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Year-Round Archaeology:Collier Lodge to Hard-Core Chemistry
Archaeologist and Associate Professor of Anthropology Mark Schurr is fascinated by evidence of Potawotami Native American settlements found near Collier Lodge, a former hunting lodge ten miles south of Valparaiso, Ind. At the site, Schurr works with anthropology students from the Department's archaeology field school and with volunteers from the Kankakee Valley Historical Society to uncover remnants of the Potawotami settlements.
Schurr's research at the Collier Lodge aims to determine if and how the Potawotami who settled there were successful at resisting government removal in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Research at the site has occurred since 2003, with volunteers often digging for several weeks each summer. Evidence collected at the site takes a year to organize and test as Schurr and his students attempt to answer questions regarding the communities that settled there.
"I have the chance to work with talented undergraduates who can perform at a high level," Schurr says of his students.
When inclement weather prevents Schurr from working in the field, he performs research that lies at the intersection of chemistry and archaeology. Together with Professor of Chemistry Robert Hayes and several students, Schurr reconstructs isotope ratios to determine if the diet of prehistoric people can be determined using charred remains. The Center for Environmental Science and Technology, where Schurr performs this research, is emblematic of the University's support.
"It's a great center for Arts and Letters faculty to do hard-core science... It expands our ability to answer the big questions."