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Recent News
- Illinois State Museum Hosts Buys&Girls Club Overnight posted July 12, 2007
- A group of children from The Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield recently spent a memorable night at the Illinois State Museum, thanks to a generous grant from the national Kappa Delta Sorority.The kids explored the entire Museum, learned about the Ice Age and created a mastodon rap, made their own art creations, went on a scavenger hunt, listened to a story teller, and slept under the oak tree in the Changes exhibit.The Illinois State Museum was pleased to partner with The Boys & Girls Clubs to make this camp-in possible. Read more ...
- Monticello Intern in Museum Education posted March 02, 2015
- The Monticello Internship in Museum Education at the Illinois State Museum-Springfield provides an opportunity to explore--and gain solid experience in--the profession of museum education at a mid-sized museum of natural history, history, anthropology, and art. Read more ...
- Museum Education Internship - Paid posted March 04, 2014
- The Monticello Internship in Museum Education at the Illinois State Museum-Springfield provides an opportunity to explore--and gain solid experience in--the profession of museum education at a mid-sized museum of natural history, history, anthropology, and art. Read more ...
- Oral History Transcriptionist posted June 24, 2011
- Job AnnouncementOral History TranscriptionistThe Illinois State Museum Society seeks an Oral History Transcriptionist to transcribe audio recordings of oral-history interviews for publication on the Illinois State Museum's Audio-Video Barn website. Read more ...
- Volunteer Program Update posted July 01, 2015
- The Illinois State Museum is not accepting volunteer applications at this time. Please bookmark this page and check back.
Thank you for your interest in our volunteer program, and for your support of the Illinois State Museum!
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- Docents Needed for Changes Exhibit posted March 12, 2014
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Do you like science or nature? Enjoy talking with people?
The Illinois State Museum is recruiting volunteer docents for its natural history exhibition, Changes: Dynamic Illinois Environments. Read more ...
- Fall Opportunities Coming Soon posted July 15, 2013
- Please check back in August for upcoming volunteer opportunities at the Illinois State Museum. Thanks! Read more ...
- Event Planning Volunteer posted August 03, 2012
- The Museum's Education Section is in need of an adult volunteer to assist our Public Programs Coordinator with preparations for the annual Where Are the Wild Things? Halloween Festival. Read more ...
- Illinois Connecting to Collections Statewide Implementation Grant posted May 27, 2012
- Statewide Implementation Grant
The Illinois State Museum Society, on behalf of a consortium of 12 museums, libraries, archives, and service providers across the state, was awarded a prestigious Connecting to Collections statewide implementation grant ($182,241) by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Read more ...
- Future Grant Cycles posted October 31, 2011
- The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), which administers the program, is again accepting applications from qualifying public museums. The deadline to apply is 12:00 pm (noon) on Monday, May 7, 2012.
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- Application Form and Guidlines - FY2014 posted October 31, 2011
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Please be aware that changes have been made to the Museum Capital Grants Program. These changes are reflected in the Application Guidelines and the Application itself. Read more ...
- Application Guidelines posted October 31, 2011
- Please be aware that changes have been made to the Museum Capital Grants Program. These changes are reflected in the Application Guidelines and the Application itself. Read more ...
- Previous Grant Awards posted October 31, 2011
- MUSEUM CAPITAL PROJECTS 2012
ABRAHAM LINCOLN MEMORIAL GARDEN FOUNDATION, INC. (Sangamon County)-$82,433.Renovation of the Ostermeir Farmhouse to add handicap accessible features, waterproof basement, replace carpet, install life safety devices and replace doors.ADLER PLANETARIUM (Cook County)-$430,000.Renovation of the Doane Observatory that will include creating two new interior rooms under the observing deck.ARLINGTON HEIGHTS HISTORICAL MUSEUM (Cook County)-$43,800.Purchase and installation of message repeater displays, interpretive signs and main museum campus signs.THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO (Cook County)-$639,933.Facilities renewal project to upgrade the HVAC throughout the museum.BROOKFIELD ZOO, CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY (Cook County)-$494,117.This ADA compliance project enhances the guest experience by upgrading several high traffic areas at the zoo to meet ADA accessibility requirements.BURPEE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (Winnebago County)-$347,000.The project enhances several exhibits which cover a 400 million-year geological time period. Read more ...
- Staff Directory posted April 07, 2011
- For more information contact:Division of GrantsDepartment of Natural ResourcesOne Natural Resources WaySpringfield, IL 62702217.782.7481; fax 217.782.9599E-Mail: DNR.Grants@illinois.gov Read more ...
- Program Summary FY99 through FY04 posted October 31, 2010
- PROGRAM SUMMARYFY99 - FY04BackgroundIn recognition of the contributions that museums make to education, tourism, and economic development, legislation was enacted in the spring of 1998 to help public museums improve facilities and develop new exhibits as well as expand educational programming and partnerships between museums and schools. Read more ...
- Statutory Information posted October 31, 2006
- Statutory Information [20 ILCS 801/1-25(22)] Go to https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=5 to view statute. Read more ...
- Eligibility Information posted October 31, 2006
- Section 3200.20 Eligibility Criteria (excerpt from Administrative Rules effective January 26, 2004)a) Subject to restrictions inherent to certification (see Section 3200.35) based on the available funding sources, e.g. Read more ...
- Administrative Rule posted October 31, 2005
- ADMINISTRATIVE RULE - EFFECTIVE JANUARY 26, 2004TITLE 23: EDUCATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES SUBTITLE B: CULTURAL RESOURCESCHAPTER II: DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCESPART 3200 PUBLIC MUSEUM GRANTS PROGRAMSUBPART A: CAPITAL GRANTS PROGRAMSection3200.5 Authority3200.10 Definitions3200.15 Purpose3200.20 Eligibility Criteria3200.30 Funding Determination (Repealed)3200.35 Certification by a Unit of Local Government3200.40 Application Procedure3200.50 Application Schedule3200.60 Review Criteria and Selection Procedure3200.65 Awards3200.70 Eligible Expenses3200.80 Process for Payment3200.90 Program Information/ContactSUBPART B: PUBLIC MUSEUM OPERATING GRANTS PROGRAM Section3200.100 Definitions3200.110 Purpose 3200.120 Eligibility Criteria for Applicant Facilities3200.130 Application Procedure3200.140 Application Schedule3200.150 Review Procedure3200.160 Method for Awarding Grants3200.165 Process for Payment3200.170 Program Information/ContactAUTHORITY: Implementing and authorized by Section 1-25(22) of the Department of Natural Resources Act [20 ILCS 801/1-25(22)].SOURCE: Emergency rule adopted at 3 Ill. Read more ...
- Links posted October 31, 2005
- LINKS TO ILLINOIS MUSEUMS AND MUSEUM RESOURCE ASSOCIATIONS PUBLIC MUSEUM U R L Adler Planetarium https://www.adlerplanetarium.org American Association of Museums https://www.aam-us.org Anita Purves Nature Center https://www.prairienet.org/upd/parks.html Arlington Heights Historical Museum https://www.ahpd.org/Parks&Facilities/AHHistoricalMuseum/AHMuseumDesc.html Art Institute of Chicago https://www.artic.edu Association of Midwest Museums https://www.midwestmuseums.org/ Aurora Regional Fire Museum https://www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org/index.htm Bartlett Historical Society Museum https://www.village.bartlett.il.us/ Batavia Depot Museum https://www.bataviahistoricalsociety.org/depot_museum.htm Bloomingdale Park District Museum https://www.bloomingdaleparks.org Brookfield Zoo https://www.brookfieldzoo.org/ Burpee Museum of Natural History www.burpee.org Chicago Architecture Foundation https://www.architecture.org Chicago Athenaeum at Schaumburg https://www.chi-athenaeum.org/ Chicago Botanic Garden https://www.chicago-botanic.org/ Chicago Children's Museum https://www.chichildrensmuseum.org Chicago Cultural Center www.cityofchicago.org/CulturalAffairs/ Chicago Historical Society https://www.chicagohistory.org Chicago Symphony Orchestra https://www.cso.org/ Children's Discovery Museum cdmci.org Children's Museum of Illinois https://www.cmofil.com Cosley Zoo www.wheatonparkdistrict.com Crystal Lake Park District Nature Center www.crystallakeparks.org Des Plaines Historical Museum www.northstarnet.org/dpkhome/DPHS Dietrich Fredericks House www.mphist.org Discovery Center Museum www.discoverycentermuseum.org Downers Grove Museum https://www.dgparks.org/museum/mumain.html DuPage Children's Museum https://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/ DuPage County Historical Museum https://www.dupageco.org/museum/index.html DuSable Museum of African American History www.dusablemuseum.org Early American Museum https://www.advancenet.net/~early Elgin Area Historical Society Museum https://www.elginhistory.org/ Elgin Public Museum https://www.elginpublicmuseum.org Elmhurst Art Museum https://www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/ Elmhurst Historical Museum https://www.elmhurst.org/elmhurst/museum/ Emily Oaks Nature Center https://www.skokieparkdistrict.org/facilities.asp/ Evanston Ecology Center https://www.laddarboretum.org/whoweare.htm#ecocenter Farmhouse Museum https://www.parks.elkgrove.org/pages/farmhouse.asp Field Museum of Natural History https://www.fmnh.org/ Garfield Park Conservatory https://www.garfield-conservatory.org General John A Logan Museum https://home.GlobalEyes.net/loganmus/LoganMuseum Glen Oak Zoo https://www.peoriaparks.org/zoo/zoo.html Health World https://www.healthworldmuseum.org Heller Nature Center https://www.hellernaturecenter.org Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest HTTP://WWW.OPRF.COM/OPRFHIST Hoosier Grove Museum https://www.hoosiergrovemuseum.com Illinois Arts Council https://www.state.il.us/agency/iac/ Illinois Association of Museums https://www.illinoismuseums.org Illinois Heritage Association https://www.prairienet.org/iha/ Illinois State Museum https://www.museum.state.il.us Institute of Museum and Library Services https://www.imls.gov/ John A. Read more ...
- World's Fair Collection Gifted to ISM posted January 10, 2005
- At ages nine and ten Sue Price attended a very special event in her life--A Century of Progress World's Fair held in Chicago in 1933 and 1934. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted July 23, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin began identifications of animal remains from site 11SG1433, one of two sites that were subjected to Phase II investigations by Fever River Research as part of the Springfield Railroad Relocation Project. Read more ...
- Relationship between mean family age of trees and temperature: an update posted July 20, 2016
- The tropical conservatism hypothesis predicts a positive relationship between mean family age and temperature. Dr. Hong Qian tested this prediction with a data set of angiosperm tree assemblages distributed along an altitudinal gradient in tropical Asia. Read more ...
- Ornithology Research Continues posted July 18, 2016
- Curator H. David Bohlen recorded that July was Sangamon County’s second wettest ever with 9.51inches of rain. Mid-month (July 11 – 24) was warm with 10 days 90º or above. Read more ...
- Copper Plates posted July 16, 2016
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Kelvin Sampson continued research with Robert Mainfort on late prehistoric copper bird plates. Read more ...
- Morton Village posted July 15, 2016
- Michael Conner began working with data collected during 2016 field season, which ended June 30. He reviewed digital photographs taken during the season and integrated them into a database of all photographs taken during the nine-year project. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted June 20, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued integrating animal remains from flotation samples from late Fisher phase features at the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) in the Northeast, Northwest, and North Central portions of the Main Occupation Area for a technical report on the Phase III highway mitigation south of Chicago by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey. Read more ...
- Ornithology Research Continues posted June 18, 2016
- Curator H. David Bohlen continues research on Sangamon County birds. June was very warm, with 29 days with 80º or above, 16 of which were 90º or above. Read more ...
- Morton Village posted June 15, 2016
- Dr. Michael Conner spent the entire month co-directing the Morton Village excavations with Jodie O’Gorman of Michigan State University. This year’s work focused on excavating Structure 26, first found in 2012, and further testing of Structure 34, a series of large, circular buildings or enclosures. Read more ...
- Copper Plates posted June 14, 2016
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Kelvin Sampson continued research with Robert Mainfort on late prehistoric copper bird plates. Read more ...
- Copper Plates
 posted May 19, 2016
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Kelvin Sampson continued research with Robert Mainfort on late prehistoric copper bird plates. Read more ...
- Morton Site posted May 15, 2016
- Beginning in mid-May, Dr. Mike Conner began preparations for the Michigan State University field school at Morton Village, which began May 23. Read more ...
- Ornithology Research Continues posted May 08, 2016
- Curator H. David Bohlen reported May weather was cool until May 6th and 7th, when the temperature jumped to 85º and 87º. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Project posted May 06, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin is writing a chapter on zooarchaeology for a site report on Fort St. Joseph (20BE23) in Niles, Michigan, with contributions from former Western Michigan University graduate students Rory Becker and Joseph Hearn. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Project posted May 04, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued integrating animal remains from flotation samples from late Fisher phase features at the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) in the Northeast, Northwest, and North Central portions of the Main Occupation Area for a technical report on the Phase III highway mitigation south of Chicago by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey. Read more ...
- Mean Family Age of Tree Species in Forests posted May 03, 2016
- The Tropical Niche Conservatism hypothesis proposes mechanisms underlying patterns of biodiversity in biological communities along environmental gradients. This hypothesis predicts that, among other things, clades in areas with warm or wet environments are, on average, older than those in areas with cold or dry environments. Read more ...
- New Publication by Research Associate posted April 17, 2016
- Dennis Lawler, ISM research associate, has a new publication on skeletal features of a wolf specimen in the ISM zoology collections. Read more ...
- Martin Assists Student posted April 14, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin assisted Ph.D. student Autumn Beyer (Michigan State University) with identification of problem animal remains from the Morton Village site (11F2) at the RCC’s zooarchaeological laboratory on April 8. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted April 09, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued integrating animal remains from flotation samples from late Fisher phase features at the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) in the Northeast, Northwest, and North Central portions of the Main Occupation Area for a technical report on the Phase III highway mitigation south of Chicago by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey. Read more ...
- Ongoing Ornithological Research posted April 04, 2016
- April was warm with five days at 80º or above and only three days with lows slightly below freezing. This resulted in the vegetation being almost a month ahead of normal development. Read more ...
- Ornithology Research posted March 19, 2016
- Curator H. David Bohlen reports spring migration continued with 31 new spring migrants among the 123 species totaled in March in Sangamon County. Read more ...
- Radiocarbon Results Received and Specimens Submitted posted March 18, 2016
- Dr. Chris Widga received radiocarbon results of analyses on a large dog from the middle Holocene Cherokee Sewer site in northwestern Iowa. Read more ...
- New Mapping at the Kimmswick Site posted March 11, 2016
- Dr. Chris Widga, Dr. Mike Conner, and volunteer Steve Morse began a new mapping program at the Kimmswick Site on the grounds of Mastodon State Historic Site near Imperial, Missouri. Read more ...
- Multiple Dimensions of Biodiversity posted March 06, 2016
- Dr. Hong Qian submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The proposed 5-year project is to integrate multiple dimensions of biodiversity (taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional, and genetic diversity) of angiosperms. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted March 03, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin integrated animal remains from flotation samples from late Fisher phase features at the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) for a technical report on the Phase III highway mitigation south of Chicago by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey; finished identification and tabulation of 467 animal remains from Fever River Research’s 2014 excavations at the site of the Second McLean County Courthouse (1836-1868) and Jail (1848-1868) in Bloomington, Illinois (11ML335). Read more ...
- Planning for the Future posted February 19, 2016
- The Education section members continue to evaluate all ISM programs and focus on future projects, activities, programs for reopening with the new changes in staff. Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecological Database Project Moves to University of Minnesota posted February 15, 2016
- Dr. Widga and Dr. Eric Grimm received notification that a proposal to continue development of the Neotoma Paleoecological database will be recommended for funding through the NSF Geoinformatics program. Read more ...
- Widga Submits Manuscript posted February 12, 2016
- Dr. Chris Widga submitted the manuscript “Variability in bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr in the North American Midcontinent” to the journal Geology. Read more ...
- Manuscript Accepted for Publication posted February 07, 2016
- Dr. Hong Qian and his collaborator Dr. Shengbin Chen of Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, China, conducted a study on the relationship between species diversity of bryophytes and environment at a regional scale. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted February 04, 2016
- Terrance Martin finished integrating specimens from flotation samples and tabulating 12,630 animal remains from Huber phase features at the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) for a technical report on the Phase III highway mitigation south of Chicago by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey. Read more ...
- Widga Assists with Design Recovery Protocols for Pygmy Mammoth Remains posted January 16, 2016
- Dr. Chris Widga participated (electronically) in a broad-based working group to design recovery protocols for pygmy mammoth remains found in Channel Island National Park. Read more ...
- Staff and Emeritus Curators Submit Manuscripts posted January 14, 2016
- Dennis Lawler and Dr. Chris Widga submitted the manuscript, “Pathology of grey wolf shoulders: Lesson in species and aging” for publication in the international journal Anatomical Record. Read more ...
- Martin Handles NAGPRA Request posted January 12, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin generated tables and detailed recovery notes for 55 archaeological sites for a NAGPRA project requested by the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. Read more ...
- Verifications of Animal Remains posted January 10, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued verification of identifications of animal remains from 1968-69 excavations of Features 9 and 11 at the Fort Ouiatenon site (12T9). Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted January 08, 2016
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished tabulations of animal remains and text for the 29 human burial features (Upper Mississippian, Late Fisher phase, and Huber phase) at the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) for a technical report on the Phase III highway mitigation by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Research published posted January 06, 2016
- Tracy Evans, ISM research associate, published one of the chapters of her dissertation research. Drs. Tim Cashatt and Meredith Mahoney are co-authors (reference below). Read more ...
- Bone Collagen Prepared posted December 10, 2015
- Chris Widga prepared bone collagen from archaeological dogs, extinct moose and mammoths for stable isotope analyses. These were submitted to the environmental isotope lab at Iowa State University (Dr. Read more ...
- Dragonfly genetics annual report posted December 07, 2015
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney wrote a summary of her genetics research on Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly for 2015. Emeritus Director of Zoology Dr. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted December 05, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed a technical report on animal remains from site 11MO1005 (Emergent Mississippian site in Monroe County, Illinois) for a Phase III mitigation by American Resources Group, Ltd., Carbondale. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeological Project posted December 03, 2015
- Dennis Naglich completed a draft technical report for the third and final season of limited archaeological excavations at the Jameson Jenkins Lot at the Abraham Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield. Read more ...
- Geochemistry Lab posted November 16, 2015
- Dr. Chris Widga developed protocols to extract collagen proteins from fossil bones stable isotope analysis. These techniques will assist in understanding the diet and ecology of extinct animals. Read more ...
- CT Scans Conducted posted November 14, 2015
- Dennis Lawler CT-scanned a series of dire wolf bones for paleopathological analysis. Dr. Bob Warren CT-scanned a rare mussel from an archaeological site to confirm identification. Read more ...
- Qian Studies Angiosperms in Forest Communities posted November 11, 2015
- Dr. Hong Qian and his collaborator Dr. Shengbin Chen of Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, China, conducted a study on the relationship between mean family age of angiosperms (flowering plants) and environment in forest communities. Read more ...
- Dragonfly genetics research posted November 09, 2015
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney worked in the DNA lab with Hine’s emerald dragonfly samples collected during the 2015 field season. She obtained gene sequences for eight samples collected in Missouri. Read more ...
- Program Planning for Future posted November 06, 2015
- The Education section continues to evaluate ISM programs from the recent past and focus on future projects, activities, and programs for reopening. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted November 04, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed identifications of animal remains from site 11MO1005 (Emergent Mississippian site) for a Phase III mitigation by American Resources Group, Ltd., Carbondale. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeological Project posted November 02, 2015
- Dennis Naglich completed a draft technical report for the third and final season of limited archaeological excavations at the Jameson Jenkins Lot at the Abraham Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield. Read more ...
- Sangamon County Bird Observation posted October 12, 2015
- The monitoring project on birds in Sangamon County produced 159 species of birds in October, and the hours in the field were 265. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Genetics and Population Studies posted October 10, 2015
- Drs. Meredith Mahoney and Tim Cashatt participated in a conference call with the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly recovery team for Missouri. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects (Terrance Martin, Principal Investigator) posted October 08, 2015
- Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4): Finished database entries for burial flotation samples; compiled species composition for three longhouses – F 415, F 791, and F 2136. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeological Project posted October 04, 2015
- Dennis Naglich completed a draft technical report for the third and final season of limited archaeological excavations at the Jameson Jenkins Lot at the Abraham Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield. Read more ...
- Phylogeny and ecology posted September 14, 2015
- Ecologists frequently use a supertree method to generate phylogenies in ecological studies. However, the robustness of research results based on phylogenies generated with a supertree method has not been well evaluated. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects (Terrance Martin, Principal Investigator) posted September 11, 2015
- Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4): Finished database entries for burial flotation samples; compiled species composition for three longhouses – F 415, F 791, and F 2136. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeological Project posted September 09, 2015
- Dennis Naglich completed a draft technical report for the third and final season of limited archaeological excavations at the Jameson Jenkins Lot at the Abraham Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield. Read more ...
- Analysis of Kansas Paleontological locality posted September 07, 2015
- Dr. Chris Widga examined a paleontological assemblage from Lovewell reservoir, Jewell County, Kansas. This assemblage was excavated by Steve Holen and Brendon Asher from Bureau of Reclamation lands. Read more ...
- Submission of radiocarbon samples posted September 04, 2015
- Dr. Chris Widga submitted samples from the Porter Shelter (Monroe Co., IL) mastodon and a mammoth off the coast of Rye, NH for 14C dating. Read more ...
- Archaic Faunal Database and Research posted September 03, 2015
- Dr. Bonnie Styles and Research Associate Mona Colburn continued to collaborate with Dr. Sarah Neusius (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) and other colleagues on an NSF-funded project to digitize zooarchaeological databases for Archaic Period faunal assemblages for the interior Eastern United States. Read more ...
- Prepare Manuscripts on Research for Publication posted August 15, 2015
- Dr. Chris Widga worked to prepare research results for publication on several research projects. The projects included the mammoth and mastodon extinction project, the dog paleopathology project, and the Sr isoscape project. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects: Poplar Street Bridge Project; Excavations of French Colonial St. Louis posted August 13, 2015
- The archaeological faunal assemblages from the Louis Beaudoin (23SL2369) and Madam Haycraft (23SL2334) sites are being prepared for shipment to Dr. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects: Kohler site 47SB173, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin posted August 12, 2015
- A technical report was finished by Dr. Terrance Martin for the Phase II faunal assemblage from the prehistoric components and the 19th-century Fairchild Fish House site at the Kohler Dunes and Swales that was investigated by Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group (Milwaukee, WI) along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects: Ouachita National Forest Faunal Project (Arkansas and Oklahoma) posted August 11, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin has been submitting species composition and intra-site distribution tables for Caddo and Choctaw sites to Lexie Rue-Harris, Forest Service Archeologist, Poteau-Cold Springs Ranger District, Ouachitas National Forest, Booneville, Arkansas. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects: Buckeye Bend Site (11F310) posted August 11, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin identified animal remains from the Buckeye Bend site (11F310), produced a database, and species composition table at the request of Dr. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects: Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4) posted August 10, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeological Project posted August 08, 2015
- A technical report is in preparation for the third and final season of limited archaeological excavations at the Jameson Jenkins Lot at the Abraham Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield. Read more ...
- Species Richness and Climatic Correlates of Bryophytes posted August 07, 2015
- Bryophytes play a fundamental role in the functioning of a diverse range of ecosystems but are a group of plants that has rarely been studied for the relationship of their species richness with environments. Read more ...
- NSF Proposal for Research Experiences for Undergraduates posted August 05, 2015
- On August 11, Dr. Bonnie Styles met with Dr. Jodie O’Gorman of Michigan State University to discuss the Illinois State Museum’s involvement in a proposal to the National Science Foundation to engage undergraduate students at Michigan State and the University of Illinois Springfield in research on human-environment interactions that would include experiences at Emiquon and Illinois State Museum facilities including the Research and Collections Center. Read more ...
- Archaic Faunal Database and Research posted August 02, 2015
- Dr. Bonnie Styles and Research Associate Mona Colburn continued to collaborate with Dr. Sarah Neusius (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) and other colleagues on an NSF-funded project to digitize zooarchaeological databases for Archaic Period faunal assemblages for the interior Eastern United States. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeological Project posted July 28, 2015
- Despite the wettest June on record, the third and final season of limited archaeological excavations was concluded at the Jameson Jenkins Lot at the Abraham Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield. Read more ...
- Kohler site 47SB173, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin posted July 26, 2015
- A technical report is in progress by Dr. Terrance Martin for the Phase II faunal assemblage from the prehistoric components and the nineteenth century Fairchild Fish House site at the Kohler Dunes and Swales that was investigated by Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group (Milwaukee, WI) along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Read more ...
- Archaic Faunal Database and Research posted July 24, 2015
- Drs. Sarah Neusius and Philip Neusius (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) met with Dr. Bonnie Styles and Mona Colburn in the Research and Collections Center on July 24. Read more ...
- Site 12W710, Indiana posted July 24, 2015
- A technical report is in progress by Dr. Terrance Martin for the Phase III faunal assemblage that was recovered from a nineteenth century farmstead in southern Illinois that was mitigated by American Resources Group, Ltd. Read more ...
- Research of Modified Predator Bones posted July 21, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin produced tables for a paper by Kenneth Farnsworth, Dr. Martin, and Dr. Angela Perri on “Modified Predator Mandible and Maxilla Artifacts and Symbolism in Illinois Hopewell.” The paper will be published as an ISAS Studies in Material Culture (No. Read more ...
- Spectrum Exhibition Research Underway posted July 19, 2015
- Jim Zimmer and Angela Goebel-Bain researched collections for the forthcoming Spectrum: Selections from the Fine and Decorative Arts exhibition. Pat Burg assisted with the research on the Illinois Academy of Fine Arts exhibitions in the late 1920s. Read more ...
- Jenkins Lot Faunal Assemblage posted July 17, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished identifications and data entry for the small assemblage of animal remains that were encountered during the 2015 excavations at the Jameson Jenkins Lot. Read more ...
- Butterfly Transfer Prints posted July 15, 2015
- After discovering a box of butterfly transfer prints, Pat worked to find provenance for the prints, and to determine how the prints were made. Read more ...
- Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4) Fauna posted July 10, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussels from the Widows Creek Site, Alabama posted July 05, 2015
- Dr. Robert Warren began photographing a synoptic collection of freshwater mussel shells from the Widows Creek site (1JA305, NE Alabama) in preparation for a reanalysis of the mussel fauna in partnership with Dr. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted June 30, 2015
- Zoology Curator H. David Bohlen continued his monitoring of birds in Sangamon County. June was the wettest June in recorded history for Sangamon County with 9.14 inches. Read more ...
- Renewal Proposal for the Neotoma Paleoecology Database Submitted to NSF posted June 28, 2015
- In late June, Director of Science Dr. Eric Grimm submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation Geoinformatics program for a renewal of the grant supporting the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Read more ...
- Archaeofaunal Database posted June 20, 2015
- Under the auspices of a National Science Foundation grant, Mona Colburn and Dr. Bonnie Styles continued cleaning up and adding faunal databases for Modoc Rock Shelter to the Digital Archaeological Record database. Read more ...
- Kohler site 47SB173, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin posted June 17, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed identifications and began data entry for the Phase II faunal assemblage from the prehistoric components and the nineteenth-century Fairchild Fish House site at the Kohler Dunes and Swales (a total of nearly 1,400 specimens) that was investigated by Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Read more ...
- Site 12W710, Indiana posted June 16, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed identifications and data entry for the Phase III faunal assemblage (which includes more than 1,300 specimens from macro-recovery and flotation samples) that was encountered at a nineteenth-century farmstead in southern Illinois that was mitigated by American Resources Group, Ltd. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeological Project posted June 15, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin received the Permit for Archeological Investigations from the National Park Service, Midwest Archeological Center in Lincoln, Nebraska to conduct archaeological excavations on the Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site (LHNHS) during June. Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database Uploads posted June 14, 2015
- Nicola Cullen and Dr. Eric Grimm uploaded 145 new datasets to the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussels from the Widows Creek Site, Alabama posted June 12, 2015
- Dr. Robert Warren is collaborating with Dr. Arthur Bogan of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on a reanalysis of freshwater mussel shells from the Widows Creek site (1JA305) in northeast Alabama. Read more ...
- Phylogenetic Structure from Seedlings to Canopy Trees posted June 08, 2015
- Botany Curator Dr. Hong Qian, in collaboration with Drs. Yi Jin and Mingjian Yu, investigated phylogenetic structure of tree species across different layers of a subtropical forest. Read more ...
- Preparation of Publications posted June 06, 2015
- Dr. Widga worked on the preparation of a number of manuscripts for publication in June. These include a paper on deviated dorsal spinous processes with Dennis Lawler, a paper on the chronology of proboscidean extinctions with Drs. Read more ...
- Mammoth/Mastodon Radiocarbon Dating: The Last of the Mastodons? posted June 05, 2015
- Geology curator Dr. Chris Widga, as part of his NSF funded Proboscidean extinction project, submitted samples of a mammoth from coastal New Hampshire and the Boaz mastodon from west-central Wisconsin to the University of Arizona AMS laboratory for radiocarbon dating. Read more ...
- Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4) posted June 02, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin continues the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Abnormal Dental Wear in Dogs posted May 29, 2015
- On May 29, Dr. Widga visited Kelsey Witt, a PhD student under Dr. Ripan Malhi at the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted May 29, 2015
- Zoology Curator H. David Bohlen continued his monitoring of birds in Sangamon County. May temperatures were warm reaching 88º on May 6, 7, and 24. Read more ...
- More Dire Wolves posted May 20, 2015
- In further correspondence with Dr. Saunders, Dr. Perri discussed her desire to further explore the small dire wolf metapodials excavated in human association at both the Murray Springs and Lehner Ranch Clovis sites, Cochise County, Arizona. Read more ...
- Fauna from the Holy Family Church, Cahokia, Illinois posted May 20, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished identifications and tabulation of a small French colonial faunal assemblage that was obtained during 2014 excavations by Robert Mazrim and Dr. Read more ...
- The Last of the Mastodons posted May 18, 2015
- As part of his NSF funded Proboscidean extinction project, Geology Curator Dr. Chris Widga examined mastodons in the collections of the University of Wisconsin Museums of Zoology and Geology on May 18-19. Read more ...
- Hyena Coprolite posted May 18, 2015
- In 1984, Dr. Jeffrey Saunders was a member of a team recovered a hyena coprolite (111HR84) during excavations at the Haro River Quarry in Pakistan. Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database posted May 15, 2015
- Nicola Cullen and Dr. Eric Grimm uploaded 150 new datasets to the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin posted May 14, 2015
- Dr. Robert Warren expanded his analysis of archaeological freshwater mussel faunas in the Illinois River Basin. His previous model had focused on variables related to species habitat preference (water body, water depth, current velocity, and substrate composition), geography, cultural selection, and taphonomy. Read more ...
- Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4) Faunal Studies posted May 12, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- John B. Duret Research posted May 11, 2015
- Pat Burg assisted George Godfrey, ISM Research Associate, with locating and obtaining a pdf of a diary. Mr. Godfrey continues research on the removal of the Potawatomi Indians from the Midwest. Read more ...
- Global Pattern of Woody Plant Heights posted May 10, 2015
- Curator of Botany Dr. Hong Qian analyzed a global dataset for woody plant heights to test whether the pattern of frequency distribution of woody plant heights is bimodal, as suggested in a recent publication, or unimodal, as many of biological patterns. Read more ...
- Research Continues posted May 10, 2015
- Angela Goebel-Bain continues her research for the second floor history exhibition redevelopment. She also worked on the fashion history for the Bevier website and the next issue of The Living Museum. Read more ...
- CT Scanning Dire Wolf and Arctic Fox posted May 08, 2015
- On May 8, Dr. Widga and Dennis Lawler worked with the radiology department at the SIU College of Medicine to CT scan a series of dire wolf scapulae from Rancho La Brea (California) and arctic fox remains from Finland. Read more ...
- Ouachita National Forest Faunal Project (Arkansas and Oklahoma) posted May 07, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin has been submitting species composition and intra-site distribution tables for Caddo and Choctaw sites to Lexie Rue-Harris, Forest Service Archeologist, Poteau-Cold Springs Ranger District, Ouachitas National Forest, Booneville, Arkansas. Read more ...
- Endangered Species – Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly posted May 05, 2015
- Zoology Curator Dr. Everett Cashatt and several team members of the Missouri Hine’s Emerald Recovery Team continue to analyze and work on a draft paper on the mark-recapture study of Hine’s emerald dragonfly at Kay Branch, and Johnsons Shut-ins State Park, Reynolds County, Missouri. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeological Project posted May 05, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin submitted the application for the Permit for Archeological Investigations to the National Park Service, Midwest Archeological Center in Lincoln, Nebraska to conduct archaeological excavations on the Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site (LHNHS) during June. Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database posted April 20, 2015
- Nicola Evans and Dr. Eric Grimm uploaded eighty-four new pollen datasets to the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Dr. Grimm uploaded seventeen ostracode-water chemistry samples. Read more ...
- Extension Awarded for Proboscidean Chronology Project posted April 19, 2015
- Drs. Chris Widga, Stacey Lengyel, and Jeff Saunders requested a no-cost, one-year extension of the Proboscidean Chronology and Paleoecology grant. Read more ...
- Dogs from the California Channel Islands posted April 17, 2015
- In addition to work on Channel Island mammoths, Dr. Chris Widga served as courier for DNA samples from archaeological dogs for UIUC ancient DNA researchers, Kelsey Witt and Ripan Malhi. Read more ...
- Pygmy Mammoths posted April 16, 2015
- Geology curator Dr. Chris Widga visited the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History to examine their holdings of pygmy mammoths (Mammuthus exilis) from the California Channel Islands. Read more ...
- Geochemical Research on the First Mammoth and Mastodon from New Hampshire posted April 14, 2015
- Dr. Chris Widga is collaborating with Stefan Claesson, an underwater archaeologist in Portsmouth, Maine (SEARCH, Inc.), to analyze the first mammoth and mastodon remains discovered in the state of New Hampshire. Read more ...
- Museum Archaeologists Present at Society for American Archaeology Meeting posted April 12, 2015
- In April, Drs. Bonnie Styles, Terrance Martin, and Chris Widga gave presentations at the Society for American Archaeology’s 80th Annual Meeting. Read more ...
- Holy Family Church, Cahokia, Illinois Faunal Study posted April 10, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin began identifications on a small French colonial faunal assemblage from 2014 excavations by Robert Mazrim and Dr. Read more ...
- Meeting on Research Collaboration with UIUC posted April 08, 2015
- Drs. Bonnie Styles, Eric Grimm, Terrance Martin, and Chris Widga, and Adjunct Research Associate Dennis Lawler met to discuss possible collaborative research with the new Medical School at UIUC (April 8). Read more ...
- Morton Village Site Faunal Analyses posted April 06, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished identifications for selected samples of animal remains from the very large Feature 224 at this Fulton Country site. Read more ...
- Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4) Faunal Research posted April 04, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin continues the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin posted April 02, 2015
- Dr. Robert Warren learned of enlightening new approaches to freshwater mussel ecology while attending the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society symposium in March. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted April 01, 2015
- Zoology Curator H. David Bohlen continued his monitoring of birds in Sangamon County. Migration continued in April, but it was mostly cool and dry. Read more ...
- John M. Olin Research posted April 01, 2015
- During April 1 through April 8, Pat Burg worked with Jim Zimmer to examine census records and retrieve information and articles about the Olin family in Alton, along with the life and art collections of John M. Read more ...
- Research on Sculptor Sidney Loeb posted March 18, 2015
- Pat Burg worked with Jim Zimmer to examine census records and articles about artwork produced by Sidney Loeb. In addition to Mr. Read more ...
- Eastern Woodlands Archaic Faunal Data posted March 16, 2015
- Mona Colburn continued entering faunal databases for Modoc Rock Shelter into the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR). Dr. Bonnie Styles, Sarah Neusius, and Mona Colburn participated in several conference call meetings to discuss the tDAR databases and plan a presentation for the upcoming Society for American Archaeology meetings. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted March 14, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin continues the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4), a habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Research posted March 12, 2015
- Dr. Robert Warren presented "Archaeological and Recent Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin: Compositional Variation and Change" at the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society conference (200 attended). Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database posted March 10, 2015
- Nicola Evans and Dr. Eric Grimm uploaded 121 new pollen datasets to the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Dr. Grimm uploaded 62 ostracode-water chemistry samples. Read more ...
