Research Laboratories

Court Archaeological Research Facility: (Coordinator: Tankersley)
Dr. Kenneth Tankersley's field laboratory is located at the University of Cincinnati's Center for Field Studies. The new laboratory will be used for the processing artifacts, Quaternary invertebrate, vertebrate, and plant remains, and sediments from drill cores and excavation. The laboratory has a fume hood, basic laboratory equipment, microscopes, a computer workstation for analysis and data management, and a dedicated curation room for core, sediment, ecofact, artifact, archival records, and NAGPRA collections. The laboratory also has a laboratory smart classroom.

Mediterranean Ecosystem Dynamics and Archaeology Lab (Coordinator: Allen)
The MEDArch Laboratory provides space and resources (microscopes, comparative material, fume hood, reference books and databases) for research in landscape archaeology, ethnoecology, and archaeobotany. Although the research emphasis is on the Balkans, Mediterranean and Near East, the comparative collection includes plant materials from the Eastern Woodlands and American Southwest, and students may also work on research projects in these areas.

Molecular Computational and Human-Variation Analysis Lab (Coordinator: Norton)
Students and researchers in MoCHA use genetic and genomic data to answer key questions about human evolution. In particular, research focuses on identifying genetic loci that have been targeted by natural selection in our recent evolutionary past. These studies often use a combination of wet-lab and computational techniques to investigate the complex history of adaptation in the human species. Thus far key projects have focused on identifying loci associated with normal variation in human skin pigmentation and exploring the role of natural selection in shaping malaria resistance in various tropical regions.

Ohio Valley Archaeology Lab (Coordinator: Tankersley)
Dr. Kenneth Tankersley's laboratory at the University of Cincinnati is equipped to conduct particle size analysis of unconsolidated Quaternary sediments, extract bulk soil organic matter from core samples, and extract bone collagen and hair protein for stable isotope analyses. In addition to standard chemicals for acid-base-acid pretreatments and equipment such as analytical balances and glassware, the laboratory has a magnetic susceptibility meter with high-resolution probes, two proton magnetometers, a single junction ion selective electrode for fluoride dating of bone, two petrographic microscopes, ten binocular microscopes, and a digital microscope for photo-microscopy. The laboratory also has a computer workstation for data analysis.

Quaternary Paleoecology Laboratory (Coordinator: Crowley)
The Quaternary Paleoecology Laboratory is set up for processing biological remains from plants and animals for stable isotope analysis and radiocarbon dating. Lab equipment includes a microbalance, dental drill, boom mounted trinocular microscope attached to a computer work station, and a freeze drier equipped with a standard drying chamber as well as a centrivap concentrator.