Past Events

Why Archaeologists Should Run for Office

When: 6/12/2026
Description: 

Why Archaeologists Should Run for Office

It’s no secret that the archaeological record and archaeologist jobs are under attack. The SAA is leading the advocacy charge in Congress, the agencies, and at the state level, but we need more than this. To ensure the future of our science, we need archaeologists in elected office!

Join New Jersey state assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger to hear how and why he got into local politics and what kinds of changes archaeologists can make in city, county, and state policies. Archaeologists are uniquely positioned to advocate for the conservation of cultural and historic resources. Our members can help defend the archaeological record in their hometowns, home states, and in Congress.

About Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, PhD

Prior to being elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, Scharfenberger served as mayor and deputy mayor for Middletown, served on the county freeholder board, and worked as an archaeologist. He taught at Monmouth University. 

• Registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log-in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration.
• This event is FREE to SAA members and not available to nonmembers.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Opportunities for Archaeologists in Public Communication

When: 6/3/2026
Description: Opportunities for Archaeologists in Public Communication

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee. This event is FREE to SAA members.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Bridget Alex, Ph.D., Harvard University and Tufts University

Dr. Bridget Alex is an archaeologist, science writer, and educator. Currently Bridget is a Lecturer at Harvard and Tufts Universities, and a science communication fellow with Boston Museum of Science. She has published more than 150 popular science stories for outlets including Discover, Science, Archaeology, Atlas Obscura, and Smithsonian. Previously she was the archaeology and biological anthropology editor for SAPIENS, a digital magazine produced by anthropologists for the public. She has also taught anthropology and science communication at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena City College, and the California State University Long Beach.

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.

Course Description

The public loves learning about archaeology through news stories, magazines, podcasts, and other mass media outlets. Many archaeologists are well positioned and motivated to create this content but may struggle to enter mass media or gain traction on social media. This session will provide guidance for anyone interested in pop-science—from those seeking to dip their toes to individuals who want to pivot careers to science journalism. The seminar will characterize the context for our sci-comm, presenting data on public perceptions of science and media portrayals of archaeology. It will present a framework that considers the risks and rewards of varying levels of engagement. Rolling back the curtain around pop-science media, we’ll discuss behind-the-scenes processes that transform stories from an author’s initial inklings to professional publications. These include how to “pitch” a story to popular outlets such as Discover or The New York Times and how to work with journalist editors. The seminar will also review different story types (such as op-eds, news, features), media (written, audio, visual, photo), and entryways including occasional contributions, internships, freelance work, and career paths.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe Context for public communication about archaeology.
2. Survey story types and media.
3. Outline the development of a story from pitch to publication.
4. Discuss opportunities and career paths in archaeology public communication.

Isotope Analysis in Archaeology

When: 5/27/2026
Description: Isotope Analysis in Archaeology [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone. 

Presenter(s)

Emily Holt, Ph.D., RPA, Errant Heritage

Dr. Emily Holt is an environmental archaeologist and archaeological scientist who directs the excavations of the Pran’e Siddi Project in central Sardinia (Italy). Emily received her PhD from the University of Michigan in 2013 and has held teaching and research positions at Oberlin College, the University at Buffalo, Miami University of Ohio, Cardiff University, and the Museum national ‘d’Histoire naturelle (Paris, France). Emily’s research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the European Research Council and has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including Nature. Emily’s research focus in isotope analysis is on strontium and strontium isoscaping.

Description:

Isotope analysis is increasingly used in archaeology to understand the diets, origins, and patterns of mobility of both humans and animals in the past, making it a useful tool for any archaeologist to consider applying in their work. This seminar will introduce nonspecialist archaeologists to the essentials of isotope analysis: what it is, how it works, and what it can be used to understand. The seminar will cover the major isotope systems commonly used in archaeological analysis (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, strontium, and sulfur) and provide a detailed case study to illustrate how they can be applied and interpreted. The seminar will close with a discussion of scientific and ethical concerns in sampling for isotope analysis.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this seminar, participants will:

1.Have a basic understanding of how isotope analysis works.
2.Will know which isotope systems are used to address which kinds of research questions, why those isotope systems work to address those questions, and how the results of isotope analysis can be interpreted.
3.Participants will develop an understanding of scientific and ethical concerns in sampling for isotope analysis such that they will be able to assess an assemblage’s appropriateness for informative and ethical sampling.

A Gentle Introduction to Geodesy and How It Impacts Archaeological Projects

When: 5/14/2026
Description: A Gentle Introduction to Geodesy and How It Impacts Archaeological Projects [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee. This event is FREE to SAA members.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

W. Frederick Limp, Ph.D., RPA, Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies at the University of Arkansas (emeritus)

Dr. Limp has been involved in the application of satellite and aerial remote sensing, LiDAR, UAVs, GIS, and GNSS in archaeology for more than four decades. He has taught multiple short- and academic-year courses in GIS, GNSS, geodesy, and mapping systems, and have received multi-year NSF Archaeometry grants to transfer these technologies to the archaeological community. Dr. Limp was one of the first practitioners of these methods at the Arkansas Archaeological Survey in the early 1980s and as the Director of the Center for Advanced Spatial Technology (CAST) from 1991 to 2009. He has taught multiple SAA online seminars on these topics.

Course Description

Archaeologists are increasingly using high-precision mapping tools, such as “survey-grade” GNSS, with centimeter-level coordinate precision. In the past, mapping commonly used sources such as USGS 1:24,000 quad maps and the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system. Measurement errors of multiple meters were not important because they were not visible at the mapping scales used. Today, GNSS instrument coordinates are produced in Earth-Centered Earth Fixed (ECEF) coordinates - latitude and longitude and elevation or XYZ - and to be used, these must be transformed into some mapping system. Many archaeologists who have placed GNSS data on existing aerial images in their GIS often find that the point is not “where it should be.” This is commonly due to incorrect coordinate and mapping-system transformations. How these transformations work, which ones to use, and the pitfalls that are likely to be encountered - and how to avoid them - are all part of geodesy, and the topic of this seminar. The goal is to help you become an informed consumer of software.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the basic properties of common mapping systems, coordinates, and projections.
2. Recognize the potential pitfalls in software transformations.
3. Develop basic skills in selecting the proper mapping systems, transformations, and when to use them.

Bridging the Coproduction Gap: Applying Qualitative Data Analysis in Archaeological Practice

When: 4/2/2026
Description: Bridging the Coproduction Gap: Applying Qualitative Data Analysis in Archaeological Practice [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Nicole Bucchino Grinnan, RPA, University of West Florida Institute of Archaeology

Nicole Bucchino Grinnan currently serves as the Assistant Director of the University of West Florida’s Archaeology Institute. With over 12 years of professional experience, her expertise spans terrestrial and underwater archaeological research, with a particular focus on maritime archaeology, coastal heritage management, public engagement, and the interpretation of cultural resources. For her doctoral research at the University of St Andrews (Scotland), Nicole has been researching coastal cultural heritage in Apalachicola, Florida, and the values local people attach to that heritage. The use of qualitative data analysis to understand value has integrated technical assessments of cultural heritage at risk with input from the community.

