91传媒鈥檚 Lambert, other researchers awarded NSF grant to create safe, inclusive archaeological field schools
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 Mississippi State faculty member is part of a collaboration awarded $300,000 from the National Science Foundation in support of research aimed at preventing sexual harassment during undergraduate field-based courses.
Shawn P. Lambert, assistant professor in 91传媒鈥檚 Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures and research fellow at the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, is partnering with researchers from the Southern Arkansas University Research Station of theArkansas Archeological Survey and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville seeking to combat sexual harassment during archaeological field studies.
Lambert said recent research in STEM fields has demonstrated 鈥渟ignificantly high rates鈥 of sexual harassment in academic field schools across the U.S.
鈥淢any students experienced harassment and/or assault during their first field school experience in undergrad, which is a mandatory requirement in most archaeology-focused departments,鈥 Lambert said. 鈥淭hese findings show us that we are not doing our due diligence to promote a safe and inclusive environment during one of the most critical periods in young archaeologists鈥 academic careers. Our research team wants to determine the best practices that field school directors can administer to create the safest environment possible.鈥
During the three-year grant period, the research team will conduct a landscape analysis, work with field directors and students, develop recommended practices, and finally, help implement the practices while documenting how they help create a safer and more inclusive field learning environment.
鈥淯ltimately, our team hopes to understand the critical components to develop a set of evidenced-based best practices that people in our field and beyond can utilize to prevent sexual harassment and assault,鈥 Lambert said.
鈥淪tudents who have been historically underrepresented in STEM, including women, students of color, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and students with diverse abilities, have an increased likelihood to experience harassment compared to those individuals who do not identify with these groups,鈥 he added.
The researchers noted that sexual harassment may be one factor contributing to the exodus of underrepresented groups in field-based sciences and STEM during undergraduate education. When this group leaves the scientific community altogether, a loss of diverse intellectual thought occurs, they said.
91传媒 Department of听Anthropology and Middle Eastern听Cultures Professor and Head Hsain Ilahiane said a safe and inclusive fieldwork setting is critical for student retention and also is important for the promotion of anthropology as a major.
鈥淒r. Lambert鈥檚 NSF grant expands on this finding and seeks to create a safe and inclusive environment for women and minorities,鈥澨齀lahiane said.
Lambert said the collaborating universities are strategically placed around the Southeast to facilitate the success of the program. 鈥淭his research covers the entire southeast region of the United States, from Oklahoma to Florida, and on any given year, there could be 80-100 archaeology field schools scheduled.鈥
鈥淚n our profession, especially in conducting a regional study like this, there is strength in numbers,鈥 Lambert said. 鈥淭he more individuals and institutions that can rally around this project, the better.鈥
All members of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC), joining Lambert on the research team are:
鈥擡mily Beahm, research station archeologist with the Arkansas Archeological Survey, University of Arkansas鈥揥inthrop Rockefeller Institute Station.
鈥擟arol Colaninno, research assistant professor in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville STEM Center.
鈥擟arl Drexler, research assistant professor with the University of Arkansas and station archeologist with the Arkansas Archeological Survey鈥揝outhern Arkansas University Research Station.
Lambert received his Ph.D. in 2017 and master鈥檚 degree in 2013, both in anthropology, from the University of Oklahoma. He earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree from the University of Alabama in 2011.
His primary research focuses on the early Mississippian period (ca. A.D. 800鈥1200). Lambert specializes in remote sensing and the analysis of ceramics, including design style, trace elemental analysis, and iconography to seek detailed histories of development, transformation, ritual integration, and movement of communities and interaction networks.
He has participated in recent projects in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana that focus on the role of ceramics in building and sustaining interregional community interactions.听听听
Field directors interested in the project, can find more information at or email safefieldschools@gmail.com.听
91传媒鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,200 students, 325 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs, 14 master鈥檚 programs, and 27 undergraduate academic majors offered in 14 departments. For more details about the College of Arts and Sciences or the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, visit or .听 听
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