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Quinn-Monique Ogden - Episode 61
57 Plays7 years ago
Profiles in CRM features short interviews with CRM professionals from all experience levels and educational levels. I ask a standard list of questions and see how each person answers them based on their experience.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsor
00:00:00
Speaker
You are listening to the Archaeology Podcast Network. The Archaeology Podcast Network is sponsored by Codify, a California benefit corporation. Visit codify at www.codifi.com.
Purpose of 'Profiles in CRM'
00:00:15
Speaker
This is Quinn Monique Ogden, and you're listening to Profiles in CRM. Welcome to Profiles in CRM, Episode 61.
00:00:25
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Profiles and CRM asked CRM professionals nine simple questions. The answers vary wildly depending on their experience and education. Because of the nature of contract archaeology and how small this field really is, some people choose not to reveal their name or the company they work for. Stay to the end of the show to hear how you can have a chance to answer these same questions. Okay, we're here on Profiles and here is the first question.
Ogden's Background and Work History
00:00:46
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What is your name and who do you work for? Um, I'm Quinn Monique Ogden and I work for S&ME Inc. out of Charleston.
00:00:55
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Okay, and what is the highest degree that you've earned? I earned my master's degree at Hunter College in New York City and my BA at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire. Awesome, okay. And how long have you been working in Sierra? I would say about 12 years. Okay. On and off. Nice, nice. Everybody's on and off in this field. And where
Significant Projects and Contributions
00:01:21
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have you worked? Like what states have you worked in?
00:01:23
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All over the nation, I've done a large-scale cemetery relocation in Philadelphia. I did a fish dam site in New Hampshire. I did the World Trade Center recovery project in New York City. Several DOT projects in New Jersey, in North Carolina. Cell towers in Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky. I did St. Catherine's Island, Georgia. That wasn't CRM.
00:01:52
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military bases, Fort Stewart in Georgia, Avon Park Air Force Base in Florida, Sumter, and Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina, and some other projects in and around Ohio, West Virginia, and Mississippi, California, Arizona, and there's probably a couple more. Nice. I was going to say all East Coast until you threw in California and Arizona.
00:02:19
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Yeah. Mostly, mostly East coast, a little bit of Midwest. Um, but yeah, mostly East coast. Cool. Sounds good.
Role and Projects in Charleston
00:02:26
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All right. So what is the position that you usually have on CRM projects and what is the highest position you've ever held? And this usually refers to, you know, field tech through PI sort of thing. Yeah. Um, my current position is probably the highest position I ever held. And it's a projects archeologists. Um, also field director, depending on the situation. Mm-hmm.
00:02:46
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Okay. All right. So those are the setup questions. The following are those slightly more, um, fun questions. So what is the best thing that's happened to you that's related to being an archeologist and this can be, um, personal or professional. Sure. Um, I found a site, um, in Charleston, South Carolina, where we had, uh, three semi subterranean structures. Um, they had components of late archaic early Woodland.
00:03:14
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as well as some middle and late woodland components. Our staff convinced our clients to put in a conservation easement around these structures to protect the area for further research, which was a really big one for us, because that doesn't normally happen on Sierra projects. Something we were very excited about. Nice. That's pretty cool. Yeah, you're right. Especially in the East Coast, it's usually just throw more money at it and dig it up.
00:03:41
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Yeah. Yeah. So that's exciting. Yeah. Okay.
Ordinance Advocacy in Savannah
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Um, what is the biggest thing that you would change that would make being a CRM archeologist better? Um, right now the current change I'm, uh, hoping for and, uh, helping to establish is, uh, an ordinance in, uh, Savannah, Georgia to protect the archeological resources. Um, it's really shocking that somewhere like Savannah doesn't have a law protecting its archeology and, uh,
00:04:12
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I'm currently working with members of the Coastal Georgia Archaeological Society to just gather up support and get a petition signed. We currently have over about a thousand signatures so far and we're trying to get more. And beginning of next year, we're planning on meeting with the mayor and the city council to educate the public a little bit more on the importance of CRM archaeology and
00:04:38
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especially in a place like Savannah, since it's one of the most intact historic cities in the nation.
00:04:43
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Yeah. Well, and for our listeners, so they understand where we're coming from here. We're recording this in our early December, 2016, but this podcast isn't going out until 2017. So hopefully by the time the show comes out, you were successful and maybe have some other updates so people can check that out online. Cause I think the first time when I, and I saw you, you were posting about the Savannah stuff on Facebook. So hopefully there's more information that'll be out by then.
00:05:12
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fingers crossed. Yeah. There you go. Okay. Um, what is your career goal in CRM?
Advice for Aspiring Archeologists
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Where do you, uh, where do you see yourself in 20 years? Um, well, kind of along the same lines, what I was just talking about, just kind of getting involved with protecting, protecting our jobs more in the coming years. Um, it's, uh, just being more educational and educating the public and.
00:05:34
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political leaders, just about the importance of archeology and CRM in general. Awesome. All right. Final question. If you could give an undergrad thinking about a career in CRM, one piece of advice, what would it be? Um, I would say try to go out on a CRM project during your summer vacation, make sure you really love what you do. Cause you really have to love CRM to stick with it. And also while you're in school, try to pick up, um,
00:06:04
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helpful skill like GIS or database management, photography, maybe some drone activities or public archaeology, even some remote sensing, anything to sort of help you in the professional world that'll give you a leg up as opposed to other people that don't have those skills.
00:06:29
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After finishing your undergrad, I wouldn't suggest going directly into your master's program. Definitely get some time in the field, just because I've had bosses in the past that never step foot in the field from, you know, they went directly into PhD without, into CRM, doing any CRM, and they just didn't know how to make decisions, and they were looking to the field techs to help them out.
00:06:57
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I don't know, field experience I think is the most important key for anybody coming into CRM.
Conclusion and Credits
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Show notes for this and all episodes can be found on the Archaeology Podcast Network website at www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/. At that page you'll also find a form that you can fill out so you can be interviewed on the show. Interviews take less than 30 minutes and you don't need any special equipment. Thanks for listening and I'll see you in the field.
00:07:30
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The show is produced by Chris Webster and Tristan Boyle and was edited by Chris Webster. This has been a presentation of the Archaeology Podcast Network. Visit us on the web for show notes and other podcasts at www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com Contact us at chrisatarchaeologypodcastnetwork.com