Exploring Evidence of the Anthropocene: Archaeological and Ecological Interdisciplinary Research Experiences for First Generation Students in the Upper Mississippi River System

Southern Illinois University At Edwardsville, Edwardsville IL

Investigators

Abstract

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the SBE Directorate. As such, it has both scientific and societal benefits, and it integrates research and education. A growing number of scientists are suggesting that recent human alterations to the earth's biosphere have moved us into a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene, in which human activity is a major driver of environmental and ecosystem structure and function. Although recent environmental alterations dominate the discussion of the Anthropocene, people have used and modified the earth's ecosystems for millennia. The scientific and human challenges created by the Anthropocene will require researchers and citizens with STEM skills necessary to apply interdisciplinary scientific knowledge. Integrating archaeological and ecological data may provide new insights into the social context, timing, and regional variation of the Anthropocene. The goal of this REU site is to promote scientific skills and interdisciplinarity among first generation college students to prepare them to be thinkers ready to approach environmental challenges of the Anthropocene. Students will engage in an 8-week, archaeological and ecological interdisciplinary research project investigating deep-time evidence of the Anthropocene in the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). Working with scholars from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Illinois- Illinois Natural History Survey, and Western Illinois University, students will gain practical experience in field investigations, laboratory research, and data analysis contributing to a research program using interdisciplinary approaches to understand the context of the Anthropocene in the UMRS. Students of this REU site will research and contribute to an emerging body of literature that investigates the longevity of human interactions to river systems using ongoing long-term fish monitoring data and data documented in the fish remains from archaeological sites spanning millennia. Few studies have taken such a deep-time perspective within a regional ecosystem occupied by a range of sociocultural traditions. The research conducted by students of this REU site will use these data to examine evidence of the Anthropocene in the UMRS at new temporal and regional scales. By combining archaeological and ecological research tools, students enrolled in this REU program will gain interdisciplinary STEM and critical thinking skills needed by scientists and citizens to derive innovative solutions to confront challenges of the Anthropocene. This REU site will run for 8 weeks during the summer semester and students will be housed at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL.