معرفی
John C. Blong serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology within Washington State University's College of Arts and Sciences. Holding a PhD from Texas A&M University, he specializes in environmental archaeology with fieldwork spanning North America and Siberia. His research focuses on human-environment interactions during the peopling of the Americas.
Dr. Blong's primary research interests include environmental archaeology, geoarchaeology, paleoethnobotany, and lithic analysis, with specific emphasis on hunter-gatherer adaptations in marginal ecosystems. His work investigates human settlement patterns across Alaska, the Great Basin, and the Columbia Plateau, examining how precontact populations adapted to environmental changes through upland and arid landscape utilization.
Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent focus on coprolite analysis for reconstructing paleodiets and environmental contexts, lithic technology studies in Alaskan uplands, and collaborative research with descendant communities. His methodological approach integrates geoarchaeological techniques, biomolecular analysis, and traditional archaeological methods to address questions of human adaptation during the Late Glacial and Holocene periods.
Dr. Blong actively encourages MA and PhD students to pursue field and laboratory projects in Alaska, the Great Basin, and the Columbia Plateau. His research incorporates community engagement with descendant populations, emphasizing reciprocal benefits from academic-indigenous collaborations. He utilizes multiple WSU facilities including the Environmental Archaeology Research Lab and Zooarchaeology Lab for his investigations.
