Briefly tell us about your research:
My doctoral research uses 87Sr/86Sr analysis to investigate the migration paths and interaction spheres of ancient humans and animals in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, first settled New Zealand around AD 1300, sailing thousands of miles over open ocean from tropical East Polynesia. Archaeological evidence suggests that early Māori adapted quickly to their new environment and moved rapidly across the landscape of both the North and South Islands. After initial colonization, there were regional differences in settlement patterns of Māori, but the true extent of interaction and migration of pre- and post-European Māori in Aotearoa remains unknown.
Currently, New Zealand lacks a 87Sr/86Sr isoscape to interpret these past human migration patterns. My research ‘fills the gap’ by developing a cost-effective, accurate 87Sr/86Sr isoscape that captures the environmental variation of 87Sr/86Sr isotopes across Aotearoa’s complex geological landscape. The research problems are addressed by the two aims of my dissertation: 1) to establish an accurate baseline 87Sr/86Sr isoscape for Aotearoa to be used in scientific research and 2) to show the applicability of the 87Sr/86Sr isoscape for studying the migration of pre- and post-European Māori populations and their dogs, called kurī, from archaeological sites throughout Aotearoa.
What is it that drew you to this research?
Isotopes are part of an amazing invisible system that surrounds and makes up every living thing on this planet. Isotopes from human tissues have an incredible ability to teach us about a person’s lifeway (migration history, diet, etc.) whether they died in this century or 8,000 years ago.
What are your career goals and aspirations?
I would love to land a job in a research laboratory that uses isotope analysis and forensic anthropological methods to assist with the identification of unknown human remains, such as the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in Arizona or the Department of Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
What are you most proud about so far in terms of your achievements?
My master’s research used strontium and oxygen analysis to aid in the identification of deceased Latin American migrants recovered in southern Texas. I continue to run region-of-origin predictions for cases that are analysed for isotopes in hopes of returning lost loved ones to their families and providing much needed closure.
What is one thing that you have found surprising while researching your focus?
I attended a course called SPATIAL through the University of Utah. It is a summer program open to international and national students who study isotopes and geostatistical modelling. I was most surprised to meet people from so many different fields that were able to connect through a shared love of isotopic systems. The first few days, no one could remember names, but we could all remember what people studied. We ended up calling people by their research interests: sharks, penguins, dust, teeth, plant wax, Neanderthal, etc.
What is one thing about your research you want people to take away with them?
As funny as it sounds, eat local!. You will save researchers like me a lot of time in the future if you eat and drink the resources in your local environment. Fiji water confounds us all because it is sourced in Fiji but available all over the world!
To read more about Robyn's work:
Kramer RT, Bartelink EJ, Herrmann NP, Spradley MK, and Bataille CE. 2020. Application of stable isotopes and geostatistics to infer region of geographic origin for deceased unidentified Latin American migrants. Forensic Science and Humanitarian Action: Interacting with the dead and the living. Wiley-Blackwell (pp. 425-440).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338721580_Application_of_stable_isotopes_and_geostatistics_to_infer_region_of_geographical_origin_for_deceased_undocumented_Latin_American_migrants
Bartelink EJ, Chesson LA, Tipple BJ, Hall S, and Kramer RT. 2020. Multi-Isotope approaches for region-of-origin predictions of undocumented border crossers from the U.S./Mexico border: biocultural perspectives on diet and travel history. Forensic Science and Humanitarian Action: Interacting with the dead and the living. Wiley-Blackwell (pp. 369-384).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338725342_Multi-isotope_approaches_for_region-of-origin_predictions_of_undocumented_border_crossers_from_the_US-Mexico_border
Kramer RT, Kinaston RL, Buckley HR, King CL, Frew R, and Bataille CE. 2020. Who let the dogs out? Assessing kurī mobility as a proxy for Māori migration and settlement in New Zealand. Centre for Global Migrations Postgraduate Symposium, University of Otago. (Cancelled due to Covid-19).
