Back to the Future - CSI Three Centuries Later

Dr. Michael J. Kelley

TUESDAY: August 4, 2009 2:00 P.M. in the H.J.E. Reid Auditorium

Abstract

Colonial-era folks in Virginia and elsewhere left extensive evidence of their doings, much of it unintentionally in the things they threw out. For those who can read it, those objects tell a story through their composition, structure and topography. The ever-expanding arsenal of materials characterization instruments provides powerful lenses to view ever more of the story's text. Our region is uniquely positioned for such studies of the colonial era, with strong institutions in both the historical aspects and others in materials characterization. Collaboration among them has taken root and is growing, sharing facilities and programs. Students are benefiting especially.

Sugar production was a major economic activity in the colonial Caribbean creating, along with domestic needs, a large demand for pottery vessels that ultimately could met only by local production. The English colonists brought well-developed technology based on materials and methods used in the Old World. Enslaved peoples from West and Central Africa also contributed to the design and manufacture of local pottery industries in the early colonial era. Moreover, the Native Americans are known to have produced small-scale pottery before the arrival of Europeans in the region. Understanding the transition from English imports and original Native American products to a functioning local pottery industry holds significant interest for researchers studying the archeology of the colonial era.

Speaker

Michael J. Kelley is Applied Research Program Manager in the FEL Group at Jefferson Lab and Professor of Applied Science at the College of William & Mary. He holds degrees in Physics (B.S.) and Materials Engineering (Ph.D.) from Rensselaer, and spent 26 years in DuPont Central Research and Engineering Research before coming to Virginia. His research and teaching have always focused on surface science and materials characterization, with applications to historical materials, antimicrobial surfaces, environmental contamination, laser-based processing, and advanced particle accelerators. He is adjunct faculty at Virginia Tech (Materials Science & Engineering) and Old Dominion University (Physics).