Course Description

This two-hour seminar introduces archaeologists to the practical application of qualitative data analysis in community-engaged research. Drawing on case studies from the 2024 "People of the Apalachicola System" project and its use of "Community Conversations on Heritage at Risk" workshops, participants will explore how ethnographic methods can be used to capture, interpret, and apply community perspectives in archaeological practice. Through a combination of lecture and guided exercises using real qualitative data, participants will learn how to design focus group discussions, develop codebooks, and analyze textual data to inform cultural resource management and heritage decision-making. The session emphasizes collaboration, inclusivity, and reflexivity to prepare participants to integrate community input into their own research and management efforts.

Learning Objectives

1) Describe how ethnographic and qualitative methods can inform archaeological research and heritage management.

2) Identify best practices for conducting community engagement using focus groups or "Community Conversations."

3) Apply basic qualitative coding to textual data using example transcripts.

4) Interpret coded qualitative data to inform heritage management and public archaeology outcomes.

Archaeology and Superfund since 1980: Where Cultural Heritage and Hazardous Waste Intersect

When: 3/25/2026
Description: Archaeology and Superfund since 1980: Where Cultural Heritage and Hazardous Waste Intersect [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s) 

 Eugene Boesch, Ph.D., RPA,  Arcadis

Eugene Boesch Ph.D., R.P.A. is a professional archaeologist, cultural resource, and historic preservation specialist who has undertaken compliance and research oriented investigations and related work for over 50 years in rural and urban settings documenting Pre-Contact, Historic, and Industrial sites and resources. His years of experience have taken Dr. Boesch throughout the United States as well as overseas. Ph.D. research and dissertation were on terminal Middle Woodland to Early Late Woodland occupations in the Illinois Valley. His Ph.D. and other graduate degrees were awarded from New York University. Dr. Boesch worked as project director on many New York City excavations containing historic occupations dating from the 17th through 19th centuries. Noted projects include the NHL African-American Burial Ground, 17th Century Dutch Stadt Huys, and the scuttled 18th century Princess Carolina shipwreck that formed a framework for landfill creation along Manhattan’s historic East River shoreline. For the last 35 years, Dr. Boesch has served as Principal Investigator for compliance driven cultural resource projects at over 40Superfund sites in New York and New Jersey, documenting Indigenous, Historic, and Industrial occupations in urban and rural settings for the USACE, EPA, state agencies, and private clients. In addition to experience in all Phases of investigation, Dr, Boesch has also served as historian on numerous Historic American Engineering Record documentation submissions for late nineteenth/early twentieth century industrial complexes and structures. Boesch’s most avid interests, however, are issues relating to Pre-Contact period lithics and pottery in southeastern New York. Dr. Boesch has received recognition for his work in serving as a member on regional municipal advisory committees on Historic Preservation and Archaeology and was awarded the 2022 New York State Historic Preservation Recognition Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation. Dr. Boesch also serves as adjunct faculty in the Anthropology Departments at local Colleges/Universities.

Course Description:

This presentation will relate the history of archaeology within the Superfund framework with examples from specific projects. What has the discipline of archaeology achieved and extracted from frequently difficult and challenging hazardous contexts that differ from investigating uncontaminated land?  Superfund archaeology is undertaken with an awareness of the presence of historic properties and the contaminated nature of the land investigated. Archaeology at Superfund sites is conducted to identify such properties that may be impacted by remedial actions and subsequent redevelopment of formerly contaminated land. Historic properties may be present below fill, in other complex stratigraphic sequences, and/or in contaminated contexts. For 45 years following passage of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, archaeologists and historians have worked to recover information on archaeological and architectural resources to better understand the industrial revolution in the United States. Pre-Contact sites and Historic period occupations also are considered.  Research and interpretation of industrial sites can center on specific technologies and practices that occurred and have significance on federal, state, and/or local levels. Since archaeologists may be exposed to hazardous materials, specialized training, techniques, equipment, logistics, and planning are required to ensure the safety of all workers and the local community. Superfund archaeology at times can become part of an interpretive process of meaning-making with media, activists, and politicians transforming Superfund sites into places of memory, cultivating connections to social and environmental justice.  

Learning Objectives:

.Understand the role of fill on Superfund sites and how to evaluate deeply buried resources.
.Before remedial actions: relying on geotechnical borings and other specialized techniques to serve as guides for further investigations.
.Understand how historic documentation may serve as suitable mitigations-in-kind for highly contaminated sites.
.Know what you intend to achieve and accomplish: Learning to work with compliance regulations and regulatory agencies and staff to resolve difficult and unanticipated situations. Always make sure all is transparent.
.Realize the importance of work plans, and unanticipated discovery plans for archaeological investigations at Superfund sites.
.Archaeology and architecture: different cultural resources require difference approaches when evaluating local and regional heritage at Superfund sites.
.Hazardous waste materials have affected these sites in the past along with envisioning their site integrity for the near future.
.Review processing and curation of contaminated materials.

Speaking to Your Audience: Effective Strategies for Public Engagement

When: 3/5/2026
Description: 

Speaking to Your Audience: Effective Strategies for Public Engagement [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee. This event is FREE to SAA members.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Kendy Altizer, Ph.D., RPA, University of North Georgia

Kendy Altizer is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Georgia, Dahlonega Campus where she teaches courses in Anthropology and Archaeology. She is also the Principal Investigator for the Santee Delta Project, a large multi-disciplinary team of researchers whose mission is to document the cultural resources of the Santee Delta, in coastal South Carolina, before they are lost to rising sea levels. In both of her current roles, Kendy is tasked with public engagements where she speaks to a variety of audiences on various topics. Before going back to school later in life, Kendy spent several years in retail, marketing, and Cultural Resource Management, which informs her career today.

Over the last several years, Kendy has often thought about the myriad of ways professional archaeologists interact with their peers, interested stakeholders, and the general public and has seen firsthand that different venues call for different kinds of engagement. She has noticed that our field does not prepare us to face these kinds of challenges (and they can definitely be challenges if you are not asked to do this often, or if you have a fear of public speaking). To address this gap in education, Kendy will offer tips and tricks to encourage people to read the room and speak to the audience in attendance, whether it is a group of 5th graders, a college classroom, a conference, or the interested public.

Course Description

Public speaking can be very difficult in its own right, then add the pressure of trying to show off your research in a way that most everyone can understand. It's a lot! Archaeology is a fantastic field, and we get to do some interesting work. Unfortunately, for most of us, our education was geared only to academics and not the more practical aspects of disseminating research. We're told that this is an obligation to our field, but very rarely does anyone teach us how to do it. This course is for anyone that has a hard time with public speaking, only does this occasionally, or just needs some effective advice on how to engage with different audience demographics. The instructor will offer some practical tips to help you read the room and speak to the audience in attendance, whether it is a group of 5th graders, a college classroom, a conference, or the interested public.

Learning Objectives

Participants will gain skills in:
1. Public engagement
2. Public speaking strategies
3. Effective outreach

Writing Cultural Resource Management Reports on Time and in Budget

When: 2/25/2026
Description: 

Writing Cultural Resource Management Reports on Time and in Budget [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee. This event is FREE to SAA members.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Maureen Meyers, Ph.D., RPA, New South Associates, Inc.

