September 27, 2025

New T-shirt and First Expert Interview

These shirts are a wonderful representation of our collaborative efforts. About two and a half months ago, we brainstormed designs that aligned with this year's Innovation Project theme. Thanks to everyone's creativity, we developed approximately twenty different designs. Ultimately, Olivia's hand-drawn T-shirt design and Jason's logo design were selected, and the entire team contributed to finalizing the look. Excellent teamwork!

Innovation Project

We've made significant progress on our innovation project presentation. We've finalized the flow, assigning speakers for each section, and we've incorporated engaging pictures from our past few weeks' sessions.

We had two insightful expert interviews today with Tracy Loe, editor of American Archaeology, and archaeologist Nikki Mattson. This was our first opportunity to present our ideas to experts, and it provided invaluable feedback. Tracy Loe, from New Mexico, appreciated our lightweight material, especially considering the issue of heavy sandbags, and inquired about the stacking height of the bags. 

Nikki Mattson, from Mississippi, initially sought clarity on our different materials and their effectiveness, and asked about reusability and drying methods. She found our idea brilliant, drawing on her personal experience with ineffective tarps and bricks for water diversion. Her feedback inspired a suggestion to use a tarp with a pole to direct water into sandbags placed around a site for rain protection. Both experts emphasized the regional differences in moisture levels and advised that our advertisement plan should target archaeologists specifically, rather than general hardware or garden store sections.

We have completed the initial interviews and received significant interest and valuable input. Based on expert suggestions, we've noted that green or tan colors are preferred for discreet use, while bright orange is recommended for high visibility. 

Regarding water diversion, experts highlighted the need to illustrate how a tarp and pole can effectively direct water flow away from a dig site toward sandbags. This strategy emphasizes the use of lightweight equipment and the adaptability of materials to varying weather conditions. Additionally, we need to address the expert's comment concerning the maximum safe stacking height for bags. We plan to conduct further testing to determine this specific parameter.

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