- Digitizing Sangamon County Bird Data posted March 09, 2015
- On March 20, Dave Bohlen met with Dr. Douglas Robinson an Oregon State biologist who is interested in transferring his 45 years of Sangamon County bird data, which is on paper, to electronic form. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted March 07, 2015
- Zoology Curator H. David Bohlen continued his monitoring of birds in Sangamon County. March was fairly cold month with a low of zero recorded on March 5 and 6, but some warming trends March 10-7, 21& 22, and 29-31. Read more ...
- NSF Proposal Submitted: Three Dimensions of Biodiversity posted March 06, 2015
- Dr. Hong Qian submitted a research proposal to the National Science Foundation to investigate and integrate genetic, phylogenetic, and functional dimensions of vascular plant diversity in the Hengduan Mountains, Southwest China, which is a world hotspot of biodiversity. Read more ...
- Dire Wolf Travels from the ISM to Europe for a Date posted March 05, 2015
- Dr. Jeffrey Saunders sent about 450 mg of dentine powder collected by Dr. Chris Widga from the canine of a dire wolf (Canis dirus) to former McMillan intern Dr. Read more ...
- Northernmost Pampathere posted March 04, 2015
- Steve Morse, a volunteer in the Geology section began cleaning and preparing faunal remains from the Lovewell Reservoir, Kansas. In addition to Smilodon, horse, and camel, cursory analysis of the assemblage shows it to also include proboscidean and the pampathere taxon, Holmesina septentrionalis. Read more ...
- Preparation of Collagen Samples from Bones and Teeth posted March 02, 2015
- Geology curator Dr. Chris Widga has developed lab protocols for extracting and purifying collagen from sub-fossil materials. These techniques are useful for the analysis of stable isotopes from bones and, potentially, for radiocarbon analyses. Read more ...
- Materials Scanned for Researchers posted February 25, 2015
- Pat Burg scanned the article, “European Trade Goods at the Ripley Site” from Northeast Anthropology for John Walthall. Beckie Dyer scanned The Prairies for Bill McClain. Read more ...
- Analyses of Animal Remains from Middle Woodland Contexts posted February 22, 2015
- Angela Perri and Dr. Terrance Martin are collaborating with Ken Farnsworth in reexamining animal specimens from Hopewell Middle Woodland contexts in Illinois in order to verify or revise previous species identifications. Read more ...
- Digitization of Faunal Data for NSF Grant Project posted February 22, 2015
- Mona Colburn and Dr. Bonnie Styles worked on the incorporation of Modoc Rock Shelter archaeofaunal databases into the Digital Archaeological Record. Read more ...
- Faunal Report for the C.V. Erickson Site in Northern Wisconsin posted February 19, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin analyzed and prepared a technical report on a small historical faunal assemblage (1920s-1930s) from Feature 2 at the C.V. Read more ...
- Ongoing Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted February 17, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin continues the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) components of the Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4) habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Archaeological Investigation of the Jameson Jenkins Lot in Springfield, Illinois posted February 15, 2015
- Dennis Naglich finished revisions to the technical report on the 2014 archaeological investigation and delivered it to the National Park Service office at the Lincoln Home Site in Springfield. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin posted February 14, 2015
- Dr. Robert Warren identified freshwater mussel shell (816 identifiable valves) from Late Woodland deposits at the Scovill site (11F29) in an attempt to assess Dr. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted February 13, 2015
- Zoology Curator H. David Bohlen continued his monitoring of birds in Sangamon County. Winter continued through the end of the month and the bird species remained static. Read more ...
- Endangered Species - Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted February 12, 2015
- Dr. Everett Cashatt and several team members of the Missouri Hine’s Emerald Recovery Team continue to analyze and work on a draft paper on the mark-recapture study of Hine’s emerald dragonfly at Kay Branch, and Johnsons Shut-ins State Park, Reynolds County, Missouri. Read more ...
- Illinois WPA Art Project Chicago posted February 12, 2015
- Pat Burg located several digital resources relating to National Art Week in Chicago during November 25 – December 1, 1940. Read more ...
- Midwestern Bison a DNA Project posted February 07, 2015
- Dr. Chris Widga contributed samples to a thesis project from Lakehead University in Ontario. Joe Boyle will analyze ancient DNA from middle Holocene bison bone samples from Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Read more ...
- Analysis of Archaeofauna from Movie Draw Rockshelter, Black Hills, South Dakota posted February 04, 2015
- Dr. Chris Widga is collaborating with Drs. Rolfe Mandel and Fred Sellet (University of Kansas) to complete a report on the archaeology of the Movie Draw Rockshelter in Custer County, South Dakota. Read more ...
- Early Dog Collaboration posted February 03, 2015
- On February 3, Drs. Terry Martin, Chris Widga, Meredith Mahoney, and Dennis Lawler met with Ripan Malhi, Kelsey Witt, Jessica Perry Hekman, and Kristen Hedman from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign at the RCC. Read more ...
- Vertebrate Paleontology at Lovewell Reservoir, North-central Kansas posted February 03, 2015
- Dr. Chris Widga is assisting Dr. Steve Holen (Center for the Study of the American Paleolithic) and Brendon Asher (University of Kansas) in the analysis of a vertebrate fauna assemblage recovered from the shore of Lovewell reservoir in northern Kansas. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Site Faunal Report posted January 27, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed a report on the animal remains from the 2014 excavations at the Jameson Jenkins Lot in Abraham Lincoln’s neighborhood at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site and forwarded the text and tables to Dennis Naglich to include in the ISM’s Landscape History Technical Report to the National Park Service (January 27). Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted January 22, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin continues the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4), a habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- CT Scans of Fossil Specimens posted January 21, 2015
- On 1/21 Dr. Chris Widga coordinated the acquisition of CT scans on a series of fossils. Bones from Fogelpole Cave (Monroe Co.) are encased in a thick Mn rind that obscures bone landmarks that are necessary for identification. Read more ...
- Ouachita National Forest Faunal Project posted January 21, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin submitted species composition and intra-site distribution tables for site 4LF595 to Lexie Rue-Harris, Forest Service Archeologist, Poteau-Cold Springs Ranger District, Ouachita National Forest, Booneville, Arkansas. Read more ...
- Former Exhibits Artist Robert G. Larson posted January 20, 2015
- Pat Burg provided Dr. Bonnie Styles with background information about the Martin Luther King Jr. bust sculpted by Robert G. Read more ...
- January Bird Monitoring posted January 20, 2015
- The monitoring project of birds in Sangamon County continues with waterfowl (ducks, geese, and gulls) going back and forth due to weather conditions. Read more ...
- UNIO Program posted January 19, 2015
- Dr. Robert Warren revised his UNIO computer program (Version 4), which creates quantitative paleoenvironmental models of aquatic environments based the habitat preferences of freshwater mussel shells from archaeological or geological sites. Read more ...
- Fossil Bivalves from Nebraska posted January 18, 2015
- Dr. Robert Warren analyzed a collection of fossil freshwater bivalves recovered from late Pleistocene or early Holocene deposits in south-central Nebraska. Read more ...
- Anthropology and Geology posted January 17, 2015
- Pat Burg assisted Dennis Naglich by locating bibliographic information and microfilm locations for a historical newspaper. Two historical foreign language pdfs were located for Dr. Read more ...
- Eastern Archaic Faunal Working Group Convenes in RCC posted January 15, 2015
- Dr. Bonnie Styles and Mona Colburn hosted a meeting of the Eastern Archaic Faunal Working Group in the Research and Collections Center with Dr. Read more ...
- Saunders Responds to Query on Mammoth Tooth posted January 15, 2015
- Dr. Jeff Saunders received an email from Dr. Roy Plotnick, Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, at the University of Illinois at Chicago in regard to an image of a mammoth tooth in the Hemingway Museum. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin posted January 15, 2015
- Dr. Robert Warren examined freshwater mussel shells from Woodland deposits at the Apple Creek site (11GE482) in an attempt to assess Dr. Read more ...
- Goose Lake Outlet #3 site (20MQ140), Marquette County, Michigan posted January 15, 2015
- Dr. Terrance Martin began identifications on the 2012 and 2013 faunal assemblage from an hypothesized site of a Proto Historic winter encampment immediately adjacent to the Lake Superior basin, but located on Goose Lake Outlet, which is part of the Lake Michigan drainage system. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Research Update posted January 14, 2015
- Dr. Tim Cashatt submitted the 2014 Annual Summary of the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) Surveys and Field Activities to the U. Read more ...
- Qian Studies Species Turnover posted January 11, 2015
- Dr. Hong Qian and his collaborator Dr. Xianli Wang at University of Alberta, Canada conducted a study examining the relationships among species turnover, species pool, and latitude across the globe. Read more ...
- Heights of Woody Plants posted January 10, 2015
- Dr. Hong Qian and his collaborator Dr. Robert E. Ricklefs at University of Missouri-St. Louis conducted a study testing the hypothesis of the bimodal pattern of woody plant heights. Read more ...
- Mammoth Cave Guano Chemistry posted January 08, 2015
- Mona Colburn completed a project on the chemistry of Mammoth Cave bat guano. For this project, she analyzed ~15 samples excavated during the 2008 Trail Rehabilitation Project on a Fourier-Transform infrared spectrometer in the UIS chemistry department. Read more ...
- Mastodon Paleogenomics Collaboration posted January 05, 2015
- Dr. Jeff Saunders and Dr. Chris Widga have begun a collaboration with Hendrik Poinar (McMaster U), Emil Karpinski (McMaster U), Chris Jass (Royal Alberta Museum), and Grant Zazula (Yukon Heritage Ctr) on the phylogeography of the American Mastodont. Read more ...
- Collaborative Study Proposed posted December 21, 2014
- On the December 21, Dr. Jeff Saunders received an email from Dick Mol, Het Natuurhistorisch, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, proposing a collaborative study of the relationship between Mammut borsoni (in Eurasia) and Mammut americanum (in North America). Read more ...
- Archaic Archeofaunal Database posted December 16, 2014
- Dr. Bonnie Styles and Mona Colburn participated in several conference calls with Dr. Sarah Neusius of Indiana University of Pennsylvania to disucss taxonomic ontologies and plan for an upcoming workshop with project partners to add archaeofaunal data from Archaic archaeological sites in the interior eastern woodlands to the Digital Archaeological Record and test hypotheses about increasing use of aquatic resources. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted December 16, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin continues the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) for the Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4) habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Bohlen Monitors Birds posted December 11, 2014
- In December, the Sangamon County bird monitoring project produced 110 species in 186 field hours. Geese and other waterfowl were moving back and forth because of several warming periods. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Ilinois River Basin posted December 10, 2014
- Dr. Robert Warren continued his analysis of freshwater mussel faunas in the Illinois River Basin. He presented a public program on this research for ISM's monthly Paul F. Read more ...
- Relationship Between Family Ages of Trees and Temperature posted December 09, 2014
- The number of species in a sampling area generally increases from warm and wet tropical regions to colder and drier regions. Read more ...
- Research in the Museum Library posted December 08, 2014
- Pat Burg continued to search for and find exhibition reviews and listings about the Illinois artist John H. Foote, Jr. Read more ...
- DNA samples to Shapiro Lab posted December 05, 2014
- Powdered bone and dentin samples from a number of ISM specimens were submitted to the Shapiro ancient DNA lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Read more ...
- Preparation for Phase II of Proboscidean Grant Proposal posted December 02, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga, Dr. Jeff Saunders, and Dr. Stacey Lengyel began preparations for submission of an NSF proposal to address issues in the evolution and paleoecology of North American proboscideans in the Midcontinent. Read more ...
- Sill Researches Visual Art posted November 20, 2014
- Bob Sill, Associate Curator of Art, continues to research text-based art to add to the current curatorial project exhibition entitled Pro-Text: When Words Enter Visual Art. Read more ...
- Establishment of Dendrochronology Laboratory posted November 17, 2014
- Drs. Chris Widga and Terrance Martin met with Glen Freimuth to discuss obtaining equipment to establish a basic dendrochronology laboratory in the RCC. Read more ...
- On-going Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted November 14, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4) site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Interior Woodlands Archaic Faunal Database posted November 11, 2014
- Dr. Bonnie Styles and Mona Colburn participated in a conference call meeting with Dr. Sarah Neusius of Indiana University of Pennsylvania to discuss ongoing activities and needs for the porting of Archaic archeofaunal data into the Digital Archaeological Record under the auspices of a National Science Foundation Grant. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin posted November 08, 2014
- Dr. Robert Warren continued his analysis of freshwater mussel faunas in the Illinois River Basin. One focus this month was placing the analysis in a solid geological context based on Ed Hajic's 1990 Ph.D. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted November 07, 2014
- During November 2014, which was the fourth coldest month on record, Zoology Curator H. David Bohlen continued his monitoring of birds in Sangamon County. Read more ...
- Endangered Species - Genetics of Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted November 06, 2014
- Zoology Curator Dr. Meredith Mahoney continued work in the genetics lab to sequence target genes from two populations of Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly from Missouri with the objective of determining the genetic variation. Read more ...
- Collections Research at Cincinnati Museum Center posted November 04, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga examined the Quaternary mammal collection from Sheriden Pit, Wyandotte County, Ohio. This assemblage is dominated by flat-headed peccaries (Platygonus compressus), but shows pristine preservation compared to other peccary assemblages in the Midwest (i.e., Peccary Cave, Arkansas). Read more ...
- Site 11W12739 at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie posted October 21, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin identified a small sample of animal remains from the Huber phase site 11WI2739 in order to verify the presence of bison at the request of Joe Wheeler, archaeologist at Midewin (October 21). Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Faunal Analysis posted October 19, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin compiled species composition tables by excavation unit, level, and feature for the 91 animal remains that were recovered during the 2014 excavations. Read more ...
- Center for French Colonial Studies Meeting posted October 17, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin (as member of the CFCS Board of Directors) participated in the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Center for French Colonial Studies in St. Read more ...
- Hoxie Farm Site (11CK4) Faunal Analysis posted October 16, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin continues the zooarchaeological analysis of the late prehistoric (late Fisher and Huber phases) habitation site located south of Chicago. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin posted October 15, 2014
- Dr. Robert Warren continued his analysis of freshwater mussel faunas in the Illinois River Basin. Public programs on this research include an ISM Brown Bag lecture presented on October 15. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted October 12, 2014
- In October, Zoology Curator H. David Bohlen continued his monitoring of birds in Sangamon County. He documented 164 species, of which 29 were new fall migrants, mostly ducks and sparrows. Read more ...
- Endangered Species—Genetics of Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted October 11, 2014
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney extracted DNA and sequenced target genes from samples of Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly from two populations in Missouri. Read more ...
- James Jenkins Archaeological Project posted October 10, 2014
- Timothy Townsend of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Dennis Naglich, and Dr. Terrance Martin met at the RCC with Jori Lewis (independent reporter and writer) concerning the Jameson Jenkins archaeological project and its connection to the Underground Railroad on October 10. Read more ...
- Research in the ISM Library posted October 10, 2014
- Pat Burg assisted the Anthropology department by locating previously scanned items (by ISAS) in the library manuscript collection. A Nickerson map (Aiken Mound Group) was previously scanned and the library received a notebook and printout of the scanned plate(s). Read more ...
- Analysis of Large Mammal Fauna from Peccary Cave, Arkansas posted October 09, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga and Matt G. Hill (Iowa State University) began a collaborative re-analysis of a classic midwestern Quaternary vertebrate locality, Peccary Cave near Fayetteville, Arkansas. Read more ...
- On the Road to Wisconsin—Radiocarbon Dating of Mammoths and Mastodons posted October 04, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga traveled to the Kenosha Public Museum (KPM) in Kenosha, Wisconsin to sample mammoth, mastodon, and helmeted muskox specimens for radiocarbon dating. Read more ...
- Research and Awards Presented at Midwest Archaeological Conference posted October 02, 2014
- Several ISM curators, research associates, and adjunct research associates participated in the joint meeting of the 58th Annual Midwest Archaeological Conference (MAC) and the Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey (IAS) in Champaign, October 2-4, which was attended by 373 registered participants. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Site Fauna Reported at Conference posted September 26, 2014
- As part of this the 10th annual Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference in Niles, Michigan (September 26-27), Dr. Terrance Martin participated in a session “Archaeology and Heritage Management: The Future of the Past at Fort St. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted September 25, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished the chapter on the animal remains from 15 features from the Zimmerman site, Grid A (1970-71 excavations) (La Salle County, IL), which were reanalyzed for a volume that is being assembled and edited by Robert F. Read more ...
- Manuscript on Feather Distribution Project Submitted for Publication posted September 25, 2014
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman submitted a manuscript entitled “The Feather Distribution Project: Applied Archaeology and Anthropology to Preserve Traditional Pueblo Religions, Native Bird Populations, and Their Habitats” to the University of Utah Press (157 pages) (September 25). Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin posted September 24, 2014
- Dr. Robert Warren presented "Multivariate Ordination of Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin, Illinois: Cultural and Environmental Correlates" in a special session on mollusk remains at the International Conference of Archaeozoology in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina (September 24). Read more ...
- Research in the Museum Library posted September 22, 2014
- Pat Burg lent a volume of the Transactions of the Illinois Academy of Science to Elizabeth Bazan for a temporary exhibition in the Museum’s lower level. Read more ...
- Workshop for NSF Archaic Faunal Project posted September 20, 2014
- Dr. Bonnie Styles and Mona Colburn hosted an organizational workshop for an NSF grant-funded project to incorporate archaeofaunal databases from the interior Eastern United States into the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR) and conduct research of increasing use of aquatic resources in the Archaic Period. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted September 19, 2014
- During the fall migration, Zoology Curator H. David Bohlen continued his monitoring of birds in Sangamon County. He documented 45 new arrivals of the 176 species totaled in 249 field hours. Read more ...
- Researchers Re-examine Bone Artifacts from Middle Woodland Sites posted September 19, 2014
- Drs. Angela Perri and Terrance Martin met with Ken Farnsworth to review old photographs of cut mandibles and maxillae from Middle Woodland mound sites to verify or revise species identifications (September 19). Read more ...
- Insect Species of Concern posted September 15, 2014
- Dr. Everett Cashatt and Ed DeWalt, aquatic entomologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey, collaborated to produce a list of aquatic insects to be submitted to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for their Species of Concern document. Read more ...
- How Tall are Woody Plants? posted September 12, 2014
- A recent article published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution 29:433-434 reported a bimodal pattern in the frequency distribution of the maximum heights of woody plants and developed a theory to explain the pattern. Read more ...
- Hopwood Farm posted September 11, 2014
- At the behest of Dr. Leslie Fay (Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL), who is preparing a manuscript on the Hopwood Farm site in Montgomery County, Dr. Read more ...
- Goose Lake Outlet Site Faunal Remains Reports posted September 10, 2014
- Northern Michigan University provided a letter of authorization for Dr. Terrance Martin to identify and prepare a technical report on animal remains from the Goose Lake Outlet #3 site (20MQ140), Marquette County, Michigan, a Proto-Historic (AD 1630-1640) encampment (September 10). Read more ...
- Visiting Researcher from Texas posted September 09, 2014
- Andrew Boehm, a Ph.D. student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas is working on the isotopic ecology of Paleoindian-age bison in the western plains. Read more ...
- Visiting Researcher from Germany posted September 06, 2014
- Geology curators Drs. Chris Widga and Jeff Saunders hosted Dr. Angela Perri of the Department of Human Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. Read more ...
- On the Road to Nebraska—Radiocarbon Dating of Mammoths and Mastodons posted September 02, 2014
- In the last week of September, Dr. Chris Widga travelled to the University of Nebraska State Museum to document mammoth and mastodon localities in their collections and to sample four specimens for radiocarbon dating, including a specimen from Mammuthus jeffersonii, collected by C.B. Read more ...
- Manuscript for Book on Feather Distribution Project Completed posted August 29, 2014
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman completed the text for the manuscript for a proposed book, “The Feather Distribution Project: Applied Archaeology and Anthropology to Preserve Traditional Pueblo Religions, Native Bird Populations, and Their Habitats.” The manuscript is 152 pages in length and will be submitted to a prospective publisher. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted August 27, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished drafting species composition tables for 15 features that were reanalyzed for a chapter on the Zimmerman Site, Grid A (1970-71 excavations) (La Salle County, IL). Read more ...
- Zooarchaeology Workshops on Coalwood Site (20AR18) posted August 26, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated in Western Michigan University’s archaeological field school and presented two zooarchaeology workshop sessions using data from the site of Coalwood, a cord wood lumber camp near Munising, Michigan in the Hiawatha National Forest. Read more ...
- Grand Haven Bypass Highway Project in Southwestern Michigan posted August 25, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished the technical report on three faunal assemblages for sites 20OT283, 20OT3, and 20OT344, which are late prehistoric habitation sites along the lower Grand River in Ottawa County, Michigan that were investigated and/or mitigated by CCRG for the Michigan DOT in 2011. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeology Project posted August 23, 2014
- Dennis Naglich continued preparing a technical report on this summer’s excavation of 2.5 m2 of area within the northwestern portion of the Jameson Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted August 22, 2014
- In August, Zoology Curator H. David Bohlen continued his monitoring of birds in Sangamon County, during the tail end of nesting period and the beginning of the fall migration. Read more ...
- Endangered Species - Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted August 20, 2014
- Dr. Everett Cashatt submitted the final report for the 2014 Survey of the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Read more ...
- Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin posted August 19, 2014
- Dr. Robert Warren examined a freshwater mussel collection from a Late Woodland occupation at the O'Donnell site (11JY290) to determine which ecophenotypes of Amblema plicata and Fusconaia flava are represented. Read more ...
- Visitor from Russia posted August 17, 2014
- On behalf of the Geology Section, Museum Director Dr. Bonnie Styles sent a letter of invitation to Dr. Sergey Leshchinskiy, Department of Paleontology and Historical Geology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia, to come to the ISM Research and Collections Center to study the Geology collections this fall (October or November) to facilitate his research of mammoths and mastodons. Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database posted August 16, 2014
- Dr. Eric Grimm has continued work on software development for the Neotoma Paleoecology Database, focusing on the input of rodent midden and faunal data. Read more ...
- Diversity Patterns of Tree Species posted August 12, 2014
- One of the most consistent patterns in biogeography is that species richness generally peaks where climates are warm and wet and declines as climates become colder and drier. Read more ...
- Mammoth Bone Samples Submitted posted August 11, 2014
- Seven additional mammoth bone samples were submitted to the University of Arizona AMS lab as part of the NSF-funded Proboscidean chronology and paleoecology project. Read more ...
- Submission of Faunal Samples for Radiocarbon Dating posted August 10, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga submitted two sets of samples for radiocarbon dating. The first set, submitted to Aeon Labs (Tucson, AZ), consisted of two Stag Moose specimens (Argyle, IA and Big Bone Lick, KY) that are part of a large review of this taxon in Midwestern Quaternary sites (collaboration with Matt G. Read more ...
- Paleopathology of Early Iowa Dogs posted August 04, 2014
- A manuscript by Geology adjunct Dr. Dennis Lawler (DVM) and curator Dr. Chris Widga on the paleopathology of dogs from the Cherokee Sewer Site was accepted for publication by the International Journal of Paleopathology. Read more ...
- Rodent Midden Workshop posted July 28, 2014
- The Neotoma Paleoecology Database is a collaborative project funded the NSF Geoinformatics Program. The ISM and Penn State are the two lead institutions. Read more ...
- Western Missouri Field Work posted July 21, 2014
- Paleontological and archaeological work in western Missouri at a number of springs sites and at Rodgers Shelter was conducted in the late 1960s and 1970s by personnel who later came to the Illinois State Museum and continued that work at the ISM. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted July 18, 2014
- In July, H. David Bohlen’s monitoring of birds in Sangamon County dealt with breeding species. Since most of the county (83 %) is in agriculture, birds are left with little space in which to nest. Read more ...
- Hopwood Farm posted July 16, 2014
- On July 16, Dr. Leslie Fey (Rock Island Community College, Rock Island, Illinois) visited the RCC for research pertaining to his analysis of the fossil assemblage from Hopwood Farm, notably the collection (primarily screen-washable material containing gastropods and small vertebrate fossil remains) made by Dr. Read more ...
- Article Submitted for Publication posted July 15, 2014
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman submitted the manuscript for his article, “The 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads, Mississippi: A Parson’s Perspective,” to the Chase Camp Gazette (July 15). Read more ...
- Endangered Species - Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted July 15, 2014
- Dr. Everett Cashatt has spearheaded research into the endangered species, Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly for the past several years. The primary purpose of this year’s Illinois Hine's Emerald Dragonfly (HED) survey was to confirm breeding habitat outside of the Des Plaines River drainage. Read more ...
- Anthropology Professor Conducts Sabbatical Research posted July 14, 2014
- On July 14, Dr. Jodie O’Gorman, Chairman of the Anthropology Department at Michigan State University began a one-year sabbatical at the Research and Collections Center. Read more ...
- Goebel-Bain Continues Research posted July 14, 2014
- Angela Goebel-Bain continued her research on Illinois topics for the second floor redevelopment and her fashion history research for the Bevier website exhibition. Read more ...
- Feather Distribution Project posted July 12, 2014
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman continued work throughout July on the manuscript for a proposed book, “The Feather Distribution Project: Applied Archaeology and Anthropology to Preserve Traditional Pueblo Religions, Native Bird Populations, and Their Habitats.” The manuscript is currently 103 pages in length, about 50% complete. Read more ...
- Cacao Residues on Ceramics in ISM Collections posted July 09, 2014
- Dorothy Washburn and colleagues (Dorothy K., William N. Washburn, Petia A. Shipkova, and Mary Ann Pelleymounter) published their research based on chemical analyses undertaken on objects in the Museum archaeological collections at the RCC and at Dickson Mounds Museum (“Chemical Analysis of Cacao Residues in Archaeological Ceramics from North American: Consideration of Contamination, Sample Size and Systematic Controls.” Journal of Archaeological Science 50:191-207. Read more ...
- Black Hills Field Work posted July 07, 2014
- Dr. Eric Grimm spent two weeks (July 7-18) in the field excavating a cave site in the Black Hills, South Dakota, with former ISM Geology Curator Dr. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted July 06, 2014
- Faunal research for the Grand Haven Bypass Highway Project (Southwestern Michigan) continued under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin. Sites 20OT283, 20OT3, and 20OT344 are late prehistoric habitation sites along the lower Grand River in Ottawa County, Michigan, that were investigated and/or mitigated by CCRG for the Michigan DOT in 2011. Read more ...
- Chinese Visiting Scholar posted July 04, 2014
- Visiting scholar Dr. Xiaozhong Huang of Lanzhou University, China, has completed his one year (July 3, 2013 to July 4, 2014) visit to the ISM RCC. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeology Project posted July 03, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Dennis Naglich, and the National Park Service’s Cultural Resource Diversity Internship Program intern Shawn Fields (graduate student in anthropology at UIUC) conducted an excavation of 2.5 m2 of area within the northwestern portion of the Jameson Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site from June 12 through July 3. Read more ...
- Maintenance of Inventory of Archaeological Sites posted June 24, 2014
- On June 24, Dr. Bonnie Styles finalized negotiations for a half and half split for Nick Klobuchar’s work on the archaeological site file. Read more ...
- Endangered Species—Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted June 15, 2014
- Dr. Everett Cashatt conducted a mark-recapture study of Hine’s emerald dragonflies the week of June 15-20 at Johnsons Shut-Inns State Park in Reynolds County, Missouri to estimate the size of the population. Read more ...
- Neotoma Software Training posted June 14, 2014
- Dr. Eric Grimm is developing the software interface for uploading new data to the Neotoma Paleoecology Database (www.neotomadb.org). In June, he conducted four WebEx sessions to remotely train database “stewards” in the use of this software interface. Read more ...
- Neotoma Data Upload posted June 14, 2014
- The pace of data upload to the Neotoma Paleoecology database is quickening, with 148 datasets validated and uploaded from the ISM in June. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Genetics posted June 13, 2014
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney conducted a number of analyses on the genetics dataset for the dragonfly genus Somatochlora, looking at relationships among species. Read more ...
- Planning for "One Health" Project posted June 13, 2014
- On June13, Dr. Bonnie Styles, Dennis Lawler, Dr. Chris Widga, and Dr. Jane Buikstra (Center for American Archeology and Arizona State University) met to discuss desires to convene a group to discuss interdisciplinary research of disease processes in animals and humans. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeology Project posted June 12, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Dennis Naglich, and CRDIP intern Shawn Fields (graduate student in anthropology at UIUC) conducted an excavation of 2.5 m2 of area within the northwestern portion of the Jameson Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site beginning on June 12. Read more ...
- Sill Researches New Exhibition posted June 12, 2014
- Bob Sill continued working on a new exhibition, PROTEXT ART: When Words Enter Visual Art selecting artists, locking in loan requests, and conducting studio visits with perspective exhibitors. Read more ...
- Mammoth Cave posted June 09, 2014
- Mona Colburn and Dr. Chris Widga submitted revisions to an article that will be published in the journal Quaternary Research. Read more ...
- New Radiocarbon Dates posted June 08, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga received the results for three 14C samples from Aeon Labs in Tucson, Arizona. The Woodyard bison from Fulton County, Illinois dates to 490 ± 25 BP. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted June 05, 2014
- H. David Bohlen’s bird monitoring in June dealt with nesting species in Sangamon County. Of the 125 species observed in June, at least 100 were suspected of breeding in the county (many of these were confirmed). Read more ...
- Ongoing Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted June 03, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued writing sections of text for the technical report on the faunal assemblages from sites 20OT283, 20OT3, and 20OT344. Read more ...
- Research for Upcoming Exhibition posted May 21, 2014
- Bob Sill met with Allison Lacherion, Stanley Bly, and Thom Whalen to select work and secure loan requests for works to be included in his upcoming exhibition, PROTEXT: When Words Enter Visual Art. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted May 20, 2014
- H. David Bohlen’s bird monitoring continued with spring migration, in which 50 more migrants were added in May out of 201 species observed in 269 field hours. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Genetics Research Projects posted May 16, 2014
- Zoology Curator Dr. Meredith Mahoney prepared a short presentation of slides and text summarizing her genetic research and results on Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly titled “Genetics studies on Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly in Missouri.” Dr. Read more ...
- ISM Scanning Electron Microscope is Now Online posted May 15, 2014
- Drs. Chris Widga and Meredith Mahoney hosted Tom Clarke, a scanning electron technician from Cleaner Image, Inc., on May 15-16. Read more ...
- Species Richness posted May 14, 2014
- Botany Curator Dr. Hong Qian collaborated with Dr. John J. Wiens of University of Arizona, Dr. Jian Zhang of University of Alberta (Canada), and Dr. Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database posted May 12, 2014
- Dr. Eric Grimm is the principal investigator of the NSF funded Neotoma Paleoecological Database, and he has been developing the software in collaboration with the IT team at Penn State to remotely upload data to the database. Read more ...
- Suspected Hip Dysplasia in a Red Fox posted May 11, 2014
- Dennis F. Lawler, (1,2) Richard H. Evans, (2) Jennifer A. Reetz, (3) Jill E. Sackman, (4) Gail K. Smith (3)
(1) Illinois State Museum Collections Center, 1011 East Ash St, Springfield IL 62703(2) Pacific Marine Mammal Center, 20612 Laguna Canyon Rd, Laguna Beach CA 92651 (3) Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, 3900 Spruce St., Philadelphia PA 19104(4) Numerof & Associates, Inc., Four City Place Drive, Suite 430, St. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeology Project posted May 07, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin submitted the Application for Permit for Archeological Investigations document to the National Park Service’s Midwest Archeological Center (Lincoln, NE) seeking permission to conduct a second season of limited archaeological excavations at the Jameson Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site (May 7). Read more ...
- Mammoth Conference posted May 05, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga and Kayla Kolis (former Illinois College intern) presented research on Midwestern mammoths and mastodons at the 6th International Conference on Mammoths and their Relatives in Siatista, Greece, May 5-12. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted May 02, 2014
- During May, Dr. Terrance Martin continued writing sections of text for the technical report on the faunal assemblages for two sites in Michigan. Read more ...
- Fieldwork at Morton Village Site posted April 29, 2014
- Dr. Robert Warren participated in a magnetometer survey of the Morton Village site in Fulton County with Dr. Michael Conner and Dr. Read more ...
- Research on Prillwitz Mammoth posted April 19, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga traveled to Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan to examine the Prillwitz Mammoth. This mounted skeleton was excavated in the 1960s from southwestern Michigan and is about 80% complete. Read more ...
- Radiocarbon Samples Submitted posted April 15, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga submitted seven samples for radiocarbon dating to Aeon labs in Tucson, Arizona. These samples include: a Fulton County bison, American Lion from Arizona, horse, camel, and stag moose from western Iowa, and a bear from the Embarras River, Illinois. Read more ...
- Conference on Michigan Archaeology posted April 12, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended annual meetings of the Conference on Michigan Archaeology (April 12) and the Michigan Archaeological Society (April 13), both in Lansing, Michigan. Read more ...
- Ongoing Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted April 11, 2014
- For a project with the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, Dr. Terrance Martin finished computer database entry for faunal assemblages from twenty-two sites in eastern Oklahoma and six sites in western Arkansas. Read more ...
- Endangered Species - Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted April 10, 2014
- Dr. Everett Cashatt submitted the final paper work for the Federal Permit for study of the endangered Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly for the 2014-2015 seasons. Read more ...
- Sill Researches for Next Exhibit posted April 09, 2014
- Bob sill continues researching artists for his PROTEXT exhibition and has confirmed loans from the Carl Hammer Gallery and Zolla Lieberman Gallery. Read more ...
- Society for American Archaeology Meeting posted April 08, 2014
- Drs. Bonnie Styles and Terrance Martin attended 79th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Austin, Texas in April. Read more ...
- Burg Assists Researchers posted April 07, 2014
- Pat Burg met with Katie Barker, DNR Grants Officer on April 7. Ms. Barker used files and notebooks from the Museum Grants Program archive collection. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted April 06, 2014
- H. David Bohlen’s monitoring of spring bird migration for April produced seventy-five additional migrants out of the 189 species found. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeology Project posted April 04, 2014
- In April, Shawn Fields accepted the Cultural Resources Diversity Internship for the second year of the ISM’s archaeological investigation of the Jenkins Lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Read more ...
- Research for Second Floor History Exhibit Continues posted April 03, 2014
- Angela Goebel-Bain continues researching Illinois history topics for the second floor redevelopment. Read more ...
- Emiquon Science Symposium posted March 27, 2014
- Drs. Bonnie Styles, Chris Widga, Meredith Mahoney, and Terrance Martin and Beth Shea attended the 2014 Emiquon Science Symposium at Dickson Mounds Museum on March 27. Read more ...
- Lincoln's Elm Tree posted March 25, 2014
- Pat Burg assisted Chris Widga in trying to locate accession information about the “Lincoln’s Elm Tree” that was located on the property of Lincoln’s Home. Read more ...
- Planning for Collaborative Research with SIU-E posted March 24, 2014
- On March 24, Dr. Bonnie Styles and Dr. Eric Grimm met with Dr. Jerry Weinberg, Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at SIU-E and Dr. Read more ...
- Potawatomi Emigration Muster Rolls posted March 22, 2014
- Pat Burg assisted Research Associate George Godfrey by locating sources for the Potawatomi Emigration Muster Rolls. The Clarke Historical Library at University of Michigan contains an archival collection called, The James A. Read more ...
- Ozarks Paleoecology posted March 21, 2014
- On March 21-26, Robert Hasselwander, a Ph.D. student with Dr. Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe at the Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla visited the ISM palynology lab to process samples from cores collected last October from Cypress Pond, in southeastern Missouri. Read more ...
- WPA Federal Art Project posted March 14, 2014
- Pat Burg assisted the Art Department by researching the WPA Federal Art Project and associated photographs. The photographs depict artists creating their work, and were part of the Federal Depository Program. Read more ...
- Illinois History and Fashion Research posted March 12, 2014
- Angela Goebel-Bain continues her research on Illinois history for the second floor redevelopment and fashion history for the Bevier website exhibit. Read more ...
- Morphological Variation in Deer posted March 10, 2014
- On March 10-14, Nathan Reese, a Master’s degree student with Dr. Luci Kohn at SIU-Edwardsville visited the RCC to select specimens for his thesis research on morphological variation in modern and archaeological deer. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted March 10, 2014
- Zoology curator David Bohlen’s bird monitoring in Sangamon County continued in March. Cold weather caused a delay in the spring migration. Read more ...
- New Dates on Midwestern Mammoths and Mastodons posted March 09, 2014
- Drs. Chris Widga, Jeffrey Saunders, and Stacey Lengyel received results from the University of Arizona Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon lab on mammoth and mastodon specimens from the Great Lakes region. Read more ...
