Doctoral Dissertation Research: Pathways of Human Technological Innovation

The analysis of materials from human societies offers insight into human technological practices and the fabric of innovation. This project examines the technological innovation, context, and significance of metal alloying technologies to better understand the effect of human decisions and environmental context and constraints on technological practices. In addition to training a graduate student, the study advances knowledge about critical human innovations and supports graduate student STEM training and K-12 science outreach activities. The project examines the provenance, alloying, working, and circulation of copper alloy objects, to better understand the factors influencing technological choices in the production sequence and the reciprocal relationship between people and materials. The investigator assesses societal practice through the collection and synthesis of compositional and microstructural data of metal objects from multiple sites, using a multimethodological approach (e.g., pXRF, lead isotope and ICP-MS, LA-ICP-MS, metallography, and SEM-EDS). The project reconstructs metal production and circulation practices and charts the extent of brass alloying temporally and spatially. The spectometric and chemical analytical methods align with the agency's priorities in the area of biotechnology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.