Past Events

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.

Hosted by: Will Meyer, PhD (he/him)

Will is a generalist anthropologist at Mercyhurst University who advocates for a transdisciplinary and collaborative “use what works” approach to pursuing the questions that interest us. Trained as a four-field anthropologist and historical ecologist, Will has conducted archaeological, ethnographic, and ecological research in the United States and Europe. He is especially interested in how societies “remember” and “forget” relationships and knowledge from the past, focusing on both landscapes/ecological relationships and on systems of sex, gender, and sexuality.

Including:

Dina Rivera, MA, RPA (they/them, Queer femme, nonbinary)

Dina graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Applied Anthropology, specializing in archaeology and forensic anthropology. Their master’s thesis focused on enhancing accessibility through virtual archaeological and cultural resources spaces. Since 2021, they have been serving as the Communications Director for the Register of Professional Archaeologists.

Shawn P. Lambert, PhD (he/him)

Shawn Lambert is an associate professor of anthropology at Mississippi State University in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures. Lambert is a southeastern archaeologists with a primary focus in community-engaged and collaborative archaeology within a generative framework to understand late pre-European contact through pre-reconstruction histories. He also specializes in ceramic and iconographic analyses, remote sensing technologies, 3D and augmented realities, organic residue analyses, and making archaeology as inclusive and supportive as possible.

  
Char Farfadet, MA (they/them/theirs)

Char completed their BSc, majoring in Environmental Biology (Plant Biology) and minoring in Anthropology, at McGill University in 2019, and their MA in Anthropology, specializing in Terrestrial Archaeology, from Texas A&M University in 2023. Their PhD work has been ongoing since 2020. They specialize in arid land ethnobotany, paleoethnobotany, ethnoecology, and Native/Indigenous studies, especially in the Chihuahuan Desert. They work to understand changing plant-human relationships for health, blending archaeological data, ethnohistorical evidence, and presently-held traditional ecological knowledge to collaboratively address contemporary health issues facing Indigenous communities today.

Gabriela Oré Menéndez, PhD (Ella/She)
Gabriela is a Peruvian anthropological archaeologist specializing in satellite remote sensing, spatial analysis, and AI-based technologies, as well as queer perspectives on archaeological and anthropological practices. She completed her dissertation at Vanderbilt University in 2022, and her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Mellon Digital Humanities Fellowship at Vanderbilt. She was also the inaugural speaker in the Rising Scholars series at the Society for American Archaeology.

Her research focuses on decolonizing methodologies, digital humanities, and Andean Archaeology. Currently, she’s exploring the transformation and reclamation of productive landscapes by displaced Indigenous communities during the colonial and early republican periods in Peru. Her work intersects the large-scale potential of new digital and remote sensing technologies with the histories of people facing processes of political transformation and, at the same time, engages Andean studies with growing scholarship on historical ecology and landscape inequalities.

Gabriela’s other line of scholarly pursuits connects Queer Theory with Anthropological and Archaeological Scholarship. Gabriela is committed to developing an intersectional, multivocal, and global queerization of academics, incorporating binary-breaking research topics and research development, and bringing these discussions to the forefront of her research, teaching and service.

This 90-minute panel discussion will highlight the work of, and challenges faced by, LGBT2SQIA+ archaeologists. How have gender and sexuality norms from today shaped interpretations of the past?  What needs to be done to incorporate more diverse perspectives that accurately reflects not only the current world we live in, but the world of the past?

1. Give the audience opportunity to ask about experiences (and advice!) from LGBTQ archaeologists.
2. Learn about the ways in which diverse perspectives create diverse solutions in archaeology.

Carrie Pritchard-Harvey, MA, RPA, Work Culture Collaborative, LLC

Carrie Pritchard-Harvey, MA, RPA, is the owner of Work Culture Collaborative, LLC., a boutique culture consulting firm dedicated to helping businesses transform their work cultures, workflows, and leadership strategies using applied anthropological methods and a community-oriented approach that values human connections, social justice, and environmental sustainability. She also provides career coaching services to early and mid-career professionals looking to build values-aligned skills and design meaningful careers outside academia.

Before founding Work Culture Collaborative, Ms. Pritchard-Harvey worked in environmental consulting and culture resources management for 13 years across the Western United States for government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private companies. She has performed a wide range of duties in and out of the field including as a technician, field director, logistics coordinator, recruiter, hiring manager, new hire trainer, tribal liaison, proposal writer, technical expert, and project manager. In other words, she has run the proverbial CRM gauntlet and knows the ins and outs of this business. Previous key roles include Senior Project Manager with SWCA Environmental Consultants, Senior Archaeologist with Far Western Anthropological Research Group, and Culture Resources Program Manager at the Great Basin Institute.

Ms. Pritchard-Harvey received her BA/BA in Anthropology and Ecology/Biodiversity from the University of Denver and an M.A. in Applied Anthropology (with a bioarchaeology emphasis) from (Cal Poly) Humboldt State University. She served on the ACRA Task Force for Evaluating the SOI Professional Qualification Standards in 2023.

This seminar equips practitioners and leaders across industries with the tools, strategies, and approaches needed to troubleshoot poor work cultures, overhaul inefficient processes, and build better workplaces for all employees using new and traditional methods in Applied Anthropology. Attendees will come away with a broadened understanding of the skills and the frameworks needed to re-evaluate our de facto social and cultural approach to work.

1. Practitioners gain confidence and competence in applying traditional anthropological methods needed to objectively analyze and deconstruct common work culture or process issues.
2. Better understanding of how leaders and organizations can increase employee retention and reduce workplace interpersonal conflict.
3. A new toolkit of Applied Anth 2.0 strategies that fit the advancement of technology, a dispersed workforce, and the future of how we approach work in the post-pandemic world.
4. Learn a key framework for unifying early, mid, and mature career professionals toward common organizational goals and values.