Donald Keough, News Editor–


On April 22, students and faculty gathered in Swasey Chapel to hear from USGS research geologists Kathleen Springer and Jeff Pigati.

Students listened during their hour-long talk discussing their work in New Mexico, where they have been part of an exhibition uncovering remnants of the oldest known humans in the Americas.

Their ongoing excavation takes place in the White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Their biggest discovery has been human footprints estimated to have been made 21,000-23,000 years ago, nearly 10,000 years before humans were previously believed to have occupied North America. 

Their findings initially faced criticism from the scientific community, as some claimed there was insufficient data used when dating the footprints. But through extensive dating techniques since the discovery, they have assuredly confirmed the range of dates they initially identified. 

Their team’s work has been acclaimed since their discovery was published in October 2023, and was named a runner-up for the top 2023 scientific discoveries by Science Magazine, as well as becoming the subject of a PBS Nova documentary titled “ice-age footprints.” 

Their research started in January 2020, and has uncovered a plethora of tracks. At the site, the longest ancient human tracks can be found, spanning roughly 1.5 kilometers. In addition, one of the earliest forms of vehicles is believed to have been used at this site. 

The speakers’ visit was sponsored by the Ronneberg Lectureship, which was founded in 1981. The series brings scientists in to discuss different topics, and aims to help educate students interested in the speakers’ respective fields. 

“I thought it was really interesting, hearing from these professionals… especially as a freshman in the department,” Matt Evans ‘28 said, who is a geoscience major.

Before the event, Evans as well as other students attended a lunch with the speakers. Students had the opportunity to pose questions and discuss their research, career paths and advice. 

“They’re both really cool people, and I liked hearing about their backgrounds, especially how [they] got into the field,” Evans said. “I feel like, for somebody in our position, that’s very helpful.” 

After the event, both speakers reflected positively on the talk. 

“We absolutely love giving talks like this,” Pigati said. “Students reactions and reactions,

whether they’re in this field or not, just remarkable, and it’s a ton of fun.”

Students interested in the field that Springer and Pigati can look forward to a new minor coming next spring. Titled Archeology and Cultural Heritage, (ARCH), the minor will require students to take six courses from a wide range of disciplines, a one-course seminar course and participation in an internship experience. 

“We’re giving students a way to pull things from different divisions of the college into something cohesive,” professor Rebecca Kennedy said, also saying that the minor aims to give students the “full picture of what you could do with archeology and cultural heritage.”

“It’s both intellectual but also career oriented, [to help] students figure out what they can do,” Kennedy said. “There’s a whole industry out there that exists around this.”

Students are encouraged to combine the minor with their other interests, and it includes a variety of different pathways which students can pursue. The minor includes cultural heritage instead of just archeology to broaden what’s offered. 

“We want to let people know that archeology isn’t just digging,” Kennedy said. “What we want for the students to have is this idea of from the ground to its whole lifespan, to the market, to museums, to ‘how do you fundraise on this? What are the ethics around all of this?’” 

According to Kennedy, there aren’t a lot of other colleges like Denison with programs such as this. “We’re very lucky that we already have all the resources existing on campus and that we don’t have to go out and ask for new positions,” Kennedy said. “There’s a lot of universities that don’t have as many archeologists hanging around.” 

As the minor comes closer to being available, students are encouraged to take the required classes if they are interested, as most of the classes already exist. 

“We’ll put up posters making sure students who are interested will have information so they can have it on their radar,” Kennedy said.