research pursuits and career goals. And at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Dr. Melinda Zeder has just taught me so much and been a really great mentor as well.

What will you be working on while at Cambridge?

I will be completing a master of philosophy (MPhil), which is a one-year degree, in Archaeological Science. The first term of study focuses on lectures and seminars in geoarchaeology, paleobotany, and zooarchaeology--using paleoenvironment to add another dimension of understanding onto sites. I'll then be conducting research and writing for the subsequent two terms. I will be spending this summer at a 4,000-year-old site called Tell Atchana in southern Turkey, so I may focus on my findings there for my research project at Cambridge.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Well, I intend on coming back to the United States (as of now, anyway) to earn a Ph.D. and complete a post-doc as well. In 10 years, I hope to be in a tenure-track position at a major research university like Rutgers, teaching, perhaps running a field school, doing my own research and maybe even being able to take on graduate students of my own. And I'd also like to have a home and be starting a family by then, too. That might be more like 15 years, though!

What will you miss most about Rutgers?

I would have to say the people. I have met so many interesting, different people here in a whole range of scenarios. I'll also definitely miss Cook Campus--the farm, Passion Puddle, and the whole experience. But you know, I'm pretty sure I'll be back, even if it's just for a visit!

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