Geography fascinates me because, at its best, it is the most holistic of all academic disciplines. I became interested in geography when bicycling across the United States and marveling at how the cultural and physical terrain changed as my tires turned. That curiosity changed the topography of my own life by opening my eyes to geography as a perspective and a career.
I am particularly interested in the dark, dynamic world of the soil and its connection to people in both past and contemporary contexts. My research pays particular attention to the imprint of past peoples on soil. My primary focus has been in Latin America and the Caribbean, where I have collaborated with archaeologists to study ancient cultures through the medium of soil and sediment analysis. I also collaborate with local archaeologists on geoarchaeological investigations in Minnesota and the region. Most recently, I have been working on a soil-art collaboration, exploring the potential to give voice to the soil through art and the contribution of the humanities, particularly art, to environmental discourse
Other interests include soil education, physical geography education, and science education for girls.
Research Keywords:Â soil, geoarchaeology, soil and art, physical geography education, Latin America
Courses Taught
GEOG 1414 - Introduction to Physical Geography
GEOG 4451- Geography of Soils
GEOG 3411 - Environmental Conservation
GEOG 3401 - Weather and Climate
GEOG 3712 - Geography of Latin America and the Caribbean
Recent Publications:
Siegel PE, Jones JG, Pearsall DM, Dunning NP, Farrell P, Duncan NA, Curtis JH. 2019. Ecosystem engineering during the human occupations of the Lesser Antilles, Chapter 6. In: Hofman CL and Antczak AT, editors. Early Settlers of the Insular Caribbean. Leiden, The Netherlands: Sidestone Press; p. 77 – 88.Â
Siegel PE, Jones JG, Pearsall DM, Dunning NP, Farrell P, Duncan NA, Curtis JH, Singh SK. 2018. Humanizing the Landscapes of the Lesser Antilles during the Archaic Age, Chapter 2. In: Reid BA, editor. The Archaeology of Caribbean and Circum-Caribbean Farmers (6000 BC – AD 1500). New York:  Routledge Press; p. 55 – 70.Â
Pearsall DM, Jones JG, Dunning NP, Siegel PE, Farrell P, Curtis JH, Duncan NA.  2018. Methods for Addressing Landscape History, Chapter 4. In: Siegel PE, editor. Island Historical Ecology: Socionatural Landscapes of the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. New York: Berghahn Books; p. 57 – 74. Â
Farrell P, Duncan NA, Jones JG, Dunning NP, Pearsall DM, Siegel PE. 2018. Trinidad, Chapter 5.  In: Siegel PE, editor. Island Historical Ecology: Socionatural Landscapes of the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. New York: Berghahn Books; p. 75 – 128.Â
Jones JG, Pearsall DM, Farrell P, Dunning NP, Curtis JH, Duncan NA, Siegel PE.  2018. Grenada, Chapter 6. In: Siegel PE, editor. Island Historical Ecology: Socionatural Landscapes of the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. New York: Berghahn Books; p. 129 – 154.Â
Siegel PE, Pearsall DM, Dunning NP, Jones JG, Farrell P, Duncan NA, Curtis JH. 2018c. Assessing Colonization, Landscape Learning, and Socionatural Change in the West Indies, Chapter 14. In: Siegel PE, editor. Island Historical Ecology: Socionatural Landscapes of the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. New York: Berghahn Books; p. 299 - 344.Â
Beach T, Luzzadder-Beach S, Sweetwood RV, Farrell P, Mazeau D, Terry RE. 2017. Soils and Agricultural Carrying Capacity, Chapter 9. In: Hutson S, editor. Ancient Maya Commerce: Multidisciplinary Research at Chunchucmil. Boulder: University Press of Colorado; pp. 245-276.Â
Siegel PE, Jones JG, Pearsall DM, Dunning NP, Farrell P, Duncan NA, Curtis JH, Singh SK. 2015. Paleoenvironmental evidence for first human colonization of the eastern Caribbean. Quaternary Science Reviews 129: 275-295.