THE RESEARCH COMPONENT OF THE BEAMS PROGRAM: SEAFLOOR MAPPING WITH A PURPOSE IN UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

A large cooperative seafloor mapping program in undergraduate education focuses on training students in multibeam data collection, processing, analysis, and presenation. In many cases, the undergraduates go to sea aboard multi-day research cruises focused on mapping the unexplored regions of the Southeastern United States (SEUS) adding to a growing database of focused studies on various geological elements. A small graduate program also benefits from the synergy of the undergraduate program. From these three- to five- day research cruises over the past eight years, this significant but previously poorly mapped region has provided a baseline understanding of the paleogeography of the SEUS, of various forms and distributions of seafloor habitats, and of areas which may provide evidence of Paleoamericans on the shelf. By following the scholar-teaching model utilizing research to drive undergraduate training, our students have benefited heavily from hands-on participation in real research, providing them the experience necessary to become integral participants across the globe on applied and academic research cruises. The critical findings in the SEUS that will be addressed in this presentation include sea level positions since the last glacial maximum, likely locations of cultural resources along the edge of the Continental shelf, and a better understanding of the distribution of paleoenvironments across the shelf. These data not only are important for cultural and marine resources, but also help direct future studies across the shelf.