Welcome!
Nenana Valley, Alaska. 2018
I am currently an NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow with joint affiliations with the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University and the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to this position, I was an Assistant Professor Anthropology at Arkansas Tech University after receiving my Ph.D. in Anthropology from Texas A&M University in 2018. My research uses innovative methods from the Earth sciences with archaeological approaches to investigate human-megaherbivore-vegetation interactions in the southeastern US.
Recent News
November 29, 2022 Recent Research Featured in the Conservation Paleobiology Network
My recent research on vegtation and fire effects of megaherbivory release was featured in the monthly newsletter of the Conservation Paleobiology Network, an organization that seeks to "transform conservation paleobiology into an applied science that informs conservation and restoration efforts". I'm pleased to contribute to an understanding of Ice Age herbivory release as it applies to current conservation and restoration efforts.
November 14, 2022 Shared research on ecosystem impacts of colonial cattle introduction and participated in Arkansas Public Archaeology day at SEAC 2022
I attended the Southeastern Archaeology Conference Annual Meeting in Little Rock Arkansas November 9-12. In addition to learning about the newest research in southeastern archaeology, I also presented a poster on the impacts of cattle introduction on the fire regime and vegetation communities of the South Carolina Lowcountry. This research is part of a larger project investigating Charleston, South Carolina's colonial economy. In addition, I gave a public presentation on the importance of ancient plant remains in understanding past environments, foodways, and art at Arkansas Public Archaeology day!
October 21, 2022 Awarded Teaching Certificate Through Delta Program for Research, Teaching, and Learning
To earn my Delta Program Certificate, I completed the following courses: Beyond Rhetoric: Developing an Ethical and Equitable Teaching Practice, Using Writing to Teach in Any Discipline to Promote Active Learning in an Inclusive Class Environment, Research Mentor Training, and Intro to Evidence Based STEM Teaching. I also completed a Teaching-as-Research project, where I examined the effects of introducing interdisciplinary database activities into the archaeology classroom. The certificate culminated in a 'defense' of my teaching philosophy with committee members Jack Williams, Jim Russell, Rosette Cirillo, and Delta co-director Jess Maher. Thanks to all involved!
October 3, 2022 Recently Published Paper Explores Vegetation and Fire Impacts of Ice Age Megaherbivore Extinction
This paper in Quaternary Science Reviews tests the hypothesis that end-Pleistocene megaherbivore extinction caused a cascade of changes including an incursion of woody vegetation, no-analog vegetation assemblages, and fire activity increase in eastern North America. Using the largest-to-date network of dung fungal spores, pollen, and macrocharcoal proxy records, this research found that ecosystems in the northern US are more sensitive to megaherbivory than those in the southeastern US.
Check back frequently for more updates!
Contact Me
perrotti.ag@gmail.com