Underwater archaeologist advocates for diversity in field

An assistant professor of sociology and anthropology from The University of Texas at Arlington, who also chairs the national Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology, is advocating for additional diversity and inclusion in her subject.

Ashley Lemke—an qualified on submerged ancient web sites in the Americas, with experience diving to sites in the Gulf of Mexico, Wonderful Lakes and Atlantic Ocean—is providing her colleagues with unique, useful alternatives to raise range in underwater archeology. Her most up-to-date report, “Having Your Feet Soaked: Limitations to Inclusivity in Underwater Archaeology and How to Crack Them,” was lately published in the journal Advancements in Archaeological Observe.

Nicole Bucchino Grinnan from the Florida Public Archaeology Community and Jay V. Haigler from Diving With a Objective co-authored the paper. The team’s objective is to get the general public far more engaged in archaeology.

“There is a lack of illustration in archaeology generally,” Lemke said. “In a specialised subject these types of as underwater archaeology, this concern is only intensified. Irrespective of whether you are studying shipwrecks or ancient underwater web sites, anyone can get associated.”

Lemke and her co-authors tackle boundaries to diversity in underwater archaeology and present alternatives for means to educate and offer support—both fiscally and via mentorship programs—to get extra men and women associated in underwater science.

Lemke has put her strategies into apply, getting a assorted team of UTA pupils to Michigan this previous summer to teach them in subject procedures at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. 1 of people students was Kelsey Deweese, a senior researching anthropology. Many thanks to Lemke, she now would like to continue with underwater archaeology following graduating from UTA.

“I uncovered my enjoy for anthropology and underwater archaeology by accident,” explained Deweese, who is from Arlington. “It is scarce to have a professor like Dr. Lemke. Learning from her has been these types of an astounding opportunity.”

It was on the vacation to Michigan that Deweese uncovered about other career alternatives in the industry beside scuba diving, which has boundaries to entry since of its highly-priced tools and actual physical needs.

“There is so a lot you can do on the shore or the boat, this sort of as applying sonar and distant-operated automobiles or learning geographic information system,” Deweese claimed.

Sophomore and fellow anthropology big Declan Williams explained the on-web-site instruction in Michigan was educational and gave a glimpse of what he might do in a foreseeable future job. Williams explained he is interested in anthropology mainly because it truly is “the crossroads of science and historical past.”

“It can be crucial no matter which industry of get the job done that an individual goes into that they can have another person to relate to and not experience like an outcast,” Williams claimed. “Diversity and inclusion to me implies that every person who can support push science ahead is welcome, no subject where they are from or what they think in.”