NEWS RELEASE (online at https://goo.gl/36Zavo)
(Ashland, Ore.) — As a child growing up in Northern California, Chelsea Rose loved exploring outside and getting her hands dirty. Rose, a research archaeologist at Southern Oregon University, now finds herself in a position to serve as a role model to young girls interested in science, and she encourages them to do what led her to archaeology.
“My advice is to be curious, be brave, ask lots of questions and never pass up an opportunity to get your hands dirty,” Rose says.
She is one of three U.S. archaeologists featured in a new book, “Archaeology: Cool Women Who Dig,” which is aimed at 9- to 12-year-old girls who enjoy looking for clues about life in the distant past. The book, by California author Anita Yasuda, is scheduled for publication April 11 and is available to order now on Amazon.com.
Twenty pages of the 106-page book are devoted to telling the stories of how Rose became an archaeologist and some of her archaeological projects. Rose says she was chosen for the book because of the recognition she gained as a cast member on the PBS series “Time Team America,” which last aired in 2014.
She serves currently as research faculty member in the SOU Laboratory of Anthropology, where her focus has been on archaeology of the American West, including the dispersal of an early Chinese migrant population in Oregon.
“I love being able to be a role model for young girls interested in archaeology,” Rose says. “I know I don’t look like your average everyday scientist, and I think it is important for young women – or anyone, really – to discover that if they have an interest or passion for a certain subject, then there is a place for them in that field.
“If all you see is pictures of male scientists in white lab coats (or fedoras and bull whips in the case of archaeology), it is understandable that young girls might not think they belong,” she says. “But they do!”
Other archaeologists featured in the new book are Alexandra Jones, founder of the nonprofit Archaeology in the Community; and marine archaeologist Justine Benanty, a cofounder of ArchaeoVenturers. Both are based in Washington, D.C.
Yasuda, the new book’s author, has written more than 100 books for children and adults, including “Astronomy: Cool Women in Space.” The archaeology book is part of the Nomad Press “Girls in Science Series,” which also includes titles from various authors about “cool women” in astronomy, technology, forensics, engineering, aviation, marine biology, zoology, architecture and meteorology.
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About Southern Oregon University
As a public liberal arts university, SOU focuses on student learning, accessibility and civic engagement that enriches both the community and bioregion. The university is recognized for fostering intellectual creativity, for quality and innovation in its connected learning programs, and for the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.