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Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Mapping Community Landscapes in Northwest Honduras
Now I have something new and exciting to blog about: my first NSF grant proposal and thesis project. My thesis topic is finally deciding to show itself to the light of day. An idea for a National Science Foundation grant my advisor had set aside is moving forward because I fell in love with it when I read her notes. Essentially, the Palmarejo Valley in northwest Honduras consists of several rural agrarian communities of varying sizes (see figure...this past summer I worked at Palos Blancos, a class 2 site), which have only been classified by observation and limited test excavation (in other words, size). The project my advisor and I want to get off the ground will test this classification theory archaeologically and look at community organization. It’s far too big in scope for a M.A. thesis alone but I hope to get things moving next summer, with investigations continuing through the 2009 season (when I’m long gone). Components of the research questions include sustainability and water management! (excuse me while I adjust my nerd glasses).
I have agreed to do the footwork for the grant so that we could get some major funding that will enable me to do thesis research next summer in Honduras. No small task, an NSF grant is a big deal, especially when you’ve never done one before. I figured it would create a load of extra work for me between now and December 1 when the application is due, but the project idea is very appealing.
Posted by Will at August 29, 2006 12:16 PM in Graduate School