MRI: Acquisition of a Ground Penetrating Radar for Interdisciplinary Studies in Anthropology and the Geosciences

Ball State University, Muncie IN

Investigators

Abstract

"Seeing the unseen" is an increasingly important aspect in the application of science and technology to the management of cultural and natural resources. Using geophysical instruments, anthropologists, geologists, and resource managers can directly measure properties of the buried environment without damaging our shared resources. The acquisition of a Utility Scan System, SIR 4000 ground penetrating radar (GPR) with NSR-MRI funds by the Departments of Anthropology and Geological Sciences at Ball State University (BSU) allows the Investigators and community partners to identify hidden aspects of the environment at the intersection of geoscience and the study of the human condition. This acquisition advances both the practical student education and research aims for several projects. This complements existing geophysical equipment, streamlines and improves several existing course offerings, diversifies and strengthens hands-on training, and expands the services that are provided to the University, industry, and regional communities. The researchers have a record of active engagement and recruitment of underrepresented groups. BSU, with +21,000 students, is a Carnegie Research University with High Research Activity that emphasizes a diverse and dynamic student body. BSU is a proven leader in diversity, including engagement of veterans, minority ethnicities, international students, and first-generation college students. The researchers on this NSF-MRI project incorporate faculty and professional staff expertise that straddles academic, government, and private sectors. The GPR will be maintained by the Applied Anthropology Laboratories, a university-designated Knowledge Unit that engages in externally-supported research, as well as cultural and environmental resource contracts with the mission of advancing student training in mastering of marketable skills. A sample of research activities and services that will be enhanced by this GPR acquisition include: - Investigation of Midwestern historic landscape and battlefield archaeology features, - Investigation of Middle Woodland settlements structure around the unique Anderson Mounds complex (12M2), - Investigation of Fort Ancient village structure in southern Ohio and southeastern Indiana, - Mapping of historic saltpeter mining operations in caves of the Midwest and the Appalachians, - Identification of shallow karst features, in the young carbonates of Florida and the Bahamas, - Mapping the freshwater lens and the magnitude of tidal pumping in coastal carbonate aquifers, - Assist with utility locates during maintenance, construction projects, and historic preservation projects in coordination with BSU Office of Facilities Planning and Management and local governments, - Locating the lost caves of Mounds State Park, Anderson, Indiana, and - Evaluating cultural resources (NHPA Section 106, NEPA) in consultation with local, regional, and federal agencies.