Departmental News

Posted:  Nov 20, 2014 - 12:06pm

Cyler Conrad,graduate student in Archaeology, has just been awarded a National Geographic Young Explorers Grant for his project,"A Biogeographic and Isotopic Investigation of Modern and Ancient Mollusks on the Thai-Malay Peninsula."Cyler's National Geographic project aims to survey freshwater molluscan populations in Krabi Province, southern Thailand, in order to better understand species biogeography and abundance. This research project also includes an isotopic analysis of the freshwater gastropod Neoradi na prasongi recovered from archaeological deposits at Khao Toh Chong Rockshelter, Krabi. By establishing a modern molluscan ecological framework, and paleoclimatic record based on oxygen isotopes, our team hopes to gain further inference into prehistoric hunter-gatherer mobility and subsistence strategies during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. This internationally collaborative team includes, Cholawit Thongcharoenchaiit (National Science Museum, Thailand), Sakboworn Tumpeesuwan (Mahasarakham Univ., Thai land), Hannah Van Vlack (Office of Contract Archaeology, Albuquerque), Somchai Bussarawit (National Science Museum, Thailand), Rasmi Shoocongdej (Silpakorn Univ., Thailand), Ben Marwick (Univ. of Washington, Seattle) and Emily Jones (Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque).