Team

Dr. Isaac Ogloblin-Ramirez is an underwater and coastal archaeologist. His research focuses on the study of formation processes of submerged and coastal settings, applying micro-geoarchaeological techniques to investigate the interaction of humans and dynamic coastal environments through time. He has been conducting pioneering research on the micro-archaeological record of the earliest coastal settlements dating to the Neolithic period, found off the Eastern Mediterranean coast. He is also taking part in projects across the Mediterranean, leading the application of geoarchaeological techniques in marine and coastal contexts in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Israel. His work on coastal sites, shipwrecks, and submerged prehistoric sites is aimed at reconstructing anthropogenic activities associated with the sea to explore the entanglement between human behaviors and environmental dynamics at the coast. Actually, he is working at ALMA on the outgoing phase of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, PUMA (Paleolithic Underwater Micro-Geoarchaeology).

Biography

I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Rutgers. I received a BA in Anthropology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in May of 2019 and my MA from Rutgers in 2023. For my dissertation I am interested in understanding how bones are altered under variable heating conditions. I use multiple data collection techniques like Color Analysis with a spectrophotometer, Surface Texture Analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and X-Ray Diffraction on experimental bones created in the lab and in the field. With the results of her experiments I am going to study fire exploitation patterns in the Iberian Peninsula at the sites of Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal), Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona, Spain), and Abrigo do Lagar Velho (Leiria, Portugal).

Biography

My project, A Microarchaeological Approach to Paleolithic Fire and Bedding Technology, examines the social and technological development of early human groups by exploring how they organized and maintained domestic living areas. Focusing on two critical elements, fire use and the placement of bedding materials, this research offers insight into cognitive complexity, changing social structures, and survival strategies in our evolutionary past. By incorporating ethnoarchaeology, experimental archaeology, and microarchaeology, this study presents a novel approach to understanding domestic behavior in ancient human societies.

Biography

I received my B.A. in anthropology and political science in 2022 from Rutgers University. During my undergrad, I did research at ALMA for my senior honors thesis titled Where’s the fire? Using FTIR to determine occupation at Abrigo de la Boja. I investigated the environmental conditions of the rock shelter site by determining its mineral composition and explored the use of fire by Neanderthals and Anatomically Modern Humans, both by using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and then discussed the implications on Neanderthal extinction.

While I’m still interested in researching the demise of the Neanderthals, I shifted focus both spatially and temporally for my dissertation. Now, I am primarily interested in the role of the environment in societal collapse. I am investigating the use of phytolith analysis as both means of high-resolution environmental reconstruction and a direct record of human-environment interaction at tell sites. As part of my dissertation, I will be looking at the micro record of destruction layers at my primary field site, Tell es-Safi/Gath, located in central Israel. I hope to compare the environmental conditions of different sites in the Southern Levant during the time of site destruction and compare ways those societies interacted with their environments.

Alessandra Dominguez (she/her) received her B.A. in Anthropology and Honors Art History with minors in Archaeology and Italian, in addition to a Bridging Disciplines Program certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Texas at Austin (Spring 2023). She has excavated at Sədərək in Azerbaijan, Morgantina and Motzia in Sicily, Bat in Oman, Qach Resh in Iraqi Kurdistan, Molyvoti in Greece, and Lagash in southern Iraq. Alessandra has held various positions in museum institutions and art galleries concerning DAEI, curation, education, and provenance. In addition to leading tours of the Penn Museum, she is currently the Lab Manager of the Archaeobotany Lab in the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Material.

Alessandra’s areas of research are concentrated in the ancient Middle East, where she focuses on human-environmental interactions and how changing environments influence ideas of landscape and material production. Her undergraduate senior thesis focused on how the volatile paleoclimate of southern coastal Peru influenced the Nasca culture’s perception of landscape, which presented as naturalism on ceramic iconography. Her dissertation research focuses on the development and management of oasis agriculture in southeastern Arabia during the 3rd millennium BCE. For this research, she is specializing in archaeobotany (macrobotany and phytoliths), as well as microarchaeology.

Biography

I’m a Junior majoring in Forensic Chemistry and Criminal Justice, and I hope to be a forensic pathologist one day. Currently, I’m working on the HEISL project to help determine what the paleoclimate was like in the Levant. My research focuses on phytoliths, and how measurements and quantification of phytoliths can help us determine the paleoclimate by comparing those results with archaeological samples.

My name is Juliana Ripper and I am a Junior here at Rutgers pursuing my Bachelors in Biology, and my Masters in Education. I am using my background to increase public understanding of the methods and results studied under the HEISL Project, such as FTIR and Phytolith Extraction. I am interested in how scientific topics are perceived by the public, and hope to help bolster that general knowledge.

Biography

My name is Silje Jaegersen and I’m an undergraduate in the Rutgers Anthropology department. I am majoring in Evolutionary Anthropology on the biology track and minoring in Archaeology. I’m interested in micro-archaeology, prehistory, and paleoecology, and hope to refine my interests through my work in the department. I do phytolith analysis and FTIR in the ALMA lab.

Biography

I am a Junior in the Rutgers University School of Arts and Sciences. I am majoring in Anthropology and Economics. I am interested in Mesoameican cultures and currently assist in FTIR and Phytolith analyses of mud bricks from Tell es-Safi

Biography

I am a Pre-Med Junior pursuing a B.S. in Health Administration. I am currently assisting in research centered around using phytoliths to identify changes in human activity from the Bronze to Iron ages. With my background in healthcare, I look to participate in research centered around the past population’s health and their healthcare techniques.

I am a Sophomore in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University. I am majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Psychology. As a member of the ALMA Lab, I work using FTIR and take microscopic photos of the surface of bones.