Past Seminars

Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein is the President of Geoarcheology Research Associates (GRA).  He founded the firm in 1989 and its mission has been to apply Geoarchaeology in both compliance (CRM and Heritage Management) and research venues. He has been a Research Associate at the Center for the Study of Human Origins at New York University since 1996. Dr. Schuldenrein is a former Fulbright Fellow in Geology and Archaeology (Hebrew University, Israel) and Fellow of the Field Museum of Chicago. He received his Ph.D. in environmental archeology at the University of Chicago in 1983. His professional experience includes work across the North American continent. Internationally he has consulted on projects in Central Europe and the Mediterranean, the entire Middle East, India, Pakistan, and eastern and southern Africa. He is involved in research on Human Origins, Early Civilizations (South Asia) and site formation process. GRA’s projects have included forensic excavations for the Saddam Hussein trials (2005-2008) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice and design of a baseline Cultural Heritage Management Plan for the site of Mes Aynak (Afghanistan; 2011). Dr. Schuldenrein is currently focused on developing protocols for Urban Geoarchaeology, based on extensive excavations in his base of operations in New York City.

Geoarchaeology examines the relationships between changing landscapes and the archaeological sites associated with them. This sub-discipline has grown exponentially in the past two decades because of its utility in explaining patterned site preservation and its use in heritage management. Cultural resource potential is at the core of preservation planning. Development interests and regulators look to geoarchaeology to help in modeling archaeological sensitivity. This introductory course examines the science behind ancient soils and landforms, human activity, settlement geography, and site preservation. Participants will learn about geoarchaeological principles and the latest methodological advances in the digital age. Participants will learn to develop project strategies that are both efficient and cost-effective.

1. Describe the basic principles of the earth sciences: soils, geomorphology, systematics of human interaction with the environment, and how those data are preserved archaeologically
2. Understand the systematics of surface and sub-surface preservation across time and space, for different types of archaeological sites
3. Learn about the possibilities of collaborative and inter-disciplinary approaches to address particular project objectives
4. Develop approaches to archaeology that resonate with planners, architects, and agency personnel that are grounded in hard sciences and tangible objectives

Matthew Piscitelli is a Project Archaeologist and Social Media Manager at SEARCH as well as a Research Associate at The Field Museum in Chicago. He has 13 years of experience in archaeology, museum services, and grant administration. Prior to SEARCH, Matthew served as a Program Officer at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC. As Program Officer, he oversaw grantmaking in archaeology and advised print, digital, and television teams on the topic. Matthew has conducted archaeological fieldwork in Peru, Bolivia, Greece, and the United States. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from Boston University in 2007 and both a master’s degree and doctorate in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2009 and 2014, respectively. Matthew is also a National Geographic explorer.

Public speaking is one of the most important and most dreaded forms of communication. Nevertheless, it is vital for educating others, building relationships, and motivating change. This one-hour online seminar will provide archaeologists with the tools they need to engage professional and public audiences confidently and effectively. This course will present five general principles of storytelling that are applicable to all forms of outreach and appropriate for all audiences. Participants will learn tips and tricks for building an informative and engaging presentation whether at a conference, classroom, or community center.

1. Understand the five principles of storytelling
2. How to give an informative and engaging presentation at a professional conference
3. How to give a public talk for a general audience

Anne Jensen is Senior Scientist of the Barrow, Alaska Native village corporation's subsidiary, UIC Science, LLC. She has appointments as Affiliate Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and as Research Affiliate at the Museum of the North, both at University of Alaska Fairbanks, as well as a Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology at Bryn Mawr College. She currently serves as Chair of the Society for American Archaeology’s Committee on Climate Change Strategies and Archaeological Response (CCSAR). She has spent 35 years doing archaeological and ethnographic research at sites throughout Alaska. This includes serving as Principal Investigator for projects at Pingusugruk, Ukkuqsi, Ipiutaq, Nuvuk and Walakpa, all of which are significant eroding coastal sites on the North Slope.

Dr. Jensen has published on various aspects of coastal North Alaska archaeology as well as Cultural Resource Management in Bush Alaska, the material correlates of indigenous and western science traditions, resource use, evidence for climate change in North Alaska, and zooarchaeology. She is currently the PI on the Walakpa Archaeological Salvage Project, which is carrying out excavation of a rapidly eroding major Birnirk/Thule habitation site at Walakpa, Alaska, salvaging important ecological and cultural information, and documenting oral history of the site’s more recent use.

