Departmental News

Posted:  Feb 28, 2025 - 12:00am

Monica Warner, PhD candidate in the Archaeology subfield, has been awarded a residential internship at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) to study Strontium isotopes for her dissertation project titled Migration in Southeastern Maya Lowland Urban Communities during the Classic Period.

Her research will investigate migration to urban communities in the southeastern Maya Lowlands during the Classic Period, shifting from concepts of urban development and collapse to a focus on suitability factors that attracted migrants to these destinations. At MURR, Monica will receive hands-on training in strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotope analysis at the Archaeometry Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Virginie Renson. She will conduct sample preparation, dissolution, strontium extraction, and isotope measurement to generate the necessary data for her dissertation research. This prestigious opportunity will provide not only training but 87Sr/86Sr data analysis to assess migrants and their potential areas of origin. By identifying migrants and the factors that shaped their decisions, this study offers a deeper understanding of how individuals navigated shifting social and environmental landscapes, redefining the role of migration in Classic Maya urban life.