Anthropology alum turns Army If Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie could get soldiers stationed at Fort Campbell to leave the arrowheads where they find them, she would be a happy archaeologist. “We try to teach them, if you find something, please let us know. You’re not in trouble if you find it, as long as you don’t put it in your pocket and try to sell it on eBay,” she joked. There are strict federal guidelines governing the handling of cultural resources, like old Native American arrowheads, on federal land. As an archaeologist at the United States Army’s Fort Campbell, Sorensen-Mutchie is responsible for helping Army personnel comply with those rules.
in anthropology in 2005. During her time on campus, Sorensen-Mutchie worked with UWM’s Cultural Resource Management program, a contractual arm of the anthropology department that helps public and private agencies asses the impact of any new building on cultural resource sites, per federal and state law. “I was attracted to the hands-on experience that you could get through UWM’s lab and field work,” she said. “Those opportunities became invaluable when it came to entering the workforce.”
Sorensen-Mutchie’s husband is a soldier, so her jobs followed his postings. When he was stationed in “The regulations are in place so that we can have the Maryland, she worked first for a private firm and then chance to record and preserve these archaeological or doing cultural resource management for the Maryland architectural resources,” she explained. “Say they want to State Highway Administration. When he was transferred put in a new neighborhood. We would have to make sure to Germany and later San Antonio, Texas, jobs were the area doesn’t have an archaeological site, or if there is harder to find. Instead, Sorensen-Mutchie volunteered at one, that we have a chance to record it before they put their museums on base, helping curate exhibits, guide visitors, buildings in. When soldiers are in the rear training area, we and manage the museums’ social media presence. try and guide them to where it would be okay to dig in their fighting positions and where we would prefer they wouldn’t, When her husband was posted to Fort Campbell in just because we know it’s a culturally sensitive area.” 2019, she was delighted to see a position open for an archaeologist. She applied and was thrilled to be hired. Sorensen-Mutchie is uniquely qualified for the job; she’s an archaeologist and an Army wife. Built over what was once Native American hunting land, Fort Campbell has its own cultural resource A Wisconsin native, she attended UW-La Crosse for her management program. The installation straddles the Bachelor’s degree where she majored in archaeology. Kentucky-Tennessee border and was built as an Army She continued her education at UWM, earning an MS
UWM Anthropology alumna Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie (left) smiles during an excavation for the Maryland State Highway Administration. Photo courtesy of Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie. 10 • IN FOCUS • May, 2020
