Underwater Science - Indiana University

09/17/2026

IU director thanking Clarence Merk at the Corydon Frederick Porter Griffin Center for donating archival documents to their Alice Dean Civil War shipwreck files, as the appropriate local Harrison County repository.

08/12/2026

https://www.history.com/articles/christopher-columbus-ships

The Niña and Pinta were lost to history, but the wreck of the Santa María is somewhere near Haiti.

08/08/2026

https://www.indianamuseum.org/event/indiana-shipwreck-preserve-system-and-the-alice-dean-project/

Discover the Alice Dean Project and how underwater archaeologists are bringing Indiana’s hidden maritime history to the surface.

07/28/2026

Congradulations to recent master’s graduate Chris Keil for becoming a PADI Divemaster!

Chris earned his MA in Applied Anthropology and Curatorship from Indiana University, specializing in Ancient Greece. Through his work with IU Underwater Science, he gained extensive field experience in the Dominican Republic and Lake Michigan. His interest in underwater archaeology even took him all the way to Bulgaria for additional training. He also supported local dive trainings and carried out lab‑based conservation and research.

We’re very proud of Chris and thankful for our time with him in the Academic Diving Program and Underwater Science!

07/24/2026

Spent a couple days this week in Southern Indiana doing a quick survey on Indiana’s fairly unknown Civil War landscape: Morgan’s Raid.

On the water, we surveyed the Alice Dean Shipwreck in the Ohio River with side scan sonar and magnetometry. The Alice Dean was a side wheel steamer taken over and subsequently burned by confederate general John Hunt Morgan in July 1863 during his river crossing to raid Indiana and Ohio to distract from confederate losses elsewhere in the war.

On land, we investigated and documented stacks of rocks on a hill overlooking the river, which are likely associated with artillery and rifleman positions during the battle engagements.

No archaeologists were harmed by ticks in the making of this project!

06/19/2026

06/15/2026

Visiting Old Lighthouse Museum

06/10/2026

Great day on the water today. Lake Michigan was flat calm while conducting student training and site management of the Muskegon Submerged Land Preserve!

05/06/2026

You can lead a horse to water AND you can make it SINK

This past week, IU Academic Diving staff successfully sunk a horse statue in Sunset Lake! Everyone please welcome our newest team member, Rex🐴

But we weren’t just horsing around, we take site enhancement seriously! Adding attractions to our open water training site not only brings whimsy to the chilly depths, but also gives staff members the opportunity to keep their lift bag skills sharp (he weighs over 300 pounds🫢).

Special thanks to and for the generous donation! And as always, thank you to the city of Linton for allowing us to dive at Sunset Park!

📸🌊:

05/04/2026

Congratulations to our newest PADI Divemaster, Pamela!🩵🤿

While at IU, she has attended multiple field schools in the Dominican Republic, worked in the Center for Underwater Science lab, and assisted with Academic Diving classes. All while working towards her PhD!

Pamela has been an incredible student, and we are so lucky to have her on our team!