Maureen Meyers is the Director of Archaeology for New South Associates, with experience in precontact and early contact Southeast and field safety. She has published dozens of articles and book chapters, edited two volumes, and written hundreds of CRM reports (the majority on time and within budget).

Course Description

It can be difficult for emerging professional archaeologists to transition from writing a master's thesis over the span of 6-9 months to writing cultural resource management reports in a much more abbreviated timeline while at the same time creating high-quality reports that are not boilerplate repeats. This course will provide a template for writing a standard Phase I report with no finds or minimal non-eligible finds, within a 40-hour budgeted period. Standard reports usually include an Abstract, Introduction, Background Research, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. The course will discuss each section, how much time to spend per section, how to identify graphics needs for the report, and how to accommodate internal feedback and revisions within those 40 hours, with tips on creating a product that meets archaeological standards and keeps you on time and on budget. Additionally, we will discuss ways to identify research questions in the work and suggestions for creating peer-reviewed articles from basic survey work.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the components of a cultural resource management report.
2. Learn how to budget 40 hours of time to write a basic no-find or small (non-eligible) site(s) Phase I report.
3. Understand how to budget for internal reviews and revisions in that time period.
4. Identify when data are significant and how to turn the report into an article.

Introduction to Seventeenth- through Nineteenth-Century Ceramics and Site Interpretations

When: 2/5/2026
Description: 

Introduction to Seventeenth- through Nineteenth-Century Ceramics and Site Interpretations [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Meta F. Janowitz, Ph.D.

Dr. Meta Fayden Janowitz has over forty-five years’ experience in historical archaeology, with an emphasis on the study of material culture, in particular ceramics. Her main research interests are ceramics made or used in the Middle Atlantic region from the 17th through the mid-20th centuries. The majority of her work has been with public archaeology/cultural resource management projects throughout the Northeast and Midwest. As part of this work, she has analyzed and written about artifacts from many archaeological sites in Manhattan, including the Stadt Huys Block (the site of New Amsterdam’s City Hall) and the New York African Burial Ground; sites from Philadelphia and other urban and rural areas in the Mid-Atlantic region; and the Caribbean; and she has been a primary or contributing author on numerous archaeological reports. She has published articles in various peer-reviewed periodicals, including the American Ceramic Circle, Ceramics in America, the Journal of the Society for Historical Archaeology, the Journal of the council for Northeast Historical Archaeology, and New Jersey History. She has taught students at the School of Visual Arts, the Cooper Union, and New York University about the archaeology of New York City as a faculty and adjunct faculty member.

Course Description

This course will cover the basics of ceramic identification and analysis from 17th- through 19th-century sites and will give examples of the information archaeologists can gain from studying excavated vessels and sherds. No prior knowledge of ceramic analysis is required to benefit from the course, but those with experience should find it useful to refresh or expand their identification methods and analytical techniques.

Learning Objectives

1. To teach participants how to identify historic period ceramic ware types, decorations, and forms.

2. To provide examples of the sorts of information that archaeologists can and cannot get from historic period ceramic vessels and sherds.

3. To provide background information about how and why historic period ceramics changed from the 17th through the 19th centuries.

4. To examine how the craft of making salt-glazed stoneware in the German tradition became established in North America during the early 18^th century and how it expanded.

Introduction to Historic Plastics in the Archaeological Record

When: 12/11/2025
Description: Introduction to Historic Plastics in the Archaeological Record

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Kimberly Wooten, RPA, California Department of Transportation

Kimberly Wooten received her BA in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1990. She has been a working archaeologist since then, shifting her focus from pre-contact to the fields of post-contact and contemporary archaeology. The potential to explore plastic as an archaeological issue came to her attention in 2018, when she had the opportunity to sail with an all-women crew to research microplastics in the North Atlantic. Kimberly writes and presents on plastic waste, microplastics, and how climate change and other environmental issues can be addressed by the discipline of archaeology. Most recently, she has been teaching about historic-era plastics in the archaeological record, tying those workshops to contemporary archaeology and activism. Ms. Wooten is a recognized expert in the growing field of plastic archaeology. She currently works for the California Department of Transportation as an archaeologist and a climate change specialist.

Julia Huddleson, California Department of Transportation

Julia Huddleson is an historical archaeologist with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) where she is the statewide manager of a GIS application and integrated database that tracks cultural resources and projects across California. She has a BA in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz (1991), MS in education from University of Southern California (1991) and an MA in Cultural Resources Management from Sonoma State University (2003). She developed a love of historical archaeology from the post-contact period early in her career and, and since 1997, for Caltrans. Key accomplishments at Caltrans include publication of archaeological research designs for agriculture, mining, townsites, and work camp properties developed with an interdisciplinary team. While working for the Forest Service and Caltrans, she had the opportunity to develop training programs to teach identification of ceramics and other material types from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Most recently, she collaborated with Ms. Wooten to develop a training for identifying plastic types found in the archaeological record.

Course Description

Many of us think of plastic as a modern phenomenon. However, the first synthetic plastics were in production by the early 1870s. Plastic artifacts present at archaeological sites are often mistaken as modern disturbance and not recognized for what they can contribute to a site’s history. A basic understanding of this material type will be increasingly important for recording and evaluating archaeological sites. This seminar will give an overview of the history and development of plastics, followed by an introduction to specific plastic types, including celluloid, Bakelite, and acrylic. Teaching will rely on detailed images of plastic artifacts and type collection examples from the early 1900s through to the modern era, including a discussion of basic identification methods. While the focus is on domestic sites, information provided will inform on industrial commercial and archaeological sites as well. The seminar will conclude with a discussion of the Anthropocene, contemporary plastic archaeology, and time focused on individual solutions to the current plastic pollution crisis. There will be time for Q&A at the end of the session.

Learning Objectives

1) Introduce participants to the history of synthetic plastic production, beginning in the 1870s.
2) Provide methods to identify celluloid, Bakelite, and acrylic artifacts.
3) Introduce contemporary archaeological issues associated with plastic.
4) Provide a brief discussion of measures participants can take to reduce their plastic consumption.

Crafting Data-Driven Publications in Archaeology

When: 12/4/2025
Description: 

Crafting Data-Driven Publications in Archaeology [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Charles Cobb, Ph.D., RPA, Florida Museum of Natural History

Charles Cobb is the Curator of Historical Archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, with current interests in historical anthropology, Indigenous histories of the American Southeast, and interactions between Native Americans and Europeans in the early colonial era. Charles received his PhD in 1988 from SIUCarbondale, and since that time has worked in a variety of archaeological settings: the CRM industry, academic departments, an archaeological state agency, and currently a natural history museum. Charles' publication record spans 40 years and includes over 40 journal articles, over 30 book chapters, two authored books, two edited books, in addition to a number of technical reports. Charles has a long-standing interest in the application of both quantitative and qualitative methods in archaeology.

Course Description

There are many kinds of publications in archaeology, ranging from those intended for the public to heady theoretical treatises. In this seminar we will emphasize developing the skills for writing successful publications that rely strongly on empirical data analysis. Although publishing in journal articles and book chapters will be the primary focus, there will also be some attention to technical publications (such as CRM reports). The concept of research design will center the presentation: how do we initiate compelling questions or propositions, rationalize the material implications of those questions, and then evaluate these implications methodologically? We will also touch on issues of writing style and organization, the best uses of tables and figures, ethical guidelines, and aiming for an appropriate publication outlet.

