Some local college students are getting their hands dirty, and it could help them land a full-time job.
Sweet Briar College in Amherst County is opening an Archaeological Materials Lab.
Students will process and catalog artifacts for school projects. They'll also be doing work for a Lynchburg business.
Hurt and Proffitt, an engineering firm, is teaming up with the school to make the new lab a "real world" experience.
Students will get paid to work on certain assignments for the company.
Archaeology student Elizabeth Baker hopes the experience will make her more competitive when she applies to graduate schools.
"If I hopefully get an interview with a school or anything, I think it's really going to show them that I'm really interested in the field, that it's what I want to do, and that I'm already doing it," said Baker.
"Hands on experience in a real work environment is pretty close to unique," said Keith Adams, a Sweet Briar College adjunct professor and supervisor of the new lab. "Most students normally wouldn't get this kind of exposure to contract archaeology programs until they get to graduate school."
Students who work in the lab may also be eligible to apply for jobs with Hurt and Proffitt after they graduate.
To learn more about the lab, visit the Sweet Briar College website.
