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Aaron Poteate

Global Change Fellow Alumnus | Anthropology | North Carolina State University

2012 – 2013 Global Change Fellow

Where Are They Now?

Aaron is Co-Coordinator of the Visual World Investigate Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Statement of Purpose:

I am a first year M.A. student in Anthropology working with Dr. John Milhauser. My research interests focus on how humans impacted their environments prehistorically and exploited resources in island and coastal landscapes. I am especially interested in how the resource management of ancient populations changed characteristics in the faunal record. Upon completion of my master’s studies, I intend to finish my doctoral studies and seek a position within academia that will allow me to continue my research.

Description of research:

My research focuses on analyzing shellfish remains from the Pre-Columbian site of Coconut Walk (ca. AD 700-1100) on the island of Nevis in the northern Lesser Antilles. By helping understand how ancient Caribbean populations responded to climate changes in the past, my research addresses the SECSC Mission and the SECSC Draft Science Plan Science Theme 6 Task 1. The goal of my analysis is to provide a baseline for understanding how human subsistence strategies were structured and changed over time, and whether there were any anthropogenic or natural processes that affected the types of species available to humans. Ultimately, the purpose of this research is to better understand the relationship between humans and their environment in island and coastal regions. By analyzing archaeological remains from Nevis using a long-term human ecodynamic approach, and comparing these findings with other research done on prehistoric sites in the Caribbean, I will be better able to assess how humans were affected by their environment, including changes resulting from altered sea-level and climatic (e.g., rainfall) regimes during the Late Holocene.

Contact Information:

Email: aaron.poteate@naturalsciences.org

Publications