The course will provide an introduction to the effects climate change is having on various site types around the world, their implications for the future of archaeology and the archaeological resource, and ways to respond. Sea level rise, coastal erosion, droughts, floods, hydrological changes leading to drying of soils, increased frequency and intensity of forest fires, changes in vegetation, and permafrost thawing are among the climate-driven forces affecting archaeological sites. In most cases, the effects are negative. Whether you currently work where these effects are already occurring or not, a basic understanding of climate change issues as they pertain to archaeological resources is important. Equally important is to consider what archaeological research might contribute to increasing resilience and adaptation through lessons learned from the past.

1. Develop an awareness of the types of impacts climate change is having on archaeological sites today and will have in the future;
2. Recognize implications of these impacts for specific resources and for archaeological practice in general;
3. Learn about existing initiatives to address these impacts at various levels; 
4. Consider of what archaeological research can contribute to adaptation and resiliency on local and societal scales.

As a professor at Boston University, John M. Marston has designed and taught a formal course for advanced doctoral students titled “Proposal Writing for Social Science Research,” in which students write from scratch actual research proposals for their doctoral research (e.g., NSF Dissertation Improvement Grants). Dr. Marston has taught a number of workshops on grant writing at Boston University and UCLA, and at UCLA served as a graduate writing consultant for the Graduate Writing Center, at which he designed and taught several workshops on writing graduate fellowship proposals. He has been the sole author or co-author of grants funded by a number of leading granting agencies and organizations, including the NSF, SSHRC, National Geographic, American Philosophical Society, and others.

This two-hour online seminar will provide archaeologists with basic advice on how to craft successful grant proposals to funding agencies (e.g., NSF) and organizations (e.g., National Geographic). The intended audience is those who are applying to such organizations for the first time or who are attempting to improve their success at attracting public funding for their research. The seminar will highlight a number of strategies for reading and responding to proposal calls, to structuring effective project narratives of varying lengths, to strengthening a proposal with supplementary information, and to revising a proposal based on reviewer feedback. It will provide examples of application strategies appropriate to funding opportunities available at multiple career stages, from those open to doctoral students to those intended for senior scholars.

1. Be able to read a call for proposals to understand what is required for a given funding opportunity;
2. Be familiar with what is expected for typical components of grant applications;
3. Be able to apply a tailored strategy to craft a strong project narrative for a variety of funding opportunities;
4. Gain strategies for successful revision and reuse of proposals, following review.

Danielle Benden is owner of Driftless Pathways, LLC, a small museum consulting company near Madison, Wisconsin.  She provides guidance on collections planning and rehabilitation projects including the design/redesign of curation facilities, develops interpretive exhibits, and offers professional development training for small museums and historical societies. From 2007-2016, she served as the Curator of Anthropology at UW-Madison, where she taught Archaeological Curation and Field Methods courses and managed the departmental collections. Ms. Benden has nearly 20 years of archaeological fieldwork experience, and currently serves as co-director of the Trempealeau Archaeology Project.  She received a Bachelor of Science in Archaeology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a Master of Science in Museum and Field Studies with an archaeology emphasis from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Ms. Benden is the current Chair of SAA’s Committee on Museums, Collections, and Curation and serves on the Archaeological Collections Consortium. This work puts her at the forefront of the most current issues surrounding archaeological curation.

Orphaned collections are groups of objects and/or associated records with unclear ownership that have been abandoned.  Some may have been left with limited documentation upon retirement in academia; others were collected as part of a CRM project; yet others may result from a museum shutting its doors or an agency that does not know it is the rightful owner of a particular collection. Whatever the case, orphaned collections affect every sector of archaeology. This seminar will provide practical, step-by step guidance for reconciling orphaned collections and will focus on how we can prevent creating new ones. A resource guide that outlines specific criteria and procedures for determining ways to resolve orphaned collections is provided to participants.

This online seminar is intended for students who are nearing graduation, entering the professional world of archaeology, or considering a job managing archaeological collections; CRM firm employees including management who bid on, supervise, and provide oversight of archaeological projects as well as those who are specifically charged with managing collections after excavation; individuals who care for  collections in museums, universities, and other curatorial facilities; and government/agency personnel who are tasked with oversight of collections in Federal and non-Federal repositories.

1. Provide attendees with a framework by which to understand, discuss, and remedy problems associated with orphaned archaeological collections.
2. Teach participants about their roles, responsibilities, and rights as they relate to orphaned collections.
3. Offer solutions and resources for resolving issues and concerns associated with orphaned collections.