INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Department of Public Works (Indy DPW), in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office and the Office of Finance & Management – Archives Program, announces the creation of Indy-ology, a hands-on youth archaeology learning experience this summer for up to eight Indianapolis high school students. This paid internship program is generously supported by the Bond Bank and Citizens Energy Group.
Construction on the White River Innovation District Infrastructure Project’s Henry Street Bridge has created an unprecedented opportunity to engage with local youth interested in STEM and cultural resource management. The City of Indianapolis is currently excavating burials at the site of the City’s first public cemetery. Included in this excavation are portions of two of the four cemetery sections: the Original/Old Burying Ground (established 1821) and the Union/New Burying Ground (established 1830s).
The project’s Community Advisory Group (CAG) has assembled an accomplished team of professionals, including historians, archivists, preservationists, archaeologists, and cemetery experts to contribute and advise on the project. The CAG’s goal is to develop a research anthology on these earliest citizens of Indianapolis – who they were, what their lives were like, and how Indianapolis changed over time. Indy-ology program participants will help with these monumental efforts.
Indy-ology was conceived for high school students who are interested in the STEM fields, and/or specifically in archaeology, anthropology, medicine, information science, and forensics. Nationally, but particularly locally, these fields lack diversity. Our aim is to create an opportunity for student workforce development with an emphasis on diversifying these fields.
The Indy-ology application opened on February 11 and is available through the City of Indianapolis’ job portal. Applications close on March 17. The program runs from late May to late July.
Participants and/or their guardians can learn more at two information sessions scheduled for February. The first session will be hosted virtually on Tuesday, February 25 at 5:30 p.m.; please RSVP at https://shorturl.at/OOKLy . The second session will be hosted in-person on Wednesday, February 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Crown Hill Cemetery’s Waiting Station, located at 3402 Boulevard Place.