William E. Taylor Prize awarded to
Archaeology researcher Laura Smith
Gatineau, Quebec, March 29, 2005 — Laura Smith, a doctoral student at the University of California, Davis, is the 2005 recipient of the William E. Taylor Research Award. This $5,000 award is presented each year by the Canadian Museum of Civilization to recognize excellent research undertaken by a young scholar in the fields of Arctic Archaeology, Anthropology, History or Native Studies.
Laura Smith, originally of North Bay, Ontario, was chosen from a field of fourteen applicants. Her project, Prehistoric Coastal-Interior Interactions in the Western Arctic: the Enigma of Old Whaling, investigates a poorly understood and potentially important period in the early history of Inuit culture. The early development of an Arctic maritime way of life fascinated William E. Taylor fifty years ago, and Smith’s project is one in which he would surely have shown an interest.
The William E. Taylor Award was established by the Canadian Museum of Civilization in memory of former Director and Arctic scholar William E. Taylor, Jr. A renowned archaeologist and a tireless proponent of public education, Dr. Taylor headed the Archaeology Division at the former National Museum of Canada in the 1960s and helped found the Canadian Archaeological Association.
Two former winners of the award are currently undertaking research in the Archaeology and History Division at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Dr. Matthew Betts, winner of the 2003 award, holds a post-doctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and is continuing his examination of the history of the Mackenzie Delta region of the Western Arctic. Karen Ryan, the winner of the 2004 award, is assisting on the Museum’s Helluland Archaeology Project, which is investigating early contacts between Europeans and the indigenous peoples of the eastern Arctic.
Media Information:
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7167
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Fax: (819) 776-7187
|
|
