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Dr. Pei-Lin Yu

Profile

About

Pei-Lin Yu, Anthropology, studio portrait

Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
Boise State University

Office Phone: (208) 426-3059
E-mail: pei-linyu@boisestate.edu
Office: Mathematics Building, Room 137A

Research Areas

  • Climate Change and Local/Traditional Ecological Knowledge
  • Cultural Heritage as a Resiliency Strategy for Natural Hazards
  • Indigenous and Local Community-forward strategies for risk analysis, vulnerability assessment, and protection and mitigation

I have ten years’ experience in researching effects of climate change on cultural heritage resources (e.g., archaeological and historical) and human dimensions of land use and ecosystems. I also have 20+ years’ experience in Native American tribal consultation with regard to climate change impacts to cultural resources and traditionally significant animals, plants, and landscapes. Currently I am working on a nation-wide project to evaluate the effectiveness of climate change vulnerability assessments for the National Park Service’s cultural parks and museums.

Collaboration

I am interested in cultural and human dimensions/social sciences aspects of societal resiliency, with emphasis on local engagement and Native peoples. My current focus is in vulnerability assessment (risk+exposure), adaptation, and mitigation. I am also interested in the role of ecosystem services in resiliency of communities to stressors such as disaster and climate change. As an archaeologist, I have worked on ice patch archaeology and paleoecology as well as reservoir operations and industrial archaeology.

Internationally, I have just initiated a research program among Taiwan’s indigenous farmers for climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation strategies. Overall I feel that resilient and adaptation-forward communities are more likely to weather acute and chronic stressors, as well as more mindful of impacts to ecosystems overall.

Community Partners

At this time, National Park Service. I also have a successful work history with the Bureau of Reclamation, the US Forest Service, Bonneville Power Administration, and more than 20 Native American tribes in California, Oregon, and Montana.

Students

  • Wes Wardle
  • Connor Neal
  • Joe Hall-Holton

Teaching

  • Introduction to Archaeology
  • North American Prehistory
  • Hunter-Gatherers in Global Perspective
  • Post-Pleistocene Adaptations
  • Cultural Heritage Resources Stewardship
  • Graduate Research Design
  • Theory and Method in Ethnoarchaeology
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