- Ongoing Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted March 06, 2014
- For a project with the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, Dr. Terrance Martin finished identifications for the faunal assemblages from twenty-two sites in eastern Oklahoma and six sites in western Arkansas. Read more ...
- Oral History Methodological Research posted March 03, 2014
- Dr. Robert Warren suspended his research on the digital indexing of oral history recordings with controlled vocabularies because of other obligations. Read more ...
- CT-Scanning of Paleontology, Zoology, and Anthropology Specimens posted February 26, 2014
- Geology Curator Dr. Chris Widga, Research Associate Dennis Lawler, and Mark Flotow CT-scanned ISM fossil specimens at a local hospital on February 26. Read more ...
- Librarian Assists with Research posted February 22, 2014
- Pat Burg sent scans of the Illinois State Museum’s AMM archival finding aids to the new executive director of the Association of Midwest Museums, Donna Sack. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted February 20, 2014
- Zoology curator David Bohlen’s bird monitoring in Sangamon County continued in February monitoring winter birds during a cold and snowy month. Read more ...
- Mammoth "Hybrid" Sampled for Radiocarbon Analyses posted February 17, 2014
- Acting on information from Iowa State Graduate student Pete Eyheralde, Drs. Matt G. Hill (Iowa State University) and Chris Widga sampled a mammoth mandible in the ISU zoology collections for radiocarbon dating. Read more ...
- Fish Lake Coring posted February 17, 2014
- During the week of February 17-21, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in the fieldwork to collect a sediment core from Fish Lake, Utah. Read more ...
- Genetics of North American Mammoths posted February 14, 2014
- Drs. Jeffrey Saunders and Chris Widga are part of a collaborative team working on ancient Mammuthus DNA preserved in specimens south of the Laurentide ice sheet. Read more ...
- New Research on Old Collections: Peccary Cave Arkansas, Preparation for Collections Research posted February 11, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga initiated a new research project with collaborator Dr. Matthew G. Hill (Iowa State University) to re-analyze the extensive large mammal assemblage from Peccary Cave, Arkansas. Read more ...
- Oral History Methodological Research posted February 10, 2014
- Dr. Robert Warren continued his research on the digital indexing of oral history recordings with controlled vocabularies. He plans to co-author a paper on this topic (“Searching for Spoken Words: Digital Indexing of Oral History Recordings with Controlled Vocabularies” by Robert Warren, Douglas Lambert, Jennifer Palmentiero, Lindsey Barnes, and Kimberly Guise) and submit it to The Oral History Review. Read more ...
- New Isotopic Data Offers Insight into Seasonal Changes in Mammoth Behavior posted February 09, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga and Kayla Kolis, an intern from Illinois College, received the first round of results from micromilled samples from a mammoth tooth. Read more ...
- Research for Art Exhibition posted February 07, 2014
- Bob Sill continues to research and select artists for his upcoming group thematic exhibition PROTEXT ART: When Words Enter Visual Art. Read more ...
- Phylogenetic Patterns of Plant Life Forms posted February 04, 2014
- Botany Curator Dr. Hong Qian and his collaborator Dr. Jian Zhang of the University of Alberta generated an updated time-calibrated family-level phylogeny (evolutionary history) for seed plants in the world, which they used to analyze phylogenetic patterns of life forms of seed plant families. Read more ...
- Endangered Species - Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted February 03, 2014
- To supplement work funded in January by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Section 6 for surveys of the federally Endangered Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly, Dr. Read more ...
- Ongoing Archaeological Faunal Analysis Projects posted February 03, 2014
- For a project with the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, Dr. Terrance Martin finished identifications for the faunal assemblage from site 34MC665 in eastern Oklahoma and began identifications on site 34MC254. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted January 27, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished identifications and database entry (232 records) for the faunal assemblage from site 3MN298, a Caddoan site in western Arkansas for a project with the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma and began identifications on site 34MC665 (Caddo) in eastern Oklahoma. Read more ...
- Stag-Moose Extinction and Biogeography posted January 21, 2014
- Dr. Chris Widga and collaborator Matt G. Hill (Iowa State University) submitted a proposal to the Iowa Academy of Sciences to fund radiocarbon dating of Iowa stag-moose (Cervalces) remains. Read more ...
- Endangered Species—Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted January 19, 2014
- In January, U.S. Fish and Wildlife approved a Section 6 grant proposal submitted by Zoology Curator Dr. Tim Cashatt to continue surveys for the Federally Endangered Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly. Read more ...
- The Birds of Sangamon County posted January 18, 2014
- Zoology curator H. David Bohlen’s monumental A Study of the Birds of Sangamon County, Illinois, 1970-2010 was published as the first number of the Illinois State Museum’s new Research eSeries. Read more ...
- Research Conducted for Albino Animal Exhibit posted January 15, 2014
- Pat Burg assisted Meredith Mahoney in researching accessions for the albino animal exhibit. Research included searching through activity reports, The Living Museum, Museum annual reports and accession record correspondence. Read more ...
- Teocentli Published posted January 13, 2014
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman finished the final draft of Teocentli, .pdf copies were sent to members, and printed copies were sent to members who requested them and to the four institutions which archive Tecocentli. Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database posted January 13, 2014
- The Neotoma Paleoecology Database has several working groups to address various database issues. These working groups have funding from the Neotoma NSF grant for workshops. Read more ...
- Book Review Accepted for Publication posted January 11, 2014
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman submitted an invited book review of Drawing with Great Needles: Ancient Tattoo Traditions of North America, edited by Aaron Deter-Wolf and Carol Diaz-Granados, which was accepted for publication in the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology on January 11. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in Conference posted January 09, 2014
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated in the 47th Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology in Quebec City, Canada (January 9-11). He presented a paper on “Use of Animals at the Laurens North Site, the Location of Fort de Chartres III in the Illinois Country” in a symposium on Historical Archaeology of French America, organized by Dr. Read more ...
- National Park Service Internship Position Awarded to ISMS and LHNHS posted January 04, 2014
- The Jameson Jenkins Lot Archaeological investigation at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site was selected by the Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program (CRDIP) as a site for one of the internships that is administered jointly with the Student Conservation Association. Read more ...
- Illinois Inventory of Archaeological Sites posted December 31, 2013
- At the end of December, Nick Klobuchar reported that there are 61,964 sites in the Illinois Inventory of Archaeological Sites. Read more ...
- Birds of Sangamon County posted December 20, 2013
- Zoology curator H. David Bohlen continued bird monitoring in Sangamon County, documenting increasing numbers of winter waterfowl. The most numerous were Canada Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, Mallards, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, and Ruddy Duck. Read more ...
- Endangered Species - Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted December 19, 2013
- Dr. Tim Cashatt submitted “The 2013 Annual Summary Report for the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly Survey” to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Region 3 Office on December 19. Read more ...
- Bats of Kentucky posted December 14, 2013
- ISM Research Associate Mona Colburn, former ISM curator Dr. Rick Toomey, and Dr. Chris Widga prepared a manuscript on paleontological remains from Bat Cave within Mammoth Cave National Park, KY. Read more ...
- Bison of the Midwest posted December 12, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga prepared a manuscript on the paleozoology of the Itasca Bison site in Minnesota for submission to the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology. Read more ...
- Plants of China posted December 11, 2013
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues published a book chapter, entitled “Global significance of plant diversity in China” in the book Plants of China: A Companion to the Flora of China, which is a companion to the Flora of China in 25 volumes. Read more ...
- Research Presentation on Mussels Proposed for International Conference posted December 08, 2013
- Dr. Robert Warren registered an abstract (“Multivariate Ordination of Freshwater Mussel Faunas in the Illinois River Basin, Illinois: Cultural and Environmental Correlates”) for a special session on mollusks (“Molluscs as a Record of Human-Environment Relationships: Environmental Reconstructions, Impacts, and Management”) at the 12th Conference of the International Council for Archaeozoology (ICAZ) in San Rafael, Argentina (September, 2014). Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database posted December 06, 2013
- The Neotoma Paleoecology Database is an international collaborative project involving scientists around the world, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation Geoinformatics Program. Read more ...
- Archaeological Research at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site posted December 04, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin submitted a proposal to the Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program to continue investigations with an intern at the Jameson Jenkins lot in the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted December 02, 2013
- Dr. Terrence Martin began identifications on the faunal assemblage from site 34MC655, a late prehistoric Caddoan site in eastern Oklahoma, for a project with the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Read more ...
- Birds of Sangamon County posted November 27, 2013
- Zoology curator David Bohlen’s bird monitoring in Sangamon County in November documented the late fall migration and arrival of winter residents. Read more ...
- And more Dragonflies... posted November 24, 2013
- Dr. Tim Cashatt continued work on the Illinois dragonfly field guide, update the Odonata database, and post field work activity on the Hine’s emerald Dragonfly website for approximately fifty people on the Hine’s emerald permit (federal requirements for the Endangered Species Permit). Read more ...
- Dragonfly DNA posted November 22, 2013
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney continued work on a manuscript as part of a collaborative project with other researchers on relationships Somatochlora dragonflies. Read more ...
- Endangered Species - Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted November 20, 2013
- As a part of the federal recovery plan for the endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly, it is necessary to estimate the population size of selected areas where breeding is known to occur whenever possible. Read more ...
- Bat Guano posted November 18, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga and research associate Mona Colburn prepared a manuscript for publication on paleontological investigations in Mammoth Cave National Park in 2008. Read more ...
- Relationships among Latitude, Temperature, Species Diversity, and Relatedness posted November 17, 2013
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues published an article, entitled "Latitudinal Gradients in Phylogenetic Relatedness of Angiosperm Trees in North America" in the November issue of Global Ecology and Biogeography that examined the relation of species richness, mean clade age, and phylogenetic relatedness of angiosperm trees in 1175 regional assemblages to latitude and minimum temperature. Read more ...
- Goebel-Bain to Produce Fashion History Module posted November 15, 2013
- Angela Goebel-Bain is researching fashion history for a Bevier collection website module. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted November 14, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin identified animal remains and finished a technical report for four locations along the proposed Sandpiper Pipeline route in northern Minnesota that is being investigated by Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group, Inc. Read more ...
- Widows Creek Mussel Project posted November 12, 2013
- Dr. Robert Warren corresponded with Dr. Keith Little (Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research) regarding recent published reports on the Widows Creek site (1JA305) in northeast Alabama (November 21). Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project posted November 11, 2013
- Dr. Robert Warren met with a new ISM volunteer, Monica Broeckling of Springfield, to show her how to transcribe oral-history interview recordings (November 27). Read more ...
- Oral History Methodological Research posted November 10, 2013
- Dr. Robert Warren continued his research on the digital indexing of oral history recordings with controlled vocabularies. He is working on a co-authored paper on this topic ("Searching for Spoken Words: Digital Indexing of Oral History Recordings with Controlled Vocabularies") with Douglas Lambert, Jennifer Palmentiero, Lindsey Barnes, and Kimberly Guise. Read more ...
- Publication on DNA from Ancient Dogs includes ISM Koster Site Specimen posted November 06, 2013
- A multiple-authored paper in Science (O. Thalmann et al., Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of Ancient Canids Suggest a European Origin of Domestic Dogs. Read more ...
- ISM Mammoth Specimens Dates posted November 02, 2013
- On November 2, Jake Enk, (McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario) reported two new radiocarbon dates from ISM specimens. Read more ...
- Ancient Fossils Meet Modern Technology posted October 29, 2013
- On October 29, Chris Widga and Dennis Lawler took 10 specimens showing evidence of pathology to the CT scanning facility at a local hospital (that prefers to remain anonymous). Read more ...
- Linking Databases posted October 28, 2013
- Part of the EarthCube initiative is to facilitate linking different databases, including the NSF funded Neotoma Paleoecology Database, of which Dr. Read more ...
- Midwest Archaeological Conference posted October 24, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Dr. Michael Conner, and Dawn Cobb gave presentations at the 59th Annual Midwest Archaeological Conference in Columbus, Ohio, October 24-27 (see Professional Presentations). Read more ...
- DNA from Ethnographic Objects posted October 22, 2013
- Dr. Mahoney continued DNA lab work on ethnographic samples to determine if DNA can be extracted and sequenced from this material. Read more ...
- Illinois River Bison posted October 21, 2013
- On October 21, Dr. Chris Widga and Dennis Lawler travelled to the Dickson Mounds Museum where they met Alan Harn to examine recent bison finds from the central Illinois River valley. Read more ...
- Trudy the Elephant posted October 21, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga, Dennis Lawler, and Alan Harn attempted to re-locate "Trudy," a St. Louis zoo elephant who died in 1979 of pulmonary tuberculosis and is buried on the Dickson Mounds property (near the Ford House). Read more ...
- Quantitative Paleoecology Workshop and Symposium posted October 20, 2013
- Upon invitation of the organizers, Dr. Eric Grimm was invited to be keynote speaker at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists and to organize a symposium around his address. Read more ...
- Paleoamerican Odyssey Conference posted October 16, 2013
- Dr. Jeffrey Saunders with co-authors Gennady Baryshnikov (Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia) and Kevin Seymour (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada) presented a poster entitled “The Rise and Fall of a Clovis-age Large Mammal Community in Southern Arizona” at the Paleoamerican Odyssey Conference held October 16-19 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, convened by the Center for the Study of the First Americans (CSFA), Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Read more ...
- Plains Anthropological Conference posted October 14, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga was co-author of a poster at the 71st Plains Anthropological Conference in Loveland, Colorado. The lead author was Andrew Boehm, a Ph.D. Read more ...
- Plant Diversity posted October 12, 2013
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues published an article, entitled "Phylogenetic beta diversity ofangiosperms in North America", in the October issue of Global Ecology and Biogeography that quantified the phylogenetic beta diversity and taxonomic beta diversity of the angiosperm flora across North America, and related these metrics to one another and to geographical and environmental distances to uncover the phylogenetic signal underlying species compositional turnover. Read more ...
- Oral History of Methodological Research posted October 12, 2013
- Dr. Robert Warren conducted research on the digital indexing of oral history recordings with controlled vocabularies. He co-authored a paper on this topic with fellow participants in a conference session he organized and chaired at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Oral History Association in Oklahoma City, OK (October 12). Read more ...
- Official Publication of New Snout Moth Species posted October 10, 2013
- In order to be valid, the scientific names of species or higher taxa must be published according rules set the relevant code of nomenclature—for animal species, the 1999 International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Read more ...
- Proboscidean Extinction Project posted October 07, 2013
- As part of his NSF funded Proboscidean extinction NSF project, Dr. Chris Widga travelled to the University of Iowa in Iowa City, October 7-9, to continue a census of Iowa mammoths and mastodonts in the University of Iowa Paleontological Repository. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeologcal Research posted October 07, 2013
- Research Associate Dennis Lawler and Dr. Terrance Martin went to Capitol-Illini Veterinary Hospital on October 7 and 8 to have x-rays taken of four 18th-century pathological archaeological white-tailed deer bones from Fort Ouiatenon and Fort St. Read more ...
- Endangered Species - Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted October 04, 2013
- Hine’s emerald specimens were borrowed from Canada last year to sample as a part of our population genetics study. To comply with our agreement with Canada and U.S. Read more ...
- Illinois Archaeological Survey Meeting posted October 04, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin, and Dr. Michael Conner participated in the Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey, Inc. in Carbondale on October 4-5. Read more ...
- Earth Cube Geochronology posted October 01, 2013
- EarthCube is an initiative of the National Science Foundation Directorate of Geosciences and Division of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. “Cyberinfrastructure” refers to the computer software infrastructure for discovering, storing, managing, analyzing, and visualizing data. Read more ...
- Diversity of Woody Plants posted September 26, 2013
- Dr. Hong Qian published an article, entitled "Environmental determinants of woody plant diversity at a regional scale in China", in the journal PLoS ONE on September 26. Read more ...
- Preparation of Online Publication on Birds of Sangamon County posted September 26, 2013
- During September, Andy Hanson completed a draft layout for the two volume compendium of The Birds of Sangamon County. It is slated at the first publication in the Museum’s new Research e-Series. Read more ...
- Birds of Sangamon County posted September 20, 2013
- David Bohlen continued to monitor birds in Sangamon County, concentrating on the fall migration. He recorded 176 species in 258 field hours. Read more ...
- Chaco Canyon Research Summarized posted September 19, 2013
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman completed the manuscript for his proposed book, The Burials of Pueblo Bonito and Chaco Canyon: the Published vs. Read more ...
- Rare Glowworm posted September 16, 2013
- Dr. Cashatt continued to collaborate with Tracy Evans (graduate student and zoology research associate) on her fire ecology study, and assisting with the identification of arthropods from her insect surveys. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted September 16, 2013
- Jessica Haglund (Illinois State University) is finishing identifications of the faunal assemblage from the Myer-Dickson site (Fulton County, Illinois) for her master’s thesis. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Phylogenetics posted September 14, 2013
- The taxonomic placement of species in higher taxonomic ranks based on morphological characters is often subjective. Phylogenetics, the use of DNA to determine relationships among organisms, is revolutionizing taxonomy. Read more ...
- DNA from Ethnographic Objects posted September 12, 2013
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney initiated a collaborative project with Dr. Lynn Snyder of the Smithsonian Institution. The goal of the project is to assess whether DNA can be extracted from ethnographic objects, for example leather or sinew components, and determine whether DNA sequencing techniques can be used to identify the species used by native people in these objects. Read more ...
- New Analyses of ISM Mammoth Tooth Collected in the 1970s posted September 10, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga received the results of stable isotope analyses of a micro-sampled mammoth tooth plate from Jones Spring, Missouri. Read more ...
- Age of the Hopwood Farm Mastodont posted September 08, 2013
- Determining the age of the Hopwood Farm Mastodont, excavated by the ISM in the 1980s, has been difficult because it is beyond the maximum age for radiocarbon dating. Read more ...
- Oral History of Methodological Research posted September 08, 2013
- Dr. Robert Warren conducted research on the digital indexing of oral history recordings with controlled vocabularies. Dr. Warren will chair a session and present a paper on this topic at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Oral History Association in Oklahoma City (October 2013). Read more ...
- Late Pleistocene Extinction Debate posted September 06, 2013
- The cause of the megafauna extinction at the end of the Pleistocene some 12,000 years ago has been highly controversial. Read more ...
- Sampling of Mastodont and Mammoth Collections posted September 05, 2013
- As part of his NSF funded research , Dr. Chris Widga undertook collections work at the University of Wisconsin. He examined collections in the UW-Zoological Museum and sampled the Maas Farm Mammoth for radiocarbon analyses. Read more ...
- Endangered Species—Hine's Emerald Dragonfly posted August 26, 2013
- Dr. Cashatt worked on the amendments for the Federally Endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly for the first Missouri mark/recapture study and participated in two days of field work. Read more ...
- Fossils at Spaulding Dam posted August 23, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga and ISM volunteer Debbie Hamilton worked with CWLP engineers to investigate a bedrock outcrop immediately below Spaulding Dam in Springfield (8/23). Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research at Fort Sill posted August 21, 2013
- Drs. Terry Martin and Chris Widga completed a zooarchaeological analysis for R. Chris Goodwin and Associates of a zooarchaeological assemblage from East Cache Creek at Ft. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted August 19, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin produced a technical report on historical animal remains that were encountered during archaeological survey and construction monitoring in Saginaw, Michigan, by Arbre Croce Cultural Resources (Dr. Read more ...
- Extinct Dire Wolf posted August 16, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga and Jason Titcomb of the Sanford Museum and Planetarium (Cherokee, IA), have acquired radiocarbon and stable isotope data from Iowa's first Dire Wolf. Read more ...
- Colonial Williamsburg Research posted August 15, 2013
- Angela Goebel-Bain hosted Linda Baumgarten and Kim Ivey, textile curators from Colonial Williamsburg, in their study of the Amish quilts in the Decorative Arts collection. Read more ...
- Processing of Fish for the Comparative Skeletal Collection posted August 14, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued macerating fish in the remote processing laboratory at the Research and Collections Center to prepare specimens for the Museum’s comparative skeletal collection. Read more ...
- Middle Holocene Bison posted August 10, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga, Matt G. Hill (Iowa State), Marlin Hawley (Wisconsin Historical Society), and Laura Halverson Monahan (University of Wisconsin) submitted a manuscript to the Wisconsin Archaeologist describing recent work on the middle Holocene, Nye Bison assemblage near St. Read more ...
- Global Warming Research posted August 08, 2013
- The current trajectory of global warming will move Earth into a climate system not seen for millions of years. Predicting the response of ecosystems to these new climates is particularly challenging as there is no observational data for similar climates in the recent past. Read more ...
- Paleoecology Databases posted August 06, 2013
- Dr. Eric Grimm co-authored an article in PAGES Newsletter with colleagues from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and the University of Colorado describing renewed efforts to assemble data for the Latin American Pollen Database (LAPD), which is a constituent database of the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins House Lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site posted August 04, 2013
- The Lincoln Home National Historic Site (National Park Service) and the ISM collaborated on a limited archaeological investigation at the Jameson Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home Site as part of the 2013 National Park Service Cultural Resource Diversity Internship Program (CRDIP). The Jenkins Lot is included in the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Read more ...
- Sampling of Mastodont and Mammoth Collections posted August 01, 2013
- As part of his NSF funded research, Dr. Chris Widga undertook collections work at the Ohio Historical Society and Ohio State University Geology Museum in Columbus, Ohio (8/1-8/2). Read more ...
- Birds of Sangamon County posted August 01, 2013
- David Bohlen continued to monitor birds in Sangamon County. August is the end of the breeding season and the beginning of fall migration. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Research posted July 24, 2013
- Dr. Everett D. Cashatt transported Hine’s Emerald genetics samples from Alma, Illinois and discussed future studies with volunteer researcher and photographer Richard Day. Read more ...
- Domestic Dog Research Presented at Veterinary Meeting posted July 22, 2013
- Adjunct Research Associate Dr. Dennis Lawler presented a paper (“Do Archaeological Specimens Reflect Distant Historical Aspects of the Human-Animal Bond”) at the American Veterinary Medical Association Convention to a group from the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations on July 22 in Chicago. He presented information on the domestic dog remains in the ISM collections from the Koster, Modoc Rock Shelter, Rodgers Shelter, and Stilwell sites. Read more ...
- Grand Island Archaeological Project and Excavations at Goose Lake Outlet Site No. 3 posted July 16, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin presented zooarchaeology workshops for Dr. James Skibo’s Illinois State University/Hiawatha National Forest Archaeology Field School on Grand Island in northern Michigan on July 16 and 17. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted July 14, 2013
- Joseph Hearns (Western Michigan University) and Dr. Terrance Martin identified animal remains from the 18th-century French habitation site at Fort St. Read more ...
- Proposal Submitted to NSF for Archaeofaunal Database and Research posted July 14, 2013
- In July, Dr. Sarah Neusius, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation, Anthropology Program, to incorporate archeofaunal data for the Interior Eastern United States in the Digital Archaeological Record and address research questions about changing environmental conditions and cultural practices during the Archaic Period. Dr. Read more ...
- Paleopathology in a Prehistoric Domestic Dog posted July 10, 2013
- Adjunct Research Associate Dr. Dennis Lawler, Dr. Chris Widga, Dr. Terrance Martin, and colleagues from Malinckrodt Institute of Radiology and Department of Orthopedic Surgery (Washington University School of Medicine), Pacific Marine Mammal Center (Laguna Beach, California), Numerof and Associates (St. Read more ...
- Paleobiological Research at Rainbow Cave posted July 10, 2013
- In July, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in long-term interdisciplinary research for the Rainbow Cave project in the Black Hills with Dr. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in Herpetology Meetings posted July 09, 2013
- In July, Dr. Meredith Mahoney participated in the annual Joint Meetings of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Read more ...
- Sampling of Mastodont and Mammoth Collections posted July 08, 2013
- From July 8-12, Dr. Chris Widga visited museums in Michigan and Ontario to study and sample mammoth and mastodont remains as a part of his research of the chronology and paleoecology of their extinctions, funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins House Lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site posted July 07, 2013
- The Lincoln Home National Historic Site (National Park Service) and the ISM collaborated on a limited archaeological investigation at the Jameson Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home Site as part of the 2013 National Park Service Cultural Resource Diversity Internship Program (CRDIP). Following two weeks of fieldwork at the Jenkins lot, NPS intern Ms. Read more ...
- Chinese Scholar Initiates Tenure as Visiting Researcher posted July 02, 2013
- In July, Dr. Xiaozhong Huang joined the ISM staff in the RCC as an ISM Visiting Adjunct Research Associate in Botany for one year. He is an Associate Professor in the Research School of Arid Environment and Climate Change at Lanzhou University, located in the city of Lanzhou in central China. Read more ...
- Strontium Sample Collection posted July 01, 2013
- On July 1-2, Dr. Chris Widga collected sediment samples in the Ozarks for strontium analysis to create baseline data for his isotopic research with Pleistocene and Holocene vertebrate remains from archaeological and paleontological sites. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Survey posted June 19, 2013
- Dr. Everett D. Cashatt participated in a mark and recapture studies of the Hine’s Emerald in Salem, Missouri (June 19-21). Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins House Lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site posted June 18, 2013
- The Lincoln Home National Historic Site (National Park Service) and the ISM collaborated on a small-scale archaeological investigation at the Jameson Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home Site as part of the 2013 National Park Service Cultural Resource Diversity Internship Program (CRDIP). NPS Intern Ms. Read more ...
- Student Completes Masters Research on Ceramics posted June 16, 2013
- Jessica R. Miller completed her Illinois State University Master’s Thesis: “Evidence of Ritual Drink Preparation and the Function of Powell Plain and Ramey Incised Vessels in Mississippian Society.” Her thesis is based on research and analyses of ceramic vessels at the Research and Collections and Dickson Mounds Museum. Read more ...
- Planning for Multidisciplinary Paleoenvironmental Research posted June 11, 2013
- In June, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a workshop to plan interdisciplinary paleoenvironmental research project for Fish Lake in Utah. The project will include coring of the lake and analysis of a wide variety of proxy climate data, including pollen, which would be analyzed by Dr. Read more ...
- South American Paleoecology Database Workshop posted June 09, 2013
- In June, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a PAGES South American Paleoecology Database Workshop in Santiago, Chile. He presented a workshop on the Neotoma Paleoecology Database and data entry protocols. Read more ...
- Interpretation of Variation in Sulfur Isotope Ratios for Paleoenvironmental Research posted June 07, 2013
- Colleagues from the Czech Geological Survey, University of Maine and Dr. Eric Grimm published a study of variation in sulfur isotope ratios in lacustrine sediments from Lake Tulane, Florida. Read more ...
- Pollen Database History and Importance posted June 03, 2013
- Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues from across the country published a paper tracing the history of the development and merging of regional pollen databases, culminating in the development of the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. They emphasize the importance of these databases for fulfilling the critical need for a secure archive of paleobiological data and essential infrastructure for paleoenvironmental research. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted June 01, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Mike Brawley (American Resources Group, Ltd., Carbondale) completed a technical report on a small faunal assemblage from an early 19th-century cellar deposit at site 12W723 in Warrick County, Indiana. Read more ...
- Illinois College Student Assists with Isotopic Research posted May 26, 2013
- Kayla Kollis, a former Illinois College Intern, is participating in isotopic research with mammoth and mastodont remains with Dr. Chris Widga. Her project is supported through an outside grant that she secured, and the work will continue through the summer. Read more ...
- Proposal for Synthesis of Midwestern Archaeofaunal Data posted May 18, 2013
- Dr. Bonnie Styles collaborated with Dr. Sarah Neusius (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) on a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation to synthesize archaeofaunal data from Archaic sites in the Interior Eastern United States and address important research questions related to natural and cultural changes. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Town Site, Pike County, Illinois posted May 17, 2013
- New Philadelphia was recognized by the National Park Service as qualifying for inclusion in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Read more ...
- Curator Completes Study of Freshwater Mussels from Illinois River Site posted May 16, 2013
- In May, Dr. Robert Warren completed a manuscript on freshwater mussels recovered from the Liverpool Landing site in the central Illinois River valley. Spike, mucket, and purple wartyback dominated the Late Woodland archaeological samples. All of these species were extirpated from the Illinois River by the 1960s. Species composition of mussels indicates that the prehistoric inhabitants were collecting mussels from habitat characterized by shallow, swift water, with a coarse sand-gravel substrate. Only a depauperate mussel fauna occurs in this area of the river today. The manuscript has been submitted to The Wisconsin Archeologist. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project Published posted May 14, 2013
- A paper by the Museum’s Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project team of Dr. Robert Warren, Michael Maniscalco, Dr. Erich Schroeder, James S. Read more ...
- Phylogenetic Diversity of North American Angiosperms posted May 11, 2013
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from Michigan State University and the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong completed a study (released online) of the phylogenetic diversity of Angiosperms in North America. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted May 10, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin identified some problematic faunal specimens from the Howard Goodhue site (13PK1), an Oneota site in Polk County, Iowa, for Dr. Read more ...
- Drivers of Beta Diversity posted May 08, 2013
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the Najing Institute of Environmental Sciences (Nanjing, China), and the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Institute of Botany, and the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing China) published a study on the drivers of Beta diversity. Read more ...
- Jameson Jenkins House Lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site posted May 06, 2013
- The Lincoln Home National Historic Site (National Park Service) and the ISM will conduct a research project at the James Jenkins lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site as part of the 2013 National Park Service (NPS) Cultural Resource Diversity Internship Program (CRDIP). Ms. Read more ...
- Research of Latitudinal Gradients in Phylogenetic Relatedness of Angiosperm Trees posted May 05, 2013
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China) and the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta) completed a major study (released online) of latitudinal gradients in relatedness for angiosperm trees in 1,175 regional assemblages in North America. Read more ...
- Fieldwork at Hopwood Farm Site posted April 29, 2013
- Drs. Jeffrey Saunders and Chris Widga participated in fieldwork (limited survey and sampling of fossils) at the Hopwood Farm site in Montgomery County with representatives from the Illinois State Geological Survey on April 29. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeology Book Prospectus Submitted posted April 22, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin submitted a book prospectus to the University Press of Florida that would report on zooarchaeology case studies from historical sites in the Midwest and Upper Great Lakes in the academic series “The American Experience in Archaeological Perspective” (Michael Nassaney, Series Editor) Read more ...
- Museum Represented at Archaeological Conference posted April 20, 2013
- Dr. Terrance J. Martin participated in the Annual Meeting of the Conference on Michigan Archaeology in East Lansing, Michigan on April 20 and presented “Current Zooarchaeological Research Projects in and around Michigan” (30 attended). Read more ...
- Curator Meets with Southwestern Groups on Feathers and Repatriation posted April 17, 2013
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman met with Pueblo groups in New Mexico to distribute feathers, discuss repatriation and cultural preservation issues with Pueblo officials, and attend ceremonies. Read more ...
- Curator Re-examines Mussels from Illinois Archaeological Site posted April 16, 2013
- In April, Dr. Robert Warren re-examined Amblema plicata and Fusconaia flava remains from the Newbridge and Carlin sites in the lower Illinois River valley to subdivide the ecovariants as a part of larger study that he is completing on freshwater mussel populations in Illinois. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted April 12, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin resumed identifications on a large faunal assemblage from site 34MC762, a site Ouachita National Forest eastern Oklahoma that has a cultural affiliation with the Caddo. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in Planning for Herp Meetings posted April 10, 2013
- In April, Dr. Meredith Mahoney participated in a meeting of the program planning committee for the upcoming 2013 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, which includes the Herpetologists League, American Society of Herpetologists, the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and the American Elasmobranch Society. Read more ...
- Museum Assists with Excavations at James Jenkins Lot posted April 08, 2013
- The Lincoln Home National Historic Site (National Park Service) and the ISM will conduct a research project at the James Jenkins lot as part of the 2013 National Park Service Cultural Resource Diversity Internship Program (CRDIP). Ms. Read more ...
- History of Pollen and Neotoma Databases Published posted April 05, 2013
- Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues published an article in the Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science that summarizes the history and importance of large-scale pollen and paleoecological databases, including the North American Pollen Database, the Latin American Pollen Database, the Pollen Database for Siberia and the Russian Far East, the Global Pollen Database, and the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Read more ...
- Pueblo Bonito Book Prospectus Submitted posted April 03, 2013
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman submitted a proposal for a book on Pueblo Bonito burials to the School of Advanced Research in Santa Fe. Read more ...
- Mammoth Cave Paleontological Research Presented posted March 22, 2013
- Research Associate Mona Colburn presented a poster, co-authored with Dr. Chris Widga, on paleoecological implications of Interglacial guano deposits in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky at the annual Mammoth Cave Science Conference. Read more ...
- Partnership with UIS for Archaeomagnetic Training posted March 20, 2013
- Research Associate Dr. Stacey Lengyel and Dr. Chris Widga have partnered with University of Illinois Springfield to do training for Archaeomagnetic dating in plots on the UIS prairie. Read more ...
- Paleobiological Research posted March 18, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga is participating in a study of the Hebior Mastodont (Wisconsin) to assess pathologies and potential human modifications. He is also assessing the health of prehistoric Wisconsin bison with the aid of CT scans of bones, and has been working with CT scanning of sabertooth cat and dire wolf to document skull shape and size. Read more ...
- Associations between Beta and Gamma Diversity of Trees in New World Forests posted March 17, 2013
- Dr. Hong Qian and a colleague from Andong National University in Korea analyzed two continental data sets of forest communities from across the New World to examine latitudinal gradients of beta diversity after accounting for gamma diversity and vice versa. Read more ...
- Synthesis of Paleoecology of Great Plains Faunal Assemblages posted March 14, 2013
- Dr. Chris Widga published a major synthesis of faunal data from archaeological and paleontological sites in the Great Plains. He examines faunal evidence for paleoecological change at the Pleistocene to Holocene transition. His study focuses on changes in small mammal faunas and the physical and social evolution of bison populations provides additional evidence for rapid landscape changes throughout the Cody period. The landscape changes complement interpretations of bison behavior derived from changes in cranial and post-cranial anatomy, which suggest the intensified selection for morphological traits that heralded larger and more socially structured herds. Read more ...
- Nebraska Sand Hills Climate Research Published posted March 09, 2013
- A paper by Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues on variability in hydrology, vegetation, fire, and eolian activity in the Nebraska Sand Hills was published in The Holocene. Studies of diatoms, pollen, and grain size and bulk-sediment chemistry document the paleoecological history of three lakes in the Nebraska Sand Hills. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted March 09, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin began integrating specimens from features that were found during artifact cleaning, processing, and analysis for the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) in Cook County. Read more ...
- Canid Research posted March 08, 2013
- Veterinarian Dennis Lawler (ISM research associate) continued research on archaeological canid remains from the ISM collections. Dee Ann Watt located additional collections that contain Canis sp. Read more ...
- Climate and Land-use Change Research Published posted March 06, 2013
- Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues published a study of diatom-based paleolimnological reconstruction of climate and local land-use change over the last 11,000 years based on cores from a 21-m deep sinkhole lake (Lake Annie) on the property of the Archibold Biological Station in southern Florida. Read more ...
- Great Plains Climate Change Research and Neotoma Database posted March 01, 2013
- On March 1, Dr. Eric Grimm presented an invited seminar on his research of climate variability and landscape response in the northern Great Plains at the University of Victoria to students and faculty member from the University of Victoria and other nearby universities, personnel from the Canadian Forest Service, and curators from the Royal British Columbia Museum. He also gave a Tilia/Neotoma Workshop under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation for the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Read more ...
- Training Session for Neotoma Paleoecology Database posted February 28, 2013
- On February 28, Dr. Eric Grimm presented a training session for Tilia software and the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Tilia, written by Dr. Read more ...
- Curator Discusses Historical Research posted February 28, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Claire Martin participated in the 2013 Illinois History Symposium. The symposium theme was “Slavery and Emancipation: Global Perspectives” and was sponsored by the Illinois State Historical Society. It was held at the University of Illinois Springfield. Read more ...
- Art Researcher Visits Museum posted February 15, 2013
- Patricia Siska, an American art researcher, visited to study our GPA Healy collection in connection to a new book she is writing on Healy’s work. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted February 10, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished identifying animal remains from the 1970 excavations in Grid A (dated to ca. AD 1640-1670) of the Zimmerman site, a collection that is on loan from the La Salle County Historical Society and Museum (Utica, IL). Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Research posted February 07, 2013
- Dr. Everett D. Cashatt made a webinar presentation to the Hine’s Emerald Working Group for Illinois at the Illinois Tollway Authority on February 7. Read more ...
