Past Seminars

Dr. Natasha Lyons received her PhD from the Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, in 2007. She is a founding partner of Ursus Heritage Consulting, which she owns and operates with her husband in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. She is also Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, a department with a long specialty in community archaeology. Natasha conducts collaborative, community-based research with First Nations and Inuit communities throughout Western Canada and the Arctic. She practices and publishes widely on subjects related to community archaeology, ethical research practice, digital representation, ethnobotany and palaeoethnobotany. Her first book was well received in both the archaeology and northern communities: Where the Wind Blows Us: Practicing Critical Community Archaeology with the Inuvialuit of the Canadian Western Arctic (2013, University of Arizona Press).  

Dr. Kisha Supernant is Métis and an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta. She received her PhD from the University of British Columbia in 2011.  Her research with Indigenous communities in Canada explores how archaeologists and communities can build collaborative research relationships. Her research interests include the relationship between cultural identities, landscapes, and the use of space, Métis archaeology, and heart-centered archaeological practice. She specializes in the application of mapping methods to the human past and present, including the role of digital mapping and GIS spatial analysis in archaeological research. Her current research project, Exploring Métis Identity Through Archaeology (EMITA), takes a relational approach to exploring the material past of Métis communities, including her own family, in western Canada. She has published in local and international journals on GIS in archaeology, collaborative archaeological practice, indigenous archaeology, and conceptual mapping in digital humanities.

Dr. John R. Welch (RPA) is a Professor at Simon Fraser University, jointly appointed in the Department of Archaeology and School of Resource and Environmental Management. His doctorate (Anthropology) is from the University of Arizona (1996). He fell in love at first sight with Ndee (Western Apache) territory in 1984 and has served this passion in various professional capacities, including work as the archaeologist and historic preservation officer for the White Mountain Apache Tribe (1992-2005) and ongoing commitments as the board secretary for the nonprofit Fort Apache Heritage Foundation. He joined the SFU faculty in 2005 and directs the Professional Graduate Program in Heritage Resource Management. Recent publications include Dispatches from the Fort Apache Scout: White Mountain and Cibecue Apache History Through 1881, University of Arizona Press, 2016, and Archaeology as Therapy: Linking Community Archaeology to Community Health (Schaepe, Angelbeck, Snook, and Welch, 2017), Current Anthropology 58(4).

The concept of an ‘Archaeology of Heart’ originates in feminist and indigenous models of research and well-being that invite us to know and apply our full emotional, social, intuitive, and spiritual selves, as well as our best intellectual and rational selves, in our research, training, and outreach. While novel to archaeology, this emergent approach draws on the growing literatures of heart-centered practice in the humanities, caring professions, indigenous ontologies, and feminist scholarship. Heart-centered archaeologies provide new spaces for thinking through an integrated, responsible, and grounded archaeology, where we: (1) show care for the living and the dead; (2) recognize we are all emotional and social as well as intellectual beings; (3) act upon our needs for responsible relationships with each other, with a range of communities, and with archaeological records, and; (4) emphasize rigor not only in research and presentation, but in all our relational practices. A heart-centered approach to archaeological practice has the power to transform and add multi-dimensional value to how we conduct our professional practices as archaeologists both within and well beyond the discipline. In this online seminar, we build a toolkit for the heart-centered archaeologist.

We will introduce the concept of a heart-centered practice to archaeological professionals, demonstrate its utility and applications, and show how it can be used effectively in community, classroom, field, managerial and other working contexts and situations. 

Dr. Brian Crane has been working as a professional archaeologist in cultural resources management for over 20 years. His current work involves applying photogrammetry and 3D visualization technologies to archaeological projects in the Middle Atlantic Region of the United States. He has a certificate in 3D Animation from the Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Arts, and has been trained in photogrammetry by Cultural Heritage Imaging in San Francisco. Dr. Crane has used photogrammetry to generate 3D models and georeferenced orthomosaic maps for cemetery sites, house foundations, and cellar features. He has additionally produced artifact 3D models. He has used these skills to develop public presentations, interpretive displays, brochures, and websites.

Photogrammetry is a powerful tool for quickly recording large and complex archaeological features as well as artifacts with a very high degree of accuracy. This course will provide participants with an introduction to the use of structure-from-motion technology in archaeology including software, equipment, and overall workflow for creating and sharing 3D models. The class will discuss the importance of following best practices for data capture and processing, as well as for creating metadata and archiving associated project materials.  Participants will also learn about available resources for finding equipment, software, training, and trouble shooting.

1. Understand basics of equipment, software and other resources needed;
2. Understand range of possibilities for analysis and sharing;
3. How to find further resources for training, data processing and analysis.

Fred Limp has been involved in the application of geomatics methods to archaeology for more than three decades. He was the founder and director of the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies for 18 years. He has served as PI or Co-PI on four major NSF projects applying geomatics to archaeology and heritage management and in 2013 he was appointed by Interior Secretary Salazar to the Board of the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.  He has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate and short courses on the topic. He is a past-President of the SAA and was a founding Director of the Open Geospatial Consortium. OGC is the international body that developed spatial data interoperability specifications.

More than 60 years ago, Gordon Willey famously stated that the objectives of archaeology are “approached by the study and manipulation of three basic factors: form, space and time.” Since then, we have seen the huge impact that improved technologies for the measurement of time have had on the field. We are currently in the midst of a similar revolution in the methods for the measurement of space and form. This lecture updates one first offered by SAA in 2014 and is designed as a state-of-the-art introduction to these developments, specifically for archaeology students.

