Dr. Pei-Lin Yu

Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
Boise State University

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

• 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.

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.

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.

• Wes Wardle
• Connor Neal
• Joe Hall-Holton

• 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