- CT Scanning of Canid Bones posted February 04, 2013
- ISM research associate and veterinarian Dennis Lawler continued research of archaeological canid remains from the ISM collections Dee Ann Watt located additional collections that contain Canis sp. Read more ...
- Paleontological Research posted January 23, 2013
- On January 23-24, Dr. Chris Widga examined bison collections from a Western Wisconsin locality (Nye Bison site) curated at Iowa State University for evidence of tuberculosis-like lesions as part of his documentation of potential evidence of tuberculosis in archaeological specimens with Dr. Read more ...
- Bone Identification posted January 18, 2013
- Dr. Bonnie Styles identified a rodent vertebra from a geological context for Dr. Brandon Curry of the Illinois State Geological Survey. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted January 16, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued identifying animal remains from the 1970 excavations in Grid A (ca. AD 1640-1670) of the Zimmerman site, a collection that is on loan from the La Salle County Historical Society and Museum (Utica, IL). He worked on the technical report on nineteenth and early twentieth-century faunal assemblages from the New Philadelphia site (2008, 2010, and 2011 excavations). Read more ...
- Zooarchaeology Research Presented at Conference posted January 10, 2013
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Claire Martin participated in the 46th Annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom in January. Dr. Read more ...
- Studies of Canid Skeletons posted January 07, 2013
- Mr. Dennis Lawler (ISM Adjunct Research Associate) continued research on archaeological canid remains from the ISM collections. Read more ...
- Article Cites Importance of Museum Paleoecological Databases posted January 04, 2013
- An article in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology co-authored by Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues from across the world on the importance of electronic databases references the FAUNMAP and Neotoma databases, which were developed at and with the Illinois State Museum. Read more ...
- Curator Included in NSF Research Proposal posted December 16, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin is included in a research proposal to the NSF by Dr. Deb Rotman (University of Notre Dame) for archaeological investigations of Irish immigrant settlement on Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan. Read more ...
- Museum Ornithologist Participates in Winter Bird Count posted December 14, 2012
- David Bohlen participated in the 2012 Winter Bird Count. He participated in counts at Meredosia Island and Crane Lake in the Sanganois on December 14. He noted several unusual birds in this area including a Harris' sparrow, spotted towhee, and common redpolls. Bohlen counted over 2,000 pintails and 1,000 northern shovellers. He also recorded an eastern phoebe and greater yellowlegs. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Research Results Presented posted December 13, 2012
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney presented her genetics research of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly via a Webinar to federal, state, and university wildlife biologists at a United States Fish and Wildlife Service meeting in Marquette, Michigan on December 13. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted December 10, 2012
- Amanda Burtt and Dr. Terrance Martin completed identifying animal remains from several archaeological sites in the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Read more ...
- Reconstructing Plant Invasions posted December 08, 2012
- Dr. Eric Grimm and Colleagues from Loyola University and University of Michigan collaborated to reconstruct the spread of invasive cattail Typha using historical aerial photography and paleobotanical analysis of pollen cores. They demonstrated the value of combining historical images with palynology to document species invasion. The invasive cattail spread through time in all of their study wetlands. Typha pollen dominance increased through time corresponding with increased spatial dominance. Read more ...
- Counterpane Research posted November 20, 2012
- Angela-Goebel Bain took a rare 1815 counterpane (bed covering) recently donated to the Museum to Colonial Williamsburg to compare it to a similar counterpane curated there. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted November 16, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin is preparing a detailed technical report on the New Philadelphia nineteenth-century archaeological faunal assemblages recovered in 2008, 2010, and 2011 from Blocks 3, 7, and 13 (with co-authors Amanda Burtt and Kaila Akina). Read more ...
- Extinction of Mammoth and Mastodonts posted November 14, 2012
- Dr. Chris Widga examined mammoth and mastodont skeletons at the Indiana State Museum to further his research of the timing and ecology of their extinction under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more ...
- Assistance with Universtiy of Illinois Pollen Laboratory and Research posted November 12, 2012
- Research Associate Pietra Mueller continues to assist Dr. Surangi Punyasena (Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois Urbana) with the set up of her pollen laboratory and with palynological research. During November, Dr. Read more ...
- Invasive Species Research posted November 10, 2012
- Dr. Hong Qian submitted seven papers for publication in major scientific journals. The papers feature his ongoing research of invasive species, diversity, and latitudinal gradients. Read more ...
- Mercury Accumulation and Climate Change at Lake Tulane posted November 08, 2012
- Dr. George Jacobson (University of Maine), Dr. Eric Grimm, and other colleagues from the University of Maine and the U.S. Read more ...
- Adjunct Research Associate Studies Pathologies in Mammal Skeletons posted November 07, 2012
- Dennis Lawler, a retired veterinarian, is working with Museum curators Drs. Chris Widga, Terrrance Martin, and Meredith Mahoney to document shoulder joint pathologies in Museum specimens of mammals (domestic dog, red fox, coyote, raccoon, and beaver) from archaeological sites and modern contexts. Read more ...
- Paleo Databases posted November 05, 2012
- Dr. Eric Grimm is participating in meetings for Earth Cube, an initiative of the National Science Foundation's Geosciences Directorate. He is also serving on the Executive Committee for a Cyberinfrastructure Paleo Geosciences grant to the University of Minnesota. Read more ...
- Midwest Archaeological Conference posted October 22, 2012
- The Museum was well represented at the 58th Midwest Archaeological Conference in East Lansing, Michigan, sponsored by Michigan State University. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Meeting posted October 17, 2012
- Dr. Tim Cashatt attended a meeting in Alton on October 17 to discuss the Museum's past season of research on the federally endangered Hine's Emerald Dragonfly and to develop a strategy and plan for the next season's research. Read more ...
- Neotoma Database Presented to International Forum posted October 11, 2012
- On October 11, Dr. Eric Grimm presented a paper on the Neotoma Paleoecology Database at a meeting on Holocene Land-Cover Change in Eastern Asia for Climate Modeling. Read more ...
- Conference on Illinois History posted October 11, 2012
- Claire Martin presented a paper, "'No Marble Pile Rises': New Philadelphia and Civil War," on October 11 at the Conference on Illinois History in Springfield. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted October 03, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin identified vertebrate remains from the Middle Archaic Palace site (13PK966) for Bill Whittaker (Project Archaeologist, Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist). Read more ...
- Conference on French Colonial Studies posted September 19, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Adjunct Research Associate Dr. Kathleen Erhardt presented summaries of their research at the 2012 Conference of the Center for French Colonial Studies at Indiana University. Dr. Read more ...
- Illinois Archaeological Survey Meeting posted September 16, 2012
- Drs. Michael Wiant, Terrance Martin, and Michael Conner attended the annual meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey, Inc. in Urbana-Champaign on September 8. Dr. Read more ...
- Morton Site Analyses posted September 14, 2012
- Drs. Terrance Martin, Bonnie Styles, Michael Conner, and Jodie O’Gorman (Michigan State University) and Marjorie Schroeder met to discuss future funding options for analyses of materials from the Morton Village site excavations (September 14). Read more ...
- Pollen Coalition Workshop posted September 12, 2012
- In September, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a Pollen Coalition Workshop, sponsored by the MITRE Corporation, in Washington D.C. Read more ...
- Tyson Spring Cave Fauna Reported posted September 10, 2012
- In September, Dr. Chris Widga and colleagues from Penn State University, University of California Santa Cruz, and University of Kansas reported their research of scimitar-toothed cat (Homotherium serum) and stagmoose (Cervalces) remains from the Tyson Spring Cave in Fillmore County, Minnesota. These records are the first for both species in Minnesota and the first for the scimitar-toothed cat in the Upper Great Lakes Region. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted September 01, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin compiled species composition tables for the animal remains from various eighteenth-century features excavated during November 2011 at the Laurens North site near Fort de Chartres State Historic Site by Dr. Read more ...
- Art Department posted August 14, 2012
- Robert Sill is researching and developing an exhibition called “Art and the Word” that will be presented at ISM sites and locally will anchor a multi-venue partnership with UIS, Robert Morris Gallery, Springfield Art Association, and Prairie Art Alliance. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Research posted August 09, 2012
- In August, Dr. Tim Cashatt met with other surveyors and representatives from conservation organizations and photographed new Hine's Emerald sites in Cook County that are suspected to have breeding habitat. Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleocology Database posted August 08, 2012
- Dr. Eric Grimm made a presentation on the "Current Status of the Neotoma Paleocology Database" to an audience of about 100 academics, curators, and graduate students at the 13th International Palynological Conference at Chuo University in Tokyo, Japan. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted August 05, 2012
- R. Bruce McMillan Museum Intern Amanda Burtt and Dr. Terrance Martin finished a technical report on animal remains from the Rider/Watters/Oberbroeckling Farmstead site in Dubuque County, Iowa, a site that was mitigated by Tallgrass Historians L.C. Read more ...
- Archaeologist Presents at Annual Mississippian Conference posted July 28, 2012
- Dawn Cobb gave a paper at the annual Mississippian Conference at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (July 28). She presented on the recovery of filed teeth at the Cahokia site and other prehistoric Native American sites. Over 100 individuals attended her presentation. Alan Harn and Dee Ann Watt also participated in the conference. Read more ...
- Proposal for Paleobiological Research posted July 21, 2012
- In July, Drs. Chris Widga and Eric Grimm submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation for collaborative research with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences and University of Iowa for "Testing the effects of Holocene climate and vegetation change on bison behavior, population structure, and body size on the northern Great Plains, USA." Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Analyses posted July 18, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued verifying identifications and database entry for the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4), which was mitigated by ITARP/ISAS between 2001 and 2003. Read more ...
- Paleobiological Fieldwork in the Black Hills posted July 14, 2012
- Dr. Eric Grimm continued his long-term participation in fieldwork with Penn State to document changes in climate and biota in the Black Hills. The team continued their excavations at and around Rainbow Cave in the southern Black Hills, and Dr. Read more ...
- Proboscidean Extinctions posted July 11, 2012
- Drs. Chris Widga and Jeffrey Saunders inventoried mammoth and mastodont fossils in the collections of the Chicago Academy of Sciences at the Peggy Notebaert Museum. This research is funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more ...
- Proposal for Archaeofaunal Research Project posted July 11, 2012
- Throughout the month, Dr. Bonnie Styles worked with Dr. Sarah Neusius of Indiana University of Pennsylvania to prepare a proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities to expand representation of Midwestern archaeofaunal data in the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR) and demonstrate the research utility of this database. Read more ...
- Study of Geographic and Climatic Effects on Species Turnover Published posted July 08, 2012
- In July, Dr. Hong Qian and a colleague from the University of Tsukuba in Japan published a study of the effects of geographic distance and climate dissimilarity on species turnover in alpine meadow communities across the Tibetan Plateau in the peer-reviewed scientific journal of Plant Ecology. Read more ...
- McMillan Museum Intern Analyzes Archeofaunal Remains posted July 07, 2012
- McMillan Museum Intern Amanda Burtt is identifying animal remains from Rider/Watters/ Oberbroeckling Farmstead site in Dubuque County, Iowa, a site that was mitigated by Tallgrass Historians L.C. Read more ...
- Masters Student Analyzes Archaeofaunal Remains posted July 01, 2012
- Jessica Haglund continued identifying animal remains from the Myer-Dickson site in Fulton County, Illinois, as her master’s thesis project for Illinois State University. Dr. Read more ...
- Collaboration for Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act posted June 28, 2012
- On June 28, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency signed an agreement for Research Associate Dawn Cobb to continue to serve as the Physical Anthropologist for the identification and analyses of human remains recovered under the auspices of the State Human Skeletal Remains Protection and Archaeological and Paleontological Remains Protection Acts. Read more ...
- Documentary Research of Jameson Jenkins posted June 17, 2012
- In June, the National Park Service approved a research project on Jameson Jenkins. Claire Martin will assemble additional documentary evidence on Jenkins, who was a neighbor to Abraham Lincoln in Springfield. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Research posted June 15, 2012
- From June 15-19, Dr. Tim Cashatt participated in fieldwork in Cherry Hill Woods in Cook County, Illinois. The purpose of this fieldwork was to locate breeding habitat and collect genetic samples of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly. Read more ...
- American Quaternary Association Meetings posted June 12, 2012
- In June, Drs. Eric Grimm and Bonnie Styles participated in the biennial meeting of the American Quaternary Association in Duluth, Minnesota. Drs. Read more ...
- Botany Intern Completes Palynological Project posted June 09, 2012
- In June, Buzz Nanavanti completed an internship project with Dr. Eric Grimm to analyze pollen samples from Sweeton Pond in Missouri. Read more ...
- Geological Research posted June 06, 2012
- On June 6, Dr. Chris Widga collected archaeomagnetic samples from the Morton Village Site in Fulton County and also collected vegetation samples for strontium isotope analyses. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Analyses posted June 02, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued verifying identifications and database entry for the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4), which was mitigated by ITARP/ISAS between 2001 and 2003. Read more ...
- Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act Coordinator posted May 15, 2012
- The Museum and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency renewed an agreement to continue the provision of the skeletal analyst (Dawn Cobb) to serve as the coordinator for the State Human Graves Protection Act for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency in FY13. The position is funded through the Museum Society. Read more ...
- Paleoecology of Late Quaternary Extinctions posted May 11, 2012
- Drs. Chris Widga, Jeffrey Saunders, and Stacey Lengyel completed the annual report for their first year of their NSF-sponsored research of the paleoecology of Late Quaternary Extinctions. Read more ...
- River Otter Research posted May 09, 2012
- Gregory R. Fretueg defended his Master’s Thesis in Environmental Science at the University of Illinois Springfield: Latrine Site Selection and Diet Composition of River Otters (Lontra canadensis) in a Restored Illinois Floodplain. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted May 05, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued verifying identifications and database entry for the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) mitigation by Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program/Illinois State Archaeological Survey between 2001 and 2003. Read more ...
- Conference on Michigan Archaeology posted April 28, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended annual meetings of the Conference on Michigan Archaeology in East Lansing (April 28) and the Michigan Archaeological Society in Durand (April 29). Read more ...
- 2012 Illinois History Symposium posted April 20, 2012
- The Museum was well represented at the Illinois History Symposium with presentations by Dr. Michael Wiant, Dr. Robert Warren, and Dawn Cobb. Dr. Read more ...
- Society for American Archaeology Meeting posted April 18, 2012
- Drs. Bonnie Styles, Terrance Martin, Chris Widga, Adjunct Research Associate Dr. Lynn Fisher, and Palynology Intern Buzz Nanavanti attended the Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Memphis, Tennessee (April 18-21). Dr. Read more ...
- Survey for Vertebrate Fossils posted April 16, 2012
- On April 16, Drs. Jeffrey Saunders and Chris Widga conducted a field survey along Buckheart Creek to search for vertebrate fossils. The Museum’s collections include vertebrate fossils from the area. Read more ...
- Research Associate Assists with Jameson Jenkins Research posted April 16, 2012
- Research Associate Claire Martin will be assisting the staff at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site with research on Jameson Jenkins. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted April 12, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued verifying identifications and database entry for the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) mitigation by Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program/Illinois State Archaeological Survey between 2001 and 2003. Read more ...
- Organization of American Historians Conference posted April 10, 2012
- Angela Goebel-Bain participated in the Organization of American Historians and the National Council for Public History Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in April. While she was there, she had the opportunity to meet the Director of the Chipstone Foundation and discuss potential support from them for the planning of the Museum’s new history exhibits. Read more ...
- Botanists Disentangle Factors Affecting Species Richness posted April 09, 2012
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the Institute of Applied Ecology and the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Alberta completed a study of the factors that generate geographic variation in species richness. They found that energy-water balance has played the most important role in regulating pteridophyte (fern and fern allies) species richness patterns in China. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted March 23, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued verifying identifications and database entry for the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) mitigation by Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program/Illinois State Archaeological Survey between 2001 and 2003. Dr. Read more ...
- Botanist and Colleagues Critique Study of Beta Diversity posted March 16, 2012
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the Institute of Applied Ecology and the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences critiqued a study of beta diversity along latitudinal and elevational gradients that was published by other scholars in Science in 2011. They concluded that the earlier study used inappropriate data and inadequate methods of analysis. Read more ...
- Latitudinal Shifts in Introduced Species posted March 12, 2012
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the United States Department of Agriculture, Brown University, and the University of Evora in Portugal documented that for introduced species of birds, mammals, and plants, relatively more non-native species occur at latitudes higher than those in their native ranges, and fewer occur at latitudes lower than their native ranges. Possible drivers of latitudinal shifts in exotic ranges may include climate change, greater biotic resistance at lower latitudes, historical limitations on ranges in native regions, and the impacts of humans on species distributions. Read more ...
- Emiquon Science Symposium posted March 08, 2012
- Dr. Bonnie Styles participated in and gave a presentation on the value of paleoecological and archaeological research to restoration efforts at the annual Emiquon Science Symposium on March 8. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Genetics Research posted March 08, 2012
- On March 8, Dr. Meredith Mahoney gave an annual update on ongoing research of genetics of endangered dragonfly species and discussed results with researchers and representatives of federal agencies, including the Illinois Department of Transportation and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in a meeting at the IDOT-Tollway Headquarters in Downers Grove, Illinois. Read more ...
- Neotoma Workshop posted March 07, 2012
- In March, Dr. Eric Grimm led a Neotoma Workshop in Santiago, Chile. He provided an overview of the software capabilities of Tilia (the software for entry of pollen data) and the overall Neotoma database. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted March 03, 2012
- Public lectures on New Philadelphia and the archaeological project were presented at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis and at the RCC as part of the weekly Brown Bag lecture series. Read more ...
- Dating of Principia College Mammoth posted February 24, 2012
- Drs. Chris Widga and Jeffrey Saunders provided advice and assisted in the sampling of the Principia College Mammoth for radiocarbon dating on February 24. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted February 22, 2012
- In February, the Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative (IREC) pledged $7,500 each year for ten years to develop physical structures and improvements to promote public awareness and educational information about the New Philadelphia site. Read more ...
- Aboriginal Dogs Studied posted February 18, 2012
- Drs. Chris Widga and Dennis Lawler (visiting researcher/retired veterinarian) are examining dog remains from the Koster archaeological site and other archaeological canid remains in the Museum's collections. Read more ...
- Global Patterns of Species Turnover posted February 14, 2012
- Dr. Hong Qian and Dr. Robert Ricklefs of the Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis attempted to distinguish the effects of geographic distance and environmental dissimilarity on patterns of species turnover in mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Their analyses indicate that reptiles and amphibians exhibit greater heterogeneity within their 660 ecoregions and greater turnover among ecoregions with respect to geographic and environmental distance than birds and mammals. Read more ...
- Beta Diversity and Energy Relationships in Terrestrial Vertebrates posted February 07, 2012
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleague Ming Xiao of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences completed and published a study of global patterns in the beta diversity-energy relationship in terrestrial vertebrates. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted February 07, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin identified a small collection of animal remains from George Rogers Clark National Historic Park in Vincennes (Knox County), Indiana that were recovered during excavations by CCRG, Inc. Dr. Read more ...
- Museum Paleoecologist Collaborates on Research of Drought Variability posted January 14, 2012
- Dr. Eric Grimm collaborated with Dr. David Nelson (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences) on a preproposal to the National Science Foundation for “Resolving the Ambrosia Paradox: Extreme Drought Variability and No-Analog Mid-Holocene Plant Communities in the Northern Great Plains.” The paradox of Ambrosia (ragweed) is that it was most abundant during the driest phases of the mid and late Holocene, but is drought intolerant today in the northern Great Plains. Their hypothesis is that plant communities during the mid-Holocene in the northern Great Plains (1) formed in direct response to high precipitation variability and temperature seasonality and (2) lack analogs from prior to European settlement. They will reconstruct spatial and temporal variations in plant water-stress in the mid and late Holocene using carbon isotopes in Ambrosia and Artemisia pollen. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted January 11, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued verifying identifications and database entry for the Hoxie Farm site (11CK4) mitigation by ITARP/ISAS between 2001 and 2003. Read more ...
- Adjunct Research Associate Participates in Research of Glacial Dynamics posted January 10, 2012
- Adjunct Research Associate Dr. Edwin Hajic collaborated with Dr. Tom Lowell (University of Cincinnati) and Dr. Brandon Curry (Illinois State Geological Survey) on a proposal to the National Science Foundation to study “Initial Deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet—Timing, Magnitude , and Meltwater Production.” Dr. Read more ...
- Research Presented at Annual Conference on Historical Archaeology posted January 08, 2012
- Dr. Terrance Martin presented a paper on the zooarchaeological signature of fur trapping and participated in another paper on ethnogenesis at Fort Quiatenon at the Society for Historical Archaeology’s annual conference on Historical and Underwater Archeology in Baltimore, Maryland. Read more ...
- Study of Freshwater Mussels from Emiquon Geomorphic Contexts posted January 07, 2012
- On January 7, Dr. Bonnie Styles completed a report on the freshwater mussels recovered from geormorphic contexts during trenching in the area of historic Thompson and Flagg Lakes. Read more ...
- Botanist Collaborates on Beta Diversity Research posted January 06, 2012
- Dr. Hong Qian and a colleague from the Chinese Academy of Sciences completed and published (Acta Oecological 39:67-71) a major study of beta diversity or species turnover. It is thought that beta diversity increases with increasing energy availability, but very few studies have directly tested this hypothesis. Read more ...
- Intern Assists with Pollen Research posted January 05, 2012
- In January, William “Buzz” Nanavati began work as a volunteer intern in the Botany Section. He will be working with Dr. Read more ...
- Art Department Activities posted January 03, 2012
- Robert Sill continues researching Illinois contemporary artists for upcoming contemporary art exhibition scheduled for Fall 2013 and Angela Goebel-Bain continues researching the Civil War era in Illinois. Read more ...
- NSF Preliminary Proposal Submitted to Study Plant Diversity posted December 12, 2011
- Dr. Hong Qian submitted a preliminary proposal to the National Science Foundation (Division of Environmental Biology) to develop and share a comprehensive plant diversity database for the Himalaya, test ecological and biogeographic hypotheses, characterize distribution patterns of species diversity, study distribution patterns for endemic taxa, and provide baseline statistics to assign conservation priorities. Read more ...
- Neotoma Database posted December 10, 2011
- During December, Dr. Eric Grimm worked with collaborators at Penn State University on the Neotoma Database under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted December 05, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished verification of student identifications on animal remains from previous excavations in various areas of the site and updated the database on New Philadelphia animal remains. Read more ...
- Art Department Activities posted December 03, 2011
- Robert Sill continues researching Illinois contemporary artists for upcoming contemporary art exhibition scheduled for Fall 2013 and Angela Goebel-Bain continues researching the Civil War era in Illinois. Read more ...
- Geological Fieldwork posted December 01, 2011
- On December 1, Dr. Chris Widga conducted fieldwork near Collinsville and Chain of Rocks Bridge to identify sources of fossils recently brought to the Museum. Read more ...
- Art Department Research Activities posted November 19, 2011
- Robert Sill is conducting ongoing research for an exhibition that is scheduled to open August 25, 2013. This exhibition will travel to ISM sites, but locally will also anchor a multi-venue partnership effort with University of Illinois Springfield, Robert Morris Gallery, Springfield Art Association, and Prairie Art Alliance. Read more ...
- Fur Trade Research posted November 14, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin critically reviewed and contributed text for a booklet on Fort St. Joseph and the North American fur trade that is being produced at Western Michigan University with funding provided by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council. Read more ...
- Museum Comments on Strategic Plan for Global Climate Change Research posted November 09, 2011
- In November, Drs. Bonnie Styles and Eric Grimm provided comment on the U.S. Commission on Global Climate Change Research Program's draft strategic plan. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted November 06, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed identification of animal remains from the Mason’s Purchase site, (HNF 09-10-01-567), a lumber camp site and camboose feature in the Hiawatha National Forest of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in INQUA Meeting posted November 04, 2011
- In November, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a meeting of the United States National Committee of the International Quaternary Association in Irvine, California. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted October 26, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin began identification of animal remains from site HNF 09-10-01-567, a camboose feature in a lumber camp site in the Hiawatha National Forest of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Read more ...
- Oral History Web Site Presented posted October 21, 2011
- Dr. Robert Warren was a discussant in a session on oral history moderated by Rand Force Associates at the Oral History Association Conference in Denver. Read more ...
- Paleontological Research Presented posted October 18, 2011
- Dr. Chris Widga presented two posters at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One poster summarized research of mammoth and mastodont extinctions under the auspices of a current grant from the National Science Foundation, the other presented an educational program using matrix from the Aurora Mastodont project. Dr. Read more ...
- Graduate Student Studies Otter Scats posted October 17, 2011
- Greg Fretueg, an environmental studies graduate student at University of Illinois, Springfield, is processing otter scats in the remote processing laboratory at the Research and Collections Center. Read more ...
- Museum Paleoecologist Moderates Session on Climate posted October 15, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm moderated a session on "Challenges in Changing Climate" at the 13th Biennial Governor's Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System in Peoria. Read more ...
- Archaeological Research and Career Information Presented posted October 11, 2011
- Drs. Bonnie Styles, Terrance Martin, Michael Conner and visiting researchers from the University of Bologna Marco Valerie and Immacolata Valese attended the Midwest Archaeological Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Museum archaeologists and Research Associates presented 9 papers and posters that reached combined audiences of about 960 professional archaeologists and students. Read more ...
- Tilia Workshops and Paleoecological Presentations posted October 08, 2011
- In October, Dr. Eric Grimm gave a program on the structure of the Neotoma Paleoecology Database at Durham University for 12 University professors under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more ...
- Research Presented at Conference on Illinois History posted September 29, 2011
- Claire Fuller Martin (ISM Research Associate) and Anna Agbe-Davies (University of North Carolina) presented “‘I Shall Undertake a School Myself:’ Searching for the Early Schools at New Philadelphia” at the Thirteenth Annual Conference on Illinois History (sponsored by IHPA and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation) in Springfield on September 29. Read more ...
- Curator Studies Paleontological Collections posted September 21, 2011
- On September 21-22 Dr. Chris Widga reviewed paleontological collections at the McClung Museum at the University of Tennessee. He also searched for additional Paul Parmalee records related to collections houses at the Illinois State Museum. On September 26-28, Drs. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Update posted September 14, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Claire Fuller Martin accompanied Deanda Johnson (Midwest Regional Coordinator, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, National Park Service, Omaha) and Terry Ransom to Pike County for a tour of the New Philadelphia site (September 14). Read more ...
- American Association of State and Local History Meeting posted September 14, 2011
- Angela Goebel Bain attended the annual meeting of the American Association of State and Local History in Richmond, Virginia. Her travel was supported through the 1877 Fund. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted September 10, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed a technical report on a collection of early to mid-19th-century animal remains from Feature 2 at the Meneley Mill site (11V122) in Vermilion County, Illinois, for Brian Adams, Public Service Archaeology & Architecture Program (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Read more ...
- Illinois Archaeological Survey Meetings posted September 10, 2011
- Drs. Bonnie Styles and Terrance Martin attended the annual meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey at Dickson Mounds Museum on September 10. Read more ...
- Illinois Geological Mapping Consortium posted September 08, 2011
- On September 8, Dr. Chris Widga participated in the annual meeting of the Illinois Geological Mapping Consortium in Champaign, Illinois. Read more ...
- Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference posted September 08, 2011
- Claire Fuller Martin (ISM Research Associate) attended Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Springfield on September 8-9. Read more ...
- Museum Researcher and Colleagues Analyze Causes of Species Turnover posted September 07, 2011
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the Institute of Botany and the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences in Beijing, China used regression and other statistical techniques to examine relationships between species turnover for amphibians and reptiles in eastern China with respect to geographic distance and environmental differences. These two variables explain about 88% of the variance of species turnover. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Survey posted August 29, 2011
- On August 29, Dr. Tim Cashatt participated in a meeting for the federally endangered Hine's Emerald Survey in Alma, Illinois to discuss strategies for the remainder of the field season and to exchange information to inform field work. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture posted August 12, 2011
- With support from a small grant from Ecriture, Inc., research assistant Jonathan Warren, under the direction of Dr. Robert Warren, transcribed and edited eight oral-history interview recordings collected by Northern Illinois University (NIU) in 1986 for publication on the Internet (in the Audio-Video Barn Web module). Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted August 09, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed a technical report (with former McMillan Museum Intern Angela Perri) on Middle and Late Woodland animal remains from the Getewaaking site behind the Indian Dormitory building on the south end of Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. The report was prepared for Andrews Cultural Resources (Ann Arbor, Michigan) and the Mackinac State Historic Parks (Mackinac City, Michigan). Read more ...
- High Resolution Study of Climate Change posted August 04, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues from West Virginia University and the Canadian Forest Service complete a study of paleoecological remains collected through coring of Kettle Lake in North Dakota. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Project posted August 03, 2011
- Archaeological excavations at the eighteenth-century site of Fort St. Joseph in southwestern Michigan by Western Michigan University (WMU) resumed on June 30 and continued through August 19. The principal project researchers consist of Dr. Read more ...
- Digitization and Study of Midwestern Archeofaunal Data posted July 26, 2011
- Dr. Bonnie Styles and Dr. Sarah Neusius (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) are key investigators of a proposal submitted to the National Endowment for the Humanities by Drs. Read more ...
- Stable Isotopic Analysis of Fish Bones posted July 24, 2011
- Kayla Little, a graduate student at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, and her Advisor Dr. Richard Brugham met with Drs. Bonnie Styles, Terrance Martin, and Chris Widga on July 21 to discuss Ms. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted July 22, 2011
- Laboratory analysis of archaeological collections obtained during June at the New Philadelphia site took place at the ISM RCC during July. Read more ...
- Koster Site Dog Remains Dates posted July 21, 2011
- In July, Dr. Chris Widga received new radiocarbon age assessments based on bones from two dogs from Horizon 11 at the Koster site in the lower Illinois River valley. They are both 8,800 radiocarbon years before the present. Earlier dates based on associated wood charcoal were younger (8,500 B.P.) and had a much greater error range. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in Joint Meeting of Ichthyology and Herpetology posted July 18, 2011
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney attended the joint meetings of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Herpetologists' League, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and the American Elasmobranch Society in Minneapolis. For the past two years, she has served on the planning committee for the joint meeting. Read more ...
- Great Plains Paleobiology posted July 17, 2011
- Drs. Eric Grimm and Russell Graham (Pennsylvania State University) continued their excavations at Rainbow Cave in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Dr. Read more ...
- Paleovegetation Mapping posted July 14, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm and co-authors from University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wyoming, and Pennsylvania State University published a new methodological framework for reducing temporal uncertainty in paleovegetation mapping for Late Quaternary pollen records using data from the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in International Quaternary Association Meeting posted July 14, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in the annual meeting of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) in Bern. Switzerland. He presented a co-authored poster on the Neotoma Paleoecology Database and gave a talk on multi-decadal changes in vegetation in the northern Great Plains. He completed his tenure as a Vice-Chair of the U.S. Read more ...
- Climate Variability in the Great Plains posted July 11, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm and co-authors Joseph Donovan (West Virginia University, and Kendrick Brown (Canadian Forest Service) published a major study of climate variability and landscape response based on research for Kettle Lake in the northern Great Plains. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted July 10, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin compiled species composition tables and began writing text for analyzed Middle and Late Woodland animal remains from the Getewaaking site on Mackinac Island, Michigan, for a technical report to Andrews Cultural Resources and the Mackinac State Historic Parks. Read more ...
- Plant Biogeography posted July 08, 2011
- In July, the National Science Foundation (NSF) accepted Dr. Hong Qian's final report for his NSF-funded study of invasive plant species in eastern North America and eastern Asia. His research results were published in 10 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and the data are included in four additional publications. Read more ...
- Mastodont and Mammoth Ecology and Extinction posted July 06, 2011
- In July, Drs. Chris Widga and Jeffrey Saunders collected data on mammoth and mastodont remains at the Indiana State Museum and repositories in Michigan and Ontario. Read more ...
- Consequences of Climate and Vegetation Change on Bison in the Paleorecord posted July 05, 2011
- Drs. Chris Widga and Eric Grimm and collaborators from the Central Appalachian Stable Isotope Facility and the University of Iowa have submitted a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation to study the consequences of climate and climate-induced vegetation change on bison in the paleorecord. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Project posted July 02, 2011
- Archaeological excavations at the eighteenth-century site of Fort St. Joseph in southwestern Michigan by Western Michigan University resumed on June 30 and will continue through August 19. The principal project researchers consist of Dr. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Research posted July 01, 2011
- On July 1, Dr. Tim Cashatt documented a new Hine's Emerald Dragonfly breeding site at Cherry Hill Woods. Dr. Cashatt participated in a meeting of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly working group in Romeoville, Illinois (July 13). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted June 25, 2011
- Archaeological investigations continued during June under the direction of Drs. Chris Fennell, Anna Agbe-Davies, and Terrance Martin. The project is supported by a grant from the NSF REU program, which provides stipends and housing for nine undergraduate students for ten weeks. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted June 20, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished computer data entry of the analyzed Middle and Late Woodland faunal assemblage from the Getewaaking site, which is located behind the Indian Dormitory Building on Mackinac Island, Michigan. Read more ...
- Curator Chairs Session and Presents Genetics Research posted June 18, 2011
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney chaired a session on genetics and presented a paper on her dragonfly genetics conservation research at the annual meetings of the Society for the Study of Evolution, Society for Systematic Biologists, and the American Society of Naturalists on June 18 in Norman, Oklahoma (50 attended the session). Read more ...
- Art History posted June 18, 2011
- Judith Lloyd Klauba and Doug Stapleton completed a major study of the life-long work and personal stories of eleven Illinois artists (Ralph Arnold, Morris Barazani, Fred Berger, Gerda Meyer Bernstein, William Frederick, Theodore Halkin, Thomas Kapsalis, Vera Klement, Ellen Lanyon, Elizabeth Rupprecht, and Leopold Segedin) who have influenced generations of other artists through their art, teaching, and community involvement. Read more ...
- Curator Presents on Prehistoric Connections with Mesoamerica posted June 18, 2011
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman gave an invited presentation on prehistoric connections between the Southwestern United States and Mesoamerica for the Conference on Archaeoastronomy in the American Southwest. His presentation considered astronomy, cosmology, and cultural objects. Read more ...
- Mammoth and Mastodont Research posted June 17, 2011
- In June, Drs. Chris Widga and Jeffrey Saunders conducted research of Great Lakes mammoth and mastodont remains in the collections at the Field Museum. Read more ...
- Curator Presents Agricultural History Research posted June 16, 2011
- Dr. Robert Warren presented a paper on the Audio-Video Barn Website, which was developed for the Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project at the annual meeting of the Agricultural History Society in Springfield on June 16 (25 attended). Read more ...
- Tilia Training Workshop posted June 11, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm conducted a Tilia Training Workshop for researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson in June. Tilia is the software that researchers use to enter pollen data in the North American Pollen and Neotoma Databases. Read more ...
- History of Dickson Mounds Museum posted June 09, 2011
- Dr. Bonnie Styles and Andy Hanson reviewed a manuscript by Alan Harn that examines Don Dickson's contributions to American archaeology for inclusion in the summer issue of The Living Museum. Andy Hanson completed the layout and Dr. Read more ...
- Paleoclimatic Research Published posted June 03, 2011
- In June, Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues from the University of Nebraska, University of Alberta, and University of Colorado published a major study of paleoclimate in the Nebraska Sand Hills. Read more ...
- Invasive Plant Species Research posted June 01, 2011
- Dr. Hong Qian presented a workshop in China to convey results of his research of invasive plant species in eastern Asia and eastern North America. Read more ...
- Invasive Plant Species Research posted May 30, 2011
- Dr. Hong Qian presented an invited paper in a symposium on ecology and forestry in China to convey results of his research of invasive plant species in eastern Asia and eastern North America. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted May 23, 2011
- Archaeological investigations resumed for the 2011 season on May 23. Students arrived at the Kinderhook Lodge in Pike County, Illinois, and attended project orientation sessions on May 23 and 24. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted May 17, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished fish identifications and began computer data entry of the analyzed faunal assemblage from the Getewaaking site, which is located behind the Indian Dormitory building on Mackinac Island, Michigan. Read more ...
- Quilt Research Records posted May 16, 2011
- Negotiations with the Early American Museum and the Illinois Quilt Research Project have begun, which will bring the IQRP records to the Illinois State Museum. Read more ...
- Research for Civil War Quilts Exhibition posted May 14, 2011
- Angela Goebel-Bain visited the museums in Quincy doing research for the Civil War quilt exhibition. Read more ...