Learning Objectives

1. To demonstrate how the concept of research design is foundational to publications and grants.
2. To develop the skills to publish in a variety of publication types.
3. To raise awareness of the ethical importance of collaborative research and data accessibility.

A Path toward Understanding: Pictograph and Petroglyph Documentation and Data Collection

When: 11/18/2025
Description: 

A Path toward Understanding: Pictograph and Petroglyph Documentation and Data Collection [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Amanda Castañeda, RPA, M.A., Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center

Amanda Castañeda is the Archaeology Director for Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of persevering the rock art of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands in southwest Texas. Amanda received her B.S. and M.A. in anthropology from Texas State University with graduate research focused on bedrock ground stone technology. Since graduate school, Amanda’s research and career has largely been in west Texas with non-profits, academic projects, and cultural resource management work. She also worked for the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office which afforded her the opportunity to work at several rock art sites on the northern plains. Rock art documentation and preservation has been a consistent thread throughout all of Amanda’s positions, gaining experience in varying methodologies and practices. Amanda serves on the American Rock Art Research Association board, is the rock art liaison for the Texas Archaeological Society and has helped facilitate several rock art recording workshops for state archaeological societies as well as the Society for American Archaeology at the 2024 Annual Conference in New Orleans.

Carolyn E. Boyd, Ph.D., Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, Texas State University

Carolyn E. Boyd is the Shumla Endowed Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Texas State University. She is an artist and an archaeologist specializing in iconographic analysis and cognitive archaeology. She received her doctorate in archaeology from Texas A&M University based on her analysis of the 5,000-year-old Pecos River style rock art in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas and Mexico. Her research examines the role of hunter-gatherer artists as active participants in the social, economic, and ideological fabric of the community, and the function of art as communication and a mechanism for social and environmental adaptation. She is the author of numerous publications, including two books, Rock Art of the Lower Pecos (2003) and The White Shaman Mural: An Enduring Creation Narrative, which received the 2017 Scholarly Book Award from the Society for American Archaeology.

In 1998, Boyd founded a nonprofit organization, Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, to preserve and study the rock art of the Lower Pecos. She serves as ex-officio head of research for the organization and collaborates with Shumla on various research initiatives. Boyd’s current projects include Origins and Tenacity of Myth in Archaic Period Rock Art of Southwest Texas and Northern Mexico, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Layers of Meaning: Chronological Modeling & Pictograph Stratigraphy, funded by the National Science Foundation. This collaborative and interdisciplinary research program synthesizes expertise from chemistry, archaeological science, formal art analysis, and Indigenous consultants. Results from these projects are informing studies of myth, forager social organization, Texas prehistory, art history, and the origins of Mesoamerican myth and art. Results also are providing insights into possible drivers for the emergence and decline of Pecos River style rock art, including environmental, social, and extra-regional cultural influences.

Course Description

Pictographs and petroglyphs, often referred to as rock art or rock imagery, are unique cultural resources and important archaeological features. However, many archaeologists may find the study of rock art intimidating for various reasons. Some people may not have experience with rock imagery because it does not exist or preserve in their environment. Others struggle with strategies for interpretation or understanding what can be learned from the myriad painted, pecked, and incised images found at archaeological sites. The goal of this webinar is to provide tools and a framework that makes the documentation and study of rock art more approachable. Throughout this course we will guide participants through modern methods of recordation with a focus on how research questions guide best practices. This seminar is intended for archaeologists at any career stage who have minimal to no experience with rock art documentation and analysis.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will gain insight into the significance of rock art for past, present, and future peoples and appreciate the contributions that rock art can offer to archaeological inquiry.
2. Attendees will learn current best practices for rock art documentation ranging from baseline minimum procedures to highly detailed analyses.
3. Participants will understand the importance of tailoring recording methods to specific research questions and goals.

Preparing to Direct Your First Field Project or Field School

When: 11/5/2025
Description:  Preparing to Direct Your First Field Project or Field School [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Kaitlyn Davis, RPA, Ph.D., Northern Arizona University

Dr. Kaitlyn Davis was the lead author on a publication in Advances in Archaeological Practice’s 2021 special issue on Health and Wellness in Archaeology, specifically focusing on safety considerations for first time field directors (such as graduate students). She also co-led a well-attended SAA seminar in 2022 on safety and logistical considerations for preparing a first field project. She teaches one of Northern Arizona University's archaeological field schools.

Dr. Davis is an archaeologist with over 10 years of experience including cultural resource management, community collaboration, public lands management, and academic research. She is interested in community-based archaeology, public archaeology, artifact sourcing, paleoethnobotany, geoarchaeology, and landscape archaeology. She especially values community-based collaborative archaeology, having worked in cooperation with community members from the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes, the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) Tribe, the Santa Fe South Cooperative Association, the Friends of Fort Owen, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Ute Indian Tribe, and collaborating for 11 years with the Pueblo of Pojoaque. She has completed archaeological projects for the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Parks Service, New Mexico State Land Office, Archaeological Conservancy, and Montana State Parks. She has previously worked in several midwestern and western states and Ireland, and at archaeological sites ranging in date from the early archaic period through the early twentieth century. She has supervised the crews and planned the logistics for multiple of the projects previously described. These crews have ranged from volunteers of all ages and experience levels to university and federal employees. She earned her PhD from the University of Colorado in 2022 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Archaeology at Northern Arizona University and a Senior Archaeologist at Chronicle Heritage.

 Course Description

Graduate schools provide students opportunities for fieldwork and training in archaeological methods and theory, but can sometimes overlook instruction in field safety and well-being. More explicit guidance on organizational considerations for projects and how to conduct safe fieldwork will improve the overall success of student-led projects and prepare students to direct safe and successful fieldwork programs as professionals. This guidance can also be instilled during field school, and so a portion of this course will be dedicated to considerations for organizing and directing field schools to meet the needs of today’s workforce and to emphasize crew safety and training scaffolding. In this seminar, we will draw on the experiences of current and recent graduate students as well as professors who have overseen fieldwork to outline key considerations in improving field safety and well-being and to offer recommendations for specific training and safety protocols. While discussing these considerations and recommendations, we will use primarily domestic field project examples, particularly those involving community collaboration, but will briefly touch on international projects.

The resources and recommendations provided in this seminar will be especially useful for projects whose crews are comprised at least partially of students, interns, or volunteers (such as Passport in Time, university, or nonprofit-sponsored projects).

Learning Objectives

1. Learning how to protect and register your project.
2. Provide information to share with your crew (e.g. acknowledgement of risk form, code of conduct agreement, info packet).
3. Learning things to keep in mind when structuring your project (i.e. structuring a safe project).

Job Options in Archaeology and Heritage Management

When: 10/29/2025
Description: 

Job Options in Archaeology and Heritage Management

Join SAA to learn about career options in archaeology and heritage management! Attendees will be able to pick two career paths they want to learn more about and talk to professionals in the field.

