Past Events

Bridget A. Alex, PhD, SAPIENS Magazine

Dr. Alex is the archaeology and biological anthropology editor for SAPIENS, a digital magazine produced by anthropologists for the public. As a freelance writer, she has published more than 140 popular science stories for outlets including Discover, Science, Archaeology, Atlas Obscura, and Smithsonian. Bridget has taught anthropology and science communication at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena City College, and Harvard University. 

Dr. Alex earned her Ph.D. in archaeology and human evolutionary biology from Harvard. Supported by the National Science Foundation, the Fulbright Program, and other awards, her research focused on the spread of Homo sapiens and extinction of other humans, such as Neanderthals, over the past 200,000 years. More broadly, she used biogeochemical methods like radiocarbon dating to reconstruct the chronology and biogeography of past human groups. This methodological expertise allowed her to work and publish on diverse archaeological contexts including Paleolithic Eurasia, Stone Age Africa, Iron Age Near East, Moche South America, and Teotihuacan-era Mesoamerica.

Great research is not enough. Archaeologists must effectively communicate their work to non-archaeologists, including scholars in other fields, funding agencies, journalists, and diverse publics. However, few archaeologists are trained to write for non-specialists. This seminar will provide a foundation for researchers who want to write or create content for diverse audiences. After reviewing the challenges and opportunities of public communication, the seminar will deliver technical and artistic guidance on the craft of public writing. The session will discuss story structure, audience characterization, and the qualities of engaging, accessible prose. By analyzing exemplary models from public-facing pieces, the instructor will distill elements that make pop-science writing effective and sometimes beautiful. Participants will develop their public writing skills and learn the steps to publishing with popular media outlets. They will also compose (and come away with) short descriptions of research ready to share with public audiences.

1. Review potential risks and rewards of public communication
2. Discuss elements of public writing, including structure, story-telling, and accessibility
3. Summarize the process of writing for popular media outlets from pitch to publication

Katherine L. Chiou, PhD, RPA, University of Alabama

Katherine (Katie) Chiou is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alabama. Her research spans foodways past and present, social inequality, plant domestication, applied ethics, and responsible conduct of research. Her current ethics project, funded by the NSF Ethical and Responsible Research Program, probes the effectiveness of case-study-based training in developing ethical decision-making competencies and works to diversify ethics education. Since 2017, she has served on the SAA Committee on Ethics, organizing the SAA Ethics Bowl. She also serves as the current Chair of the RPA Ethics Committee.

This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of archaeological ethics and practical training in ethical reasoning. Participants will explore the historical context and core principles of current examples of codes of archaeological ethics, receive an overview of core themes, analyze case studies, and develop strategies for cultivating ethical cultures in their professional practice. The workshop aims to equip archaeologists with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate ethical dilemmas and uphold the highest standards of integrity in their work.

1. Understand the historical development and core principles of archaeological ethics.
2. Develop skills in ethical reasoning and decision-making through scenario analysis and case studies.
3. Cultivate strategies for promoting ethical cultures within professional archaeological practice.

John A. Torres, RPA, M.A., Mt. San Jacinto College

John A. Torres has been a professional anthropologist and archaeologist for over 30 years. The bulk of his research has been in Southern California, the Great Basin and the American Southwest. Professor Torres is of Chicano and Navajo descent and is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. Since his return to Southern California in 2014 he has been teaching in the Inland Empire and is currently full-time Associate Professor of Anthropology and Indigenous Archaeology at Mt. San Jacinto College. He is also the Supervisory Archaeologist for the Kizh Nation, Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians.