- Extinction of Late Quaternary Proboscidea posted May 12, 2011
- On May 12, the National Science Foundation awarded the Illinois State Museum Society a grant for the study of the chronology and paleoecology of mammoths and mastodonts extinctions in the Great Lakes Region. Drs. Read more ...
- Climate Research Presented posted May 11, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm presented an invited seminar on the high resolution record of climatic variability and landscape response from Kettle Lake, Northern Great Plains for 20 individuals at Durham University. Read more ...
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database posted May 09, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm presented "European Pollen Database Tilia-Neotoma Software Workshops" for 50 participants in the United Kingdom and 30 participants in France. He presented a plenary lecture on "The Neotoma Paleoecology Database: An Open-access Multiproxy Community Database for the Quaternary-Pliocene" for the Pollen Monitoring Programme at their VIII International Meeting in Estonia (60 attended). Read more ...
- Planning for the Digital Archaeological Record posted May 04, 2011
- Throughout the month, Dr. Bonnie Styles worked with Drs. Kate Spielmann and Keith Kintigh of Arizona State University and Dr. Read more ...
- tDAR Database Research Project posted April 27, 2011
- On April 27, Dr. Bonnie Styles participated in a conference call with Drs. Kate Spielman and Keith Kintigh (Arizona State University) and Sarah Neusius (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) to discuss dividing a major research demonstration of the utility of the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR) database for studies of prehistoric resource use and depression into smaller components to enhance opportunities for funding. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Project posted April 18, 2011
- Fort St. Joseph site in southwestern Michigan by Western Michigan University (WMU) have continued since 2002. The principal project researchers consist of Dr. Read more ...
- Park Archaeology Program posted April 17, 2011
- On April 17, the Illinois State Museum Society was awarded a contract to continue cultural resource management activities for Illinois State Parks. Read more ...
- Archaeologist Participates in Professional Meetings posted April 16, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended annual meetings of the Conference for Michigan Archaeology in East Lansing on April 16 and the Michigan Archaeological Society in Lansing on April 17. Read more ...
- Planning for Online Publications posted April 12, 2011
- On April 12, Dr. Bonnie Styles, Pat Burg, Andy Hanson, Dave Bohlen, and Drs. Erich Schroeder, Eric Grimm, Tim Cashatt, and George Godfrey (Research Associate in Zoology) met explore needs for establishing online publications series for the Research Series, Reports of Investigations, and Scientific Papers. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project Update posted April 12, 2011
- Archaeological investigations are being directed by Drs. Chris Fennell, Anna Agbe-Davies, and Terrance Martin, and are supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, which provides stipends and housing for nine undergraduate students for ten weeks. Read more ...
- Hines Emerald Dragonfly Planning Meeting posted April 11, 2011
- Dr. Everett D. Cashatt participated in a planning meeting for Hine's Emerald Dragonfly field surveys in Alma, Illinois (May 9). The fieldwork is being conducted under the auspices of a grant from the U.S. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted April 10, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Erin Brand completed a technical report for SCI Engineering, Inc. (St. Charles, MO) on the faunal assemblage from 2009 salvage excavations at the Renner-Brenner site (23PL1), a multiple-component Kansas City Hopewell site in far western Missouri. Archaeologists at the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula requested that Dr. Martin identify collections of animal remains from two 18th-century maple sugar camps and a lumber camp camboose site. Read more ...
- Syntheses of Aboriginal Use of Fauna in Northeast posted April 05, 2011
- Dr. Bonnie Styles summarized American Indian use of fauna and subsistence practices in the Midwest and Northeast during the Holocene, and the results were published in a Smithsonian Institution Contribution to Knowledge. Read more ...
- High-Resolution Age Model for Kettle Lake posted March 24, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm completed a high-resolution age model based on 53 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon ages for Kettle Lake in North Dakota. Read more ...
- Training for Archaeomagnetic Sampling posted March 16, 2011
- On March 16-17, Dr. Stacey Lengyel trained two archaeologists from the Pacific Northwest Lab in Richmond, Washington how to take archaeomagnetic samples. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Project posted March 10, 2011
- Archaeological, historical, ethnohistorical, and archaeozoological investigations of the Fort St. Joseph site in southwestern Michigan by Western Michigan University have continued since 2002. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted March 09, 2011
- Drs. Terrance Martin and Chris Widga completed a technical report on faunal assemblages from Phase II and III investigations at the Lake Christina site (21DL46) in west central Minnesota. Read more ...
- Paleontological Remains Salvaged posted March 08, 2011
- On March 8, Dr. Chris Widga collected fossils from a paleontological site located along SR24 north of Ripley, Illinois. The Pennsylvanian fossils were exposed by road widening. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project Update posted March 02, 2011
- Archaeological investigations are being directed by Drs. Chris Fennell, Anna Agbe-Davies, and Terrance Martin, and are supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, which provides stipends and housing for nine undergraduate students for ten weeks. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Project posted February 27, 2011
- Archaeological, historical, and ethnohistorical investigations of the Fort St. Joseph site in southwestern Michigan by Western Michigan University have continued and intensified since 2002. Read more ...
- Bison Research posted February 17, 2011
- Dr. Chris Widga studied Quaternary vertebrate specimens in the Field Museum's collections and gave a public presentation on Bison in Tallgrass Prairies in the eastern United States for the Midewin Prairie Lecture Series at Midewin National Tall Grass Prairie in Wilmington on February 17 (45 attended). Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Research posted February 15, 2011
- Drs. Everett D. Cashatt and Meredith Mahoney presented results of 2010 Hine's Emerald surveys and genetics research at a meeting of the Hine's Emerald Recovery Team in St. Read more ...
- Dating of Koster Site Dogs posted February 15, 2011
- Dr. Chris Widga embarked on a project to date the early domestic dog remains from the Koster site in Green County, Illinois. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted February 12, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished verifying identifications and began drafting species composition tables for the Lake Christina site (21DL46) in west central Minnesota. Research Associate Claire Fuller Martin finished the entry of faunal data into the electronic database for this project. Read more ...
- Historic Site Assessments at Fort Leonard Wood posted February 07, 2011
- Research Associate Dennis Naglich, Stepanie Nutt (Fort Leonard Wood), Dr. Steven Ahler (University of Kentucky), Dr. Terrance Martin, and Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project Update posted February 06, 2011
- Archaeological investigations are being directed by Drs. Chris Fennell, Anna Agbe-Davies, and Terrance Martin, and are supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, which provides stipends and housing for nine undergraduate students for ten weeks. Read more ...
- Botanical Diversity, Latitude, and Metabolic Theory posted February 04, 2011
- Drs. Hong Qian and Robert Ricklefs, University of Missouri St. Louis, published a paper in Global Ecology and Biogeography (2011 (20:362-365: "Latitude, tree species diversity and the metabolic theory of ecology") that questions published species richness and temperature relationships between eastern Asia and North America because of lack of comparability in datasets. Read more ...
- Proposal for Mentoring Museum Partnership Submitted posted January 29, 2011
- On January 29, Dr. Robert Warren submitted a proposal to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (National Leadership Grant Program) to support a Mentoring Museum Partnership. Read more ...
- Neotoma Database Workshop posted January 25, 2011
- In January, Dr Eric Grimm, lead Principal Investigator for the Neotoma paleoecology project, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (Geoinformatics Program), led a project workshop at the Research and Collections Center. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Research Presented posted January 14, 2011
- Drs. Meredith Mahoney and Tim Cashatt attended a meeting of the I-355 Tollway Environmental Impact Group and the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Working Group on January 14 in Downers Grove, Illinois. Dr. Read more ...
- Archaeomagnetic Dating posted January 11, 2011
- Dr. Fabio Donadini of the Institute of Geophysics in Zurich, Switzerland spent three weeks in the Research and Collections Center (January 11-31). He worked with Dr. Read more ...
- Paleoclimatic Research Published posted January 10, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues from The Netherlands (Tim H. Donders, Hugo Jan de Boer, Walter Finsinger, Stefan C. Dekker, Gert Jan Reichart, and Freiderike Wagner-Cremer) published a study of the "Impact of the Atlantic Warm Pool on Precipitation and Temperature in Florida during North Atlantic Cold Spells" in Climate Dynamics (36:109-118). Using a pollen-climate inference model, they quantified climate changes for Lake Tulane, Florida and consistently found that mean summer precipitation increased (0.5 to -0.9 mm/day) and mean November temperature increased (2-3 degrees C) during pine phases coeval with Heinrich events and the Younger Dryas. Marine sea surface temperature records indicate that potential sources for these moisture and heat anomalies are in the Gulf of Mexico and the western tropical Atlantic. Read more ...
- Palynological Research for Augustana College posted January 08, 2011
- Dr. Eric Grimm and Pietra Mueller are working with Dr. Adrien Hannus of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on a project to count and analyze pollen from a sediment core from Fish Lake in Minnesota as a part of the development of a predictive model that will include geomorphic, paleoecological, and archaeological data for South Dakota and southern Minnesota. Read more ...
- Research Proposals Submitted to the National Science Foundation posted January 07, 2011
- Drs. Chris Widga and Eric Grimm submitted a revised proposal to the National Science Foundation (DEB—Population and Community Ecology Cluster) in collaboration with Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Research Presented posted January 05, 2011
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated in the 44th Annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology (sponsored by the Society for Historical Archaeology) in Austin, Texas, January 5-9. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted January 04, 2011
- Erin Brand, Chris Richmond, and Dr. Terrance Martin finished identifications, and Claire Martin continued data entry, for a large sample of animal remains from the Lake Christina site, a multi-component Pre-Contact and Post-Contact habitation site in west central Minnesota for a report that is being prepared for the Duluth Archaeology Center. Read more ...
- Christmas Bird Count posted December 26, 2010
- The 2010 National Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for Springfield, Illinois was conducted on December 26, 2010. H. David Bohlen served as compiler and a field observer for this count, which is the 111th National Audubon CBC. Read more ...
- Interview on Fort St. Joseph Project posted December 21, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin was interviewed by Michael Bawaya for an article on the Fort St. Joseph Project that Bawaya is writing for American Archaeology magazine (December 21). Read more ...
- The Digital Archaeological Record Research Demonstration posted December 17, 2010
- In December, Dr. Bonnie Styles participated as a Co-Principal Investigator in the submission of a National Science Foundation (Anthropology Program) proposal with Arizona State University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania to demonstrate the value of the Digital Archaeological Record archaeofaunal databases to studies of resource depression and intensification in the midwestern and southwestern United States. Read more ...
- Paleobiological Research posted December 14, 2010
- Dr. Eric Grimm was the senior author on a poster and an author on two additional posters presented at the American Geophysical Union meetings in San Francisco. All of the posters summarized results of multiproxy studies of long-term changes in climate and vegetation in the northern Great Plains based on Grimm's palynological research and other datasets. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Research posted December 11, 2010
- In December, Dr. Tim Cashatt met with Tim Vogt of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to discuss their studies of the federally endangered Hine's Emerald Dragonfly and Dr. Read more ...
- Meeting with Illinois Archaeological Survey President posted December 11, 2010
- On December 11, Dr. Bonnie Styles met with former Museum Board Chair Dr. James A. Brown (Northwestern University) in Springfield. Dr. Read more ...
- Proboscidean Extinctions in the Great Lakes Region posted December 07, 2010
- In December, the Museum received word that a proposal to the National Science Foundation (Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology Program) was recommended for funding. The proposed project will examine late Quaternary Proboscidean extinctions in the Great Lakes Region. Dr. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted December 03, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin examined a collection of 250 calcined and fragmented animal remains from a lumber camp camboose site in Taylor County, (northern) Wisconsin for CCRG, Inc., and identified several pieces of metapodials and phalanges from white-tailed deer. Angela Perri (McMillan Museum intern, Ph.D. Read more ...
- Neotoma Workshop posted December 01, 2010
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a Neotoma software training workshop at Penn State from December 1-5. The workshop was conducted under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation (Geoinformatics Program). Dr. Read more ...
- IMLS Proposal for Museum Mentoring Project posted November 19, 2010
- Dr. Robert Warren worked on a proposal to the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop a sustainable Museum Mentoring Project model designed to build vital 21st century skills in small community museums. Read more ...
- Feather Distribution Project posted November 15, 2010
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman reported that the Feather Distribution Project passed the 9 million mark in feathers distributed. An article on the project by Catherine Vine, a bird keeper at the Philadelphia Zoo, was published in Good Bird Parrot Magazine. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted November 10, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished the technical report on early 19th-century animal remains from the Squire site in Madison County, Illinois that was prepared for the Archaeological Research Center of St. Read more ...
- The Digital Archaeological Record posted November 09, 2010
- Dr. Bonnie Styles and Dr. Sarah Neusius, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, worked on a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation (Anthropology Program) with lead Principal Investigators from Arizona State University on a demonstration of the research utility of the Digital Archaeological Record database of faunal remains from archaeological sites for examinations of prehistoric resource depression and intensification in the Eastern and Southwestern United States. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted November 06, 2010
- Archaeological investigations are being directed by Drs. Chris Fennell, Anna Agbe-Davies, and Terrance Martin, and are supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, which provides stipends and housing for nine undergraduate students for ten weeks. Read more ...
- Neotoma Workshop posted November 05, 2010
- Under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Eric Grimm attended Neotoma database software training workshops at Penn State University and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Read more ...
- DNR Emerald Ash Borer Training posted November 04, 2010
- Dr. Tim Cashatt attended a special training session on the Emerald Ash Borer at DNR headquarters on November 4. Read more ...
- Geological Society of America posted November 01, 2010
- Dr. Bonnie Styles represented the Illinois State Museum at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America (November 1-2). She staffed the American Quaternary Association Booth in the exhibition hall and attended paper sessions on Quaternary geology and ecology, advances in geological research, and global warming. Read more ...
- American Quaternary Association and GSA posted October 18, 2010
- Dr. Bonnie Styles represented the Illinois State Museum at the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Denver. She was inducted as a GSA fellow during the Awards Ceremony. She made the arrangements for the American Quaternary Association (AMQUA) Council Meeting and AMQUA Booth in the Exhibition Hall. Read more ...
- Workshop on the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR) posted October 14, 2010
- Dr. Bonnie Styles was an invited participant in a tDAR workshop at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. She has been serving as an advisor for a National Science Foundation grant to Arizona State University to establish the database and a pilot project to incorporate faunal data from archaeological sites. Dr. Read more ...
- Scientific Research Presentations posted October 12, 2010
- Drs. Michael Wiant, Terry Martin, and Michael Conner and Alan Harn presented archaeological research at the Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey in Normal, Illinois. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted October 09, 2010
- Erin Brand continued identifying animal remains from the Renner-Brenner site (23PL1), the type site for the Kansas City Hopewell Complex in Platte County, Missouri, as a contract from SCI Engineering, Inc., St. Read more ...
- Vertebrate Paleontology of Turin Quarry posted October 07, 2010
- In October, Dr. Chris Widga was awarded an Academic & Research Relations Grant for a Portable XRF for vertebrate paleontology of the Turin Quarry, Monroe County, Iowa. Read more ...
- Neotoma Database posted October 04, 2010
- Principal Investigator Dr. Eric Grimm continued to work with collaborators on the expansion of the Neotoma paleoecology database under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted October 04, 2010
- Karen Wall, Evelyn Parks, Dona Wells, and Gretchen Wells met with Claire Martin and Dr. Terrance Martin concerning history and archaeology at New Philadelphia. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project Completed posted September 28, 2010
- On September 28, Dr. Robert Warren submitted the final report for the Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted September 15, 2010
- Erin Brand is identifying animal remains from the Renner-Brenner site (23PL1), the type site for the Kansas City Hopewell Complex in Platte County, Missouri, as a contract from SCI Engineering, Inc., St. Read more ...
- Research Associate Helps with Laboratory Setup posted September 12, 2010
- Research Associate Pietra Mueller is helping the School of Integrative Biology-Plant Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign configure a pollen laboratory and train students in standard pollen preparation techniques. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project posted September 10, 2010
- Inspired by the Archaeology Open House at the site over the weekend of August14-15, local press interviewed Dr. Michael Nassaney (project director at Western Michigan University) about current research and recent finds. Read more ...
- Neotoma Database Workshop posted September 08, 2010
- With support from a grant from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Eric Grimm co-led a Neotoma Database Workshop at the University of Wisconsin Madison in September. Neotoma includes data from a wide variety of records including pollen, macrofossil plants, diatoms, ostracods, beetles, and bones. Read more ...
- Invasive Plant Research posted September 05, 2010
- In September, Dr. Hong Qian conducted research of exotic species in North America and Eastern Asia under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation grant. Read more ...
- Millennial-scale Vegetation Variability Based on Pollen posted September 03, 2010
- Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues from Spain, France, Arizona, Vermont, New York, Texas, Montana, and Virginia published a study highlighting millennial-scale variability in North American vegetation records of the last glacial in Quaternary Science Reviews. Read more ...
- Interlibrary Loans for Museum Research posted September 03, 2010
- Museum Librarian Pat Burg continued to help Dr. Hong Qian and Marlyana Morgan as needed with special requests concerning interlibrary loans, involving 100 or more items each month. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted September 02, 2010
- Archaeological investigations are being directed by Drs. Chris Fennell, Anna Agbe-Davies, and Terrance Martin, and are supported by a grant from the NSF REU program, which provides stipends and housing for nine undergraduate students for ten weeks. Read more ...
- Paleoecological Database Presented posted August 20, 2010
- Dr. Eric Grimm gave an invited presentation on "Neotoma: a Multiproxy Community Database for the Pliocene and Pleistocene" for a Paleochronology Building Workshop in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in August. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted August 12, 2010
- U.S. Representative Aaron Schock (18th Congressional District, Illinois) visited the New Philadelphia site on August 25 and publically dedicated the plaque designating the site as a National Historic Landmark. Read more ...
- American Quaternary Association Contributions posted August 11, 2010
- Drs. Bonnie Styles and Eric Grimm and Adjunct Research Associate Dr. R. Bruce McMillan represented the Museum at the 21st Biennial Meeting of the American Quaternary Association in Laramie Wyoming. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted August 07, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed a technical report on the faunal assemblage from the multiple component Citgo site (Brown County, Wisconsin). Read more ...
- Native-Exotic Species Richness in Illinois Wetland Communities posted August 04, 2010
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the University of Illinois, Springfield and the Illinois Natural History Survey published a study examining native-exotic species richness across spatial scales and corresponding biotic homogenization in wetland plant communities. Read more ...
- Geological Site Visits posted July 27, 2010
- Dr. Chris Widga visited Mazonia State Park to monitor fossil collecting procedures (July 27). He also assembled materials for a virtual field guide to the Mazon Creek area that he is planning to develop. Read more ...
- Physical Anthropological Research posted July 20, 2010
- In July, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency renewed their contract with Illinois Department of Natural Resources to provide support Illinois State Museum Research Associate Dawn Cobb to assess the content of graves encountered under the auspices of the Illinois Human Graves Protection Act and the Illinois Archeological and Paleontological Resources Protection Act. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted July 18, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin analyzed and prepared a report on historical animal remains from three sites (23PU278, 23PU757, and 23PU1869) at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for a technical report by Steven Ahler (University of Kentucky). Read more ...
- Black Hills Paleoecology Project posted July 14, 2010
- In July, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in fieldwork at Rainbow Cave in the Black Hills. The project is a collaboration of Penn State University and the Illinois State Museum. Dr. Read more ...
- Palynologist Participates in International Meeting posted July 11, 2010
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in the European Palaeobotany-Palynology Conference in Budapest, Hungary. He presented information on the Neotoma database at a special meeting of the European Pollen Database Advisory Committee. Read more ...
- Research Planning in the Natural Sciences posted July 10, 2010
- Dr. Hong Qian submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to compile a comprehensive database of angiosperms in the Himalaya, test a series of ecological and biogeographic hypotheses, characterize geographic patterns of richness, determine the geographic, phylogenetic, and ecological patterns of endemism, and explore species turnover and floristic relationships among different regions. Dr. Read more ...
- Oral History Project Presented at International Meeting posted July 08, 2010
- In July, Dr. Robert Warren presented the Oral History of Illinois Agriculture project to an international audience at the International Oral History Association conference in Prague, Czech Republic. Read more ...
- Zoologist Participates in Joint Meeting of Herpetologists and Ichthyologists posted July 07, 2010
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney participated in a joint meeting of ichthyologists and herpetologists in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Mahoney is the Treasurer of the Herpetologists League and serves on the Meeting Management and Planning Committee (MMPC) as the Herp League representative to this multi-society committee. She presented the annual Treasurer's report at the Herp League Board and Business meeting and attended committee meetings for the MMPC. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted July 06, 2010
- The laboratory phase of this year’s New Philadelphia Project concluded at the Research and Collections Center on July 30. The project is directed by Drs. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted June 25, 2010
- Archaeological fieldwork resumed at the New Philadelphia site in Pike County, Illinois, on May 26 and continued through June 25 under the direction of Drs. Read more ...
- Paleoecological Research posted June 12, 2010
- Dr. Joe Donovan, West Virginia University, came to the Research and Collections Center in June to work with Dr. Eric Grimm on a paper summarizing their paleoecological research at Kettle Lake in North Dakota. This study is based on pollen, charcoal, and sediment geochemistry and documents long-term trends and short-term climatic variability in the northern Great Plains. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Genetics Research posted June 08, 2010
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney completed a report of genetics research for Hine's Emerald (Somatochlora hineana) dragonfly populations in Missouri. She found genetic variation among and within Missouri populations that was comparable to what is observed across the whole species range. Read more ...
- Preparations for American Quaternary Association Biennial Meeting posted June 07, 2010
- In her capacity as Secretary of the American Quaternary Association, Dr. Bonnie Styles solicited votes for the 2010, Distinguished Career Award, reviews of applications for the Denise Gaudreau Award for Excellence in Quaternary Studies, and coordinated Student Travel Grant applications and reviews. Read more ...
- Middle Holocene Bison Diet and Mobility posted June 05, 2010
- Dr. Chris Widga and colleagues from the University Kansas published a study of middle Holocene bison diet and mobility on the Great Plains. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted June 02, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished data entry and prepared species composition tables for faunal assemblages from the Late Archaic, Late Woodland, and Oneota components at the Citgo site (Brown County, Wisconsin). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted May 24, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Research Associate Claire Fuller Martin published two articles on regionalism in subsistence pursuits at New Philadelphia based on faunal remains and historical records in the journal Historical Archaeology. Read more ...
- Art Department posted May 15, 2010
- Kent Smith edited the transcript of an extended interview and wrote an essay about Springfield artist Kevin Veara. Veara has been selected by Smith to be part of the four solo exhibition show, Focus Four to which four ISM curators contributed. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted May 14, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin began data entry for the prehistoric (Late Archaic, Late Woodland, and Oneota) faunal assemblage from the Citgo site in Brown County, Wisconsin. Read more ...
- Paleoecological Research posted May 09, 2010
- In May, Dr. Eric Grimm worked with collaborators at Penn State University on the next grant proposal for the Neotoma Database project. Read more ...
- Environment-species Richness Relationships posted May 04, 2010
- Dr. Hong Qian published results of a major study of global and regional environment-richness relationships for mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians using identical sample units and the same set of climate (temperature, precipitation, annual actual evapotranspiration), productivity (normalized difference vegetation index), and topographic (elevation range) variables. His results strongly support concomitant availability of energy and water at the principal constraint on global richness for all vertebrate groups, except reptiles, which are largely constrained by temperature. However, environment-richness models for all taxonomic groups varied widely when applied to single (continental scale) biogeographic realms. Read more ...
- Museum Research Presented at Society for American Archaeology Meeting posted April 23, 2010
- Nine symposia/sessions at the Society for American Archaeology annual meeting in St. Louis in April featured research by Museum scholars. Drs. Read more ...
- Director Participates in Workshop for National Archaeological Database posted April 20, 2010
- Dr. Bonnie Styles is an advisor to a major National Science Foundation Grant project to establish the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR). The grant project is being directed by researchers at Arizona State University. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted April 16, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Chris Richmond, and Erin Brand completed a technical report on animal remains from Site 23CH348, a late Middle Woodland habitation site in the lower Chariton River valley in north central Missouri. Read more ...
- Curator Presents at Museums and the Web Conference posted April 16, 2010
- In April, Dr. Erich Schroeder participated in the Museums and the Web 2010 conference in Denver, Colorado. He did a demonstration of the Audio-Visual Barn Web site that was developed for the Oral History of Illinois Agriculture project (April 16), and his paper on this topic was published in the conference proceedings. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Recovery Team Meeting posted April 14, 2010
- Dr. Tim Cashatt and Dr. Meredith Mahoney attended a meeting of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Recovery Team in April. Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted April 11, 2010
- Research on New Philadelphia was published as an entire issue of Historical Archaeology, the journal of the Society for Historical Archaeology ("New Philadelphia: Racism, Community, and the Illinois Frontier," Vol. Read more ...
- Exotic Plant Species Research posted April 08, 2010
- Dr. Hong Qian conducted research on exotic plant species in North America and eastern Asia under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project posted March 09, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Dr. Chris Fennell (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Research Associate Claire Martin, and Pat Syrcle (Mayor of Barry; member of the New Philadelphia Association Board) met with Ian Shanklin and Ruth Heikkinen (Midwest Region Planning Division, Omaha; National Park Service) who made a reconnaissance visit to the New Philadelphia site in advance of a possible Congressionally-mandated Special Resource Study to consider the merits of New Philadelphia to become a property managed by the National Park Service (March 9). Kay Iftner (Pike County Chamber of Commerce) requested items pertaining to the New Philadelphia site for an exhibition area at their office in Pittsfield. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted March 08, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed an ISM Landscape History Program technical report on the archaeological faunal assemblage (over 6,500 specimens) from the Duckhouse site at Cahokia (St. Read more ...
- Emiquon Science Symposium posted March 04, 2010
- On March 4, Dr. Bonnie Styles and Kent Smith attended the Emiquon Science Symposium at Dickson Mounds Museum. Scientists from The Nature Conservancy, University of Illinois at Springfield, and the Natural History Survey, as well as students presented the results of numerous research projects documenting the transformation of the landscape with the restoration of Thompson and Flagg Lakes and prairie and forest vegetation. Read more ...
- Formation of Illinois State Archaeological Survey posted February 19, 2010
- The Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program has been administratively moved from the Department of Anthropology to the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and re-named as the Illinois State Archaeological Survey. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Database Provided to Researcher posted February 12, 2010
- In February, Dr. Tim Cashatt provided an electronic copy of the Museum's dragonfly database to Dr. Christopher Hassall, a postdoctoral fellow at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, for incorporation into his studies of dragonflies. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted February 10, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued work on an ISM Landscape History Program Technical Report and article for Illinois Archaeology on the faunal assemblage (over 6,500 specimens) from the Duckhouse site at Cahokia (St. Read more ...
- Museum Curator Presents Climate Research posted February 07, 2010
- In February, Dr. Eric Grimm gave two presentations on late Glacial climates and ecosystems of the Upper Midwest, one for the Department of Biological Sciences at Eastern Tennessee University (35 attended) and one for the Quaternary Paleoecology Seminar Series at the University of Minnesota (25 attended). Rapid changes in climate, flora, and fauna at the end of the most recent Ice Age provide important data for modeling biotic responses to contemporary climate change. Read more ...
- Illinois Archaeological Survey Board Convenes in RCC posted February 05, 2010
- The Board of the Illinois Archaeological Survey convened in the Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center on February 5. Read more ...
- Verbal Approval for NSF Grant posted February 02, 2010
- In February, Dr. Eric Grimm received verbal approval that the National Science Foundation grant proposal for the next phase of the Neotoma paleoecology database project has been funded. Budget negotiations will be conducted later. Penn State University and the Illinois State Museum are the lead institutions for this project, which includes 10 principal investigators and 15 collaborators. Read more ...
- Collaborative Research with SIU-E posted January 20, 2010
- The National Science Foundation notified Dr. Julie Zimmerman Holt (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville) of the award of funds for her proposed project MRI-R2: Acquisition of Raman and Infrared Microscopes for Interdisciplinary Research. Read more ...
- Paleoclimate and Sea Level Rise posted January 18, 2010
- Dr. Eric Grimm presented a paper on the "Paleoecology of Florida" at Keeping our Heads Above Water: Surviving the Challenges of Sea Level Rise in Florida. Read more ...
- Biotic Homogenization and Habitat Type posted January 09, 2010
- Recent analyses of a large dataset of native and alien plants in North America by Dr. Hong Qian and Qinfeng Guo of the USDA-Southern Research Station in Asheville, North Carolina, show that biotic homogenization is clearly related to habitat type (e.g., wetlands versus uplands), species invasiveness and life history traits such as life cycle (e.g., annual/biennial and herbaceous versus woody species). The research was published in the journal Diversity and Distributions. Read more ...
- Mammoth Teeth Sampled for DNA Research posted January 08, 2010
- Jacob Enk, a graduate student at McMaster University, sampled mammoth teeth in the Museum's collection for DNA. Drs. Jeffrey Saunders and Chris Widga worked with him on the selection of samples. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted January 04, 2010
- Dr. Terrance Martin is preparing a technical report and article for Illinois Archaeology on the faunal assemblage (over 6,500 specimens) from the Duckhouse site at Cahokia (St. Read more ...
- International Quaternary Association posted January 03, 2010
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a meeting of the United States National Committee for the International Quaternary Association in Washington D.C. Read more ...
- Meeting on White Nose Syndrome in Bats posted December 15, 2009
- Drs. Bonnie Styles and Meredith Mahoney participated in a meeting on White Nose Syndrome in Bats at the Department of Natural Resources on December 15. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted December 05, 2009
- Analyses of faunal remains from archaeological sites continued under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin. Erin Brand continues to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Dr. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in International Meetings posted December 02, 2009
- On December 2, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in the International Multiproxy Paleofire Database Meeting (Savannah, Georgia). On December 3, he participated in the United States National Committee Chairs Meeting at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. Read more ...
- Paleobiologist Presents at International Meeting posted November 14, 2009
- Dr. Eric Grimm was an invited participant at an international meeting (Human Expansions and Global Change in the Pleistocene: Methods and Problems) in Frankfurt, Germany to consider human expansion out of Africa. Read more ...
- Museum Paleocologist Serves on NSF Panel posted November 08, 2009
- In November, Dr. Eric Grimm served on the National Science Foundation's Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology Panel. He assisted NSF staff with the review of proposals and made recommendations for funding. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted November 01, 2009
- A number of studies of faunal remains from archaeological sites continued under the overall direction of Dr. Terrance Martin. Research Associate Erin Brand continued to identify animal remains from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum from various 19th-century features excavated by Fever River Research. Read more ...
- Study of Rapid Landscape Change in the Sangamon Basin Proposed posted October 22, 2009
- In October, Dr. Chris Widga reviewed numerous reports and collections of wood and freshwater mussel shells from archaeological and paleontological sites for a research project that he is developing. Dr. Read more ...
- American Quaternary Association Council Meeting posted October 20, 2009
- Dr. Bonnie Styles, Secretary of the American Quaternary Association (AMQUA), attended a meeting of the AMQUA Council at the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Portland, Oregon. As AMQUA Secretary, Dr. Read more ...
- Aboriginal Fishing Practices Summarized at Archaeological Conference posted October 17, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin gave a paper on “Aboriginal Fishing in Southwestern Michigan: A Unique Regional Fishery?” at the 36th Annual Symposium of the Ontario Archaeological Society at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario on October 17 (50 attended). Read more ...
- Experiences with Student Research Presented at Historic Archaeology Conference posted October 16, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated in a panel discussion featuring faculty perspectives and experiences with student research at the annual meeting of the Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference at the University of Notre Dame (70 adults and college students attended.). Read more ...
- Ongoing Archaeozoological Research posted October 16, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued to oversee a number of analyses of faunal remains from archaeological sites. Erin Brand continues to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project Presented at Oral History Conference posted October 15, 2009
- Dr. Robert Warren chaired a session entitled “Oral History of Illinois Agriculture: Building the Audiovisual Barn at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Oral History Association in Louisville, Kentucky. Read more ...
- Museum Research and Curation Efforts Presented at Midwest Archaeological Conference posted October 12, 2009
- Drs. Bonnie Styles and Michael Conner represented the Illinois State Museum at the annual Midwest Archaeological Conference in Iowa City. Read more ...
- Archaeology and Paleontology Tools Workshop posted October 10, 2009
- During October, Dr. Eric Grimm attended a workshop on "The development of analysis and visualisation tools for database orientated palaeoenvironmental and climatic studies" at Umeå University in Umeå, Sweden. Read more ...
- Environmental Gradients and Breeding Bird Diversity posted October 07, 2009
- In October, Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and East China Normal University (Shanghai, China) published the results of their study of breeding bird diversity in relation to environmental gradients in China. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Genetics Research Presented at Management Meeting posted October 07, 2009
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney summarized her genetics research for the Hine’s Emerald dragonfly at the Regional Meeting of Threatened and Endangered Species Coordinators (including representatives from state agencies and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service), in Camdenton, Missouri on October 7 (30 attended). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site posted October 05, 2009
- The three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, continued under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Botanist Compares Animal and Plant Diversity and Biogeographic Patterns posted October 03, 2009
- In October, Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the Smithsonian Institution, North Carolina State University, Hope College (Holland MI), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks contributed to an editorial on patterns and methods in intercontinental and intracontinental biogeography for a special issue of the Journal of Systematics and Evolution that examines biogeographic patterns and new analytical methods. Dr. Read more ...
- Research Associate and Former Board Member Present at Conference on Illinois History posted October 01, 2009
- Research Associate Claire Fuller Martin presented a paper on population and landownership at New Philadelphia on October 1 at the annual conference on Illinois History in Springfield (sponsored by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum). About 50 individuals attended the presentation. Read more ...
- Museum Hosts Illinois Archaeological Survey Annual Meeting posted September 25, 2009
- On September 25-26, the Illinois State Museum hosted the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey (IAS) at the Illinois State Museum. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site posted September 24, 2009
- The three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, continued under the co-direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Preparation of NSF Proposal to Study Rapid Landscape Changes posted September 22, 2009
- On September 22, Dr. Chris Widga reviewed wood and freshwater mussel shell samples from various Illinois sites (Pabst site, Hood/Melinda/Davis site, Golarte site, Airport site, Clear Lake site, Rockwell Mound site, Warren Banes site, and Noble Wieting site) for a National Science Foundation proposal that he and Research Associates Dr. Read more ...
- Planning for 2010 Laboratory Courses with Arizona State University posted September 19, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin worked on scheduling, publicity, and other details with Dr. Jane Buikstra (Arizona State University) for a two-week zooarchaeology laboratory course that will take place in late summer at the Research and Collections Center in conjunction with Arizona State University’s 2010 Field School at the Center for American Archeology’s field station in Kampsville. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture posted September 16, 2009
- An exhibition on the Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project was featured in the exhibition hall for the 5th National Small Farms Conference in Springfield. The exhibition was shown for two (September 16-17) and was staffed by Dr. Read more ...
- Pine River, Michigan Faunal Assemblages posted September 16, 2009
- Dr. Edward C. Lorenz (Director, Public Affairs Institute, Alma College, Alma, Michigan) contacted Dr. Martin to inquire about natural resource damages to the Pine River in Gratiot and Midland Counties, Michigan (a tributary of the Saginaw Bay), and whether there is archaeological evidence of lake sturgeon in the Pine River watershed. Read more ...
- Collaboration for NEOTOMA Database posted September 14, 2009
- During September, Dr. Eric Grimm and Dr. Russell Graham (Penn State), eight additional principal investigators, and 15 international collaborators submitted a second proposal to the National Science Foundation to support the further development and use of the NEOTOMA database. This database includes the North American Pollen Database and FAUNMAP, both of which were originally developed at the Illinois State Museum, several other climate proxy databases. Dr. Read more ...
- European Pollen Database Progress posted September 10, 2009
- Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues from the United Kingdom, France, The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and the United States published an update on the European Pollen Database in the journal Vegetation History Archaeobotany. Dr. Read more ...
- Assessment of Error in Radiocarbon Dates posted September 03, 2009
- Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Illinois (Institute for Genomic Biology) compared radiocarbon dates from conventional bulk-sediment dating and accelerator mass spectrometry dating to assess the magnitude of error for the older dating technique. Although the radiocarbon-reservoir problem with bulk-sediment radiocarbon dates from lakes has long been recognized, many synoptic studies continue to use chronologies derived from such dates. They evaluated chronologies based on conventional radiocarbon dates from bulk sediment versus chronologies based on accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates from terrestrial plant macrofossils for four sites in central North America (Rice Lake in North Dakota, Cottonwood Lake in South Dakota, Devils Lake in Wisconsin, and Chatsworth Bog in Illinois). Read more ...