• Each breakout room will be capped at 40 people per room.
• Registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration.
• This event is FREE to SAA members and not available to non-members.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.
• This event will not be recorded or available for later viewing.

Como nominar alguien para un premio de la SAA

When: 10/16/2025
Description: 

Como nominar alguien para un premio de la SAA [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Dan Sandweiss, Ph.D., University of Maine

Dan Sandweiss es un arqueólogo andinista con casi 50 años de experience en la América Latina. Ha participado en comités de selección para premios de la SAA y hizo una nominación exitosa para un premio. Fue el presidente de la SAA de 2022 a 2025 y ortorgó los premios de la SAA a los ganadores cada año.

Course Description

En este curso, vamos a hablar de como hacer una nominación para un premio de la SAA.

Learning Objectives

1. Saber que premios ofrece la SAA.
2. Saber como extraer la información clave de las convocatorias para nominaciones para premios.
3. Saber como escribir una nominación para un premio.

Cemetery Site Protections and Cultural Resource Management- A View from Louisiana and Implications for the Rest of the

When: 10/9/2025
Description: 

Cemetery Site Protections and Cultural Resource Management: A View from Louisiana and Implications for the Rest of the United States [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.
• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Ryan Seidemann, J.D., Ph.D., RPA, Arizona State University, University of New Orleans, The Water Institute, Southern University Law Center

Ryan has been studying cemeteries and biological anthropology for over 30 years. He holds a BA (Florida State) and an MA (Louisiana State) in anthropology and a Ph.D. (Univ. of New Orleans) in urban studies/urban anthropology. Ryan also holds two law degrees (Louisiana State) and has been a licensed lawyer for over 20 years (Louisiana and Vermont). Ryan's legal, anthropological, and academic pursuits have been guided by studying the intersections of law and archaeology, including historic and archaeological preservation, human remains law, and shipwreck law. As a lawyer for the State of Louisiana for 20 years, Ryan policed the illicit trade in human remains in that state and collaborated with other states and federal agencies engaged in such endeavors. At the same time, Ryan authored or coauthored the laws that today make Louisiana's cemetery site protections the strongest in the United States. In addition, Ryan regularly teaches CRM, historic preservation, property law, and the anthropology of death and burial through adjunct appointments at the University of New Orleans, Southern University Law Center, and Arizona State University.

Course Description

This course provides practitioners, both within CRM and academia, with a basic overview of federal and Louisiana law governing cemeteries and human remains. The focus on Louisiana law is expanded to the rest of the United States, reviewing both statutory law, court interpretations (case law), and basic common and civil law concepts that relate to these unique spaces. This course also provides recommendations for amending existing law around the U.S. and highlights the importance of descendant community agency in the protection of these sites.

Learning Objectives

1. Provide a clear understanding of what the law does and does not protect in terms of cemeteries and human remains in the U.S.
2. Provide guidance for how these laws interact with the basic practice of CRM in the U.S.
3. Provide guidance for working to improve protections of these sites in jurisdictions around the U.S.

Exploring Archaeological Challenges: A Webinar for FIRST® LEGO® League and Robotics Teams

When: 10/1/2025
Description: 

Exploring Archaeological Challenges: A Webinar for FIRST® LEGO® League and Robotics Teams

• Registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration. 
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.
• This event is for FIRST® LEGO® League and Robotics Teams

Presenter(s)

Elizabeth Reetz, Strategic Initiatives Director, University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist. Formerly a Cultural Resources Management fieldwork director, Elizabeth now focuses on archaeology education, communications, and making archaeology accessible to all ages.

Mary De La Garza, Research Technology Director, University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist. Mary is a Systems Administrator who uses her technical skills in the digital archaeological realm. She is a licensed drone pilot and produces and analyzes aerial lidar and thermal data collected from archaeological sites by a UAS.

Ervan Garrison, Professor Emeritus, Geology & Anthropology, University of Georgia. Ervan currently conducts geoarchaeological research using drone and ROV-hosted geophysical sensors.

Course Description

This webinar is designed for those participating in the 2025-2026 FIRST® LEGO® League UNEARTHED^TM season focused on archaeology. Our expert panelists will discuss the various challenges archaeologists face with logistics, research, excavation, fieldwork, artifact analysis, storage, and more! We'll address common questions that archaeologists receive and will answer questions from attendees. Coaches and students are invited to attend, but an adult must be the one to register on behalf of their team. No matter what point your team is in preparations, this session will help you brainstorm the ways that new innovations can address real-world archaeological challenges.

The webinar was recorded and can be found here: Exploring Archaeological Challenges: A Webinar for FIRST® LEGO® League and Robotics Teams - YouTube

Learning Objectives

This webinar is designed for those participating in the 2025-2026 FIRST® LEGO® League UNEARTHED^TM season focused on archaeology.

Sampling Wet and Inundated Sediments and Soils in Archaeology

When: 9/10/2025
Description: 

Sampling Wet and Inundated Sediments and Soils in Archaeology [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Dr. Ervan Garrison, PhD, RPA, University of Georgia

Dr. Garrison has recently retired from the University of Georgia where he taught geology and archaeology for 32 years. Archaeological sedimentology played a central role in his teaching and research, which encompassed the study of both terrestrial and lacustrine/marine sediments. From 1990 to 1992 he worked as a Marine Archaeologist at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and served as research faculty at Texas A&M University from 1979 to 1989. Dr. Garrison received his PhD. from the University of Missouri and both his B.S. and M.A. from the University of Arkansas.

Course Description

A significant portion of any archaeological site is often in the dirt aka “sediments.” Even until the mid-to-late 20th century, sediments were simply discarded and ignored at many excavations. Sediment analysis or sedimentology together with pedology is largely the province of geoarchaeology. The geoarchaeological study of inundated and submerged soils and sediments is a relevant sub-specialty since more and more academic and CRM studies focus on drowned landscapes. This seminar will focus exclusively on “drowned dirt” and how best to use it for archaeological ends. Color, texture, parent material, micro-and- macro inclusions, eDNA will be discussed as well as important laboratory and instrumental methods that assist in our understanding of wet sediments and soils.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn how to best sample wet sediments and how their study differs from that of subaerial soils and sediments.
2. Learn the basic steps in the collection and characterization of wet sediments.
3. Appreciate the importance of sedimentological/pedological study in archaeology.

