REU: Undergraduate Research Experience in Application of Geophysical Methods to the Archaeology of Late Prehistoric Central Indiana

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

This project is a research experiences for undergraduates (REU) site in Archaeology/ Geophysical Applications at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne. The site offers 10 undergraduate students eight weeks of hands-on training at a late-prehistoric site in Central Indiana. Intellectual Merits- Students, in conjunction with faculty mentors, develop their own project designs, data collection, analysis and interpretation using geophysical prospection and ground-truthing. Research projects focus on the processes of ethnogenesis among Late Prehistoric frontier societies. Intensive remote sensing in conjunction with small, targeted excavations allows for the conducting of archaeological research with minimal impact on non-renewable cultural resources. Broader Impacts- The proposed project offers a unique opportunity for undergraduates to work with state-of-the-art equipment. Data gathered by the students will be integral to the greater research program at the Strawtown Koteewi archaeological park, and will be used in displays for and presentations to the general public in collaboration with the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department. A strong ethics component provides training for students in stewardship, cooperative resource management, and issues of presenting the past both to an academic and general public audience.