Graduate student selected for national award

Graduate student Ashley Shults (bioarchaeology) has been awarded a Sigma Xi Grands in Aid of Research!

The Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research (GIAR) program has provided undergraduate and graduate students with valuable educational experiences since 1922. By encouraging close working relationships between students and mentors, the program promotes scientific excellence and achievement through hands-on learning. The program awards grants of up to $1,000 to students from most areas of the sciences and engineering. The Grant in Aid of Research program has a highly competitive application process and only 12%-15% of applicants receive any level of funding.

This grant will support research to assess local versus nonlocal individuals from Salango, an archaeological ritual site on the coast of Ecuador. Variance in strontium isotopes will be analyzed to understand who participated in these rites, adding to our knowledge of ancient Ecuador and providing a model for archaeologists investigating ritual at other locations.