Metal Detecting Applications in Archaeology

When: 8/21/2025
Description: 

Metal Detecting Applications in Archaeology [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Joel Dukes, RPA, USDI National Park Service, Northeast Archeological Resources Program

Joel Dukes has been an archaeologist with the National Park Service Northeast Archaeological Resources Program based out of Lowell, Massachusetts since 2008. Prior to that he was an archaeologist for the US Forest Service for eight years. As a regional NPS archaeologist he serves as an archaeological advisor for several parks including the Appalachian Trail, Statue of Liberty and Minute Man National Historical Park. Joel has an interest in exploring new archaeological methods for investigating and interpreting battlefields and has led and participated in projects at battlefield parks including Gettysburg, Appomattox, Minute Man, and Saratoga. Mr. Dukes holds an M.A. in Anthropology/Archaeology from the University of Georgia (1993). He is an Advanced Metal Detecting for the Archaeologist instructor and has also served as a Scientific Recovery Expert with the Defense Department POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

Joseph Balicki, RPA, Archeological Consultant

Joseph Balicki is an instructor for Advanced Metal Detecting for the Archaeologist and is a graduate of the Catholic University of America (MA). During his career in Cultural Resource Management, the Archeology of Military sites was one of his primary areas of expertise, and he is proficient in conducting KOCOA analysis, primary research, and metal detector surveys on military archeological sites ranging from fortifications, battlefields, winter quarters, and cantonments to front-line temporary bivouacs. His 2011 article “The Watch-Fires of a Hundred Circling Camps: Theoretical and Practical Approaches to Investigating Civil War Campsites” conclusively demonstrated that, at present, metal detection is the most effective method for identifying and examining military sites. He is a strong advocate for the inclusion of realistic metal detection methodologies on all historic sites as these collection strategies will result in a different data set than traditional field methods. Current research interests include conflict theory and best practices for effective metal detection by archaeologists. 

Course Description

In this seminar, participants will be introduced to the applications, efficacy, and best practices of metal detection in archaeological contexts. Participants will learn the basics of survey methods, detector techniques, data management, and general machine settings. The role of crew experience, metal detector quality, environmental conditions, and appropriate level of effort will be covered. Several case studies that were successful in defining archaeological sites will be discussed.

Learning Objectives

1). Introduce participants to when a metal detecting investigation is appropriate.
2). Participants will be introduced to a variety of metal detection survey methods and ways to improve performance.
3). Participants will learn the role that experience, quality metal detectors, environmental conditions, and appropriate time devoted to a project have on metal detecting investigations.

How SAA is Organized and How to Affect Change in the Society

When: 6/5/2025
Description: 

How SAA is Organized and How to Affect Change in the Society

• Registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately and an email with log in information one day before the event. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration.
• This event is FREE to SAA members and not available to non-members.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Job Options in Archaeology and Heritage Management

When: 6/4/2025
Description: 

Job Options in Archaeology and Heritage Management

Join SAA and ACRA to learn about career options in archaeology and heritage management! Attendees will be able to pick two career paths they want to learn more about and talk to professionals in the field. If you are not an SAA member but are an ACRA member, please head over to the ACRA website to sign up for the event. 

• Each breakout room will be capped at 40 people per room.
• Registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration.
• This event is FREE to SAA members and not available to non-members.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.
• This event will not be recorded or available for later viewing.

Introduction to Heritage at Risk: Becoming Active in Climate Heritage Research and Networks

When: 5/30/2025
Description: 

Introduction to Heritage at Risk: Becoming Active in Climate Heritage Research and Networks [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Sarah E. Miller, RPA, Florida Public Archaeology Network, Flagler College

Since 2006 Sarah E. Miller has worked for the Florida Public Archaeology Network as Director of the Northeast and East Central Regions. During that time, she developed the Cemetery Resource Protection Training (CRPT) and Heritage Monitoring Scout (HMS Florida) programs. She is a graduate of Cornell College (BA), East Carolina University (MA), and is currently pursuing her PhD in Historic Preservation at the University of Florida. She has served the Society for Historical Archaeology for 10 years as a board member and current Secretary. She is inaugural chair of the Heritage at Risk Committee (HARC) for SHA, as well as on the Climate Change Response and Strategies committee for SAA. Her research interests include public archaeology, community engagement, historic cemeteries, climate heritage, advocacy and preservation.

Course Description

Rising temperatures, sea level, and number of storms cause an increase in hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes, and erosion events that all impact heritage sites around the world. Archaeologists are well poised to respond to the crisis by engaging local communities, working with local governments, participating in transdisciplinary research, and advocating for climate heritage policy. This seminar will discuss heritage at risk as a specialization, climate heritage communities, and various research networks. The workshop will provide case studies from several countries, an overview of research questions employed in current climate heritage research and encourage you to join the heritage at risk effort where you work and live.

Learning Objectives

After this seminar, participants will be able to:
1) Identify threats to heritage sites that are increasing due to storm intensification and climate conditions
2) Learn about different research approaches to heritage at risk
3) Consider different engagement approaches to assist or respond to communities in need
4) Join committees and research networks to support further development of climate heritage interests

Remote Sensing and 3D Modeling Tools: Digital Twins for Documenting and Preserving History

When: 5/15/2025
Description: 

Remote Sensing and 3D Modeling Tools: Digital Twins for Documenting and Preserving History [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Sergio Bernardes, PhD, Center for Geospatial Research, University of Georgia

Sergio Bernardes is the Associate Director for the Center for Geospatial Research and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Georgia. He holds a PhD in Geography, a MS in Remote Sensing and a BS in Agriculture Engineering. Since 1989, Dr. Bernardes has worked at the forefront of geospatial applications and software development, with expertise spanning geography, software engineering, and the implementation of large-scale geospatial projects for government, industry, and academia. An FAA-certified remote pilot, he has been pioneering the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for remote sensing since 2013. He contributes to digital humanities and cultural heritage preservation through digital documentation, 3D reconstruction, and visualization of sites and objects of historical significance.

Course Description

Discover how cutting-edge technologies including drones, photogrammetry, and remote sensing are revolutionizing historical preservation in this two-hour seminar. In the first hour, you’ll learn about the principles of photogrammetry, common workflows for 3D reconstruction, and explore case studies showcasing how these techniques are used to create detailed digital twins of artifacts and historic sites. The second hour provides a hands-on demonstration where attendees will follow and learn the step-by-step process of building 3D models, from image organization to dense point cloud generation, mesh creation, and exporting final models. Whether you're a preservationist, archaeologist, or technology enthusiast, this seminar offers both foundational knowledge and practical skills to document and visualize history.

Learning Objectives

1) Learn how photogrammetry and remote sensing technologies can enhance archaeological work
2) Apply photogrammetry techniques to archaeological contexts
3) Create 3D models and point clouds for archaeological analysis

SAA, ACRA, and SHA History Matters Campaign

When: 5/8/2025
Description: SAA and ACRA History Matters Campaign

• Registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration. 
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Course Description

Access the History Matters Toolkit here!

Access the recording here: #HistoryMatters, an initiative of SAA, ACRA, and the SHA.

With the change in the federal administration the archaeological community should expect impacts to the business of cultural resource management as well as potential changes to higher education. The Government Affairs Committee works to respond to Congress when potential legislation that affects our work or federal budgets is either positive or negative. The GAC cannot do this alone. Further, we want our members to be prepared for potential state legislation that may have direct impacts on your work. One of the best ways to accomplish the education of elected officials is with site visits and constituent meetings in their local offices. The goal of this webinar will be to educate SAA members on advocacy, specifically how to initiate, prepare for, carry out, and follow up on such meetings. The creation of long-term relationships with representatives in government will greatly advantage efforts to ensure that the physical remnants of our shared cultural past—and the knowledge they contain.

