HR: 0800h
AN: ED51A-0125    [Abstracts]
TI: Geophysical Investigation of an Abandoned Cemetery: Teachers Discover Evidence of Unmarked Graves in Prairie View, TX
AU: * Henning, A T
EM: ahenning@rice.edu
AF: Rice University, Department of Earth Science MS-126 6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005, United States
AU: Sawyer, D S
EM: dale@rice.edu
AF: Rice University, Department of Earth Science MS-126 6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005, United States
AU: Baldwin, R
EM: ribaldwin@pvamu.edu
AF: Prairie View A&M University, School of Architecture P.O. Box 519, Prairie View, TX 77446, United States
AU: Kahera, A
EM: aikahera@pvamu.edu
AF: Prairie View A&M University, School of Architecture P.O. Box 519, Prairie View, TX 77446, United States
AU: Thoms, A
EM: a-thoms@tamu.edu
AF: Texas A&M University, Department of Anthropology, College Station, TX 77843, United States
AB: In July 2007, a group of nineteen K-12 teachers investigated an abandoned cemetery in Prairie View, Texas, utilizing ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to image the subsurface. In a period of two weeks, the group acquired and interpreted 59 GPR profiles in Wyatt Chapel Cemetery and surrounding areas in order to determine the local stratigraphy and try to locate unmarked graves. The sandy soil in this area is ideally suited for GPR investigations and numerous geophysical anomalies were identified. Wyatt Chapel Cemetery is located adjacent to the campus of Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, TX, and is thought to have originated as a slave burial ground in the 1850's. Participants in a summer course at Rice University conducted a geophysical investigation of the site. Participants were in-service K-12 teachers from urban Houston school districts where the majority of students are members of historically underrepresented minority groups. Recruitment efforts targeted educators who are currently teaching science without a science degree. Participants included elementary, middle and high school teachers. This summer experience is followed by a content-intensive academic year course in Physical Geology. GPR is an excellent tool for investigating the sandy soil encountered at Wyatt Chapel Cemetery. The stratigraphy in the area consists of 3-6 feet of reddish-brown, medium-grained sand overlying a light gray, highly compacted clay. The sand-clay boundary appears as a strong reflector on the GPR profiles. Participants identified numerous anomalies in the GPR data and two were excavated. One consisted of a pair of bright hyperbolae, suggesting two edges of a metal object. This excavation resulted in the discovery of a metal plank thought to be a burial cover. The second anomaly consisted of a break in the horizon representing the top of the clay layer, and subsequent excavation revealed a grave shaft. Participants experienced the process of science first-hand and used geophysics for community service (i.e. restoring an abandoned cemetery). Through background research, they derived a rich historical context for their investigation and learned to appreciate the multi-disciplinary aspect of solving real-world scientific problems.
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
DE: 0805 Elementary and secondary education
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0830 Teacher training
DE: 0845 Instructional tools
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting