The 2017 UP Expedition to Pollentia saw chemistry faculty Valerie Walters and Kara Breuer, along with Fr. Mark Ghyselinck, C.S.C. (fine arts), as padre and artist in residence, and Andrea Nelin-Roth (development) as staff mentor/activities director, fully engaged in the four-week Archaeology Field School in collaboration with the Consortium of the Roman City of Pollentia and under the supervision of its Directors, Miguel Cao Ontiveros and Esther Chávez Álvarez. This UP faculty-staff team, along with Julio de Paula (chemistry, Lewis & Clark) and Dr. Tess O’Neill (nursing, U. of Holy Cross, New Orleans) accompanied five UP students, two high-school students, and two volunteers in the excavation of the Roman ruins, archaeometric analysis of artifacts, and spectroscopic studies of a fifteenth century altar triptych housed at the Sant Jaume Church Museum in Alcúdia.
The UP students included Kevin Jones, chemistry & electrical engineering; Cesar Cornejo, chemistry; Triona Matheson, chemistry & Spanish; Riley McCammon, chemistry; and Jonathan Wiley, environmental ethics & policy. On-campus collaboration and support was provided by Fr. Richard Rutherford, CSC (theology, emeritus), and Ronda Bard (chemistry).
Building on the summer research, home front efforts include analysis of the Pollentia data and student poster presentations of research outcomes, beginning with the University’s Summer Research Poster Session on Wednesday, November 1, 2017. Additional poster presentations will include the Murdock College Research Conference (November 10 & 11 in Spokane), the Sigma Xi Student Research Symposium (November 14 at Portland State University), and the American Chemical Society’s Linus Pauling Symposium (November 18 at Portland State).
Meanwhile, on the high school front, Kara Breuer (UP BS chemistry, 1994; MAT, 2007) continues her Pollentia research. The American Chemical Society awarded a Hach Professional Development Grant to Kara in support of both the XRF artifact analysis at Pollentia and curriculum enrichment at Ridgefield using XRF spectroscopy.
In mid-September some 25 students, faculty, benefactors, friends and alumni of past Pollentia seasons gathered on a Sunday afternoon for refreshments and reunion to celebrate the “homecoming” of the 2017 expedition. Featured were short talks by this years students highlighting their experience, a creative slide video by Andrea Nelin-Roth, and an exhibit of watercolor en plein air paintings by Fr. Mark Ghyselinck of Pollentia, Alcúdia, and other regional scenes on sale as fundraiser to support students in 2018.
Looking toward to next summer in Pollentia, recruiting of interested faculty and students is well underway. Building on present engagement of departments across the University with UP PURE, Fr. Rutherford and Dr. Bard are in conversation with both Dr. Robin Anderson, Dean, and the marketing faculty of the Pamplin School of Business Administration and Dr. Joane Moceri, Dean, School of Nursing, in view of launching new Pollentia internship opportunities for their students in 2018.
