Venter Lab of Integrative Human Ecosystems and Archaeology

Welcome to the Venter Lab of Integrative Human Ecosystems and Archaeology! The research undertaken in our lab brings together students and scholars interested in exploring the diverse ways that we as a species understand and interact with the worlds we inhabit. The disciplinary focus of this lab is rooted in anthropological archaeology, but we engage with interdisciplinary issues important to ethnographers, geologists, geographers, ecologists, historians, and more. We employ a suite of techniques to examine complex human adaptations. Dr. Venter, the director of this lab, has been undertaking archaeological research in Mexico, the Caribbean, and North America east of the Plains throughout her professional career. Current research is funded by the National Science Foundation and examines the complex history of the the sugar industry in Mexico, and how Spanish colonizers and conscripted Indigenous, and African groups differently experienced its establishment, adapted to each other, and transformed the landscape of southern Veracruz from the early 16th century through the present. 

For information about past or on-going projects, and to see what some of the students have been up to, check out the other tabs. 

We are always looking for motivated students who want to gain valuable interdisciplinary experience in the lab or field! If you are interested, contact Dr. Venter at mventer@murraystate.edu.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Culture Change

Collapse and Resilience

Human-Environment Interactions

Interactions

Boundaries and Frontiers

Imperialism and Colonialism

Photos by M. Gush (2022) and M. Venter (2022, 2023)