Special Announcement, 02/08/2013

Once again this year, the National Tropical Botanical Garden and the University of Hawai`i-Mānoa Anthropology Department will offer its summer field school program on Kaua`i for undergraduates, graduates, and non-matriculated students to gain archaeological, paleoecological, and natural history experience on one of Hawai`i’s richest sites, Makauwahi Cave.

Students will participate in archaeological excavations in dry parts of the cave, but also will learn useful techniques for controlled excavation below the water table. This is probably most students’ best opportunity to learn, in addition to conventional archaeological methods, the full battery of paleoecological techniques, including sediment coring, identification of plant and animal remains, palynology, and geochronology.

Evening lectures will include a course in Hawaiian Natural History, covering all aspects of local geology, climate, biota, and human history, and guest lectures by experts in CRM, ethnography, and sedimentology.

The program this year will run from June 15-July 14. It offers the opportunity to earn nine (9) fully transferable credits from UH in a single month. In addition to excavation and laboratory work, the students will have the opportunity to take field trips to Nu`alolo Kai, Limahuli, and other important archaeological sites on Kaua`i, and learn more about the growing role of historical perspectives in planning conservation efforts.

For information on fees and to apply, see http://kauaifieldschool.wordpress.com