Maren Svare, UNM Graduate Student, spends time researching at Chaco Culture National Park

November 25, 2014

Maren Svare is a graduate student at the University of New Mexico working on her master’s thesis in Anthropology and completing a graduate minor in Museum Studies.  Most recently, she has been doing fieldwork at Chaco Culture National Historic Park in Northwestern New Mexico.  Here, she is working on a project aimed towards understanding how visitors at Chaco utilize the interpretive materials provided by the National Park Service.  In particular, she is interested in gaining a better understanding of what visitors learn from the material provided.  To see Chaco from both a visitor’s and an interpreter’s point of view, Maren has conducted personal interviewed with park rangers, volunteers and visitors as well as developed a comprehensive visitor’s survey, which she has administered over several weekend visits.   Once she finishes her work at Chaco, she intends to present her completed research to the Park Service Staff at Chaco and at various academic conferences.