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Who-let-the-dogs-out-Predicting-provenance-of-archaeological-kuri-Canis-familiaris-as-a-proxy-for-early-Maori-migration-in-New-Zealand
Kramer RT, Jaouen K, Kiki L, Trost M, Boyd DA, Buckley HR, King CL, Frew R, Walter R, and Kinaston RL. 2019. Identifying non-locals using isotope analysis for the Namu burial ground on Taumako. Department of Anatomy Seminar, University of Otago, New Zealand.
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Strontium-87Sr-86Sr-isotope-analysis-of-the-Namu-skeletal-assemblage-on-Taumako-a-Polynesian-outlier-island-in-the-eastern-Solomon-Islands
Kramer RT, Kinaston RL, Buckley HR, King CL, Frew R, and Bataille CE. 2019. A Strontium Isoscape Model for New Zealand: applying an established machine learning approach in the South Pacific. Student Research Symposium, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ.
https://www.researchgate.net/project/A-Strontium-Isoscape-Model-for-New-Zealand-applying-an-established-machine-learning-approach-in-the-South-Pacific
Kramer RT. Application of Stable Isotopes and Geostatistics to Predict Region of Geographic Origin for Deceased Migrants Recovered in Southern Texas (Master’s Thesis). San Marcos, TX: Texas State University.
Thesis:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342231040_Application_of_stable_isotopes_and_geostatistics_to_predict_region_of_geographic_origin_for_deceased_migrants_recovered_in_southern_Texas
Poster:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324583681_Applying_Geostatistics_and_a_Bayesian_Assignment_Model_to_Unidentified_Migrants_Recovered_Along_the_US-Mexico_Border
Kramer RT, and Bartelink EJ. 2018. Childhood and Adulthood Residency Prediction Using Isotope Analysis for Deceased Migrants Recovered Along the U.S.- Mexico Border. 7th Annual Western Bioarchaeology Group Conference, Chico, CA.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328430006_Child-_and_Adulthood_Residency_Prediction_Using_Stable_Isotope_Anaylsis_for_Migrants_Recovered_Along_the_US-Mexico_Border
My doctoral research uses 87Sr/86Sr analysis to investigate the migration paths and interaction spheres of ancient humans and animals in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, first settled New Zealand around AD 1300, sailing thousands of miles over open ocean from tropical East Polynesia. Archaeological evidence suggests that early Māori adapted quickly to their new environment and moved rapidly across the landscape of both the North and South Islands. After initial colonization, there were regional differences in settlement patterns of Māori, but the true extent of interaction and migration of pre- and post-European Māori in Aotearoa remains unknown.
Currently, New Zealand lacks a 87Sr/86Sr isoscape to interpret these past human migration patterns. My research ‘fills the gap’ by developing a cost-effective, accurate 87Sr/86Sr isoscape that captures the environmental variation of 87Sr/86Sr isotopes across Aotearoa’s complex geological landscape. The research problems are addressed by the two aims of my dissertation: 1) to establish an accurate baseline 87Sr/86Sr isoscape for Aotearoa to be used in scientific research and 2) to show the applicability of the 87Sr/86Sr isoscape for studying the migration of pre- and post-European Māori populations and their dogs, called kurī, from archaeological sites throughout Aotearoa.
What is it that drew you to this research?
Isotopes are part of an amazing invisible system that surrounds and makes up every living thing on this planet. Isotopes from human tissues have an incredible ability to teach us about a person’s lifeway (migration history, diet, etc.) whether they died in this century or 8,000 years ago.
What are your career goals and aspirations?
I would love to land a job in a research laboratory that uses isotope analysis and forensic anthropological methods to assist with the identification of unknown human remains, such as the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in Arizona or the Department of Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
What are you most proud about so far in terms of your achievements?
My master’s research used strontium and oxygen analysis to aid in the identification of deceased Latin American migrants recovered in southern Texas. I continue to run region-of-origin predictions for cases that are analysed for isotopes in hopes of returning lost loved ones to their families and providing much needed closure.
What is one thing that you have found surprising while researching your focus?
I attended a course called SPATIAL through the University of Utah. It is a summer program open to international and national students who study isotopes and geostatistical modelling. I was most surprised to meet people from so many different fields that were able to connect through a shared love of isotopic systems. The first few days, no one could remember names, but we could all remember what people studied. We ended up calling people by their research interests: sharks, penguins, dust, teeth, plant wax, Neanderthal, etc.
What is one thing about your research you want people to take away with them?
As funny as it sounds, eat local!. You will save researchers like me a lot of time in the future if you eat and drink the resources in your local environment. Fiji water confounds us all because it is sourced in Fiji but available all over the world!
To read more about Robyn's work:
Kramer RT, Bartelink EJ, Herrmann NP, Spradley MK, and Bataille CE. 2020. Application of stable isotopes and geostatistics to infer region of geographic origin for deceased unidentified Latin American migrants. Forensic Science and Humanitarian Action: Interacting with the dead and the living. Wiley-Blackwell (pp. 425-440).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338721580_Application_of_stable_isotopes_and_geostatistics_to_infer_region_of_geographical_origin_for_deceased_undocumented_Latin_American_migrants
Bartelink EJ, Chesson LA, Tipple BJ, Hall S, and Kramer RT. 2020. Multi-Isotope approaches for region-of-origin predictions of undocumented border crossers from the U.S./Mexico border: biocultural perspectives on diet and travel history. Forensic Science and Humanitarian Action: Interacting with the dead and the living. Wiley-Blackwell (pp. 369-384).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338725342_Multi-isotope_approaches_for_region-of-origin_predictions_of_undocumented_border_crossers_from_the_US-Mexico_border
Kramer RT, Kinaston RL, Buckley HR, King CL, Frew R, and Bataille CE. 2020. Who let the dogs out? Assessing kurī mobility as a proxy for Māori migration and settlement in New Zealand. Centre for Global Migrations Postgraduate Symposium, University of Otago. (Cancelled due to Covid-19).
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Who-let-the-dogs-out-Predicting-provenance-of-archaeological-kuri-Canis-familiaris-as-a-proxy-for-early-Maori-migration-in-New-Zealand
Kramer RT, Jaouen K, Kiki L, Trost M, Boyd DA, Buckley HR, King CL, Frew R, Walter R, and Kinaston RL. 2019. Identifying non-locals using isotope analysis for the Namu burial ground on Taumako. Department of Anatomy Seminar, University of Otago, New Zealand.
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Strontium-87Sr-86Sr-isotope-analysis-of-the-Namu-skeletal-assemblage-on-Taumako-a-Polynesian-outlier-island-in-the-eastern-Solomon-Islands
Kramer RT, Kinaston RL, Buckley HR, King CL, Frew R, and Bataille CE. 2019. A Strontium Isoscape Model for New Zealand: applying an established machine learning approach in the South Pacific. Student Research Symposium, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ.
https://www.researchgate.net/project/A-Strontium-Isoscape-Model-for-New-Zealand-applying-an-established-machine-learning-approach-in-the-South-Pacific
Kramer RT. Application of Stable Isotopes and Geostatistics to Predict Region of Geographic Origin for Deceased Migrants Recovered in Southern Texas (Master’s Thesis). San Marcos, TX: Texas State University.
Thesis:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342231040_Application_of_stable_isotopes_and_geostatistics_to_predict_region_of_geographic_origin_for_deceased_migrants_recovered_in_southern_Texas
Poster:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324583681_Applying_Geostatistics_and_a_Bayesian_Assignment_Model_to_Unidentified_Migrants_Recovered_Along_the_US-Mexico_Border
Kramer RT, and Bartelink EJ. 2018. Childhood and Adulthood Residency Prediction Using Isotope Analysis for Deceased Migrants Recovered Along the U.S.- Mexico Border. 7th Annual Western Bioarchaeology Group Conference, Chico, CA.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328430006_Child-_and_Adulthood_Residency_Prediction_Using_Stable_Isotope_Anaylsis_for_Migrants_Recovered_Along_the_US-Mexico_Border