Dr. Charles D. Beeker, director of the Center for Underwater Science and Academic Diving Program at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, has been awarded a NOAA and Indiana DNR grant for $15,568 to work on the Great Lakes shipwreck J.D. Marshall.

The Center for Underwater Science will conduct an underwater archaeological investigation of the J.D. Marshall historic shipwreck to produce an accurate 3D photogrammetric model, which will identify significant remaining features and their respective sensitivity. The results of this investigation and computer vision photogrammetry will be utilized for baseline monitoring and management as well as an interpretive model for outreach and education. Built in 1891, the J.D. Marshall sprang a leak and sank in 1911 about 300 yards from shore.

Beeker, a Registered Professional Archaeologist and PADI Master Instructor, has been teaching recreational and scientific diving classes for over 40 years. Beeker served as a member of the federal Archaeological Working Committee for the 1988 Abandoned Shipwreck Act and was appointed to the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee in 2005. Beeker has assisted in establishing underwater state parks across the United States and Caribbean, using a model of multidisciplinary scientific investigations of both the submerged cultural and biological resources.