Learning Objectives

1. Communicate to registrants the importance of communicating with policymakers

2. Give registrants the tools and skills needed to meet with elected representatives in person

3. Encourage registrants to provide feedback to SAA, SHA and ACRA on meeting progress

Archaeology Education: Creating more Effective Materials and Delivery

When: 3/26/2025
Description: 

Archaeology Education: Creating more Effective Materials and Delivery [Knowledge Series]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Jeanne M. Moe, EdD, Institute for Heritage Education

Dr. Moe has more than 40 years of experience in archaeological fieldwork and analysis, heritage and archaeology education, and project management. She holds master’s degrees in both archaeology and education and a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on human cognition and constructivist learning theory, and their practical implications for archaeology education. Dr. Moe worked for BLM for 32 years, including directing the National Project Archaeology Program for 24 years, where she developed national cultural resources stewardship curricula and professional development instruction methods. She is one of the founding board members of the Institute for Heritage Education and currently serves as chair of the board. She served as the editor of Journal of Archaeology and Education from 2020 to 2023.

Course Description

Education may seem simple – just tell people what you want them to know – right? I’m a good archaeologist; I will show them some data and they will get it. It doesn’t work that way. People construct understanding for themselves based on what they already know and how new information fits within existing structures of knowledge. Preconceptions and misconceptions may be difficult to detect and can block new learning. Alarmingly, sometimes our best efforts can actually start new misconceptions about archaeological practice and content.  This seminar explores the basics of human cognition and constructivist learning theory, the foundations of effective educational materials and delivery. Stewardship of archaeological sites, always an important goal of public education, must be based on sound pedagogy and compelling content for both formal and nonformal audiences.   

Learning Objectives

The Knowledge Series seminars are opportunities to learn from prominent archaeologists as they share their experiences and expertise.

Cultural Resources Preservation in the Age of Trump 2.0 and a Republican Congress

When: 3/18/2025
Description: Cultural Resources Preservation in the Age of Trump 2.0 and a Republican Congress [Career Pathways]

• Registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before. If you do not receive the automated confirmation email, please double-check that you have completed registration.
• This event is FREE to SAA members and not available to non-members.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Andrew Goldberg, Principal, Agora

Andrew Goldberg has more than three decades’ experience in public policy and advocacy. He started in politics running local and state campaigns in New York. In Washington, Andrew served as a top legislative aide to key members of Congress. At the American Institute of Architects, he rose from manager of federal regulatory relations to become senior director of federal relations and ultimately managing director of government relations and advocacy. In 2018 Andrew formed Agora, a government relations consulting firm that specializes in helping associations in the infrastructure and environment sectors grow their influence in Washington. He is also the co-founder, with former U.S. Representative Russ Carnahan, of BuildingAction, a broad-based coalition advocating for sustainable building policies.

Jonathan Elkin, Director, Governmental Affairs, Association of Public and Land Grant Universities

Jonathan Elkin serves as APLU’s Director of Governmental Affairs. In this role, he works closely with governmental affairs staff at APLU’s member institutions, advocating for federal student aid and other education programs. Prior to joining APLU, Jonathan worked for eight years as an education staffer in the U.S. House and Senate – including working with APLU to introduce and enact bipartisan legislation restoring Year-Round Pell Grants. After Capitol Hill, Jonathan helped expand bipartisan congressional support and increase funding for the Federal TRIO Programs for college access and success.

Allyson Brooks, State Historic Preservation Officer / Director, State of Washington Co-chair, SAA Government Affairs Committee

Allyson has spent over two decades advising Governors, legislators and the Washington State congressional delegation on shaping policies that preserve our cultural heritage. Her role is complemented by robust expertise in legislative relations and environmental policy. In her work she has achieved many milestones in the protection and promotion of Washington State’s historical, cultural and environmental landscapes, including the creation of a state human remains repatriation process, raising the profile of sacred site protection, establishing the Pacific Northwest's first national heritage area, and advancing GIS technology to safeguard historic and archaeological sites.

Julia Prince-Buitenhuys, Section 106 Coordinator, Caltrans, Co-chair, SAA Government Affairs Committee

Julia is the Co-Chair of the Society of American Archaeology Government Affairs Committee (GAC. She currently works as the Section 106 Coordinator for the California Department of Transportation. She been working as a professional archaeologist for over 15 years at state and federal agencies, and CRM firms. In addition, Julia trains and practices as a career coach for anthropologists looking for new career trajectories. She has expertise in NHPA Section 106 compliance, NEPA, CEQA, GIS technology, data management, human skeletal identification, and public education. Julia collaborates to create technical, training, and strategic solutions for common challenges that arise during the Section 106 process in her professional work. Julia is working as the co-Chair of GAC to generate creative solutions that address the challenges arising from policies, laws, regulations, and decisions that affect cultural resource management and access to higher education.

David Lindsay Manager, Government Affairs, SAA

David worked on Capitol Hill for two key Members of Congress, focusing on appropriations, tax, trade, agricultural and transportation issues. Following a two year period lobbying for agricultural trade, he joined the SAA in 2002 as its government affairs manager. Since that time, he has led the Society’s advocacy program to a number of significant policy achievements at home and overseas, including the passage of the Safeguarding Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act, and the development of the World Bank’s revised environmental and cultural safeguard policies. Moreover, he and the SAA’s Government Affairs Committee has ensured that the Society’s voice is heard by policymakers for the protection of the archaeological record and jobs in the United States and around the world.

Course Description

With the ongoing federal fiscal crisis, along with the change in the federal administration and in Congress, the statutes, regulations and programs that govern and implement cultural resources preservation will face unprecedented challenges. These debates will have dramatic impacts on cultural resource management, as well as the training of future archaeologists in our colleges and universities. The SAA’s Government Affairs Committee is hosting this webinar so that its members can be fully informed about the unique policy situation that confronts archaeology. Joining our panel will be government relations experts from several of our sister groups, to educate attendees on the most effective means of ensuring that our shared cultural past—and the knowledge it contains—is preserved for future generations.

Learning Objectives

1. Fully apprise SAA members on the policy situation confronting archaeology, cultural resources preservation, and higher education.
2. The potential impact of these changes on heritage preservation work and the training of future archaeologists.
3. How SAA members can best work to influence their elected representatives.

Navigating the Archaeological Job Market: Finding Your Next Career and Impressing Your New Employer

When: 3/7/2025
Description: 

Navigating the Archaeological Job Market: Finding Your Next Career and Impressing Your New Employer [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Stefan Brannan, PhD, RPA, PMP, New South Associates, Inc.

Dr. Brannan currently serves as the Director of Archaeology for New South Associates, Inc., a women-owned small business providing cultural resource management services in the southeastern United States and beyond. In his current role, he serves as the administrative manager for the Archaeology Department as well as the project manager and subject matter expert for several ongoing archaeological projects. He has conducted archaeological surveys, testing, data recovery, public outreach, and consultation with and on behalf of private, state, federal, and tribal agencies. He has evaluated numerous archaeological sites for the NRHP under Section 106 and 110 of the NHPA, as well as multiple state registers. His experience encompasses Precontact period and Indigenous residential, monumental, ritual, and mortuary sites; as well as historic domestic, urban, military, and funerary sites. He has conducted projects on behalf of and in consultation with numerous state and federal agencies, including: several state Departments of Transportation, the University of Georgia, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Georgia Power Company. His active research interests include organizationally complex middle range societies, anthropological and archaeological theory, settlement archaeology, regional survey, and the applications of
project management.

