NSF Award
0963268
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).<br/><br/>This project is to renovate an anthropology research complex in the Godfrey Anthropology Building on the campus of Beloit College. The research laboratories that will be modernized include an archaeology workspace/laboratory, an analytical wet laboratory, and a museum laboratory which is adjacent to the College's Logan Museum of Anthropology. The renovation includes optimization of the laboratory floor space, installation of climate control to bring temperatures and relative humidity to an acceptable range for anthropological research, storage cabinets for reference and research collections, electrical and lighting upgrades to improve visibility and safety, and installation of research work stations.<br/><br/>The renovated research laboratories will be used for active research projects on faunal and human-osteological remains, archaeobotanical material, Paleolithic collections, and ethnographic materials. Improved access to research and reference collections by faculty, students, and visiting scholars, adequate work spaces for collaborative and concurrent projects, and dependable environmental control and security will enhance the research in these areas. Example of research studies that will be enabled include the role of exchange in the integration of Midwestern Middle Woodland communities, ca. 100 BC - AD 200, the analysis of macrobotanical remains from early agricultural communities in the Prairie Peninsula, the analysis of archaeological remains from areas around burial mounds in the local region, and the settlement patterns of Woodland inhabitants.<br/><br/>The renovations will greatly enhance Beloit College's capacity to train future anthropology doctoral candidates. As the baccalaureate origin of more anthropology Ph.D. graduates than any other independent, four year liberal arts college, Beloit College's students pursue a range of original anthropology research projects that strengthen their ability to design a research project, interpret data, and present research results. The renovated anthropology laboratory complex will transform student engagement by facilitating difference modes of research training including one-on-one student-faculty mentoring, small group collaborations, and independent research. The renovated facility will also enable a range of collaborative research projects with visiting scholars working with the Logan Museum of Anthropology.
