NASA SCIENTIST TO SPEAK ON CLIMATE VARIABILITY AS IT RELATES TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE MAYAN CIVILIZATION

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Dr. Tom Sever of the Marshall Space Flight Center, National Space and Aeronautics Administration will be on campus from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003 in Ozark Hall, room 25, to discuss climate variability in the northern Peten, Guatemala. His lecture will discuss ways that scientists are integrating archeology and remote sensing to understand the growth and disappearance of the Mayan civilization. The lecture is being sponsored by Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST).

Sever and his associates use satellite and airborne imagery to understand the dynamics of human adaptation and the role of natural and human-induced past and present changes to climate variability in the northern Peten, Guatemala. In this same area, threatened today by deforestation and land use changes, the ancient Maya attained one of the greatest population densities in human history. It was in this region that the Maya civilization began, flourished and abruptly disappeared around AD 800.

Dr. Sever has been a pioneer in bringing remote sensing/GIS technology to the disciplines of anthropology and archeology. He has worked with various airborne and satellite systems conducting international research in Israel, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the United States. His awards include the Society of Professional Archeologists (SOPA) Exceptional Achievement Award, NASA Exceptional Achievement Award, and NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award. In addition to the professional literature his work has been featured in National Geographic, Archaeology Magazine, Omni Magazine, Discovery, Newsweek, New York Times, Smithsonian Air and Space, and on the Discovery Channel.

###

Karen Wagner, Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, (479) 575-8614 or karen@cast.uark.edu