Benjamin Vining

Principal Investigator and Lab Director

I am interested in issues related to global change, how past land use has created anthropogenic environments, and past climate-culture interactions.  My research combines satellite remote sensing and GIS with geological and archaeological data, to reconstruct localized environmental change during archaeological periods and to understand how the environments past societies shaped likely responded to climate variability. I am particularly interested in how long-term land use results in anthropogenic ecological networks, and how it may track with climatic variations. 

The work done through my lab highlights how archaeological societies can help us address contemporary global change.  They provide models for dealing with changing climates.  Further, the anthropogenic environments created by past groups can have persistent effects on ecology and biodiversity.  My research also considers how archaeological heritage intersects with contemporary global change issues, such as water security and natural resource exploitation.

Samuel Martin

Doctoral Student

Samuel’s research interests include assessments of seasonal water management using geospatial analysis, and examining site-specific, urban administration of hydrological resources in western Amazonia, the Andes, and central Anatolia. His current research uses 3D methodologies to study copper ingots from a Bronze Age shipwreck on the southern coast of Turkey.

Seth Price

Doctoral Student

Seth’s research focuses on major climatic events and marginal landscapes, using GIS, modeling, and remote sensing methods to investigate how past humans modified and were shaped by semi-arid environments in the Mediterranean and Peru.  

Aubrye Keeling

Undergraduate Researcher

Aubrye is a senior working towards a BS in Anthropology with a minor in Geography, planning to graduate in December of 2017. After graduation, she is looking to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration in hopes of working to bridge research and technology used in the subfields of anthropology to civic education. Her goal is to be able to work with communication and development sectors of museums prioritizing public accessibility and the engagement of underserved communities.

Rachel Handloser 

Undergraduate Researcher

Rachel is a pre-medical student, interested in neonatal intensive care and early child development.  In the lab, she is looking at evidence of environmental pollution from mining activities preserved in Laguna Sausacocha sediments, and how this pollution might pose risks to contemporary populations around the lake.       

Chase Jones 

Undergraduate Researcher

Chase’s interests include landscape archaeology, geospatial analysis and applying dendroclimatology to archaeology. He is currently using GIS and remote sensing to study how modern land use impacted archaeological sites in the Chicama Valley, Peru. He is pursuing a B.A. in anthropology with a minor in sustainability. After he graduates, he plans to pursue a masters in geography and continue using GIS to understand human-landscape interactions. 

Emma de Orbegozo

Undergraduate Researcher

Emma’s interests include geospatial analysis, conservation, and landscape archaeology.  She is currently working on developing a systematic approach to identifying preserved and destroyed archaeological sites in the Chicama Valley of Peru from historical aerial and satellite imagery, and is studying the effects of industrialized agriculture on these sites.  She is pursuing a B.A. in Anthropology and a minor in Religious Studies. After she graduates in December 2019, she plans to pursue a masters in either Historic Preservation or GIS.