Summary: The Geography Department and Archaeology Program of California State University Long Beach (CSULB), working with archaeologists from the University of Hawaii, and local experts on Easter Island will build on an existing partnership to provide research and educational opportunities for undergraduate students in geospatial research and mapping utilizing cutting-edge geospatial technologies. The goals of the REU Site on Geospatial Research and Mapping on Easter Island (GRAM-EI) program include: (1) Increase the accessibility of basic and applied geospatial research for a greater number of undergraduate students, including underrepresented minorities; (2) Provide research results and information products to land managers that are derived from a combination of geospatial field data collection and analysis techniques; (3) Provide a venue for undergraduate students to partner with scientists and participate in geospatial analysis to answer fundamental archaeological research questions associated with Easter Island; (4) Provide future researchers and students with valuable long-term data sets to study fundamental processes of environmental change and evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies, and; (5) Increase the awareness by undergraduates of the career potential of geospatial technology and the geospatial sciences.
GRAM-EI students will participate in a summer field research experience on Easter Island, Chile. Students will apply concurrent or previous training in various geospatial techniques during the summer research experience by conducting field and laboratory based research on the island. GRAM-EI research will focus on the natural resource and archaeological mapping and analysis needs of the Corporacion Nacional Forestal (CONAF) as well as the ongoing archaeological research of GRAM-EI Co-I Dr. Carl Lipo and his research colleague and GRAM-EI collaborator Dr. Terry Hunt.
Intellectual Merit: This REU Site project will emphasize the use of geospatial techniques to aid hypothesis driven geospatially based natural resource and archaeological research and mapping. The natural resource-focused research will contribute to improved understanding of long-term changes in vegetation cover dynamics, natural hazards, non-point source pollution and surface water quality. The archaeological research focus will contribute to improved understanding of settlement chronology and resource utilization prior to European contact. Easter Island provides a field laboratory replete with archaeological and natural resource-based research opportunities. This project will provide a framework for geospatial analysis of the landscape that introduces undergraduate students to technology and the culture of research while providing the tools and methods required to map, monitor, and analyze patterns and environmental processes.
Broader Impacts: In addition to the fundamental and far-reaching impacts of a well-designed REU Site, the proposed geospatial research and mapping will provide baseline data and contribute to ongoing environmental and ecological monitoring for an island which has been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. GRAM-EI research will support the data collection and research needs of the CONAF by establishing a four-year mapping and analysis program. This will provide the foundation for a long-term environmental and ecological monitoring program that can include future student and faculty research. Contributions to the understanding of the chronology of settlement, demographics of prehistoric populations, and the relationship between the inhabitants and their environment will constitute a significant contribution to the archaeological body of knowledge. Information on land cover dynamics, and hydrologic processes in the national park will benefit the management of this World Heritage Site thus linking scientific knowledge with societal benefit at both the local and global level. The research experience will improve students' knowledge and skill in geospatial technologies and produce important geospatial information while providing exposure to research career opportunities in the geospatial technology-related fields.
This project is co-funded with the Office of International Science and Engineering (Americas Program).
