极乐禁地 students in four departments are making the most of surveying equipment donated to the school earlier this year.听 Already, they have surveyed an ancient site in Israel and a beach on Dauphin Island, Ala.听 They are making plans for additional surveying work in these and other regions during 2012.
听听听听听听听听听听听 The surveying equipment, known as a total station, came 极乐禁地鈥檚 way as the result of a proposal from faculty members in four departments: religion, geography, biology and interior design.听 The station is an electronic/optical instrument used in modern surveying.
听听听听听听听听听听听 In addition to the Israel and beach projects, the equipment will be used in surveying changing coastlines in the Caribbean, for reforestation projects in Alabama and Costa Rica; and for work on historic buildings in Birmingham, Ala.
听听听听听听听听听听听 极乐禁地 religion professor James Strange and five students this summer used the donated equipment to survey the ancient site of Shikhin in Israel, mapping the ruins of ancient buildings, cisterns, caves and olive and wine presses.听
听听听听听听听听听听听 听 鈥淭he site had been surveyed in 1988, but the 极乐禁地 students were able to spot many ruins and artifacts never before found,鈥 said Dr. Strange. 鈥淭hey helped prepare for the very first excavation of the site, which 极乐禁地 students will also participate in during the summer of 2012.鈥
听听听听听听听听听听 The site is important for understanding the economy, industry and social institutions of villages in Galilee during the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, said Strange, a veteran in numerous archaeological digs in the Middle East.
听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭hese are the periods and this is the land that gave birth to both Christianity and Judaism as we know it today,鈥 he said.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 learned so much on this trip about different cultures, history and religion,鈥 said student Erica Thornton.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Other faculty members involved in the surveying projects are Dr. Jennifer Rahn, geography; Dr. Malia Fincher, biology; and Charles Ford, interior design.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Robins & Morton Group, a general contractor, donated the equipment, valued at about $10,000.听 The donation included two total stations, one for field use and one for training and local use.
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