- Ongoing Faunal Analyses posted September 02, 2009
- Numerous archaeozoological research projects are underway under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin. Erin Brand continued to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Dr. Read more ...
- Botanical Research of Relationships between Plant and Animal Richness posted August 31, 2009
- In August, Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from University of California, San Diego and La Jolla; University of Alberta, Edmonton; and the Natural History Museum of London published the results of their research of the effects of woody plant species richness on mammal species richness in southern Africa. Read more ...
- Consultation for Graduate Seminar on Eastern North American Prehistory posted August 18, 2009
- In August, Dr. Bonnie Styles provided Dr. Christopher Carr of Arizona State University with references pertaining to Holocene environmental and subsistence changes in the Eastern Woodlands for a graduate seminar he is teaching on Eastern North American Prehistory. Read more ...
- Collaboration for National Science Foundation Proposal posted August 16, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin served as a collaborator for Dr. Julie Zimmerman Holt's (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville) proposal to the National Science Foundation (“MRI-R2: Acquisition of Raman and Infrared Microscopes for Interdisciplinary Research"). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site Project posted August 14, 2009
- The three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, continued under the direction of co-directors Dr. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted August 08, 2009
- Several projects continued under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin. Erin Brand continues to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Dr. Read more ...
- Synchronization of Climate Changes in Illinois and the North Atlantic posted August 04, 2009
- Dr. Leila Gonzales of the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Dr. Eric Grimm published a study comparing the high resolution pollen record and well-controlled age model for Crystal Lake in northeastern Illinois and the North Atlantic Event Stratigraphy as represented in the Greenland ice-core records. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project posted August 01, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated as research collaborator with Dr. Michael Nassaney (Department of Anthropology) and Dr. José António Brandão (Department of History) at Western Michigan University’s 2009 Fort St. Read more ...
- 2009 Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project posted July 29, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated as research collaborator with Dr. Michael Nassaney (Department of Anthropology) and Dr. José António Brandão (Department of History) at Western Michigan University’s 2009 Fort St. Read more ...
- Radiometric Dating of Remains from Paleontological Sites posted July 24, 2009
- In July, Dr. Chris Widga received radiocarbon age estimates of about 25,000 years for bones from Giant Beaver and Woolly Mammoth from Clear Lake Sand and Gravel. Read more ...
- Archaeology Field School on Grand Island posted July 22, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated in the Illinois State University (ISU)/Hiawatha National Forest 2009 Archaeology Field School on Grand Island in Lake Superior off Munising, Michigan (July 20-23). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Project posted July 19, 2009
- The three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, continued under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Rainbow Cave Fieldwork posted July 16, 2009
- In July, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in paleoecological fieldwork at Rainbow Cave in the southern Black Hills. He is collaborating on the project with Dr. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in Meeting on Herps and Fish posted July 14, 2009
- In July, Dr. Meredith Mahoney participated in the annual professional meeting for the American Association of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Portland, Oregon. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Working Group posted July 09, 2009
- Drs. Meredith Mahoney and Everett D. Cashatt presented results of genetic research for the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly to 20 researchers and representatives from State and Federal agencies at the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Working Group and Agency Coordination Meeting on July 9 in Romeoville, Illinois. Read more ...
- Collection of Archaeomagnetic Samples from Kincaid Mounds posted July 08, 2009
- On July 8, Dr. Chris Widga traveled to Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site, a major Mississippian mound center in southern Illinois, to collect archaeomagnetic samples as part of the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale field school directed by Dr. Read more ...
- Regional Effects on Species Richness of Plants and Vertebrates posted July 05, 2009
- Dr. Hong Qian examined regional effects on species richness of vascular plants and four groups of terrestrial vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians) in the same set of ecoregions in seven biogeographic realms across the globe. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted July 03, 2009
- Analyses of faunal remains from archaeological sites continued under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin. Chris Richmond and Erin Brand continue to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Dr. Read more ...
- NEOTOMA Database Presented posted June 25, 2009
- Dr. Eric Grimm gave a presentation of the NEOTOMA database at the Ninth North American Paleontological Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 25 (30 attendees). The development of this climate proxy database for the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene has been funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The North American Pollen Database, developed at the Illinois State Museum, is a major component of this database, which also includes macrofossil plants, beetles, and vertebrate fauna. Read more ...
- Archaeomagnetic Sampling at the Morton Site posted June 23, 2009
- In June, Drs. Stacey Lengyel and Chris Widga collected archaeomagnetic samples from the Morton Village site during the Michigan State University archaeological field school (directed by Drs. Read more ...
- Student Assists with Invasive Plant Species Research Project posted June 22, 2009
- On June 22, Marlayna Morgan was hired as a research assistant to work with Dr. Hong Qian on his research of invasive plant species. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Research Presented posted June 20, 2009
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney summarized genetics research for the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly in a paper co-authored with Dr. Everett D. Cashatt at the Annual Meeting of the Dragonfly Society of America in Sullivan, Missouri on June 20. About 45 entomologists attended this session. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted June 12, 2009
- Work continued on a series of archaeozoological research projects under the overall direction of Dr. Terrance Martin. Research Assistants Chris Richmond and Erin Brand continue to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Dr. Read more ...
- Fieldwork for Field Guide to Illinois Dragonflies posted June 10, 2009
- In June, with support from an 1877 Fund grant, Dr. Everett D. Cashatt conducted dragonfly fieldwork in Wisconsin. He is collecting and photographing species that he needs to complete his field guide to the dragonflies of Illinois. Read more ...
- Art Research posted June 09, 2009
- Bob Sill is researching past and present painters from the central Illinois region in preparation for a lecture titled: Painters from the Heart of Lincolnland to be presented in November at University of Illinois, Springfield. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site, Pike County, Illinois posted June 04, 2009
- Analyses for this three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, continued under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project posted June 02, 2009
- On June 2-3, at the invitation of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Dr. Robert Warren, the Principal Investigator for the Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project, served on the IMLS National Leadership Grant Panel in Washington D.C. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site Archaeological Project posted May 21, 2009
- The three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site, Pike County, Illinois, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program continued under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Archaeomagnetic Research posted May 18, 2009
- Drs Stacey Lengyel and Chris Widga conducted archaeomagnetic research at Ames Mound in western Tennessee in collaboration with the University of Memphis Field School directed by Dr. Read more ...
- Isotopic Research Presented at UIS Science Symposium posted May 16, 2009
- A poster prepared by 2008 Illinois College Intern Dana Roberson and Drs. Chris Widga and Jeffrey Saunders was presented at the Annual University of Illinois, Springfield, Science Symposium on May 16. The poster, "Incremental stable isotope analyses of mammoth tooth enamel (Mammuthus cf. Read more ...
- Principia Mammoth Project posted May 15, 2009
- Drs. Jeffrey Saunders and Chris Widga visited Principia College on May 15 to assist with the continued preparation of the Jefferson's mammoth skeleton discovered on campus. Read more ...
- Illinois Archaeological Survey Board Meeting posted May 15, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended the Illinois Archaeological Survey executive board meeting in Champaign (May 15). Read more ...
- Ongoing Studies of Faunal Remains from Archaeological Sites posted May 10, 2009
- Under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, work continued on a series of projects. Research Associates Chris Richmond and Erin Brand continue to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Dr. Read more ...
- Identification of Freshwater Mussels from Emiquon Project Area posted May 08, 2009
- In May, Dr. Bonnie Styles completed the identification of freshwater mussel shells recovered through trenching for the Ameren Emiquon Gasline project. The mussels were collected from trenches in the area of historic Thompson and Flagg Lakes by Alan Harn and Sally McClure in 2004. There are 17 species represented in the sample. Read more ...
- Late Neogene Terrestrial Ecosystem Database Project posted May 07, 2009
- On May 7, the National Science Foundation awarded a supplement to the grant for the Late Neogene Terrestrial Ecosystem Database project. Dr. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted April 20, 2009
- Drs. Terrance Martin and Chris Widga submitted a technical report on the animal remains from site 25CD87, a prehistoric Native American site in Cedar County, Nebraska, that was mitigated by American Resources Group, Ltd. Read more ...
- Invasive Plants Research posted April 16, 2009
- Dr. Hong Qian participated in field research in South Korea and Japan (April 16 to May 5). He collected published data for his National Science Foundation-funded research of exotic plants species in North America and eastern Asia. Read more ...
- Ft. Leonard Wood Archaeology posted April 14, 2009
- An interdisciplinary team of Museum scientists completed a major study of two prehistoric sites and six historic sites in Pulaski County at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Botanical Review Praises Work by Museum Botanist posted April 07, 2009
- An article by Jinshuang Ma ("Recent Progress in Systematics in China"), published in Progress in Botany, Vol. 67 (Springer-Verlag, Berlin), praised recent research by Dr. Read more ...
- Empirical Evaluation of Spatial and Non-spatial Regression in Geographical Ecology posted April 03, 2009
- A major focus of geographical ecology and macroecology is to understand the causes of spatially structured ecological patterns. However, achieving this understanding can be complicated when using multiple regression, because the relative importance of explanatory variables, as measured by regression coefficients, can shift depending on whether spatially explicit or non-spatial modeling is used. Read more ...
- Curators Participate in Anthropological Conferences posted April 02, 2009
- Dr. Jonathan Reyman presented two papers at the annual meeting of the Central States Anthropological Society in Urbana (April 2, 3). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site Project Update posted April 01, 2009
- A three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, continues under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site Update posted March 27, 2009
- The three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, continued under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Archaeological Contract Reports Scanned for Online Resource posted March 25, 2009
- On March 25, Dee Ann Watt assisted Dr. Michael Wiant in reviewing and selecting Illinois contract reports to be scanned by the Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program for a Web resource they are developing. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted March 21, 2009
- Under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, work continued or was completed on the following projects. Dr. Martin compiled a quantitative listing of animal remains from the Hovey Lake site (Caborn-Welborn phase, A.D. Read more ...
- Museum Research Featured in Major Synthesis of Prehistoric Archaic Societies posted March 20, 2009
- A major synthesis of prehistoric Archaic Period societies in the Midcontinent features paleoecological and archaeological research by Museum scholars. Museum Director Dr. Read more ...
- Modeling Eastern North American Plant Taxa posted March 14, 2009
- Continental-scale modern pollen-climate data repositories are a primary data source for palaeoclimate reconstructions. However, these repositories can contain artifacts, such as records from different depositional environments and replicate records, that can influence the observed pollen-climate relationships as well as the palaeoclimate reconstructions derived from these relationships. Read more ...
- European Pollen Database Update posted March 08, 2009
- Dr. Eric Grimm assisted colleagues with a historical sketch and review of current activities for the European Pollen Database. Dr. Read more ...
- Effects of Historical and Regional Factors on Species Richness at the Global Scale posted March 06, 2009
- A study of factors affecting species richness at the global scale by Dr. Hong Qian was published online through Wiley InterScience and will be printed in the journal Ecography. Determining the effects of regional and contemporary factors on large-scale patterns in species richness has been a fundamental question in modern ecology and biogeography. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project Update posted February 26, 2009
- The Museum team of Dr. Robert Warren, Mike Maniscalco, James Oliver, and Sue Huitt has completed all but two of the oral history of Illinois agriculture interviews and are processing files. They have digitally indexed almost all of the older audio interviews. One work study student (Ashley Aloruzzo) and two interns (Anthony Colantino and Rachel Thompson) from University of Illinois at Springfield and two volunteers (Amy Moore and Lind Brand) are assisting with the project. The volunteers are assisting with transcriptions and editing of the interviews. Read more ...
- Archaeology of Illinois State Parks posted February 18, 2009
- Marge Schroeder, Research Associate, compiled a comprehensive overview of archaeological assessments in Illinois State Parks for the 2007-2008 seasons for the Department of Natural Resources. Read more ...
- Coring of Lake George posted February 15, 2009
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in fieldwork (February 15-20) with Dr. Sheri Fritz, University of Nebraska, to core Lake George, a saline lake in North Dakota. The field work is part of research project, “Collaborative Research: Holocene Drought in the North American Interior,” funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation. Dr. Read more ...
- Ongoing Archeozoological Research posted February 10, 2009
- Under the overall direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, analyses continued or were completed for a number of projects. Research Assistants Chris Richmond and Erin Brand continue to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Dr. Read more ...
- Paleobiological Research Planning posted February 05, 2009
- Drs. Eric Grimm and Chris Widga are working with Dr. Matthew Hill at the University of Iowa to plan paleoecological research that would integrate data from fossil pollen and isotopic studies of bison teeth from a three state area in the Great Plains. Read more ...
- Students Assist with Invasive Species Research posted February 02, 2009
- Dr. Hong Qian's research of invasive species, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is being aided by two students (Heather Kent and Elizabeth Turner) hired through the NSF grant. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site Update posted February 01, 2009
- Laboratory analyses continued for the three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site in Pike County, Illinois. This project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, and co-directors Dr. Read more ...
- NEOTOMA Database Workshop posted January 31, 2009
- On January 31-February 1, Dr. Eric Grim, Chairperson of Botany, participated in a workshop at the Keck Center at the National Academy of Sciences for planning a renewal proposal for the support of the NEOTOMA database. Read more ...
- Hoxie Farm Site Research posted January 21, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin examined two boxes of unanalyzed animal remains from non-feature midden contexts at the Hoxie Farm site in order to insure that all human remains had been located and segregated for analysis by Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program physical anthropologists (January 21). Read more ...
- Meeting of United States National Committee posted January 18, 2009
- In January, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a meeting of the United States National Committee for the International Quaternary Association at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Project Update posted January 16, 2009
- Co-directors Dr. Christopher Fennell (Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Dr. Anna Agbe-Davies (Assistant Professor of Anthropology, DePaul University), and Dr. Read more ...
- Great Plains Research posted January 14, 2009
- Following the presentation by Dr. Mathew Hill, University of Iowa for the weekly Brown Bag on January 14, Dr. Bonnie Styles, Drs. Read more ...
- Research of Angiosperm Diversity Patterns Proposed posted January 11, 2009
- In January, Dr. Hong Qian submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation to study angiosperm diversity patterns in the Himalaya. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted January 09, 2009
- Dr. Terrance Martin presented a report co-authored with John Franzen and Eric Drake of the Hiawatha National Forest (with headquarters in Escanaba, Michigan) on an archaeological investigation of the Trespass Cambuse site, a circa 1869 lumber camp in the western portion of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Read more ...
- Beta Diversity of North American Mammals posted January 05, 2009
- Dr. Hong Qian, Curator of Botany, and colleagues from the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota determined that the latitudinal gradient in beta diversity of North American mammals corresponds to a macroclimate gradient of decreasing mean annual temperature and increasing seasonality of temperature from south to north. Most of the variance in spatial turnover is explained by distance and environmental differences jointly rather than distance, climate, or topography separately. Read more ...
- Late Quaternary Climate Change Research posted January 01, 2009
- Dr. Eric Grimm was awarded a National Science Foundation Grant to support collaborative research of floral and faunal community responses to Late-Quaternary climate change. The research is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Read more ...
- History of Illinois Agriculture Project posted December 29, 2008
- Dr. Robert Warren, James Oliver, Mike Maniscalco, and Sue Huitt are working on a second proposal to the Institute of Museum Library Services to further the efforts of the history of Illinois Agriculture Project by partnering with museums and developing a history of agriculture Web site. Read more ...
- Morton Village Site Research posted December 16, 2008
- Drs. Terrance Martin and Bonnie Styles contributed to a research proposal to the National Science Foundation that is being developed by Dr. Read more ...
- Christmas Bird Count posted December 14, 2008
- The 109th National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season recently ended, and Springfield conducted its count on December 14, 2008 with H. Read more ...
- Feather Distribution Project posted December 12, 2008
- In December, Dr. Jonathan Reyman distributed feathers and attended dances in New Mexico and discussed the future of the Feather Distribution Project with people at Acoma Pueblo and Zuni Pueblo. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site Update posted December 11, 2008
- The continuation of this three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program with co-directors Dr. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted December 08, 2008
- Under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, analyses of faunal remains for a number of archaeological projects continued. Chris Richmond and Erin Brand continue to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation Project in Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Dr. Martin finished the technical report co-authored with Angela Mallard on the Fort Ashby (West Virginia) faunal analysis for McBride Preservation Services, Lexington, Kentucky. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Project, Berrien County, Michigan posted November 19, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin provided an interview for the newsletter of Support the Fort, Inc. and answered questions about archaeological faunal analysis for the Fort. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site, Pike County, Illinois posted November 14, 2008
- Research for this three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site continued under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project Presented posted November 13, 2008
- On November 13, Mike Maniscalco and Dr. Robert Warren presented a poster on the Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project in an invited session including representatives from five Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant Projects at the annual Museum Computer Network in Washington D.C. An estimated audience of 500-1000 individuals viewed the poster. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted November 05, 2008
- ISM McMillan Museum Intern Angela Mallard completed her identification of animal remains from Dr. Margaret Brown’s 2004-2007 excavations at the Louvier site, an 18th/19th-century French post-colonial habitation site in Prairie du Rocher. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted October 23, 2008
- Under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, faunal remains are being analyzed for a number of projects. Chris Richmond and Erin Brand continue to identify animal remains from various 19th-century features for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Read more ...
- Feather Distribution Project posted October 23, 2008
- During October, Dr. Jonathan Reyman met with Eric Jeltes, Bird Keeper at the St. Louis Zoo, about the feathers the Zoo collects for the Feather Distribution Project and educational programs that Dr. Read more ...
- Chinese Delegation Visits Illinois State Museum posted October 20, 2008
- On October 20, Dr. Gwenn Bennett of Washington University, St. Louis toured a delegation of three Chinese archaeologists (Dr. Zhijun ZHAO, Director of the Paleobotanical Laboratory of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr. Read more ...
- Leadership and Presentations at Midwest Archaeological Conference posted October 12, 2008
- Dr. Bonnie Styles, President of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, chaired the Executive Committee and Business Meetings. Dr. Styles coordinated and presented the organization's first Distinguished Career Awards, which were given to two professional archaeologists who both once served as curators of anthropology at the Illinois State Museum: Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site posted October 07, 2008
- The continuation of a three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site (Pike County, Illinois) is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program with co-directors Dr. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture posted October 06, 2008
- The Museum completed the first year of the Oral History of Illinois Agriculture project under the direction of Dr. Robert Warren. The Museum has completed 45 interviews and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum completed 29. Read more ...
- AMQUA Council Meeting posted October 06, 2008
- On October 6, Drs. Bonnie Styles and Eric Grimm participated in a meeting of the American Quaternary Association Council in Houston. Read more ...
- McMillan Museum Intern Analyzes French Colonial Faunal Remains posted October 02, 2008
- McMillan Museum Intern Angela Mallard is identifying animal remains from Dr. Margaret Brown’s 2004-2007 excavations at the Louvier site, an 18th/19th-century French post-colonial habitation site in Prairie du Rocher. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Recovery Team Meeting posted September 24, 2008
- Dr. Tim Cashatt, Chairperson of Zoology, and Dr. Meredith Mahoney, Assistant Curator of Zoology, presented their studies of Hine's Emerald Dragonfly genetics and future genetics research at a meeting of the Hines's Emerald Dragonfly Recovery Team in Kirksville and St. Read more ...
- Museum Archaeologists Participate in Illinois Archaeological Survey Meeting posted September 19, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Chairperson of Anthropology, participated in the Board and Business meetings of the Illinois Archaeological Survey on September 19 and gave a presentation on the 2008 field season at New Philadelphia to approximately 100 students and professional archaeologists on September 20 at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture posted September 16, 2008
- The project team under the direction of Dr. Robert Warren completed their 38th interview. On September 16 the group reviewed their plans to develop a proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities to expand the project with Dr. Read more ...
- Late Quaternary Bison Diminution posted September 12, 2008
- Dr. Chris Widga, Dr. Mathew Hill, Jr. (University of Iowa), and Dr. Mathew G. Hill (Iowa State University) published collaborative research on Late Quaternary bison diminution in the Great Plains of North America. Read more ...
- Art Department Research posted September 10, 2008
- Bob Sill continues research and writing on the catalogue for the Across the Divide exhibition. Angela Goebel-Bain met with curators from other museums and researching items to be used in the Lincoln's Illinois exhibition Read more ...
- Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Group Meets posted September 09, 2008
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney attended the Midwest PARC (Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation) conference in Iowa at the beginning of the month. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted September 08, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued to oversee analyses of faunal remains for a series of archaeological projects. Dr. Martin compiled unit and feature totals from and identified more than 50 animal taxa for the Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia, St. Read more ...
- Effects of Introduced Species on Floristic Similarity posted September 04, 2008
- Dr. Hong Qian, Curator of Botany, Dr. Michael McKinney (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) and Ingolf Kühn (Helmholtz Centre to Environmental Research in Halle, Germany) completed a study comparing effects of introduced species on floristic similarity in California and Florida. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site, Pike County, Illinois posted September 03, 2008
- The continuation of a three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program with co-directors Dr. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture posted August 18, 2008
- In August, the Museum team for the oral history of Illinois agriculture project conducted its 31st interview, including an interview at a dairy farm in Sangamon County where music is routinely played for the cows and multiple days interviewing farmers and taking digital images of livestock at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Read more ...
- Botany Chair Participates in Pollen Database Workshop posted August 11, 2008
- Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, participated in the Quaternary Pollen Database of China Workshop at Tongji University, Shanghai, China (August 11-13). Dr. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted August 05, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Chairperson of Anthropology, continued to oversee analyses of faunal remains from the following archaeological projects:Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia, St. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeology Short Course posted August 04, 2008
- The ISM hosted a two-week short course on zooarchaeology (August 4-15) as part of the Arizona State University Kampsville Field School (held in conjunction with the Center for American Archeology). The session was attended by 6 undergraduate students from around the United States. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site Archaeological Research Project posted August 01, 2008
- The continuation of a three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site in Pike County, Illinois is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences (NSF-REU) for Undergraduates program with co-directors Dr. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture posted July 24, 2008
- In July Dr. Robert Warren and Research Associate Mike Maniscalco conducted their 23rd digital video interview of Illinois farmers. Research Associate James Oliver, Sue Huitt, and Mike Maniscalco completed the indexing of audio interviews. Read more ...
- Logan County Stagecoach Stop posted July 22, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin met with Mr. Greg Laun regarding his work and discoveries pertaining to a 19th century stagecoach stop along the Springfield to Peoria road in Logan County (July 22). Read more ...
- Curator Participates in Ichthyology and Herpetology Meetings posted July 22, 2008
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney participated in the Joint Meetings of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Monreal, Canada, from July 22-29. Dr. Mahoney serves as Treasurer for the Herpetologists' League (HL) and also as a board member for the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR). Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted July 19, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued zooarchaeological analyses for the Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia, St. Clair County, Illinois, as part of the French Colonial Heritage Project being undertaken by the Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program (ITARP) and Sangamo Archaeological Center. He is also overseeing analyses for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Read more ...
- Mammoth Cave Paleontology posted July 14, 2008
- In July, Dr. Chris Widga and Mona Colburn collected samples of sediment containing numerous bat bones from exposures along trails in Mammoth Cave. Read more ...
- Neotoma Database Project posted July 10, 2008
- In July, the National Science Foundation's Geoinformatics Program Director informed Dr. Eric Grimm that his supplement to the grant for the development of the Neotoma multiproxy paleodatabase for the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene was approved. Read more ...
- Factors Affecting Avian Species Richness posted July 08, 2008
- Recent research by Dr. Hong Qian demonstrates that regional and historical processes have played a role in regulating large-scale avian species richness patterns across the globe. Avian species richness in different regions of the world cannot be accurately predicted by a single global model. Avian species richness in areas of similar environments may differ significantly between regions, and thus avian species richness in one biogeographical region cannot be predicted using the richness-environment relationship derived from the data of another biogeographical region, even one with similar environments. This research was recently published in the Journal of Biogeography. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site Investigations posted July 07, 2008
- Interdisciplinary archaeological investigations of the New Philadelphia site, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, continues under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted June 25, 2008
- During June, animal remains from sites 11ST540/541 were analyzed under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin for the REX-East Pipeline Project, Phase II investigations on prehistoric and historical archaeological sites in Pike, Scott, and Morgan counties, Illinois (Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group, Inc.). Read more ...
- Collection of Archaeomagnetic Samples posted June 22, 2008
- In June Research Associate Dr. Stacey Lengyel collected archaeomagnetic samples from a Pawnee Earth Lodge in central Kansas. The samples will be analyzed in Dr. Read more ...
- Late Pleistocene and Holocene Paleoecological Change posted June 18, 2008
- In June, Dr. Chris Widga met with Drs. Jack Hofman, Rolfe Mandel, and Mary Adair at the University of Kansas to develop plans for collaborative research of Late Pleistocene and Holocene paleoecological change in the central Kansas Plains. Read more ...
- Mammoth Cave Paleontology Project Extended posted June 14, 2008
- In collaboration with Dr. Steven Ahler, University of Kentucky, Dr. Chris Widga and Mona Colburn have collected paleontological samples along cave trails within Mammoth Cave. Read more ...
- Tyson Springs Cave Fauna posted June 14, 2008
- In June, Dr. Chris Widga visited the Tyson Springs Cave in southeastern Minnesota at the invitation of David Mather (Minnesota State Historic Preservation Officer) and John Ackerman (Director of the Minnesota Karst Preserve). Read more ...
- Black-necked Stilt Eggs Rescued posted June 09, 2008
- In June David Bohlen rescued Black-necked Stilt eggs from an abandoned nest. After determining that the eggs were viable, he made arrangements for their transfer to the St. Read more ...
- Salamander Genetics Research posted June 05, 2008
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney received a grant for DNA lab work on salamanders. A few years ago, she was involved in a project studying genetic variability and population relationships of two closely related salamander species from northern California and southern Oregon. Read more ...
- American Quaternary Association Biennial Meeting posted June 04, 2008
- In June, Dr. Eric Grimm, President of the American Quaternary Association (AMQUA), Dr. Bonnie Styles, AMQUA Secretary, Dr. R. Bruce McMillan, Director Emeritus and AMQUA Councilor for Archaeology, Dr. Read more ...
- Morton Site Excavations posted June 02, 2008
- Dr. Jodie O’Gorman (Michigan State University), in partnership with Dickson Mounds Museum, brought her archaeological field school to the central Illinois River valley to excavate at the Morton site. The Morton site lies on the ridge top to the north of Dickson Mounds Museum and overlooks Emiquon. Previous excavations at the site by Illinois State Museum and earlier University of Chicago archaeologists have documented extensive Mississippian and Oneota materials. Read more ...
- AMQUA Workshop for Teachers posted June 02, 2008
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a special workshop for teachers (June 2,3) on teaching about climate change with ice core data. Read more ...
- International Quaternary Association U.S. National Committee posted June 02, 2008
- On June 2, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a meeting of the International Quaternary Association's U.S. National Committee for Quaternary Research at Penn State University. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site posted June 01, 2008
- Interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site (Pike County, Illinois) continues with funding from a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program. Dr. Read more ...
- Archaeological Investigations of Early African-American Settlement in Brooklyn, Illinois posted May 31, 2008
- Drs. Terrance Martin and Chris Fennell (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) attended a meeting on May 31 with Dr. Thomas Emerson and Joseph Galloy (Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program) in Brooklyn, Illinois, with Mayor Nathaniel O’Bannon concerning the possibility of conducting an archaeological investigation of Brooklyn modeled after the New Philadelphia National Science Foundation-Research Experiences for Undergraduates project. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site posted May 24, 2008
- The continuation of interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site (Pike County, Illinois) is being funded by a second grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program with co-directors Dr. Read more ...
- Fieldwork at Fort Leonard Wood posted May 22, 2008
- In collaboration with Dr. Steven Ahler, University of Kentucky, the Museum is conducting archaeological fieldwork at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted May 16, 2008
- Under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, research continued for four major projects. Remains are being analyzed for the Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia, St. Read more ...
- Geology of Northern Illinois posted May 16, 2008
- On May 16-18, Drs. Bonnie Styles, Eric Grimm, Jeff Saunders, and Chris Widga participated in the annual Friends of the Pleistocene Geological Fieldtrip. Read more ...
- Research Presented at French Colonial HIstorical Society Conference posted May 15, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated in a symposium “Ten Years of Archaeology at Fort St. Joseph: A French Colonial Mission-Garrison-Trading Post Complex in the North American Interior” (organized by Dr. Read more ...
- Fine-Scale Vegetational Responses to Abrupt Climate Change posted May 14, 2008
- Dr. Eric Grimm and collaborators at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; the University of Minnesota; and the Illinois State Geological Survey are collecting data on Late-glacial vegetation and climate in the Midwest and developing paleovegetation models and modeling methodologies to assess vegetational responses to climate change at the end of the most recent glaciation. Within this century, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will likely exceed values greater than at any time during the past several million years, and the potential for vegetation change during the 21st century may exceed that of the past 10,000 years. Many regional climate regimes will be unlike any current conditions, challenging the ability to predict ecological responses to these novel climate states. Read more ...
- Planning for AMQUA Biennial Meeting posted May 11, 2008
- In May, Dr. Eric Grimm, President of the American Quaternary Association, and Dr. Bonnie W. Styles, Secretary of the American Quaternary Association were involved in the planning for the June AMQUA Biennial meeting. Read more ...
- Diversity Patterns for Vascular Plants and Terrestrial Vertebrates posted May 09, 2008
- Recent research by Dr. Hong Qian and Dr. Robert Ricklefs of University of Missouri-St. Louis examines diversity patterns for vascular plants and terrestrial vertebrates. The factors that determine large-scale patterns of species richness are poorly understood. Read more ...
- Exotic Plant Species Diversity in North America posted May 04, 2008
- Recent research by Dr. Hong Qian demonstrates that beta diversity for exotic vascular plants in North America decreases with increasing latitude. This finding is consistent with that for native vascular plants in North America. The decrease in beta diversity with latitude has a very similar pattern to the decrease in beta diversity for temperature and with the first principal component of the seven climate variables examined, suggesting that latitude is merely a proxy for underlying environmental gradients. Determining the relationships between the ranges of introduced species and geographical and environmental factors is an important step in understanding the mechanisms and processes for the spread of introduced species. The research was published in Biodiversity Research. Read more ...
- Collaborative Archaeological Research posted April 26, 2008
- In his new capacity as editor of the newsletter Le Journal, Dr. Michael Nassaney (Western Michigan University) was in Springfield to attend an executive board meeting of the Center for French Colonial Studies. Read more ...
- Bison Remains from Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria Heights posted April 24, 2008
- Drs. Michael Wiant, Chris Widga and Terrance Martin met Mike Miller at the Forest Park Nature Center on April 24 and transported to the RCC a collection of large mammal bones that were found in Lake Peoria near Mossville. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site, Pike County, Illinois posted April 22, 2008
- A grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program will provide for an additional three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted April 12, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin is directing analyses of faunal remains for the Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia, St. Clair County, Illinois (Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program/Sangamo Archaeological Center) and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archaeological Mitigation, Springfield, Illinois (Fever River Research). Read more ...
- Archaeologist Participants in State Conference posted April 11, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended the annual meeting of the Conference on Michigan Archaeology at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan (April 11) and the annual business meeting of the Michigan Archaeological Society at the Michigan Historical Center in Lansing, Michigan (April 12). Read more ...
- Arizona State University Zooarchaeology School Short Course posted April 06, 2008
- Drs. Terrance Martin and Bonnie Styles will offer a zooarchaeology short course that will take place at the Research and Collections Center in early August as part of a larger collaboration with Arizona State University and the Center for Advanced Spatial Studies at the University of Arkansas. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture posted April 05, 2008
- During April, Dr. Robert Warren and Research Associate Mike Maniscalco conducted digital video interviews of farm families. Research Associates James Oliver and Sue Huitt continued indexing extant audio interviews so that they will be searchable by topic. Read more ...
- Professional Presentation posted April 02, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin was an invited presenter at the Ganey Research Awards Dinner at the University of Notre Dame on April 2. Read more ...
- Feather Distribution Project posted March 22, 2008
- On March 22, Dr. Jonathan Reyman met with feather donors from St. Louis Zoo and Wyndsong. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Field School Short Course posted March 20, 2008
- Drs. Terrance Martin and Bonnie Styles drafted a description for a zooarchaeology short course that is slated to take place in the Research and Collections Center in early August as part of a larger collaboration with Arizona State University for a field school at the Center for American Archaeology in Kampsville, Illinois. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted March 19, 2008
- Under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, identification and analyses of faunal remains proceeded for the following projects: Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia, St. Read more ...
- Fieldwork and Collaboration for Exotic Plant Species Research posted March 15, 2008
- Dr. Hong Qian worked with colleagues from China as part of a research project funded by a National Science Foundation grant for the study of the characteristics and distributions of exotic plant species in North America and eastern Asia. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site, Pike County, Illinois posted March 13, 2008
- A grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (NSF REU) will provide for the continuation of a three-year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site. Read more ...
- Growth Form and Distribution of Introduced Plants posted March 06, 2008
- Dr. Hong Qian and colleagues from the University of Missouri, St. Louis and United States Department of Agriculture, Southern Research Station in Asheville, North Carolina published results of their studies of the growth form and distribution of introduced plants in native and non-native ranges in eastern Asia and North America. Read more ...
- Archaeological Research for the New Philadelphia Site, Pike County, Illinois posted February 28, 2008
- A grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program will provide for the continuation of a three year interdisciplinary archaeological investigation of the New Philadelphia site. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted February 24, 2008
- Dr. Terrance Martin is overseeing analyses of faunal remains from the following archaeological sites: Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia, St. Read more ...
- Curator Becomes Charter Member of AAA Association posted February 22, 2008
- On February 22, Dr. Jonathan Reyman became a charter member of the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists within the American Anthropological Association. Read more ...
- Alligator Snapping Turtle Recovery Team posted February 19, 2008
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney joined the Illinois recovery team for the alligator snapping turtle. The team is reviewing proposals for pilot re-introductions in the Cache River area of southern Illinois. Read more ...
- Collaborative Research on Great Plains Climate and Vegetation posted February 14, 2008
- In February, Dr. Joe Donovan, West Virginia State University, worked with Dr. Eric Grimm at the Research and Collections Center on collaborative research on deep lakes in the northern Great Plains. Read more ...
- Late Neogene Database posted February 09, 2008
- Dr. Eric Grimm worked with colleagues at Penn State on "Neotoma," the late Neogene faunal and botanical database. The group met with staff members from the Center for Environmental Informatics to refine the infrastructure for the database, which will include the FAUNMAP and North American Pollen Database, as well as several other climate proxy databases. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Project posted February 04, 2008
- During February, the Museum and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum selected the 50 candidates for interviews. The Museum team will conduct digital video interviews with 25 farm families. These interviews are already underway. Read more ...
- NEOTOMA Database Workshop posted January 29, 2008
- Dr. Eric Grimm and Dr. Russell Graham (Penn State University) participated in a workshop at Penn State (January 29-31) on the development of the NEOTOMA database. The database includes fossil pollen, mammalian macrofossils, and beetles for the last 5 million years and is being established under the auspices of a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Geoinformatics Program. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Short Course Proposed posted January 27, 2008
- Drs. Terrance Martin and Bonnie Styles drafted a description for a zooarchaeology short course that would be given at the Research and Collections Center in early August as part of a larger collaboration with Arizona State University to launch a summer field school for undergraduate college and graduate students centered at the Center for American Archeology in Kampsville, Illinois. The Arizona State University field school will also offer courses in human osteology, field archaeology, GIS and geophysical survey (presented by the University of Arkansas, Center for Advanced Spatial Studies), and paleoethnobotany (presented by University of Washington St. Read more ...
- Ongoing Faunal Analyses posted January 22, 2008
- Under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, work continued on the following faunal assemblages from archaeological sites: Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia, St. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Site, Pike County, Illinois posted January 21, 2008
- Dr. Christopher Fennell (Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) received a $284,856 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) Program to continue interdisciplinary archaeological investigations of the New Philadelphia site for three more years. Read more ...
- Oral History of Illinois Agriculture posted January 15, 2008
- The ISM is collaborating with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) to collect and digitize oral histories of Illinois farm families and serve the oral histories on the Web in a searchable format. This project is funded by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Read more ...
- Springfield Christmas Bird Count posted January 03, 2008
- David Bohlen, Assistant Curator of Zoology, compiled the 2007-08 Springfield Christmas Bird Count, which was conducted as part of the 108th National Audubon Christmas Bird Counts. Museum Technician Beckie Dyer, Adjunct Research Associate Richard Leary, Volunteer Clark Olson, and other individuals participated in the count. Read more ...
