Geospatial Research Program Seeks Project Applications

Courtesy of Christine Markussen

CAST researcher Katie Simon conducts a ground-penetrating radar survey among the architectural ruins of the palace complex at San Souci, Haiti, as part of a SPARC-funded collaboration with Cameron Monroe of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Spatial Archaeometry Research Collaborations (SPARC) Program, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative at the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies at the University of Arkansas, is accepting applications for archaeological research projects in the spring and summer of 2016.

The application deadline is Nov. 6.

Members of CAST’s staff work directly with successful applicants to help them experiment with new technologies and integrate geospatial techniques into their own research. Project teams travel to field sites around the world to carry out surveys and collect geospatial data, and collaborate back in the office on advanced analyses.

Past projects include geophysical surveys in Busayra in Jordan and Kadebakele and Maski in India, terrestrial laser-scanning surveys at Malthi in Greece and Vulci in Italy, and analysis of airborne laser-scanning data to support an archaeological survey on the island of Montserratt.

SPARC supports projects led by faculty, graduate students, and archaeologists working in the public sector. Applications are accepted twice a year, and are reviewed by a panel of archaeological experts as well as CAST’s in house technical specialists.

“This is always an exciting time of year,” said Rachel Opitz, executive director of SPARC. “There are so many great projects happening in the archaeological community, and discussing them with colleagues, exploring how new techniques might move their research forward is rewarding.”

A full list and complete descriptions of the recent awards can be found at the SPARC website.