Long-term Perspectives on Human-River Dynamics at the Confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers: Interdisciplinary Research for Students in Ecology and Archeology

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This project is supported under the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program, which is an NSF-wide program although each Directorate administers its own REU Site competition. This program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in an effort to introduce them to scientific research so as to encourage their continued engagement in the nation's scientific research and development enterprise. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects designed especially for the purpose. The REU program is a major contributor to the NSF's goal of developing a diverse, internationally competitive, and globally-engaged science and engineering workforce. The Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) sciences Directorate awarded this REU Site grant to the Center for American Archaeology with the goal of developing critical thinking proficiency, STEM skills, and scientific literacy that are necessary for undergraduate students to have successful careers in science and/or to make informed contributions to public dialogues about science. This REU Site provides instruction and practical experiences in 1) scientific problem-solving and hypothesis-testing; 2) research design and implementation; 3) data collection and analysis; 4) interpretation of results; and 5) professional and public communication of scientific knowledge within the context of a collaborative, multi-year interdisciplinary archeological/ecological project in which each student is involved for one year. The scientific process is best taught through immersive research experiences: thus, this REU site trains future scientists and scientifically savvy citizens in essential collaboration skills and the ways in which today's problems are informed through interdisciplinary research. This REU site, with a unique interdisciplinary focus on anthropological and ecological sciences, immerses undergraduate students in problem-oriented research and allows students to confront challenges inherit to both fields while teaching them to be critical evaluators of scientific information and preparing them for careers in the sciences. The aforementioned competencies are gained through participation in collaborative interdisciplinary archeological and ecological research investigating deep-time human-ecosystem interactions at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Integrating deep-time perspectives within current regional ecological models is keenly important as humans escalate modifications of riverine ecosystems. Human engagement with riverine systems and associated environments extends over millennia, yet our measurement of human impacts encompasses at most the late 19th century to the present. This leaves a markedly foreshortened perspective against which to measure effects of industrial farming, urban development, climate change, invasive species introductions, and other anthropogenic factors, on riverine ecosystems. Ecological science in general, as well as our understanding of river ecosystems, is characterized by an underdeveloped appreciation for the long-term presence of humans in this rich riverine landscape. The program is open to all college students, while targeting community college students and others with little experience or access to research opportunities. Recruitment is facilitated through institutional ties with Lewis & Clark Community College as the lead institution in a nine community college consortium located in eight states along the Mississippi River region.