Join Human Ecologist and assistant professor Tim Waring in a study of the micro-scale evolutionary processes in the traditional Tamil artwork called the Kolam. The _ner pulli nelevu kolam_ is a type of winding knot-like pattern drawn around a matrix of dots. Women across Tami Nadu draw Kolam patterns with rice or chalk powder on their doorsteps in the early morning. These Kolam patterns have many meanings, including progress of a woman through life, and the protection and beautification of the household, and are seen as a sort of visual prayer which invites gods into the home, while warding away demons.

Help Dr Waring and his team enter and analyze exotic Kolam data from South India, including a set of 6000 Kolam patterns, a social network of women artists. Use the visual interactive computer system created by Dr Waring to draw and transcribe Kolam patterns into a digital format.

Contact: Tim Waring, Human Ecologist Assistant Professor School of Economics & Sustainability Solutions Initiative

Credit: Research credit will be organized for successful applicants

Please view these "Samples of Kolam Artwork":http://timwaring.wordpress.com/kolam/

Required: (1) Interest in unique and foreign symbols, patterns, art (2) Interest in the evolutionary dynamics of human culture (3) Hard working (4) Computer savvy Preferred: (5) Experience with data, databases, data manipulation, or programming

The research assistant would partner with professor Waring and the Kolam Team to explore this unique dataset and its implications for understanding human culture. Tasks include: (1) Digital reconstruction of the beautiful sinuous Kolam patterns using the visual Kolam software and "sequential Kolam language" that professor Waring has developed. (2) Build a social network of women Kolam artists through which individual women learn Kolam patterns from prior data. (3) Enter survey data into a computer database. (4) Help explore sequence matching algorithms (akin to those used by geneticists) to measure the similarity between Kolam patterns, and serve as a proxy for social transmission of Kolam patterns. _*APPLY*_ by sending an email with your qualifications and interest to professor Waring.

Starting: 5/1/2011 Ending 5/1/2012

as needed

9/15/2011