BIO of Christopher S. Turner:

My primary fields of research are ethnoastronomy and especially
archaeoastronomy. In particular, I am interested in `the Ohio
Hopewell geometric earthwork enclosures, and the calendrical
sightlines that they encode. As of spring 2008, I am in my third
semester of graduate studies, working toward a Master's Degree.

Having spent a great portion of my life in New Orleans,
Louisiana, I was very disturbed by the crisis there in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In this regard, I left SIU for
three semester (during 2006 and part of 2007), moving to New
Orleans and later Mississippi to help with construction and
cleanup after the horrendous storm. This experience was at once
both gratifying and disturbing. The destruction was truly of
monumental scale, and New Orleans has a myriad of social
problems which they must face in rebuilding their unique city.

Though committed to helping the Gulf Coast area, I still found
time to venture to Chillicothe, Ohio, in March 2007, where I
witnessed and photographed the south lunar maximum moonrise at
the Hopeton Earthworks. This was the last of a series of such
events not visible again for another 18 years. I hope to make a
conference presentation of my results from this obserrvation in
fall 2008.