Dear Colleagues:
We are writing to inform you about the third year of our National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU) titled “Multidisciplinary Training for Students in Environmental and Social Sciences through Archaeological Research.” Our program will immerse students in multidisciplinary training through archaeological, geophysical, and geoarchaeological research and represents a collaborative effort between the Departments of Anthropology and Earth Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the Indiana Geological Survey and Department of Geological Sciences at Indiana University-Bloomington. We seek your help in identifying well-prepared, motivated students from diverse backgrounds in Anthropology, Earth Science, Demography, Ecology, Geography, Geology and related disciplines.
Building upon the research conducted by REU Fellows during Years 1 and 2 of our REU, Year 3 participants will collect and analyze household and site-level data on warfare, anthropogenic transformation, and community organization at a Mississippian-era village on the Prairie Plains of west-central Illinois (Lawrenz Gun Club [11Cs4]). In the second phase of the project, participants will work with the research team to link these primary data with, for example, existing regional datasets on fluctuating climate and environmental factors, demographic change, regional settlement patterns and site histories, subsistence practices and diversity, and the ecological impacts of horticulture and agriculture to landscapes over the past 2,000 years. The interactions between students and among faculty from many fields will create a transformative experience for all. The NSF REU program is eight weeks long with four weeks of field work and four weeks in the laboratories at IUPUI. It will take place from early June through the end of July.
Participants will receive lodging for the eight weeks and a weekly stipend totaling $4,000. We will also provide support for travel to and from the REU field site and for attending the 2015 Midwest Archaeological Conference (Milwaukee, WI) to present their research. Details about dates, student support, eligibility, the application process, and other requirements can be found at https://www.indiana.edu/~angelreu/cms/
Ten undergraduate students will be selected for this intensive research program from the natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities. Students graduating in May or August of 2015 are not eligible to apply. During the program, students will start to think creatively about how the diverse methods and techniques they use can be applied to the range of research contexts they may encounter during their careers. We envision these contexts ranging from natural and cultural resource protection and management through transdisciplinary topics such as climate change, the Anthropocene and the impact of warfare on daily lives and communities. Importantly, students will gain a solid foundation in research and begin to form professional relationships that will serve them for the rest of their careers. Please feel free to pass this information and the attached advertisement along to academic advisors at your institution and well-prepared undergraduates who would both benefit from and add to our research project.
If you have questions or need further information, please contact us through AngelREU@iupui.edu or call 317-274-5787.
Sincerely yours,
G. William Monaghan Jeremy J. Wilson
Indiana Geological Survey Department of Anthropology
Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis
