NCALM Adventures Topic of Lecture at Houston Museum of Natural Science
Throughout the year, the Houston Museum of Natural Science hosts a distinguished lecture series focused on the latest scientific discoveries and a variety of topics presented by experts in each field. The last lecture in February is titled “Maya Megalopolis and Ancient Secrets Revealed by Airborne Lidar.”
For over a decade researchers with the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) – jointly operated by the University of Houston and the University of California at Berkeley – have used airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology or laser pulses to create detailed earth renderings.
Using these LiDAR-generated maps, NCALM researchers and archaeologists worked together to interpret the findings and uncover finds such as the ruins dubbed the City of the Monkey God in Honduras and the ruins of a megalopolis connected to the Mayan Snake Kings in Guatemala. Both of those discoveries generated worldwide media attention.
Ramesh Shrestha, director of NCALM and professor of civil engineering at the Cullen College of Engineering; and Juan Carlos Fernandez-Diaz, senior researcher will present an overview of LiDAR technology and discuss the various archaeological projects they have tackled.
“Archaeologists were [traditionally] working on the ground…kilometer by kilometer,” Shrestha said. “If the work had continued in the classical archaeological method, they would not have finished in their lifetimes.”
Details
When: The “Maya Megalopolis and Ancient Secrets Revealed by Airborne Lidar” lecture is Tuesday, February 26, 2019.
Where: Wortham Giant Screen Theater, Houston Museum of Natural Science, 5555 Hermann Park Drive.
Cost: HMNS members pay $14 and non-members pay $20.
For more Information: Visit the HMNS website https://www.hmns.org/education/adults/distinguished-lectures/