Course Description

This seminar is designed to equip new and experienced archaeologists with helpful tools to excel in today’s competitive job market. It will begin with an introduction on decoding job advertisements, helping participants understand important key words, qualifications, and how to identify the right opportunities. Second, a discussion will follow on crafting standout application materials, including tailored cover letters and polished CVs that highlight an applicant’s unique skills and experience. Third, participants will also gain valuable insights on interview strategies, addressing challenging questions, and standing out to potential employers. Fourth, a portion of the seminar will explore potential negotiation tactics to finalize an offer. The final segment will provide advice on the probationary period, offering guidance on meeting employer expectations and building strong relationships during the critical early days of a new position. Whether participants are seeking their first role or looking to advance, this seminar will provide actionable advice for securing and excelling in your next archaeological position.

Learning Objectives

Seminar participants will be introduced to:

1. Parsing job advertisements and determining if they are a good fit
2. Assembling application materials that increase the likelihood of an interview
3. Preparing for the interview process
4. Negotiation opportunities once an offer is made
5. Navigating the probationary period

A Practical Guide for Prioritizing Archaeological Collection

When: 2/20/2025
Description: 

A Practical Guide for Prioritizing Archaeological Collections [Deeper Digs]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Danielle M. Benden, M.S., RPA, Driftless Pathways, LLC 

Danielle M. Benden is owner of Driftless Pathways, LLC, a small museum consulting firm near Madison, WI. She designs new curatorial facilities and renovates existing ones; consults with museum personnel to improve collections care and management; facilitates consultation between Native Nations and other stakeholders on the development of interpretive content and exhibits; and provides professional development training in curation and collections management. Prior to starting Driftless Pathways, Ms. Benden served as the Senior Curator of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she taught museum courses, designed and managed collections facility upgrades, oversaw NAGPRA compliance, and carried out fieldwork in the Cahokian Hinterlands. She has published scholarly articles, book chapters, and reports, conducted preservation assessments of archaeological sites and collections, and enjoys educating the public about the past through presentations and archaeological tours.

Ms. Benden received her B.S. in Archaeology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and an M.S. in Museum and Field Studies (with an Archaeology emphasis) from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She has served on national committees and task forces including as chair of SAA’s Committee on Museums, Collections, and Curation (2016-2019), co-chair of SAA’s Task Force on Data Access and Archiving (2015-2016), co-chair of the Archaeological Collections Consortium (2014-2016), and member of the SAA Archive Committee (2021-present). Her practical and professional experience puts her at the forefront of the national curation discussion.

Course Description

From large public museums to university anthropology departments, archaeological repositories exist for two main purposes: to preserve and care for collections and to facilitate collections access for a variety of purposes (e.g., public education, exhibition, research, compliance, traditional uses by descendant communities). But how can repository personnel prioritize which collections have the highest potential for research, education, and exhibition or the most urgent needs like NAGPRA compliance requirements?

Assessing ‘significance’—or put another way, prioritizing collections— in consultation with stakeholders is a powerful tool that can facilitate the use of collections while ensuring that their preservation and compliance needs are accounted for. This two-hour seminar provides a how-to guide for assessing collections. The resulting data informs how repositories can best direct their often limited financial and human resources to collections with the most needs and highest priorities.

This seminar is for collections caretakers and their supervisors who work across sectors: at a tribal cultural center, a government repository, a CRM firm with a related curation facility or a university department, to name a few. Participants will receive a resource guide with practical information for implementing the assessment process.

Learning Objectives

1.  Provide attendees with a framework for evaluating archaeological collections in the
   repository.
2. Teach participants how to develop an assessment tool for the physical condition,
   intellectual control, and compliance needs of collections.
3. Offer tips and resources for developing meaningful consultation with stakeholders to prioritize collections in the repository.

Consultation Partnerships: Lessons Learned at DoD

When: 2/6/2025
Description: 

Consultation Partnerships: Lessons Learned at DoD [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Laurie W. Rush, PhD, RPA, Cultural Resources Program Manager and Native American Affairs Liaison, Department of the Army, Fort Drum, New York

Dr. Rush has a BA from Indiana University Bloomington, an MA and PhD from Northwestern University, and is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. Her research specialty is Native Americans of the Great Lakes, and she is an Army Archaeologist who serves as Cultural Resources Manager and Native American Affairs Coordinator for the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum. Dr. Rush is a Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution, a University of Pennsylvania Consulting Scholar, and Secretary of the US Committee of the Blue Shield. She initiated the consultation program at Fort Drum, NY over 20 years ago and is proud of the partnerships the Installation has established with the Oneida Indian Nation, the Onondaga Nation, and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.

Course Description

After consulting with Native American Tribes from coast to coast, the US Department of Defense developed the American Indian and Alaska Native Policy in 1998. This consultation policy takes the form of official guidance, but when read carefully, you will find a road map for establishing meaningful partnerships between US government agencies and the other sovereign nations of North America. This course will offer step-by-step instructions for building consultation partnerships based on the policy, with additional details about lessons learned over the course of the last 20 years from establishing government to government and staff to staff partnerships at a US Army installation.

Learning Objectives

1.  Understand how to initiate and implement a meaningful consultation program for your agency.
2. Understand the two levels of consultation relationships – government to government vs staff to staff.
3. Understand the importance of context for effective meetings.
4. Understand the goals for establishing meaningful consultation partnerships.
5. Opportunities to benefit from lessons learned.

Introductory Sedimentology for Archaeology

When: 1/23/2025
Description: 

Introductory Sedimentology for Archaeology [Foundational Skills]

• Primary registrants will receive a confirmation email immediately, an email with log in information about one week before the event, and a reminder email the day before.

• Cancellations and refunds for registration fees are allowed prior to 7 days before the event. All cancellations for paid events are subject to a $25 processing fee.
• All times are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Presenter(s)

Dr. Ervan Garrison, PhD, RPA, University of Georgia

Dr. Garrison has recently retired from the University of Georgia where he taught geology and archaeology for 32 years. Archaeological sedimentology played a central role in his teaching and research, which encompassed the study of both terrestrial and lacustrine/marine sediments. From 1990 to 1992 he worked as a Marine Archaeologist at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and served as research faculty at Texas A&M University from 1979 to 1989. Dr. Garrison received his PhD. from the University of Missouri and both his B.S. and M.A. from the University of Arkansas.

Course Description

A significant portion of any archaeological site is often in the dirt, aka “sediments.” Even until the mid-to-late 20^th century, sediments were simply discarded and ignored at many excavations. Sediment analysis, or sedimentology, is largely the province of geoarchaeology. In many European geoarchaeological programs it is the central focus. In U.S. and Canadian geoarchaeological programs sediments are important but not the only focus – stable isotopes, eDNA, etc. – are key elements of study as well the petrographic characterization of lithic materials. This seminar will focus exclusively on the “dirt” and how best to use it for archaeological ends. Color, texture, parent material, micro-and- macro inclusions will be discussed as well as important instrumental methods that assist in our understanding of sediments.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn what sediments are and how they differ yet make up all soils.

2. Learn the basic steps in the characterization and study of sediments.

3. Appreciate the necessity of sedimentological study in archaeology, writ large.