2024 Workshops

For more information,  check out our event guide.

Wednesday, April 17

A 10-Step Method for Recording a Rock Art Site - sponsored by Sacred Sites Research Inc. and the SAA Rock Art Interest Group

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; 26 minimum, 30 maximum; $20 per participants

Instructors: Lawrence Loendorf, Amanda Castaneda, and Aaron Brian

In this workshop, we will teach the up-to-date methods for recording a rock art site. The instructors include individuals who have recorded rock image sites for dozens of years. This includes a member of the Crow Tribe who offers an Indigenous perspective. The goal is to present the best practices for recording pictograph and petroglyph sites. These include the latest photographic technology with software like DStretch, constructing 3D models with Structure from Motion, or making site maps with unmanned aerial vehicles. Part of the discussion will include the use of portable X-ray fluorescence to study the makeup of pictograph pigments. On-site tracing of certain rock image panels as well as tracing from photographs are presented with other techniques for doing scale drawings. An important part of the workshop will include the use of software like Photoshop on drawing tablets to obtain finished panel drawings. We use a total site approach in which we search for tools used to make the rock imagery and look for associated psychotropic plants like tobacco, datura, and others. Participants will be taught to look for sun/solar interactions, acoustics, and viewshed. Much of this knowledge comes from working with Native Americans on-site during the recording process. Pictograph and petroglyph dating practices are an important part of site recording. We will include the most recent developments as part of the workshop. The workshop will conclude with discussion of theoretical paradigms that are often used in presenting rock art research to other archaeologists. Discussion of hunting magic, shamanism, distribution studies, and landscape models will also be briefly discussed.

Everything You Wanted to Know about Archaeometry but Were Afraid to Ask: Tips and Guidelines for Collaborating with the Archaeometry Lab at MURR - sponsored by the Archaeometry Laboratory a the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR)

12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; 40 maximum; free to participants

Instructors: Brandi L. MacDonald, Whitney Goodwin, James A. Davenport, Wesley Stoner, Virginie Renson, Jay Stephens, and Alejandro J. Figueroa

Do you have questions about provenance research? Have you ever considered undertaking chemical analysis but not sure where to start? Are you curious about what techniques and training opportunities are available to students and early career researchers or to those looking to broaden their use of archaeological science? Come join the team of experts from the Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR for a workshop that will cover a wide range of provenance topics and collaborative research opportunities. We will discuss the use of methods including neutron activation analysis (NAA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and elemental and isotopic analysis by mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS, MC-ICP-MS) and how these can be applied to varied archaeological materials—from ceramics and obsidian, to glasses, glazes, metals, pigments, and bone. We will also discuss aspects of our legacy NAA databases and the Lab’s data management policies, our NSF-funded opportunities for education and training, and our NSF subsidy program for researchers in academic and nonprofit organizations. A preworkshop survey will be circulated to all registered participants in advance of the workshop to inform the organizers of specific questions, topics, and issues for discussion. Workshop organizers will use this information to help guide the content. The topics will either be covered in the main content of the workshop or through a Q&A session.

Friday, April 19

Communicating Your Research to the Public and the Media - sponsored by the Committee for Media Outreach

9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.; 25 minimum, 35 maximum; $22 per participant

Instructors: Suanna Selby Crowley, Cassandra Apuzzo, Kurt Fredrickson, Andrea Vianello, Matthew Piscitelli, Joshua Massey, Dylan Person, Ryan Collins, and Jessica Hale

Fact: it’s not just about the data anymore! Archaeologists are working more frequently with public audiences and across the media landscape to persuade, to advocate, and to tell impactful stories. As experts in our fields, we are called on to take a leading role in shaping the ways in which cultural heritage data are perceived as the outcomes for stakeholders, preservation, and policy grow more urgent. We need better tools to manage multimodal channels for science communication and to foster partnerships with descendant communities, funders, clients, and lawmakers. The Committee for Media Outreach workshop “Communicating Your Research to the Public and the Media” will focus on developing approaches to amplifying your work in the public eye and managing media engagement. Tips for elevating your personal profile will also be discussed. The objectives are to offer insight into how the changing media landscape connects with archaeological news stories and to improve the quality of information reaching the public. Key takeaways include developing useful tools for media planning, creating effective social media content, navigating media interviews, addressing anti-science critiques, and managing harassment and trolling. This workshop is intended as an introduction to smart media engagement that will benefit researchers and practitioners at all professional levels. The two-hour presentation will include discussion and interactive work targeted toward key takeaways. Hard and digital copies of handouts will be made available. Join us for a lively conversation with members of the Committee for Media Outreach, who have steered scientific media engagement both inside and outside archaeology and at global to local scales.

Saturday, April 20

ArchaMap: Tools for Integrating Datasets for Synthetic Archaeological Analysis - sponsored by the National Science Foundation Center for Archaeology and Society, Arizona State University.

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.; 20 maximum; free to participants

Instructors: Robert J. Bishoff, Daniel J. Hruschka, Matthew A. Peeples, and Cindy Huang

This workshop introduces the ArchaMap web application. Synthetic research is an essential but challenging part of archaeology. ArchaMap is designed as a user-friendly tool to map archaeological categories across datasets, thereby allowing users to merge the datasets in a reproducible and transparent process. Categories of data could include ceramic types, projectile point types, time periods, culture areas, archaeological site names, or any other category used to describe archaeological data. This workshop is designed for individuals at any stage of research, with any type of data, working in any region.

Exploring Power Dynamics, Responsibility, and Accountability in Archaeological Practice - sponsored by the Meeting Safety Committee

9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.; 25 minimum, 30 maximum; $20 for student and international members; $30 for all other member types

Instructor: Jeanne M. More, EdD

This two-part workshop was created by the SAA Meeting Safety Committee in collaboration with Futures Without Violence (https://futureswithoutviolence.org/) to identify, address, and prevent sexual misconduct and bullying in archaeological practice. In Part 1, we examine the role power dynamics play in sexual misconduct and bullying and learn skills to address and prevent it in the workplace. In Part 2, facilitators will lead attendees through a series of prompted questions to explore power dynamics, responsibility, and accountability that they may encounter in their respective work environments. They will practice implementing the skills acquired in Part 1. Both sessions will include elements of self-care to support participants in discussing and facing these difficult topics in the workshop.