- Curator Participates on Illinois Archaeological Survey Board posted December 17, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated in a board meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey, Inc., at the home of President Len Stelle north of Mahomet (December 17). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Research posted December 15, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Claire Fuller Martin completed manuscripts on “Agriculture and Regionalism at New Philadelphia” and “Courtly, Careful, Thrifty: Subsistence and Regional Origin at New Philadelphia” for a volume, New Philadelphia: Racism, Community, and the Illinois Frontier, edited by Drs. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted December 12, 2007
- Under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, identification of faunal remains continued for the following archaeological sites and projects: Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia in St. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in International Quaternary Association National Committee posted December 10, 2007
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a meeting of the International Quaternary Association's United States National Committee at the meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco (December 10-13). Read more ...
- Director Participates in Center for American Archeology Board Meeting posted December 08, 2007
- On December 8, Dr. Bonnie Styles participated in a Board meeting of the Center for American Archeology in St. Louis. Read more ...
- Curator Attends Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council posted December 07, 2007
- As Museum representative, Dr. Terrance Martin attended the quarterly meeting of the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield on December 7th to hear nominations of six properties to the National Register of Historic Places. Read more ...
- Struvite Deposits Linked to Mid-Holocene Droughts posted December 06, 2007
- Research by Drs. Joseph Donovan (Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University) and Dr. Eric Grimm (Director of the ISM’s Landscape History Program and Chairperson of Botany) at Kettle Lake, North Dakota suggest that episodic deposits of struvite in the lake can be linked to concentrations of waterfowl on remaining lakes during mid-Holocene droughts. Read more ...
- Coring at Mastodon Lake posted November 30, 2007
- On November 30, Dr. Eric Grimm and Research Associate Pietra Mueller conducted fieldwork at Mastodon Lake in Aurora with Dr. Read more ...
- Planning for Isotopic Research posted November 27, 2007
- Drs. Terrance Martin, Bruce McMillan, and Chris Widga meet with Drs. Thomas Emerson and Kris Hedman (Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program) concerning a cooperative project to conduct stable isotope analysis on bison remains from Illinois (November 27). Read more ...
- Faunal Remains from Excavations for the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum posted November 22, 2007
- Under the direction of Dr. Terrance Martin, Research Associates Chris Richmond and Erin Brand began identifications on various faunal assemblages from archaeological excavations by Fever River Research for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Project. Read more ...
- Planning for AMQUA Biennial Meeting posted November 19, 2007
- On November 19, Drs. Eric Grimm and Bonnie Styles participated in a conference call to finalize the schedule for the American Quaternary Association biennial meeting, which will be convened at Penn State University in June. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted November 18, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin continued identifying animal remains from 2006 excavations at the Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia in St. Read more ...
- Mammoth Research posted November 14, 2007
- From November 14-16, Dr. Jeffrey Saunders worked with Dan Joyce at the Kenosha Public Museum to finalize a report of the Schaefer Mammoth from Wisconsin. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in National Science Foundation Panel posted November 09, 2007
- Dr. Eric Grimm served as an invited participant on the National Science Foundation’s Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology Program Panel in Washington D.C. Read more ...
- Curator Represents Museum at Conference posted November 02, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin participated in the Midwest Historical Archaeological Conference at DePaul University in Chicago (November 2-3). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Research posted October 23, 2007
- Adjunct Research Associate Claire Fuller Martin and Dr. Terrance J. Martin completed a manuscript for a book-length edited volume on the archaeological and historical investigations of New Philadelphia. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted October 20, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin resumed identifications of animal remains discovered during 2006 excavations at the Duckhouse site in the village of Cahokia in St. Read more ...
- Museum Scientists Shine at Regional and National Meetings posted October 14, 2007
- As President of the Midwest Archaeological Conference (MAC), Dr. Bonnie Styles helped chart a course for the organization’s future at the MAC annual meeting at the University of Notre Dame in October. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted September 19, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin examined a collection of calcined large mammal bones from the Big Eddy site in the Sac River valley in Missouri. Read more ...
- Illinois Archaeological Survey Meetings posted September 14, 2007
- Drs. Bonnie Styles, Michael Wiant, Terrance Martin, and Michael Conner attended the Illinois Archaeological Survey (IAS) annual business meeting and workshop in Carbondale (September 14-15). Read more ...
- Mammoth Cave Paleontology posted September 05, 2007
- In September, the University of Kentucky asked Museum paleontologists to participate in additional work with paleontological resources in Mammoth Cave National Park. On September 5, Dr. Read more ...
- Senachwine Creek Fieldwork posted August 20, 2007
- On August 20, 21, Drs Bonnie Styles, Director Emeritus R. Bruce McMillan, Jeffrey Saunders, and Chris Widga met with representatives from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois State Geological Survey, the Natural History Survey, and Dr. Read more ...
- Paleoecological Research at Rainbow Cave posted August 16, 2007
- In August, Dr. Eric Grimm collaborated with Dr. Russell Graham, Penn State University, on excavations at the Rainbow Cave site in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota. Deposits from the cave and from a related pit yielded abundant, well-preserved faunal remains. Read more ...
- Radiocarbon Laboratory Representative Visits ISM posted August 16, 2007
- Dr. Nancy Beavan Athfield (Scientist and Marketing Representative for Rafter Radiocarbon Laboratory, New Zealand) visited the Illinois State Museum and Research and Collections Center to discuss future projects and needs for radiocarbon dating (August 16). She met with numerous staff members including Dr. Read more ...
- Trenching Monks Mound posted August 11, 2007
- On August 11, Drs. Bonnie Styles and Michael Wiant viewed the trenching at Monks Mound at the Cahokia site, which was undertaken to deter slumping on the east side of the mound. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted August 10, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Research Associate Chris Richmond finished a technical report on the analysis of animal remains from the multiple components 78th Street Site (11S821) in East St. Read more ...
- Research by Museum Botanist Featured in Four Journals posted August 05, 2007
- In August, Dr. Hong Qian, was an author or co-author for four major syntheses of botanical research. An article co-authored with Dr. Read more ...
- Collaborative Research in Archaeology and Paleoecology posted July 30, 2007
- On July 30, Drs. Bonnie Styles, Michael Wiant, and Director Emeritus R. Bruce McMillan gave Dr. Sander van der Leeuw [Director of the School of Human Evolution & Social Change, Arizona State University (ASU)], Dr. Read more ...
- Zooarchaeological Research posted July 25, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin submitted an invited manuscript on the archaeozoology of the Illinois Country to the journal Archéologiques (Association des Archéologues du Québec). Read more ...
- Zooarchaeology Workshops posted July 21, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Research Assistant Chris Richmond presented an animal bone identification workshop with 12 college students in the Illinois State University archaeology field school directed by Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted July 18, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Chairperson of Anthropology, assisted by Dr. Chris Fennell (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), is preparing a research proposal to the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program for three more years of investigations at the New Philadelphia site. Read more ...
- More Mammoth Remains Discovered in Sugar Creek posted July 14, 2007
- On July 14, Drs. Bonnie Styles, Jeff Saunders, and Eric Grimm met with Dr. Dennis Campbell of Lincoln College to examine additional mammoth remains that he collected in Sugar Creek and discuss the possibility of launching an excavation at the locality. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in National Zoology Meetings posted July 11, 2007
- Dr. Meredith Mahoney, Assistant Curator of Zoology, participated in the annual meeting of the American Association of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in St. Read more ...
- Collaborative Archaeological Research posted July 09, 2007
- On July 9, Dr. Bonnie Styles, Museum Director, Dr. Michael Wiant, Director Dickson Mounds Museum, Dr. Jane Buikstra (Arizona State University and the Center for American Archeology), and Dr. Read more ...
- Museum Director Participates in NSF ITEST Panels posted June 27, 2007
- At the invitation of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr. Bonnie Styles participated in two National Science Foundation Panels for the Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Program in Washington D.C. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Project posted June 26, 2007
- Edward Russo, Curtis Mann, Dennis Naglich, and Dr. Terrance Martin, Chairperson of Anthropology, completed the final report on architectural and archaeological resources at the Woodlawn Farm property east of Jacksonville for the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted June 17, 2007
- Research Associate Chris Richmond finished identifications of animal remains from Fort Donnally (46GB15), and continued identifying specimens from Jarrett’s Fort (46ME251). Read more ...
- Principia Mammoth Project Published posted June 15, 2007
- Drs. Janis Treworgy (Principia College), Jeffrey Saunders (Chairperson of Geology), and David Grimley (Illinois State Geological Survey) published their preliminary findings on the well preserved remains of a mammoth (Mammuthus) excavated on the campus at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois in the journal Quaternary International. Read more ...
- Climate and Vegetation Research in the Great Plains posted June 14, 2007
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in fieldwork at Brush Lake in Montana to collect additional sediment cores for vegetation and climate research as a part of long-term collaborative research on climate and vegetation change in the Great Plains. Read more ...
- Fort St. Joseph Project posted June 13, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin presented two zooarchaeology workshops in conjunction with the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Field School in Niles, Michigan, that was co-sponsored by Western Michigan University (Dr. Read more ...
- Museum Director Participates in NSF Site Visit Panel posted June 12, 2007
- At the invitation of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr. Bonnie Styles, participated in an NSF Site Visit Panel for the Geomorphology and Land-use Dynamics Program to review the progress of the National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics (NCED) at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis (June 12-14). Read more ...
- Late Glacial Vegetational Response to Abrupt Climate Change posted June 10, 2007
- Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, completed an annual report to the National Science Foundation (Ecological Biology Program) of his investigations of late glacial vegetational response to climate change in northern Illinois. The pollen diagram from Crystal Lake in McHenry County shows marked correlation with the Greenland/North European climate sequence. Spruce (Picea) begins to decline at the beginning of the Bolling-Allerod and steadily declines until the beginning of the Younger Dryas. Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra) increases during the Bolling-Allerod, decreases during the Younger Dryas, and increases again in the early Holocene. The pollen profile from Brewster Creek in DuPage County is quite different. Read more ...
- Dragonfly Research Presented posted June 10, 2007
- On June 10, Dr. Tim Cashatt, Chairperson of Zoology, presented "Odonata of Interest in Illinois" to the Great Lakes Odonata Meeting at Volo Bog in Ingleside, Illinois. Read more ...
- Study of Plant Species Richness Published posted June 06, 2007
- A major study of plant species richness by Dr. Hong Qian, Associate Curator of Botany, and colleagues from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Andong National University, Andong, Korea, was published in the journal Ecology. Read more ...
- Faunal Analysis Projects posted May 19, 2007
- Research Associate Chris Richmond finished identifications of animal remains from Fort Donnally (46GB15), and began identifying specimens from Jarrett’s Fort (46ME251). Read more ...
- Invasive Species Research posted May 15, 2007
- Effective May 15, the National Science Foundation formally announced a three-year grant award from the Division of Environmental Biology (Ecological Biology Cluster) to further research of “Exotic Plants in Eastern Asia and North America: Using Regional Comparisons to Test Hypotheses about Invasion Success.” Dr. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Project posted May 14, 2007
- Edward Russo, Curtis Mann, Research Associate Dennis Naglich, and Dr. Terrance Martin completed the final report on architectural and archaeological resources at the Woodlawn Farm property east of Jacksonville for the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted May 07, 2007
- Joe Conover (New Philadelphia Association [NPA], Quincy) and Dr. Terrance Martin finalized a schedule and list of speakers for a weekly history and archaeology lecture series to take place during June at Sprague’s Kinderhook Lodge. Read more ...
- Ancient Leather DNA Project posted May 01, 2007
- On May 1, Drs. Bonnie Styles and Meredith Mahoney met with Dr. Lynn Snyder of the Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of Natural History) to review work remaining on a collaborative project to analyze DNA from leather and hide clothing in the Smithsonian's ethnographic collections. Read more ...
- Prehistoric Lake Sturgeon Research Project posted April 14, 2007
- While in East Lansing to attend the annual meeting of the Conference on Michigan Archaeology on April 14, Dr. Terrance Martin acquired specimens of lake sturgeon pectoral spines from the late prehistoric Elam site in the Kalamazoo River valley. Read more ...
- Archaeologists Participate in Regional and National Meetings posted April 14, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended annual meetings of the Conference on Michigan Archaeology (April 14) in East Lansing, Michigan, and the Michigan Archaeological Society (April 15) in Lansing. Drs. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in INQUA Meeting posted April 13, 2007
- On April 13, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a meeting of the U.S. National Committee of the International Quaternary Association in Washington D.C. Read more ...
- Faunal Analysis Projects posted April 10, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin completed a technical report on animal remains from a late Middle Woodland occupation at site 11HA913 in Hancock County, Illinois, for Environmental Compliance Consultants, Inc. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted April 07, 2007
- Dr. Chris Fennell (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), two UIUC graduate students, and Dr. Terrance Martin, accompanied by Angie Maranville and Emily Helton, worked at the New Philadelphia McWorter Cemetery on Saturday, April 7. Read more ...
- Archaeomagnetic Laboratory Established in RCC posted April 05, 2007
- Dr. Stacey Lengyel has established an archaeomagnetic Laboratory in the Research and Collections Center. Dr. Lengyel has a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Read more ...
- Assistant Curator of Geology posted April 02, 2007
- In April, Dr. Chris Widga joined the Museum staff as Assistant Curator of Geology. Dr. Widga has a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. Read more ...
- Archaeology of Anthropogenic Environments posted March 23, 2007
- Dr. Bonnie Styles, Museum Director participated in a conference on “The Archaeology of Anthropogenic Environments,” sponsored by the Center for Archaeological Investigations at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (March 23-24). Director Emeritus R. Read more ...
- Prehistoric Lake Sturgeon Research Project posted March 16, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin acquired specimens of lake sturgeon pectoral spines from collections from prehistoric sites in the Kalamazoo River valley (Schwerdt, Hacklander, Allegan Dam) and St. Read more ...
- Geoinformatics Workshop posted March 13, 2007
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a National Science Foundation Geoinformatics Workshop at the United States Geological Federal Center in Denver (March 13-16). Dr. Read more ...
- Faunal Analysis Projects posted March 09, 2007
- Research Associate Chris Richmond completed identifications of 19th century animal remains from Fever River Research’s investigations at the 78th Street Site (11S821) in East St. Read more ...
- Synthesis of Aboriginal Use of Fauna Published posted March 06, 2007
- A synthesis of prehistoric and early historic Native American use of animals in the Northeast by Dr. Bonnie Styles was published in the Handbook of North American Indians (“Northeast Animals,” Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted March 05, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin presented two invited lectures on New Philadelphia during March, the first at Illinois College in Jacksonville on March 5, and the second in Homewood, Illinois, for the monthly meeting of the South Suburban Archaeological Society on March 15. Drs. Read more ...
- Curator Visits Historic Mansion posted March 05, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin was invited to tour the Governor Duncan Mansion in Jacksonville on March 5. Read more ...
- National Science Foundation Workshop for Database Project posted February 20, 2007
- In February Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, and Dr. Russell Graham (Pennsylvania State University) convened a planning workshop at Penn State University on the database development for their project to establish the Late Neogene Terrestrial Ecosystem Database. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted February 13, 2007
- Research Associate Chris Richmond continued identifying 19th century animal remains from Fever River Research’s investigations at the 78th Street Site (11S821) in East St. Read more ...
- Early Agriculture in Illinois posted February 13, 2007
- Dr. Robert Warren, Curator of Anthropology, is working with staff from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library on a proposal to the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop oral histories on early agriculture and serve them on the Web. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted February 09, 2007
- As part of Black History Month commemorations, the Rockford Register Star published several stories by staff writer/columnist Aaron Chambers and prepared a special Web site on the New Philadelphia Project. Read more ...
- Prehistoric Lake Sturgeon in the Lake Michigan Basin posted January 23, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin corresponded with Kregg Smith (Fisheries Biologist, Michigan DNR, Plainwell, Michigan) regarding samples of prehistoric lake sturgeon osteological specimens that can be used for extraction of mitochondrial DNA to be used for population genetics research. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Surveys and Genetics Research posted January 23, 2007
- On January 23, Drs. Tim Cashatt and Meredith Mahoney participated in a planning meeting with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in St. Read more ...
- Illinois State Academy of Science Annual Meeting Planning posted January 16, 2007
- Dr. Bonnie Styles finalized the budget and agenda for the 100th anniversary meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted January 10, 2007
- Dr. Terrance Martin and ISM Research Associate Claire Martin attended the annual conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, January 10-14 at Colonial Williamsburg and participated in a symposium on the New Philadelphia Project. Read more ...
- 78th Street Site (11S821) Faunal Studies posted January 04, 2007
- Research Associate Chris Richmond continued identifying late 18th and 19th-century animal remains from Fever River Research's investigations at this multiple component historical site in East St. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological, Historical, and Architectural Investigation posted December 18, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm was funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois, with Dr. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Database posted December 18, 2006
- On December 18, Dr. Bonnie Styles and Dr. Kate Speilman, Arizona State University (ASU), discussed inclusion of achaeofaunal data for archaeological sites in Illinois assembled by Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted December 15, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin responded to inquiries for information on the project. He and ISM Research Associate Claire Martin are preparing a paper for a New Philadelphia symposium at the annual conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology in January at Williamsburg, Virginia. Read more ...
- History of Illinois Agriculture Project posted December 12, 2006
- Dr. Robert Warren continued to work with Dr. Mark DePue, Director of Oral History at the Lincoln Presidential Library, and other collaborators on the development of a proposal to the Institute of Museum and Library Service to support the collection of oral histories to document the history of agriculture in Illinois. On December 12, Drs. Read more ...
- Plant Species Invasions along Latitudinal Gradient in the U.S. posted December 11, 2006
- An article published by Jason D. Fridley of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Dr. Hong Qian, Peter White, Oklahoma State University, and Michael Palmer, Syracuse University, commented on a previously published study of plant species invasions along latitudinal gradients in the United States. Read more ...
- 78th Street Site (11S821) Faunal Studies posted December 08, 2006
- Research Associate Chris Richmond continued identifying late 18th and 19th-century animal remains from Fever River Research’s investigations at this multiple component historical site in East St. Read more ...
- Exotic Plant Species Role in Homogenization of North American Flora posted December 04, 2006
- An article by Dr. Hong Qian and Dr. Robert Ricklefs of the University of Missouri, St Louis evaluated the homogenization of vascular plants in North America (north of Mexico) by comparing similarity in the complete native and exotic floras between states and provinces of the USA and Canada. Compared with native species, exotic plants are distributed haphazardly among areas but spread more widely, producing differentiation of floras among neighboring areas but homogenization at greater distance. The number of exotic species is more closely associated with the size of the human population than with ecological conditions, as in the case of native species, and their distributions are less influenced by climate than those of native species. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological, Historical, and Architectural Investigation posted November 21, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm was funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois with Dr. Read more ...
- 78th Street Site (11S821) Faunal Research posted November 16, 2006
- Research Associate Chris Richmond continued identifying late 18th and 19th-century animal remains from Fever River Research’s investigations at this multiple component historical site in East St. Read more ...
- Mammoth Research Published Online posted November 14, 2006
- An article co-authored by Drs. Jeffrey Saunders, Chairperson of Geology, Janis Treworgy, Principia College, and David Grimley, Illinois State Geological Survey was published online in ScienceDirect. The print version will appear in Quaternary International. Principia College students excavated the mammoth remains from late Wisconsin Peoria Silt on top of the bluffs of the Mississippi River on the Principia campus. A radiometric date places the age of the mammoth at about 17,800 radiocarbon years ago. Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted November 13, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Chairperson of Anthropology, answered inquiries from local groups for information on the project. He and ISM Research Associate Claire Martin are continuing research in preparation for a symposium at the annual conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology in January at Colonial Williamsburg. Read more ...
- NSF to Support Research of Invasive Plant Species posted November 12, 2006
- In November, Dr. Hong Qian received notification that the National Science Foundation (Ecological Biology Cluster) planned to recommend funding for his proposed study of exotic plants in eastern Asia and North America using regional comparisons to test hypotheses about invasion success. Read more ...
- Archaeology and Indigenous Heritage Management Conference posted November 10, 2006
- Dr. Robert Warren, Curator of Anthropology, attended and presented a paper at a special conference on archaeology and indigenous heritage management. The conference was sponsored by the Council of Michigan Archaeology and Michigan State University and was convened at Michigan State University on November 10. Dr. Read more ...
- Botanical Research Published posted November 09, 2006
- In November, an article by Dr. Hong Qian, Associate Curator of Botany, and colleagues from the Institute of Applied Ecology and the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, Sun Yatsen University, and University of Alberta, Edmonton was published in the Annals of Botany. Read more ...
- Study of Climate and Fire in Development of Prairie Peninsula Published posted November 06, 2006
- In November, a major study of the role of aridity and fire on the development of prairie communities in the Midwestern Prairie Peninsula by Dr. Read more ...
- Museum Co-hosts Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology Conference posted November 03, 2006
- The Illinois State Museum and the Illinois Transportation Archaeology Research Program (ITARP) co-hosted the 13th annual meeting of the Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology Association at the Illinois State Museum (November 3-5). Read more ...
- 78th Street Site Zooarchaeological Studies posted October 27, 2006
- Research Associate Chris Richmond began identifying late 18th and 19th century animal remains from Fever River Research’s investigations at this multiple component historical site in East St. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological, Historical, and Architectural Investigation posted October 25, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee (UGRR) of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm was funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois with Dr. Read more ...
- American Quaternary Association Council Meeting posted October 23, 2006
- Er. Eric Grimm presided over a meeting of the American Quaternary Association Council in Philadelphia on October 23. Dr. Bonnie Styles participated in this meeting as the Secretary of the American Quaternary Association, and Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted October 22, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin received inquiries from individuals and requests from local groups to present lectures on the project. He and ISM Research Associate Claire Martin are continuing research in preparation for a symposium at the annual conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology in January at Colonial Williamsburg. Read more ...
- Palynologist Works with ISM on Age Modeling posted October 16, 2006
- Dr. Vera Markgraf came to the Research and Collections in October to work with Dr. Eric Grimm on the calibration of dates for pollen localities in South America. Read more ...
- Bioarchaeological Research Presented posted October 14, 2006
- Research Associate Dawn Cobb presented an analysis of the artifacts recovered from Museum excavations at the Brunson-Sisson Cemetery in Will County Illinois at the symposium on Death and Loss in America: Colonial Era to the Present. Read more ...
- Landscape History Program Research Featured at Midwest Archaeological Conference posted October 12, 2006
- Dr. Bonnie Styles (Museum Director), Dr. Michael Wiant (Director, Dickson Mounds Museum), Dr. Terrance Martin (Chairperson of Anthropology), Dr. Robert Warren (Curator of Anthropology), Dr. Read more ...
- Young Date for Lincoln College Mammoth Tusk posted September 21, 2006
- An AMS date of 11,650 + 45 radiocarbon years before the present for the woolly mammoth tusk discovered near Lincoln College, is leading Dr. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological Investigation posted September 12, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is being funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted September 05, 2006
- This archaeological project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (NSF-REU) to the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Quaternary Research posted August 25, 2006
- Dr. Bonnie Styles, Dr. Eric Grimm, Director of the Museum’s Landscape History Program, and Dr. R. Bruce McMillan, Director Emeritus, participated in the 19th Biennial Meeting of the American Quaternary Association at Montana State University in Bozeman. As elected Secretary, Dr. Read more ...
- Archaeozoological Research posted August 22, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin, Chairperson of Anthropology, was officially invited by the State Museum of Military History and Natural Preserve “Kulikovo Field” (Director Vladimir Gritsenko and Vice Director Andrei Naumov) to visit several historical museums and estates in and around the Tula Region in Russia and the 12th to 14th century archaeological site of Kolesofka I, where Martin was consulted on the recovered faunal assemblage. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological Investigation posted August 20, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is being funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois. Read more ...
- Cultural Resource Management posted August 20, 2006
- On August 20, Dr. Bonnie Styles negotiated with Thaddeus Willoughby of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District for a project to document the distributions of historic Native American groups along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers within the St. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted August 16, 2006
- A collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year long archaeological project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) Program to the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Records of Bison in Illinois posted August 11, 2006
- In August, the Museum published a major study in its Scientific Papers series, edited by Director Emeritus Dr. R. Bruce McMillan, assessing the distribution of bison in Holocene Illinois based on archaeological and paleontological data. The volume includes a report of the bison discoveries at the Lonza-Caterpillar site in Peoria County, including the earliest (around 2,400 years old) and only known bison kill site in Illinois (by Alan Harn and Dr. Read more ...
- Climate and Environmental Controls on Plant Abundances posted August 08, 2006
- Dr. Eric Grimm and colleagues from Brown University, University of Minnesota, and the Institute for Quaternary Studies at the University of Maine published the results of a study of climate and environmental controls on the variation of C3 and C4 plant abundances in central Florida for the past 62,000 years based on a sediment core from Lake Tulane. Characterization of the core based on compound-specific carbon isotopic analyses allowed quantitative assessment of atmospheric pCO2 levels during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. Results indicate large changes in the relative abundance of C3 and C4 plants, with an almost 40% higher input from C4 plants during the last glacial maximum than during the Holocene. During the last glacial period, C4 plant abundance decreased dramatically during the pine phases when precipitation increased, indicating that increasing precipitation overrode the impact of low atmospheric pCO2 leading to expansion of C3 plants. Read more ...
- Role of Climate and Fire in Prairie Development and Maintenance posted August 04, 2006
- Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, and colleagues from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northeastern University published the results of a study of the role of climate and fire in prairie development and maintenance. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in Dragonfly Recovery posted July 27, 2006
- On July 27, Dr. Everett D. Cashatt, Chairperson of Zoology participated in a meeting of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Recovery Team. Read more ...
- Role of Climate and Fire in Prairie Development and Maintenance posted July 27, 2006
- On July 27, Dr. Everett D. Cashatt, Chairperson of Zoology participated in a meeting of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Recovery Team. Read more ...
- Faunal Studies and Identification of Points posted July 24, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin met with Dr. Mark Schurr at the University of Notre Dame to inspect animal remains that Dr. Read more ...
- Gifford Farmstead Site, Peoria County, Illinois posted July 16, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Research Associate J. Chris Richmond completed a report on the faunal assemblage recovered during excavations at the late 1830s Gifford Site by Fever River Research. Read more ...
- Collaborative Research on the Koster Site posted July 16, 2006
- On July 16-17, Dr. Bonnie Styles; Dr. Michael Wiant, Director Dickson Mounds Museum; and Research Associate Marge Schroeder, met with representatives from the Center for American Archaeology and colleagues from across the country in Kampsville, Illinois. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological Investigation posted July 12, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is being funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois. Read more ...
- Observations about Distributions of Exotic Plants Published posted July 08, 2006
- In July, a letter prepared by Dr. Hong Qian, Associate Curator of Botany, and collaborators from the United States Geological Survey; University of Missouri, St Louis; and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill was published in Ecology Letters. The authors observe that distributions of introduced plants highlight the influence of regional factors on the spread of introduced species in non-native regions and suggest, that, to some extent, regional native plant diversity constrains the spread. Read more ...
- Hoxie Farm Site in Cook County, Illinois posted July 05, 2006
- Funded by a series of small grants from the Illinois Transportation Archaeology Research Program (ITARP), Research Associates Erin Brand and Chris Richmond continued analyzing animal remains from a well-known, intensively occupied Upper Mississippian site in the Chicago Lake Plain region that was investigated by ITARP from 2000 through 2003. Read more ...
- Museum Receives Grant to Integrate Paleobiological Databases posted July 04, 2006
- Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany and Director of the Museum’s Landscape History Program, received a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Geoinformatics Program to establish the “Late Neogene Terrestrial Ecosystem Database.” This project is a collaboration with Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted July 01, 2006
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, a three-year long archaeological project is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program to the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Archaeologist Identifies Materials from Illinois Archaeological Sites posted June 22, 2006
- In June, Dr. Robert Warren, Curator of Anthropology, identified artifacts from DeWitt County, Illinois on the basis of images provided by Mark Greenly of the Phillip Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. The artifacts were donated to the Phillip Exeter Academy by an Exeter alumnus and are surface finds from DeWitt County. The 60 artifacts in the collection include a diverse mix of ceramic sherds and ground and flaked stone tools. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Project posted June 19, 2006
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year long archaeological project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program to the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Archaeological Research Presented at International Conference posted June 14, 2006
- Dr. Bonnie Styles, Museum Director, presented a paper on prehistoric Native American subsistence and health at the International Conference on Rivers and Civilization in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The session was attended by 50 scientists involved in river research. Read more ...
- Museum Participates in Evaluation of Skulls Found in Bloomington Home posted June 13, 2006
- Research Associate Dawn Cobb and Alan Harn, Dickson Mounds Museum archaeologist, assisted officials from law enforcement and the Historic Preservation Agency with the review of skeletal remains discovered in a long-vacant home in Bloomington, Illinois. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological Investigation posted June 12, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee (UGRR) of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is being funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois. Read more ...
- Results of Long-term Paleoecological Research Published posted June 08, 2006
- In June, the results of a long-term research collaboration among Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany) and colleagues from Trinity College in Dublin, the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, the Limnological Research Center at the University of Minnesota, and the Department of Geography at the University of Montana was published in Quaternary Science Reviews. Read more ...
- Collaborative Research with the Center for American Archaeology posted June 08, 2006
- Drs. Bonnie Styles and Michael Wiant met with Dr. Jane Buikstra, President of the Center for American Archaeology, to further discussions of collaborative research in the lower Illinois River valley (May 8). Read more ...
- Field Trip and Field Research in the Northern Plains posted June 02, 2006
- Dr. Bonnie Styles, Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, and Dr. R. Bruce McMillan participated in a geological and archaeological field trip in North Dakota (June 2-4). The trip was sponsored by the North Dakota Geological and Archaeological Surveys and featured Pleistocene glacial features and Holocene archaeological sites. Read more ...
- Lonza-Caterpillar Bison Site posted May 12, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished analyzing bison bones and teeth from Bone Concentrations 9 and 11 (discovered in 2005) and added specimens to the database from some of the previous surface collections for the manuscript on the site being co-authored with Alan Harn. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted May 10, 2006
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, a three-year long archaeological project is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program to the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Collaborative Research with the Center for American Archeology posted May 09, 2006
- On May 9, Dr. Bonnie Styles, Museum Director, and Dr. Michael Wiant, Director Dickson Mounds Museum, met with Dr. Jane Buikstra, Director of the Center for American Archeology (CAA), and Gregory Vogel, Post-doctoral Associate with the CAA, to plan proposals that will be submitted to further collaborative archaeological and paleoecological research at the Koster site, a stratified Archaic site, in the lower Illinois River valley. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological Investigation posted May 05, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee (UGRR) of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is being funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted April 27, 2006
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year long archaeological project is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) Program to the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Museum Research Featured at IAAA Meeting posted April 22, 2006
- Museum archaeologists summarized their research at the annual meeting of the Illinois Association for the Advancement of Archaeology at Dickson Mounds Museum on April 22. Read more ...
- Archaeological Survey for Pleasant Plains posted April 20, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin supervised a survey of a 40-acre tract west of Bradfordton for the Pleasant Plain School District that was conducted by Jill Bickel and Angela Maranville. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological Investigation posted April 18, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee (UGRR) of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is being funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois. Read more ...
- DNA Analyses of Ethnographic Leather posted April 18, 2006
- In April, Dr. Bonnie Styles met with Dr. James R. Purdue, Curator of Zoology, about completion of a project with the Smithsonian Institution to identify species of origin for leather clothing in the Smithsonian’s ethnographic collections. Dr. Read more ...
- Lonza-Caterpillar Bison Site posted April 17, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin measured and analyzed bison bones and teeth from Bone Concentrations 9 and 11 for the manuscript on the site being co-authored with Alan Harn. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Working Group Meeting posted April 13, 2006
- On April 13, Dr. Tim Cashatt, Chairperson of Zoology, attended a meeting of the Hine's Emerald Working Group in Lemont, Illinois. Read more ...
- Curator Presents Research at Pennsylvania State posted April 10, 2006
- On April 10 and 11, Dr. Eric Grimm presented two lectures in the School of Earth and Minerals Sciences at Pennsylvania State University. Read more ...
- Faunal Studies for Eastern Missouri Archaeological Sites posted April 10, 2006
- Research Assistant Erin Brand finished analyzing faunal assemblages from two sites (23FR521 and 23FR523) in Franklin County, Missouri, that were investigated by Research Associate Dr. Read more ...
- Studies of Illinois Vegetation and Climate posted April 05, 2006
- The Museum initiated two studies of Illinois vegetation and climate change in April. Research Associate Pietra Mueller will be analyzing fossil pollen from Chatsworth Bog in a study of Late-Glacial vegetation and climate change in the Grand Prairie of Illinois under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Research Partnerships with the Center for American Archeology posted March 24, 2006
- On March 24, Drs. Bonnie Styles and Michael Wiant, Director of Dickson Mounds Museum, met with Dr. Jane Buikstra, to continue discussions of collaborative archaeological research on the Koster site and related projects. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted March 16, 2006
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year archaeological project is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program to the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Potential Partnership with Public Radio Station posted March 16, 2006
- The Museum partnered with the WUIS Public Radio Station to develop a proposal to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (Partnership for a Nation of Learners Program) to develop a public radio program series on the Illinois River. Read more ...
- Curator Participates in Workshop on Lacustrine Core Curation posted March 14, 2006
- Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, participated in the LacCore Workshop at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The workshop brought together 25 researchers who use lake sediment cores to study paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental changes. Read more ...
- Three Prehistoric Sites on the Flint River, Saginaw County, Michigan posted March 11, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished a report on small assemblages of animal remains recovered during excavations at archaeological sites 20SA367, 20SA369, and 20SA372 along the Flint River in Saginaw County, Michigan by CCRG, Inc. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Genetics posted March 09, 2006
- Dr. Tim Cashatt, Chairperson of Zoology, attended a planning meeting on the collection of specimens for genetics research with representatives from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Missouri Department of Natural Resources at the Tyson Research Center in Tyson, Missouri on March 9. Read more ...
- Meeting on Cultural Resource Management Projects posted March 07, 2006
- On March 7, Drs. Bonnie Styles, Terrance Martin, and Steven Ahler (Research Associate) met to discuss management of cultural resource management projects after Dr. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological Investigation posted March 05, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is being funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois. Read more ...
- Graduate Student Studies Pollen from Crystal Lake posted March 03, 2006
- Leila Zajak, a graduate student from the University of Chicago who is transferring to the University of Wisconsin Madison, is spending the spring semester working with Dr. Read more ...
- Faunal Analyses for Prehistoric Sites on the Flint River, Saginaw County, Michigan posted February 27, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin finished identifications and tabulations of small assemblages of animal remains recovered during excavations at archaeological sites 20SA367 and 20SA369 along the Flint River in Saginaw County, Michigan by CCRG, Inc. Read more ...
- Faunal Identification Workshop at the University of Notre Dame posted February 24, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin was invited by Dr. Mark Schurr (University of Notre Dame) to present a workshop on the identification of animal remains for Notre Dame students and members of the Kankakee Valley (Indiana) Historical Society who have been working with Dr. Read more ...
- Lake Sturgeon Research posted February 19, 2006
- Dr. Terrance Martin received a request for historical and archaeological information on lake sturgeon from Dr. Edward A. Baker, Fisheries Research Biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in Marquette. Read more ...
- AAAS Annual Meeting posted February 19, 2006
- On February 19, Drs. Bonnie Styles, R. Bruce McMillan, Director Emeritus, and Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, attended the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Archaeology in St. Read more ...
- Statewide Archaeological Database posted February 15, 2006
- In February, Drs. Michael Wiant, Director Dickson Mounds Museum, and Erich Schroeder, Associate Curator of the Technology Learning Center, met with DNR cultural resource management staff on a project to improve their accessibility to up-to-date version of the statewide archaeological database. Read more ...
- Brewster Creek Mastodont Remains Dated posted February 12, 2006
- In February, collaborator Dr. Brandon Curry of the Illinois State Geological Survey, notified Museum researchers that Mastodont remains excavated by a Museum crew along Brewster Creek in DuPage County Illinois yielded a date of 11,455 radiocarbon years before present, which gives a calibrated age of about 13,200 calendar years before present. Read more ...
- Hine's Emerald Working Group Meeting posted February 09, 2006
- Dr. Tim Cashatt, Chairperson of Zoology, attended a meeting of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Working Group in Lemont on February 9 to discuss the status and recovery of this federally endangered species. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigations posted February 07, 2006
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year long archaeological project is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program to the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological Investigations posted February 04, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, an archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is being funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois. Read more ...
