We are pleased to announce Spatial Archaeology Residential and Online Institute (SAROI), hosted by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) at the University of Arkansas and supported by the National Endowment for Humanities, is accepting applications for its 2022-2023 cohort. 

SAROI offers advanced training in spatial methodologies for eight Fellows, including access to online training resources, two in-person workshops held during two consecutive summers, and mentorship throughout the fellowship period. SAROI is open to early-career (late-stage PhD students, post-doctoral researchers, non-tenured) scholars in archaeology, heritage management, and closely related fields (e.g., classics, historic preservation, paleoanthropology). Scholars working outside of academia should be less than 5 years from receipt of terminal degree.

SAROI involves connecting archaeologists and cultural heritage practitioners to emerging and established methods in the high-density measurement and analysis of objects, structures, sites, and landscapes. Topics include, but are not limited to, 3D methods such as photogrammetry, laser scanning, and microCT; use of GNSS and various sUAS (drone) platforms; satellite and aerial imagery analysis; geospatial databases and analysis; spatial statistics; and digital museums, archives, and storytelling. Residency workshops will take place at CAST and will consist of one two-week workshop in Summer 2022 on data collection and analysis, provisionally scheduled for June 5-18, 2022; and a second one-week workshop in Summer 2023 on data archiving and publication, date TBD.

Each SAROI Fellows will be provided:

● Access to pre-institute online training materials, including remote VDI access

● Support for travel and stay during both sessions of the Residency workshops, including:

○ Travel stipends for transportation to/from the Institute, for both workshops

○ Transport to/from airport as needed

○ On-campus workshop housing

○ On-campus meal passes for breakfast and lunch during the workshop periods

● Workshop training sessions that introduce a wide range of spatial methods

● Small-group mentoring sessions at the workshops with an assigned Institute staff member, where Fellows develop and implement individual research projects

● Additional remote collaborative time between the residency sessions with each Mentor

We continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and abide by the recommendations from health authorities for the timing of our in-person workshops. We will post any developments to the website and be in contact with SAROI applicants and Fellows to make alternative plans if needed.

Applications accepted until January 20, 2021, midnight Pacific Time (GMT-8). More information about SAROI can be found at: https://saroi.cast.uark.edu/.