Research Awards for Graduate Students in Archaeology

Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry

University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is initiating an annual program of research award grants to graduate students in archaeology programs around the world. The lab staff strongly believes that major discoveries in archaeology in future years will come from laboratory investigations. In that light, the training of graduate students in analytical methods and their application is essential. This award is intended to further those goals. The awards are offered to support and encourage the application of chemical analyses in solving archaeological problems.

The Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry has been involved in the study of questions of archaeological interest for many years. The primary focus of research in the laboratory is on the characterization of prehistoric bone, soils, and pottery. A variety of other materials including stone, dyes, organic residues, metals and glass are also investigated in the laboratory. Instrumentation in the lab includes a (1) Inductively Coupled Plasma ó Atomic Emission Spectrometer for the rapid elemental characterization of a variety of materials with a resolution in parts per million, and (2) Finnigan Element Inductively Coupled Plasma High-Resolution Mass Spectrometer for isotopic and elemental characterization of many materials, often at the parts per billion level. This instrument incorporates laser ablation as a sample introduction technique appropriate for many solids and for small or fragile samples. In addition the lab has access to a variety of other instrumentation and equipment on campus that is often used in our research.

Application: Applications for the award should contain (1) a three-page letter from the applicant containing the specifics of the research and the analyses involved, (2) a curriculum vitae of the applicant,(3) a tentative table of contents for the dissertation, and (4) a letter of recommendation from the major advisor. The letter of application should contain detailed information on the research project, the kinds of analyses involved, the number of samples and analyses required, availability of samples with letter(s) of permission if appropriate, and a discussion of the importance of the analysis to the proposed research. This letter should also provide a timetable for research and completion of project. Discussions with the lab staff are recommended prior to application to ensure that the project meets award criteria and employs services available in the Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry. There is no form for applications.

Criteria for Award: The award will be made by the staff of the Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry and major criteria for selection will be the significance of the research question, feasibility of the project, and impact on the student and the field.

Deadline: 1 January for awards beginning in 1 September of the same year.

Award: One award will be made each year consisting of analytical services involving elemental or isotopic measurements available with Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry instrumentation. The lab encourages students to participate in analyses, where possible, in order to learn and understand the methods employed.

Announcement: The award will be announced on 15 March each year. Awards should be appropriately acknowledged in any dissemination of results of the analyses and copies of resulting publications should be provided to the Laboratory for our files

Contact: Questions and Applications should be addressed to T. Douglas Price or James H. Burton, Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison WI 53706 USA. Phone: 608-262-2575 (tdp), 608-262-0367 (jhb), 608-265-4216 (fax). Email: tdprice@facstaff.wisc.edu or jhburton@facstaff.wisc.edu.For further information on the Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry, please see our web site at www.wisc.edu/larch/aclab/larch.htm.