This award provides support to continue a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site through the Department of Pathology at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Students will be trained in anthropometry, osteopathology, tissue sample collection, trace metal and stable isotope analyses, and biological differentiation of skeletal samples as tools for studying adaption to physical and cultural environments through time. Such experiences have proven useful to students majoring in anthropology, biology or ecology and interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary approach towards a common objective--namely, paleodietary reconstruction. Undergraduate students from these fields will work together as a team to realize this common goal. They will acquire invaluable experience in the filed and subsequently in the laboratory as the data are collected and analyzed. The U.S. institutions involved will be collaborating with the University of Tarapaca in northern Chile. The faculty team has established a well-defined research project for undergraduate training in paleonutrition reconstruction based on well-preserved mummies and skeletal remains spanning the last 8,000 years from northern Chile. The students will learn how to formulate and test hypotheses, they will learn new techniques and be in a position to assess the value of these techniques for future studies.