When NAGPRA was enacted it empowered tribes to claim their ancestors and cultural patrimony. It also pushed forward, a movement and Indigenous Archaeology took shape. It has been with us for nearly 30 years now, but with a few exceptions, the total control of our resources never really came to fruition. An amendment to the California Environmental Quality Act, Assembly Bill 52, has taken empowering tribes to a new level and it has lead to a rebirth of that original movement. Along with biologists, geologists, archaeologists, paleontologists, etc., tribes are now at the table while creating mitigation plans to impacted
resources. These new Tribal Cultural Resources not only include, archaeological sites, features and objects, but also tribal stories, landscapes, medicine collection areas, hills, caves, waterways, etc. The impact has not only added to the interpretation of archaeological data, but some tribes have created their own CRM enterprises to collect, analyze, and curate the material culture of their ancestors directly. This program will explore how this reborn paradigm has impacted archaeology, tribe vs archaeologist relations and the resources themselves.

1. Recognize what Indigenous Archaeology is.
2. Identify potential conflicts between archaeological methods and Indigenous cosmologies.
3. Formulate ways that Indigenous knowledge can better our interpretation of the archaeological record.

David Leslie, PhD, RPA, TerraSearch Geophysical, Heritage Consultants, LLC.

Dr. Leslie is a geoarchaeologist and lithic specialist, whose work focuses on the pre-contact and historical period archaeology of Northeastern North America. While much of his archaeological work has included a focus on southern New England pre-contact archaeology, he also regularly conducts geophysical and remote sensing archaeological investigations throughout the United States. In addition to his work with TerraSearch Geophysical, where he is the Principal and co-owner, Dr. Leslie is also the Director of
Archaeological Research at Heritage Consultants, LLC, a Principal Investigator with R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, and a Research Scientist with the Department of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut. Through this work in Cultural Resource Management, and with academic partners, Dr. Leslie's work includes numerous cemetery investigations, as well as magnetometry, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) surveys, soil coring, and geochemical applications to historic preservation projects.

In this seminar, participants will learn the basics of ground–penetrating radar and how this survey method has been applied to archaeological contexts. We will explore the physical requirements for a successful GPR survey, and briefly cover some of the more common technical processing techniques to transform raw GPR data into useful maps of cultural or geologic features. Participants will also be exposed to several case studies where GPR analyses were highly successful in characterizing archaeological sites, including historical cemeteries, as well as historical and pre-contact period archaeological sites.

1. Participants will broadly understand GPR technology and how it has been applied to archaeological sites.
2. Participants will learn appropriate methods of GPR survey, and sediments/field conditions amenable to survey.
3. Participants will gain understanding of various archaeological and geological features that can be imaged through GPR survey.

Arianne Boileau, PhD, RPA, Mount Royal University

Arianne Boileau is an Assistant Professor of Anthropological Archaeology at Mount Royal University. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Florida, an M.A. in Anthropology from Trent University, and a B.A. in Archaeology from Université Laval. With over 12 years of experience as a zooarchaeologist, Dr. Boileau has conducted research in Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, France, and the United States. Her research focuses on understanding how and why Indigenous peoples procured, used, and discarded animal resources in the pre-Columbian and post-European contact Mesoamerica. Her current project investigates the sustainability of Indigenous practices related to freshwater turtles in Mesoamerica, employing zooarchaeology, ancient DNA analysis, isotope analysis, and ethnohistory. Her broader research interests include quantification methods in zooarchaeology, the development of socio-political complexity, and the resilience of socio-ecological systems.

This seminar is intended for archaeologists at any career stage who want to learn the fundamentals of zooarchaeological identification and how to incorporate zooarchaeology into broader research projects. While faunal identifications can vary by region, we will cover the basics of identifying major animal classes—such as mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish—in ways that can be applied across different contexts. We will also discuss key distinctions between human and non-human animal remains. The seminar will provide an overview of the main research questions that zooarchaeology can address and offer guidance on integrating zooarchaeological methods into larger projects. This will include a review of excavation and laboratory procedures that ensure the effective recovery and analysis of animal remains.

1. Understand the principles of zooarchaeological research.
2. Distinguish among the main classes of animal skeletons.
3. Integrate zooarchaeology into the design of a larger archaeological project.