- Museum Research to Be Featured on Public Television posted January 31, 2006
- Mark McDonald of Illinois Stories (WSEC) came to the Research and Collections Center on January 31 to film a piece about the Museum’s Landscape History Program. Dr. Read more ...
- Bison Remains at the Lonza/Caterpillar site on the Illinois River posted January 31, 2006
- Alan Harn and Dr. Terrance Martin were interviewed by Chris McCloud (IDNR) on January 31 for a video segment on the bison discovery that will be used in an information outpost station in the Changes natural history exhibition. Read more ...
- Woodland Farm Archaeological Investigation posted January 16, 2006
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, an archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is underway (funded through a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted January 12, 2006
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, a three-year long archaeological project is underway (funded by a grant from the NSF-REU program to the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies). Read more ...
- Historical Distribution of Sturgeon posted December 30, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin provided Dr. Philip A. Cochran (Saint Mary’s University, Winona, Minnesota) with published and unpublished zooarchaeological information on the occurrence of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) remains at 19 prehistoric and historic archaeological sites in the Lake Michigan drainage basin (December 30). Read more ...
- Planning for Collaborative Archaeological Research posted December 18, 2005
- On December 18-19, Drs. Bonnie Styles, Acting Museum Director, and Michael Wiant, Director Dickson Mounds Museum, and Alan Harn, Assistant Curator of Anthropology, and Research Associate Dawn Cobb, met with Dr. Read more ...
- Guthrie Farmstead Site (23SC1041) in St. Charles County, Missouri posted December 18, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin prepared a technical report on animal remains from an early- to mid-nineteenth-century farmstead overlooking Peruque Creek that was investigated by SCI Engineering, Inc. Read more ...
- Christmas Bird Count posted December 18, 2005
- The Springfield Christmas Bird Count was held Sunday, December 18, 2005. The weather was not unbearable this year with temperatures ranging from 8ÌŠ-20ÌŠF accompanied by a moderate northwest wind, and about an inch of snow on the ground. Read more ...
- Bison Remains at the Lonza/Caterpillar site on the Illinois River posted December 16, 2005
- Bison remains from the Lonza/Caterpillar site were examined by Dr. Terrance Martin as time permitted in December. He refit various broken ribs and vertebrae and identified and refit small isolated bone fragments. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Arcaheological Investigation posted December 12, 2005
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, an archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is underway (funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted December 08, 2005
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, a three-year long archaeological project is underway (funded by a grant from the NSF-REU program to the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies). Read more ...
- Phylogenetic Relationships of Whales and Artiodactyls posted December 04, 2005
- Dr. Jessica Theodor, Assistant Curator of Geology, and Scott E. Foss, John Day Fossil Beds Monument in Kimberly, Oregon, completed and published a study of potential relationships between whales and artiodactyls based on teeth (Journal of Mammal Evolution). Deciduous lower premolars (milk teeth) of the Eocene artiodactyl family Cebochoeridae possess accessory denticles and are remarkably similar to both deciduous and adult teeth of the cetacean family Basilosauridae, suggesting that morphological characters of juvenile dentition are important to understanding the phylogenetic origin of whales and morphological transitions in the cetartiodactyl lineage. Read more ...
- Graduate Student Research posted November 17, 2005
- Leila Zajak, a graduate student at the University of Chicago, is working with Dr. Eric Grimm and Reseach Associate Pietra Mueller, to learn pollen identification for her dissertation research on modeling non-analog vegetation of the Late Glacial Period in the Upper Midwest. Read more ...
- Workshop on Age-Modeling Peat Deposits posted November 11, 2005
- Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, participated in a workshop at the Center for Investigation in Mathematics in Guanajuato, Mexico on 14C age-modeling peat desposits and an introduction to the use of Bayesian statistics for interpolating ages based on 14C dates. Read more ...
- Woodlawn Farm Archaeological Investigation posted November 10, 2005
- In collaboration with the Underground Railroad Committee of the Morgan County Historical Society, an archaeological and architectural investigation of the Woodlawn Farm is being funded by a Tourism Attraction Grant from the State of Illinois. Read more ...
- Mammoth and Mastodont Research posted November 06, 2005
- In November, Dr. Jeffrey Saunders, Chairperson of Geology, assisted Dennis Campbell, a professor at Lincoln College, and his students with preservation of a mammoth tusk discovered in Sugar Creek near Lincoln, Illinois. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted November 03, 2005
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, a three-year long archaeological project is underway (funded by a grant from the NSF-Research Experiences for Undergradutes program to the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies). Read more ...
- Bison Remains at the Lonza/Caterpillar site on the Illinois River posted November 01, 2005
- Bison remains from the Lonza/Caterpillar site were exhibited at the open house tour of the RCC for the ISMS 1877 Club on the evening of November 1. Read more ...
- AMQUA Council Meeting and GEON Metadatabase posted October 25, 2005
- Dr. Bonnie W. Styles and Dr. Eric Grimm, participated in a meeting of the American Quaternary Association (AMQUA) Council in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Read more ...
- Workshop on Archaeozoology posted October 23, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin presented a lecture on faunal assemblages from historic Native American and Euroamerican sites at or near the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan at the Annual Fall Workshop of the Michigan Archaeological Society, Midland, Michigan, October 23. Read more ...
- Paleontologist Presents Research posted October 21, 2005
- Dr. Jessica Theodor, Assistant Curator of Geology, presented a paper on deciduous dentition in ecent and fossil artiodactyls to an audience of approximately 400 individuals at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Mesa, Arizona on October 21. Read more ...
- Archaeologists Participate in Midwest Archaeological Conference posted October 20, 2005
- Drs. Bonnie Styles, Museum Director Pro Tem, and Terrance Martin represented the Museum at the annual meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference in Dayton, Ohio (October 20-22). Dr. Read more ...
- Collaborative Projects with the Center for American Archeology posted October 19, 2005
- On October 19, Dr. Bonnie Styles and Dr. Michael Wiant met with Dr. Jane Buikstra, School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University and the President of the CAA, on preparation of grant proposals for collaborative research projects related to the prehistory of the lower Illinois River valley. Read more ...
- Research of Ice Age Proboscidea posted October 15, 2005
- Members of the press interviewed Dr. Jeffrey Saunders, Chairperson of Geology, following the discovery of mastodont teeth in the DuPage County Forest Preserve District in Tri-County (now Pate Phillip) State Park. Dr. Read more ...
- Ponton Site at the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan posted October 12, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin identified a small collection of nineteenth-century animal remains from the Ponton site in Michigan in preparation for a presentation on the site with Dr. Read more ...
- Excavation of Bison Remains at the Lonza/Caterpillar site on the Illinois River posted October 08, 2005
- Alan Harn, Assistant Curator of Anthropology at Dickson Mounds Museum, and Dr. Terrance Martin co-authored a manuscript on the bison bone discovery for The Living Museum, and e-mailed a selection of photographs to Michael Tawaba for an article he is preparing for American Archaeology magazine (published by the Archaeological Conservancy). Read more ...
- National Forum for Geoscience Information Technology posted October 06, 2005
- Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, attended the National Forum for Geosciences Information Technology in Washington D.C. (October 6-7). The forum was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. Dr. Read more ...
- Woodlawan Farm Archaeological Investigation posted October 05, 2005
- Research Associate Dennis Naglich and Dr. Terrance Martin began Phase I archaeological investigations at the Woodlawn Farm southeast of Jacksonville as part of a archaeological and architectural assessment of the site in preparation for the establishment of the Morgan County Underground Railroad Cultural, Educational, and Research Center. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted October 01, 2005
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year archaeological project is funded by a grant from the NSF-REU program to the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Sugar Creek Proboscidean Remains posted September 27, 2005
- On September 27, Dr. Jeffrey Saunders, Chairperson of Geology, investigated a discovery of Ice Age elephant tusks in Sugar Creek near Lincoln, Illinois. The tusks were first discovered by one of Dr. Read more ...
- Mammoth Bone Identified posted September 26, 2005
- Drs. Jeffrey Saunders, Chairperson of Geology, and Terrance Martin identified a mammoth femur shaft that was found by Samuel Whitley on a sandbar in the Sangamon River one mile north of Oakford (July 5). Read more ...
- Archaeological Research at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri posted September 20, 2005
- In September, Dr. Steven Ahler, Research Associate in Archaeology, completed a final report of archaeological investigations at Kerr and Martin caves in Pulaski County, Missouri. These caves are located along Roubidoux Creek on the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation. The report includes specialized analyses by Dr. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted September 16, 2005
- The 2005 Illinois Archaeology Awareness poster, “Archaeology and African-American Heritage: Places on the Pathways of Freedom,” features images from New Philadelphia and Miller Grove in the Shawnee National Forest. The New Philadelphia Archaeological project is a collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association. This three-year archaeological project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for undergraduates Program to the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Museum Research Presented at Illinois Archaeological Survey Meeting posted September 16, 2005
- Drs. Terrance Martin and Michael Wiant, Director of Dickson Mounds Museum, attended the annual business meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey in Champaign on September 16. Dr. Read more ...
- Brewster Creek Mastodont posted September 14, 2005
- In September at the invitation of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Dr. Jeffrey Saunders, Chairperson of Geology, Dr. Read more ...
- Faunal Analysis of Old Brownsville Site in Southern Illinois posted September 09, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Research Associate Chris Richmond completed a technical report on nearly 5,000 animal remains from early 19th century refuse deposits at the former Jackson County seat of Old Brownsville, a site that was excavated by American Resources Group, Ltd. Read more ...
- Archeozoological Research posted September 07, 2005
- Funded by a series of small grants from the Illinois Transportation Archaeology Research Program (ITARP), Research Assistant Erin Brand (under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- Taxonomic Database Working Group posted September 06, 2005
- Dr. Jessica Theodor, Assistant Curator of Geology, participated in an invited Taxonomic Database Working Group meeting at the Zoological Institute in St. Read more ...
- Salvage Excavations of Bison Remains at the Lonza/Caterpillar site on the Illinois River posted August 29, 2005
- Drs. Terrance Martin and Bruce McMillan, Museum Director (on research leave) worked with Alan Harn, Assistant Curator of Dickson Mounds Museum, and David Stiles excavating bison remains that were exposed along the Illinois River shoreline near Mapleton (August 29 and 30). Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigations posted August 19, 2005
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year archaeological project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program to the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Human Use of Fauna in the Midwest during the Archaic Period posted August 16, 2005
- On August 16, Drs. Bonnie Styles, Museum Director Pro Tem, and R. Bruce McMillan completed a study of human use of fauna in the Midwest during the Archaic Period of prehistory. Read more ...
- Excavations at Rainbow Cave posted August 11, 2005
- In August, Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, collaborated with Dr. Russell Graham of Penn State University in excavations at Rainbow Cave in the Black Hills National Forest. The team is recovering animal remains from in and around the cave for studies of changes in environmental conditions in the region. Read more ...
- Paleontological Survey of Mammoth Cave posted August 05, 2005
- During August, Mona Colburn, Research Associate in Geology, completed a report of the paleontological inventory of selected passages at Mammoth Cave in Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. Read more ...
- Forensic Archaeology posted July 27, 2005
- The Sangamon County Sheriffs Department called Dr. Terrance Martin to inquire about the use of ground penetrating radar at a potential crime scene (July 27). Read more ...
- Environmental Historian Tours Facilities posted July 21, 2005
- On July 21, Dr. Susan Flader, a Professor of environmental history at University of Missouri, Columbia, a Chinese colleague, and her son came to the ISM to learn more about the Museum's Landscape History Program. Read more ...
- Faunal Analysis of Historic Sites in Southern Illinois posted July 20, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Research Assistant Chris Richmond finished identifications of nearly 5,000 animal remains from early nineteenth century refuse deposits at the former Jackson County seat of Old Brownsville, a site in Jackson County that was excavated by American Resources Group, Ltd. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigations posted July 15, 2005
- Nine undergraduate students, one undergraduate volunteer, and three graduate student assistants on the NSF-REU crew and 14 undergraduate students and two graduate student field assistants in the UIUC archaeological field school are participating in the summer program at the New Philadelphia site. Read more ...
- Fire History Research Highlighted in Science Editors' Choice posted July 01, 2005
- The editor of Science magazine highlighted collaborative research on fire history in the Northern Great Plains by the Illinois State Museum, Duke University, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, West Virginia University, and the University of Minnesota in the Editors’ Choice Column (Science 309:21, July 1, 2005). The selection was precipitated by the publication of an article summarizing the research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 102(25):8865-8870. Dr. Read more ...
- Dedication of Iliniwek Village State Historic Site posted June 25, 2005
- At the invitation of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Drs. R. Bruce McMillan, Museum Director, Bonnie Styles, and Michael Wiant attended the dedication of the Iliniwek Village State Historic Sites (June 25). Read more ...
- Future Collaborations with the Center for American Archaeology posted June 20, 2005
- On June 20, Dr. Bonnie Styles and Dr. Michael Wiant, Director Dickson Mounds Museum, met with Dr. Jane Buikstra and Cynthia Sutton, President and Vice President of the Center for American Archeology (CAA), respectively, at the CAA headquarters in Kampsville, Illinois. The group discussed long-term plans for research, collections curation, and educational programming. Read more ...
- New Dates for Younger Dryas in Northern Illinois posted June 18, 2005
- Drs. Eric Grimm and Brandon Curry, Illinois State Geological Survey, received results of radiometric dating of samples from their research at Brewster Creek in DuPage County, Illinois. Read more ...
- Survey of Human Use of Fauna in the Northeast posted June 18, 2005
- Dr. Bonnie W. Styles, Associate Museum Director, completed a major survey paper summarizing human use of fauna based on data from Holocene archaeological sites in the Northeast. The paper will be published as a chapter in the Smithsonian Institution’s Handbook of North American Indians series. Read more ...
- Lake Annie Workshop posted June 16, 2005
- Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a workshop on Lake Annie at the Archbold Biological Station in central Florida. Lake Annie is a pristine, 90-acre sinkhole lake, that has been studied for many years. A group of scientists from different disciplines was assembled to interpret the limnological and water quality data for the locality. Dr. Read more ...
- Hoxie Farm Site in Cook County, Illinois posted June 14, 2005
- Funded by a series of small grants from the Illinois Transportation Archaeology Research Program (ITARP), Research Assistant Erin Brand (under the direction of Dr. Read more ...
- INQUA National Committee posted June 10, 2005
- On June 10, Dr. Eric Grimm participated in a meeting of the National Committee of the International Quaternary Association in Washington DC. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigations posted June 09, 2005
- Summer fieldwork continued at the New Philadelphia site. In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year archaeological project is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) program to the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- ISM Invited to Participate in National Consortium of Taxonomic Research Centers posted June 07, 2005
- In June, Dr. Michael Mares of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History invited Dr. Jessica Theodor, Assistant Curator of Geology, to be a core participant in the Research Coordination Network. Read more ...
- Fire History in Northern Great Plains posted June 06, 2005
- Collaborative research of the fire history of the Northern Great Plains by Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, and Research Associate Pietra Mueller, and colleagues at Duke University, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, West Virginia University, and the University of Minnesota highlighted the relationships between fire history and climate. Read more ...
- Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council Meeting posted June 02, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council meeting in Romeoville on June 2 as the Museum's representative. Read more ...
- Collections Database Workshop posted June 01, 2005
- An NSF-sponsored Workshop on Paleontological Museum Databases that was held at the ISM Research and Collections Center was completed on June 1. Read more ...
- Cultural Resource Management Program posted June 01, 2005
- In June, Dr. Michael Sheehan, Director of the Museum’s cultural resource management program, left the Museum to take a position in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. Read more ...
- Museum Hosts Collections Database Workshop posted May 31, 2005
- Dr. Jessica Theodor, Assistant Curator of Geology, initiated a workshop, sponsored by the Biological Research Collections Program of the National Science Foundation. The workshop, held in the Museum’s Research and Collections Center, began on May 31 and will be completed on June 1. Read more ...
- Faunal Remains from Missouri Caves posted May 18, 2005
- In May, Dr. Bonnie Styles and Mona Colburn, Research Associate, completed a report of faunal remains from Martin and Kerr Caves at Fort Leonard Wood, Pulaski County, Missouri. The remains were collected during archaeological test excavations by Research Associate Steve Ahler and represent a mixture of food refuse and natural accumulation. Both caves are located along Roubidoux Creek. Read more ...
- Powder Mill Creek Cave Fieldwork posted May 15, 2005
- Adjunct Research Associate Dr. Blaine Schubert conducted small-scale excavations in Powder Mill Creek Cave in Shannon County, Missouri in an attempt to recover ground sloth (Megalonyx jeffersoni) remains that had been previously observed in the cave. A partial scapula with a stalagmite on top of it was removed from the cave in 2003. Read more ...
- Fire History Research posted May 12, 2005
- In May, Dr. Eric Grimm, Chairperson of Botany, and colleagues from Geological Survey of Denmark, Duke University, and West Virginia University, summarized their high-resolution fire, drought, and vegetation time series for the mixed grass prairie in northwestern North Dakota at a workshop on Fire History and Climate Synthesis in Western North America. Read more ...
- Woodland Farms Archaeology posted May 09, 2005
- In May, the Morgan County Historical Society received a Tourism Attraction Development Grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the Woodland Farms Complex in Jacksonville, Illinois, which has been associated with the Underground Railroad. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted May 06, 2005
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year archaeological project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (NSF-REU) to the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Curator Serves on Thesis Committee posted May 04, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended a M.A. thesis committee meeting for Richard Cohen at the University of Illinois at Springfield (May 4). Read more ...
- Michigan Archaeology posted April 16, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended the annual meeting of the Conference on Michigan Archaeology in East Lansing, Michigan on April 16. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted April 04, 2005
- The nine students selected to participate in the summer field school all accepted and have confirmed their participation in the summer program. Read more ...
- Science Advisory Committee Meeting for the Illinois River posted March 31, 2005
- On March 31, Dr. Bonnie Sytles attended a meeting of the Science Advisory Committee for the Illinois River at the University of Illinois. Read more ...
- Aurora Mastodont Project posted March 16, 2005
- Filming for a documentary program on the Aurora Mastodon at Phillips Park Project occurred in the RCC on March 16. Read more ...
- Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council Meeting posted March 11, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin attended the quarterly meeting of the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council in Springield on March 11. Martin is the Museum's representative on the Council. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigation posted March 07, 2005
- Michelle Huttes (graduate student in history at University of Illinois at Springfield) continues work on the nomination of the site for the National Register of Historic Places. Read more ...
- Esarey Appointed as Adjunct Research Associate posted March 02, 2005
- On March 2, Museum Director Dr. R. Bruce McMillan, appointed Duane Esarey, former Associate Curator at Dickson Mounds Museum, as an adjunct Research Associate in Archaeology. Read more ...
- Fellowship Application Review posted February 27, 2005
- Dr. Bonnie Styles reviewed proposals for the Denje Kenyon Fellowship for the Society for American Archaeology. The fellowship is awarded to a female graduate student to support outstanding research in archaeozoology. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigations posted February 24, 2005
- In collaboration with the New Philadelphia Association, this three-year archaeological project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program to the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies. Read more ...
- Bioanthropological Research Featured posted February 24, 2005
- An interview of Research Associate Dawn Cobb by Kavitha Cordova of WUIS Public Radio was featured in 4-minute and 30-minute segments for the “Sound Treatment†program (February 25, 27, 28). Read more ...
- Phylogeny of Artiodactyls posted February 18, 2005
- In February, an overview of the groups and origins of the artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates) by Dr. Jessica Theodor, Assistant Curator of Geology, and colleagues Drs. Read more ...
- Woodland Period Faunal Exploitation in South-Central Indiana posted February 14, 2005
- In February, Dr. Bonnie Styles, Associate Museum Director for Science and Education, and Research Assistant Erin Brand completed a report of Woodland Period faunal remains from the Knob Creek Site in the Ohio River Drainage in Harrison County, Indiana. Read more ...
- Faunal Analysis of Early Mississippian Hamlet in Madison County posted February 12, 2005
- Dr. Martin completed a technical report on a small, poorly preserved faunal assemblage from ten refuse pits and one structure associated with the Lange Site (11Ms2049), an Early Mississippian agricultural hamlet in the uplands above the American Bottom in Madison County. Read more ...
- Faunal Analysis of Historic Sites in Southern Illinois posted February 09, 2005
- Dr. Terrance Martin and Research Assistant Chris Richmond completed a technical report for American Resources Group, Ltd. on animal remains from archaeological investigations at site 11SA539, a nineteenth century habitation site that was inhabited by tenant farmers. Read more ...
- Aurora Mastodont Project posted February 04, 2005
- In February, the Museum received early dates for bone samples taken from the Mastodont Remains on display in the Interpretive Center at Phillips Park in Aurora. Read more ...
- Forensic Identification posted January 26, 2005
- In January, Dr. Bonnie Styles and Dr. Terrance Martin identified a "suspicious" bone for the Peoria County Coroner's Office. It was from a domestic pig. Read more ...
- Illinois River Hydrologic Observatory Proposal posted January 24, 2005
- On January 24, Dr. Bonnie Styles, Associate Museum Director for Science and Education, gave Ben Ruddell of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Jim Mick of DNR a tour of the Illinois River gallery (including the Digital River Basin) in the Changes exhibition. Styles then met with Ruddle to discuss the Museum’s role in the Hydrologic Observatory for the Illinois River that the University of Illinois is planning. The University of Illinois is in the process of developing a proposal to the National Science Foundation to establish the Observatory. Read more ...
- Planning for the Hine's Emerald posted January 22, 2005
- In January, Dr. Everett D. Cashatt, Curator of Zoology, Participated in a Recovery Team planning meeting to review habitat issues and the status of the endangered Hine's Emerald dragonfly. Read more ...
- New Philadelphia Archaeological Investigations posted January 19, 2005
- The New Philadelphia project continues to receive attention from the media. A two-full-page article by free-lance writer Dana MacKenzie appeared in the January issue of Smithsonian magazine (“Ahead of Its Time” in Vol. Read more ...
- Research of Oneota Site Published posted January 15, 2005
- In January, Adjunct Research Associate Dr. Dale R. Henning and co-editor Thomas Thiessen (Midwest Archeological Center) published results of long-term investigations of archaeological features and materials from the Blood Run site in northwestern Iowa. This Oneota site was occupied from about A.D. Read more ...
- The Miocene Defined posted January 11, 2005
- Dr. Jessica Theodor, Assistant Curator of Geology, was selected to write the definition for the Miocene Epoch for the Encyclopedia of Geology (published by Elsevier). Dr. Read more ...
- Beta Diversity of Angiosperms posted January 08, 2005
- Dr. Hong Qian, Associate Curator of Botany, and colleagues Dr. Robert Ricklefs (University of Missouri, St. Louis) and Dr. Peter White (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), published a study examining differences in beta diversity (turnover in species across geographic space) between eastern Asia and eastern North America. Read more ...
 - Martin Luther King Sculpture in ISM Collection posted January 15, 2015
- The Illinois State Museum Director of Art and History Jim Zimmer speaks about the Martin Luther King, Jr. bronze bust by artist Robert G. Read more ...
- Made in Illinois: A Juried Selection from the Illinois Artisans Program, Illinois State Museum posted August 30, 2007
- The Illinois State Museum is partnering with the Robert Morris Gallery to present an exhibition of work by Illinois artisans. Read more ...
- R. Bruce McMillan Museum Internship posted December 13, 2013
- The Illinois State Museum is seeking applications from college undergraduate or graduate students for a 2014 three-month internship in research and collections. The internship program provides an opportunity for students to gain firsthand research and collection experiences while working with Museum scholars in the fine and decorative arts, anthropology (archaeology, bioanthropology, and ethnology), and natural and earth sciences, including geology (paleontology, mineralogy), botany (biogeography, palynology, paleoecology) and zoology (malacology, entomology, herpetology, and ornithology, and mammalogy). The Museum has geographic information system and genetics laboratories and large-scale comparative collections for botanical, archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and paleontological research, as well as facilities for archaeomagnetic dating. Read more ...
- Mary Ann MacLean Educator posted October 02, 2013
- Work Location: Illinois State Museum, 502 S. Spring Street, Springfield, ILJob Description: This individual will coordinate the educational aspects and staffing of the Museum’s Mary Ann MacLean Play Museum, an innovative play-themed exhibition for children ages 3-10. Read more ...
- Registered CPA posted September 12, 2013
- Registered CPA for Illinois State Museum Society. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mon- Fri. Progressively responsible experience in grants management, fund accounting, and double entry bookkeeping required. Read more ...
- Monticello Internship in Museum Education posted April 16, 2013
- Deadline has been extended to April 30. The Monticello Internship in Museum Education provides an exciting and challenging opportunity to work with museum educators, exhibits staff, curators, and volunteers in a mid-sized museum of natural history, anthropology, and art. The Monticello Intern helps coordinate the volunteers and day-to-day operations of the Museum’s hands-on children’s gallery (the Mary Ann MacLean Play Museum). Read more ...
- R. Bruce McMillan Museum Internship posted March 18, 2013
- The Illinois State Museum is seeking applications from college undergraduate or graduate students for a 2013 three-month internship in research and collections. The internship program provides an opportunity for students to gain firsthand research and collection experiences while working with Museum scholars in the fine and decorative arts, anthropology (archaeology, bioanthropology, and ethnology), and natural and earth sciences, including geology (paleontology, mineralogy), botany (biogeography, palynology, paleoecology) and zoology (malacology, entomology, herpetology, and ornithology, and mammalogy). The Museum has geographic information system and genetics laboratories and large-scale comparative collections for botanical, archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and paleontological research, as well as facilities for archaeomagnetic dating. Read more ...
- R. Bruce McMillan Museum Internship posted February 24, 2012
- The Illinois State Museum is seeking applications from college undergraduate or graduate students for a 2012 three-month internship in research and collections. The internship program provides an opportunity for students to gain firsthand research and collection experiences while working with Museum scholars in the fine and decorative arts, anthropology (archaeology, bioanthropology, and ethnology), and natural and earth sciences, including geology (paleontology, mineralogy), botany (biogeography, palynology, paleoecology) and zoology (malacology, entomology, herpetology, and ornithology, and mammalogy). The Museum has geographic information system and genetics laboratories and large-scale comparative collections for botanical, archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and paleontological research, as well as facilities for archaeomagnetic dating. Read more ...
- R. Bruce McMillan Museum Internship posted February 22, 2011
- The Illinois State Museum is seeking applications from college undergraduate or graduate students for a 2011 three-month internship in research and collections. The internship program provides an opportunity for students to gain firsthand research and collection experiences while working with Museum scholars in the fine and decorative arts, anthropology (archaeology, bioanthropology, and ethnology), and natural and earth sciences, including geology (paleontology, mineralogy), botany (biogeography, palynology, paleoecology) and zoology (malacology, entomology, herpetology, and ornithology, and mammalogy). The Museum has geographic information system and genetics laboratories and large-scale comparative collections for botanical, archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and paleontological research, as well as facilities for archaeomagnetic dating. Read more ...
- R. Bruce McMillan Museum Internship posted March 26, 2010
- The Illinois State Museum is seeking applications from college undergraduate or graduate students for a 2010 three-month internship in research and collections. The internship program provides an opportunity for students to gain firsthand research and collection experiences while working with Museum scholars in the fine and decorative arts, anthropology (archaeology, bioanthropology, and ethnology), and natural and earth sciences, including geology (paleontology, mineralogy), botany (biogeography, palynology, paleoecology) and zoology (malacology, entomology, herpetology, and ornithology, and mammalogy). The Museum has geographic information system and genetics laboratories and large-scale comparative collections for botanical, archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and paleontological research, as well as facilities for archaeomagnetic dating. Read more ...
- R. Bruce McMillan Museum Internship posted March 27, 2008
- The Illinois State Museum is seeking applications from college undergraduate or graduate students for a 2008 three-month internship in research and collections. The internship program provides an opportunity for students to gain firsthand research and collection experiences while working with Museum scholars in the fine and decorative arts, anthropology (archaeology, bioanthropology, and ethnology), and natural and earth sciences, including geology (paleontology, mineralogy), botany (biogeography, palynology, paleoecology) and zoology (malacology, entomology, herpetology, and ornithology, mammalogy). The Museum has geographic information system and genetics laboratories and large-scale comparative collections for botanical, archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and paleontological research, as well as facilities for archaeomagnetic dating. Read more ...
- Education Assistant, Education Section, Part-time posted March 31, 2006
- The Illinois State Museum Society is recruiting for a part-time Education Assistant for its children's birthday party program. This person will: learn and present the Museum's thematic birthday parties as assigned by the Public Program Coordinator. Read more ...
- Museum Greeter posted July 08, 2016
- The Illinois State Museum is looking for friendly, out-going individuals to welcome visitors to the Museum. Greeters would man the Museum's information desk to answer questions and offer orientation to visitors. Read more ...
- Volunteers Needed @ the Play Museum posted June 02, 2016
- Summer is our busiest time of year! We are recruiting new volunteers for the Play Museum, an exciting place where children ages 3-10 can learn -- through play -- about art, people, and nature.
Friendly, energetic volunteers are needed to greet and interact with families and groups and keep the exhibit neat. Volunteers must be adults or teens 16 and up and able to work 2 shifts a month. Read more ...
- Join the Saturday Team! posted June 02, 2015
- The Museum is looking for volunteer ages 13 and up to be on our "Saturday Team" of volunteers.
Saturday Team volunteers help with our regular Saturday programs, which are Satur-Play and Super Saturday. Read more ...
- Marketing Assistant Volunteer posted March 02, 2015
- Help us get the word out... an adult volunteer (age 18+) is needed to distribute brochures & posters to local businesses and organizations. Read more ...
- Where Are the Wild Things? Halloween Event posted September 17, 2012
- Come join the Halloween fun! Over 100 volunteers are needed to help with the Museum's annual Halloween Festival, Where Are the Wild Things? on October 28 from noon to 4:00 p.m. Read more ...
- Greeters Needed for Spring Rush posted February 03, 2012
- Are you looking for a short-term volunteer commitment this Spring? "Spring Rush," our busy school group season in April and May, draws students to the Museum from all over the state. Read more ...
- Fall Volunteer Needs posted August 03, 2011
- Please check back on August 22 for information about the ISM-Springfield's volunteer needs for Fall and beyond. Thanks! Read more ...
- Spring Rush posted December 13, 2010
- “Spring Rush,” The Museum’s busy school group season in April and May, draws students from all over the state. Greeters are needed to provide groups with a brief orientation as they arrive at the Museum. Read more ...
- Collections Assistant posted July 14, 2010
- Volunteers are needed to help move heavy boxes into permanent storage at the Museum's Research and Collections Center. This is a short-term volunteer opportunity. Read more ...
- Greeters Needed for Spring Rush posted December 11, 2009
- Are you looking for a short-term volunteer commitment this Spring? "Spring Rush," our busy school group season in April and May, draws students to the Museum from all over the state. Read more ...
- Halloween Treat Bag Team posted October 13, 2009
- Volunteers age 12 and older are needed to prepare treat bags for "Where Are the Wild Things?", the Museum's upcoming Halloween event. Read more ...
- Halloween Event Volunteers Needed posted September 04, 2009
- We could not undertake "Where Are the Wild Things?" without the help of outstanding volunteers.This year's event will be held on Sunday, October 25 from noon to 5:00 pm. Read more ...
- Oral History Processing Volunteer posted January 23, 2009
- Volunteers are needed to help with the Museum's Oral History of Illinois Agriculture project. There are two types of positions: Digital Indexing volunteers will listen to recorded oral history interviews, index passages using special software, and create notes for the passage using a defined methodology. Read more ...
- Special Events Team posted November 12, 2008
- Volunteers are needed to help with activities at special events at the Museum such as family events, workshops, camp-ins, etc. Read more ...
- Volunteer at Halloween posted September 13, 2007
- "Where Are the Wild Things?," is one of the largest projects undertaken each year by the Museum. With the generous support of community businesses, organizations, and volunteers, this event continues to grow. Read more ...
- Greeters Needed for Spring Rush! posted March 01, 2007
- "Spring Rush," in April and May, is the ISM's period of heaviest visitation by school groups, drawing thousands of students from all over the state. Read more ...
- PARTNERS ON PAPER: A Citywide Salute to Art Made On and Of Paper—September 20-November 12, 2011 posted January 30, 2012
- PARTNERS ON PAPER: A Citywide Salute to Art Made On and Of Paper From September 20 through November 12, the five largest arts organizations in Springfield (The Illinois State Museum, University of Illinois Visual Art Gallery, Springfield Art Association, Prairie Art Alliance Gallery II, and Robert Morris Gallery) will celebrate the varied role paper plays in art. Read more ...
- Where Are the Wild Things? A Success! posted November 18, 2010
- The 24th annual Where Are the Wild Things? Halloween event on October 31 was a success. The Museum was bursting with energy and filled with children in adorable and creative Halloween costumes. Read more ...
 - 23rd Annual Halloween Event A Success posted November 17, 2009
- The Illinois State Museum’s 23rd annual Halloween event, Where Are the Wild Things, was held on Sunday, October 25. Given the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic (Illinois ranks #4), the Museum made a commitment to promote a healthier Halloween. Read more ...
 - 22nd Annual Halloween Event A Success posted November 12, 2008
- Dozens of Springfield area businesses and community groups and over 100 dedicated volunteers helped the Illinois State Museum provide an educational, fun, and safe Halloween experience for over 2600 people. Read more ...
- Illinois State Museum Paleontologist Honored: Dr. Jeffrey Saunders named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science posted November 19, 2007
- Dr. Jeffrey Saunders of the Illinois State Museum was recently named as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of his scientific studies of mastodonts and mammoths. Read more ...
- Museum Arts Curator Invited to New Post posted August 06, 2007
- Angela Goebel Bain, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts, has been invited to be one of two Midwest Representatives to the AAM Curator's Committee Board. Read more ...
- Illinois State Museum Graduates 20 Tech Academy Students posted July 16, 2007
- Youth gain hands-on experience in archaeology, natural sciences and technology, and explore college and career opportunities through Museum Tech AcademyTwenty middle and high school students from the Springfield area recently graduated from the Illinois State Museum's Tech Academy (MTA). The MTA is a nationally recognized after-school and summer program designed to give students hands-on experience in archaeology, natural sciences, and technology, and exposure to college and career opportunities. The program successfully targeted low-income students and girls, groups often under-served by technology and science programs. This is the second group of students to graduate from the program. Thirty-five students graduated in 2006. Read more ...
- Summer Festival of Films Popularity Grows posted July 16, 2007
- Full house enjoys ISM showing of "Magic School Bus: The Busasaurus" on July 17.
- Illinois State Museum Participates in Springfield MASS Pass posted July 12, 2007
- The Illinois State Museum is a founding participant in the new Springfield MASS (Museum and Sites of Springfield) Pass program. Read more ...
- Kigango Back Home in Kenya posted July 12, 2007
- A sacred memorial post stolen from a Kenyan family in the 1980s that ended up at the Illinois State Mueum was returned to its rightful owners. Read more ...
- Illinois State Museum Hosts Boys & Girls Club Overnight posted July 12, 2007
- A group of children from The Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield recently spent a memorable night at the Illinois State Museum, thanks to a generous grant from the national Kappa Delta Sorority.The kids explored the entire Museum, learned about the Ice Age and created a mastodon rap, made their own art creations, went on a scavenger hunt, listened to a story teller, and slept under the oak tree in the Changes exhibit.The Illinois State Museum was pleased to partner with The Boys & Girls Clubs to make this camp-in possible. Read more ...
- River Valley Partners Celebrate Wetlands - Past and Present posted April 23, 2006
- In recognition of Earth Day, Dickson Mounds Museum and area partners from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife- Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge and the Nature ConservancyÃs Emiquon Preserve offered a day of special tours examining the geological and cultural history of the Illinois and Spoon River Valley landscape, currently undergoing wetland restoration. Read more ...
- Volunteer Opportunities posted December 08, 2005
- In 2004 the ISM Lockport Gallery announced S.T.A.R.S., a new volunteer initiative. S.T.A.R.S. (Sharing Time And Realizing Skills) is a program which focuses on building an exceptional family of community volunteers to assist the museum in its operations and, in turn, provide educational opportunities for participants. Read more ...
 - Become an Illinois Artisan posted January 01, 2014
-
Apply to the Illinois Artisans Program
Next Deadline April 17th
The Illinois Artisans Program is continually looking for talented new artists to join the Program. Read more ...
 - Illinois Art Fair Directory posted January 28, 2011
- Since 1965, the Illinois Arts Council has been privileged to help support the arts in Illinois. Grantees from across the state have been able to develop a broad range of programs benefiting countless citizens from urban neighborhoods to the most rural corners of the state. Read more ...
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