Laura Lacombe Email & Phone Number

Newton, Massachusetts, United States

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Wrote and implemented conservation plan for archaeological tunnels and buried architecture in Copan, Honduras; Led team of Honduran technicians to create an accurate and complete digital 3D model of the tunnel system; Coordinated the conservation and reburial of a 20-foot long decorated stucco façade from Copan’s early ballcourt; Served on international committee that worked with Honduran government entities to conserve Copan’s tunnels; Coordinated, developed, and conducted international conservation training workshops for archaeologists, technicians, and site management professionals in Honduras and Guatemala; Outfitted brand-new laboratory for the conservation of sculpture and treatment testing, on-site in Copan; Planned and created 3D virtual tour of the Copan archaeological tunnels (In progress); Administered travel arrangements, budgeting, supply procurement for multiple field projects simultaneously.

Nyamata Genocide Memorial, Rwanda

Building upon preexisting knowledge of conservation practices in Rwanda and other developing countries, I collaborated with other preservation professionals to create a conservation plan for this important memorial site. Along with the conservation plan, I have organized and conducted conservation training workshops to involve local students and employees in the development and implementation of treatment strategies, in an attempt to build sustainability in the Rwandan conservation environment.

Woodruff Library

Provided complex library user services and research assistance to Emory University and its affiliates, including providing access to resources not available at Emory using specialized knowledge of complex computer programs and databases. Classified and catalogued donated gift books to add them to the library’s bibliographic database.

Bugesera, Rwanda

Conducted survey of existing masonry and adobe buildings on one of six National Genocide Memorials in Rwanda. Gave recommendations for conservation and repair of vernacular architecture from 1970’s; created interpretation and preservation guidelines for the design of a new memorial in conjunction with a small team at the University of Pennsylvania and a Rwandan governmental organization, Aegis Trust.

Hovenweep National Monument

Coordinated and implemented field testing of stone consolidation treatment program at Holly Tower, Hovenweep National Monument as a continuation of Masters’ Thesis research. Developed monitoring program for erosion processes to be followed by National Park Service staff.

University Of Pennsylvania

Assisted in data entry and processing at an organization dedicated to training and research in the conservation of the built environment. http://www.conlab.org

School Of Design

with coursework in architectural history, preservation theory, documentation, archival research, and a focus on conservation science and building pathology.

Winchester, Ma

Conducted tutoring sessions in math and sciences for students with debilitating health problems.

Research assistant to Dr. Evelyn Rattray, archaeologist at the Merchant's Barrio, Teotihuacan. Edited and compiled manuscript for her book entitled Excavations at the Merchant's Barrio, Teotihuacan: An Archaeological Reconstruction; helped to organize ceramic typologies demonstrating the multicultural inhabitants of the Merchant's Barrio.

Career Discovery Program in Architectural Design

Proyecto Arqueológico Rastrojon, CopanConducted excavations at the Maya site of Copan, in Western Honduras; categorized sculptural motifs and analyzed their iconographic importance.

Designed and implemented a training program teaching student workers to use Interlibrary Loan's request processing software, ILLiad.

Assisted in facilitating loans to Harvard libraries from national and international lending institutions

with coursework in Latin American studies, Central American archaeology (primarily the Maya and Teotihuacan), biological anthropology, and history of science. Excavations (Praxis courses) in Jordan, Honduras, and New England.

Learned techniques of museum conservation and artifact restoration, independently planned and curated exhibit entitled Harvard Yard: Unearthed, an educational exhibit detailing the past and present excavations of one of America's oldest colonial sites.

In collaboration with Barbara Fash and other Peabody staff members, organized and assistant-curated Fragile Memories, an exhibit that explored nineteenth-century excavation and resultant effects on community building in modern-day Copán.

M.S., Historic Preservation

Activities and Societies: Penn Preservation Student Association

Career Discovery Summer Program, Architectural Drafting And Design

Activities and Societies: Penn Preservation Students' Association

B.A., Anthropology

Activities and Societies: Callbacks co-ed A Cappella Group (President), Lowell House Crew (Captain)Thesis on Mayan imperial outreach.

Education record