As a two-part series, Part I of this course provides an accessible review of such methods as high-resolution GNSS, “laser scanning,” close range photogrammetry, and related methods for the measurement of space and form of landscapes, sites, structures, and objects.

1. Define characteristics and archaeological and heritage management uses of new technologies and methods in High-Density Survey and Measurement (HDSM);
2. Demonstrate the basic operation characteristics of (a) the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) (b) “laser scanning” (and other related technologies) (c) close range photogrammetry and structured light measurement systems; and
3. Compare their strengths and weaknesses in recording and analyzing landscapes, sites, structures and objects using UAVs and terrestrial systems.

Alexandra Jones is the Executive Director of Archaeology in the Community. She has been creating and facilitating community archaeology programs for just over 9 years.  Jones has been an educator for over 15 years and uses this experience to create informal archaeology education programs for students of all ages.

This two-hour online seminar will provide archaeologists with basic advice on how to create engaging and innovative community archaeology projects. The intended audience is those who are beginning to develop these projects or are facing difficulties. The seminar will highlight a number of archaeology programs that are using different techniques to energize community interest and strive toward community empowerment. It will provide examples of informal education, classroom settings, and partnering with local organizations. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences or problems for discussion at the end of the seminar.

1. The range of community programs being conducted and how archaeologists use them to successfully engage the public;
2. How to develop an archaeology education program tailored to local stakeholders; and
3. The constraints, limitations, and obstacles in creating these programs.

Amilcar Vargas is a PhD Candidate at the University of Barcelona with a research focus on social participation in archaeological World Heritage Sites in Mexico. He completed an MA in Cultural Heritage Management and Museology (2015) and an MA in Management of Cultural Institutions and Businesses (2013), both at the University of Barcelona, Spain. He has a BA in Archaeology at the University of Veracruz, Mexico (2007).

His experiences abroad include an internship at the UNESCO HQ in Paris, research stays in Canada and Germany, participation in conferences and courses in Japan, Qatar, Poland, the Netherlands, UK, Italy, Romania, France, Germany, and Canada. To fund his international experiences, he has been awarded scholarships from DAAD (Germany), European Commission (Europe), CONACYT and FONCA (Mexico), and Fundació Montcelimar (Spain). In addition, his work as a consultant for World Heritage Sites in Spain has helped him to keep in contact with cultural heritage managers and academic and non-academic professionals.

Amilcar Vargas es candidato a doctor por la Universidad de Barcelona con una investigación enfocada en la participación social en sitios arqueológicos Patrimonio Mundial en México. Estudió una Maestría en Gestión del Patrimonio Cultural y Museología (2015) y una Maestría en gestión de Instituciones y Empresas Culturales (2013), ambas en la Universidad de Barcelona, España. Estudió la licenciatura en arqueología en la Universidad Veracruzana, México (2007).

Sus experiencias en el extranjero incluyen una estancia en la sede de la UNESCO en París, estancias de investigación en Canadá y Alemania, participación en conferencias y cursos en Japón, Qatar, Polonia, Holanda, Reino Unido, Italia, Rumania, Francia, Alemania y Canadá. Para financiar sus experiencias internacionales, ha ganado becas de la DAAD (Agencia Alemana de Intercambio Académico, Alemania), la Comisión Europea (Europa), el Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT, México), el Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (FONCA, México) y la Fundación Montcelimar (España). Además, su trabajo como consultor para sitios Patrimonio Mundial en España le ha ayudado para mantenerse en contacto con gestores del patrimonio cultural y profesionales del ámbito académico y no académico.

This seminar will be presented entirely in Spanish.
From strict academic and institutional discourse to a personal approach, this seminar will introduce students from Latin America to the opportunities for personal and scientific enrichment through international experience. This international experience will broaden an individual’s perspective and future possibilities. Based on the instructor’s experience as an archaeologist from Mexico studying in Spain, he will share his experience and lessons learned with participants. Students from developing countries often encounter challenges while trying to travel abroad and this seminar will discuss funding options and ways to overcome these challenges. International institutions, forums, conferences, and universities where Latin American students can engage in fieldwork will also be highlighted.

Este seminario será presentado únicamente en español.
Desde el discurso académico e institucional hasta una aproximación personal, este seminario introduce a los estudiantes de América Latina en las oportunidades de enriquecimiento personal y científico a través de la experiencia internacional. Esta experiencia internacional ampliará una perspectiva personal y futuras posibilidades. Basado en la experiencia del instructor como arqueólogo originario de México estudiando en España, compartirá con los asistentes su experiencia y lecciones aprendidas. Los estudiantes de países en desarrollo habitualmente enfrentan retos cuando tratan de viajar al extranjero y este seminario presentará las opciones de financiamiento y los medios para sobrepasar estos retos. En el seminario se resaltarán las instituciones internacionales, foros, conferencias y universidades donde los estudiantes de América Latina pueden implicarse en el campo de trabajo.

1. Raise the awareness of the importance of international experiences in the field of archaeology among students and professionals in Latin American countries;
2. Present examples of international institutions for archaeological practice, research, and fieldwork as well as funding opportunities; and
3. Offer participants a professional strategy model for international experience success.

1. Incrementar la concienciación de la importancia de las experiencias internacionales en el campo de la arqueología entre los estudiantes y profesionistas en países de América Latina;
2. Presentar ejemplos de instituciones internacionales para la práctica arqueológica, investigación y campo de trabajo, así como oportunidades de financiación; y
3. Ofrecer a los participantes un modelo estratégico profesional para tener éxito en experiencias internacionales.