Jacky Zhou '26, a double major in Environment & Sustainability and Archaeology, reflects on her time at Cornell before graduation.
What inspired you to choose archaeology as your major?
My interest in archaeology began with material culture, particularly how objects carry complex symbolic meaning. I was initially drawn to Nasca ceramics, whose intricate iconography reflects sophisticated systems of identity and expression in the ancient Andes. Studying Environmental Science alongside archaeology, I began to see the two fields not as separate, but as closely connected: the same landscapes that shape ecosystems also shape how people lived, moved, and made meaning in the past.
This perspective drew me away from individual objects and toward the broader cultural and natural landscapes they inhabited—how people adapt to, transform, and leave traces across environments over time. It also gave my work a sense of urgency. The environmental forces that once structured ancient life are now, in altered forms, threatening the very evidence we rely on to understand it.
Was there a professor or class that influenced you?
Two classes in particular played a key role in shaping how I think about the field. ARKEO 3200: Heritage Forensics was a turning point, introducing me to GIS and remote sensing as tools for studying and protecting cultural heritage, especially in high-risk contexts. I later built on this in ARKEO 6620: Perspectives on Preservation, which deepened my understanding of how cultural resources—from individual buildings to larger landscapes—are evaluated, protected, and sometimes contested through policy and practice. I’m also especially grateful to Professor Adam Smith for his guidance throughout this research process.
What accomplishments/activities are you most proud of while at Cornell?
I’m most proud of how my senior research came together.
During an independent study on the Yarlung Tsangpo–Brahmaputra region, I developed a GIS-based analytical framework to assess archaeological potential and examine how large-scale hydropower development is reshaping cultural landscapes. This work also led me to broader questions about how renewable energy transitions can be balanced with the protection of natural habitats and cultural heritage—a tension that sits at the intersection of my two majors. The project was exploratory and allowed me to engage with questions at the forefront of the field, particularly around heritage at risk, mitigation, and forms of rescue archaeology under conditions of rapid environmental and infrastructural change.
I then developed this work into my honors thesis, moving from framework-building to predictive modeling. Using GIS, I analyzed environmental variables—such as terrain and river proximity—to identify high-potential prehistoric settlement zones and examine their overlap with planned infrastructure. This more method-driven approach allowed me to move beyond identifying patterns to understanding why they exist and how they are now at risk. A central idea in this research is that infrastructure can simultaneously reveal and erase archaeological evidence. This highlights a broader challenge: we need to rethink how we document and understand the past when evidence is disappearing faster than it can be studied.
What will you miss most about Cornell/Ithaca?
I’ll miss the gorges most—there’s something grounding about stepping away from research on threatened landscapes to walk through one of the most intact natural environments I’ve experienced. Ithaca has a way of reminding you why the work matters.
What advice would you give to incoming archaeology majors?
I would encourage students to stay open to different approaches. Archaeology is increasingly interdisciplinary, and some of the most interesting work happens when you’re willing to borrow tools and ideas from outside your own field.
