Kirsten is a Ph.D. student at Indiana University (IU) whose research in Prehistoric Caribbean Archaeology focuses on submerged Taíno sites in Eastern Dominican Republic. Her dissertation work will integrate underwater archaeology with trace elemental and isotopic analyses to compare the geochemical makeup of Taíno artifacts in order to examine prehistoric sourcing and movement of objects as well as post-depositional changes to the artifacts. Kirsten has been a scuba diver since 2012 and is now an Open Water Scuba Instructor who teaches in IU's Academic Diving Program. She hopes to continue to develop her abilities to use scuba as a tool for scientific research to examine questions of the past.

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