The Erkut Arcak Fellowship was established in 2012 to honor the dynamic career of former NAP graduate student Erkut Arcak (1971-2001).  Erkut grew up in Ankara, Türkiye and graduated from Middle Eastern Technical University in 1996. In the 1990s Erkut participated in several INA field projects including the Black Sea survey and shipwreck excavations at Bozburun and Tektaş Burnu. In 1997, Erkut enrolled in NAP to develop his growing interest in Medieval and Ottoman ship construction. In 1999, with the help of committee chair Cemal Pulak, Erkut launched his thesis research on the construction of the Sultans’ galley, Kadirga.  Sadly, Erkut passed away suddenly in June 2001, just as he was completing his study of Kadirga.  Erkut will always be remembered as a passionate archaeologist, an avid scuba diver, and a wonderful student, friend, and teammate.  The Erkut Arcak Fellowship supports a NAP graduate student pursuing a research project in Türkiye.

We are pleased to announce the establishment, in 2026, of the Kevin Crisman ’84 Distinguished Endowed Scholarship in Nautical Archaeology, which will provide one or more scholarship(s) to full-time students in the Nautical Archaeology Program. Kevin himself earned an M.A. in the Nautical Archaeology Program, authoring a 388-page M.A. thesis on the brig Eagle, which fought in the Battle of Lake Champlain on September 11, 1814.  He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989 and returned to NAP as a faculty member the following year. During his 35-year career, Kevin directed field projects in Lake Champlain, the Great Lakes, and the Red River.  He designed and taught many graduate seminars including New World Seafaring, Outfitting and Sailing the Wooden Ship, and Maritime Communities. Kevin chaired 70 NAP graduate committees and mentored many more NAP students to professional success.

If you wish to support this scholarship, you can do so here.

In honor of Texas A&M University Professor Emeritus and MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” recipient, J. Richard “Dick” Steffy (1924-2007), the Institute of Nautical Archaeology established a scholarship to benefit NAP graduate students. Dick helped found NAP in 1976 and retired from TAMU in 1990 after a distinguished career of reconstructing ships from hull remains. He was best known for his extensive and pioneering work with the interpretation and reconstruction of the Kyrenia ship, but also contributed significantly to the Sea of Galilee boat, the Athlit ram, and the Herculaneum boat. Dick’s 1994 book, Wooden Shipbuilding and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks remains a seminal resource for NAP students and researchers around the world. The Steffy Scholarship provides funding to NAP students researching any aspect of ship construction, in homage to the man who pioneered this field of study.