REU Site: Exploring Ancient Communities Through Archaeology

Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cortez CO

Investigators

Abstract

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). It has both scientific and societal benefits in addition to integrating research and education. This project actively engages undergraduate students from underrepresented communities across the nation in authentic archaeological research alongside professional mentors within the framework of a long-term research project. Students receive extensive preparation in STEM-based learning objectives necessary for future success within the scientific disciplines. Students gain necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to secure future employment within the sciences and to pursue advanced degrees, emerging as the next generations of professionals, tribal historic preservation officers, educators, and leaders. Students will: 1) Design and conduct empirically derived research; 2) Develop critical thinking skills; 3) Gain skills in excavation and survey methods and laboratory analyses; and 4) Learn and adhere to U.S. archaeological laws and ethics. Inferences generated about past human behaviors are generated to create a more robust understanding of the principles that govern culture change worldwide, address issues relevant to today’s societies, and provide critical information to guide future policy making. Through this project, the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center addresses broader anthropological research questions concerning human-environment interactions, the development of inequality/equality, the political role of community centers, and identity formation/dissolution. Its results have national and global impacts. Archaeology, more than any other scientific discipline, is best suited to study how humans engage with environmental and societal change, lending insights to modern-day issues that continue to resonate with populations across the world. By engaging in scientific research focused on broader anthropological questions, REU students advance and share knowledge of the human past and contribute to cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary research surrounding human actions in the past, present, and future. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.