A $40,000 grant from the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research will enable Western Carolina University to create a 10-week interdisciplinary summer research program focusing on the preservation of Cherokee heritage and culture in the face of increasing economic and environmental pressures.

The program will include students and faculty from the chemistry, anthropology, natural resources management, Cherokee studies, environmental health, and biology departments.

“The heritage and culture of the Cherokee people are a vital part of what makes Western North Carolina such a special place, but they are being threatened by the myriad of problems associated with growth and development in the mountains,” said David Butcher, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Western.

During the research program to begin in May, undergraduate students will participate in an archaeological dig at a site on the Western campus, excavating materials from a Cherokee village. They will then conduct chemical analysis of the samples, including DNA sequencing, to compare bacteria present in the artifacts and soil samples. Soil will be analyzed to recover floral and faunal evidence that can help reconstruct past environmental conditions and cultural uses of natural resources.

Students also will investigate intercultural aspects of conflict and environmental history during the Colonial era, learn traditional pottery-making and other Cherokee arts and crafts, conduct air quality studies on the Qualla Boundary to measure levels of ozone and mercury, and analyze the impacts of development upon the forests and streams in and around Cherokee.

“Western Carolina is exploring many ways to deepen and enrich our connections with Cherokee people and to better serve the community,” said Jane M. Eastman, assistant professor in the department of anthropology and sociology and director of the Cherokee Studies Program at Western.