35th Great Basin Anthropological Conference, Reno, Nevada, Oct. 6 - Oct. 8
Randy Ottenhoff talks with Christopher Sims about his research on incised stones in the great basin. What are the for? What do they mean?
0045 - GBAC 2016 - Chris Webster - PCS
35th Great Basin Anthropological Conference, Reno, Nevada, Oct. 6 - Oct. 8
WEBSTER, CHRIS (DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONSULTING); ASHLEY, MICHAEL (CODIFI, INC.) DUNN, JOSHUA (PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS FOR SCIENTISTS) SHELMIRE, JESSE (PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS FOR SCIENTISTS) ERICSON, ANDREW MITCHELL (PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS FOR SCIENTISTS) Certification and Education: A New Way to Think About Professional Environmental Science
For decades archaeologists have tried to figure out how to educate, license, and legitimize all levels of field archaeologist. The Register of Professional Archaeologists is a start, but in a world where you need a license to cut someone's hair but not to record the cultural history of an entire nation, something has to change. Professional Certifications for Scientists is a non-profit organization that aims to provide training and certification for all levels of archaeologist and other scientific fields. Through short educational videos and
0044 - GBAC 2016 - Annie Hershey - NVCRIS
HERSHEY, ANASTASIA (NEVADA SHPO) New Developments in the Nevada Cultural Resources Information System
The Nevada State Historic Preservation Office (NVSHPO) is announcing a new mapping service as part of the Nevada Cultural Resource Information System (NVCRIS). As such, there will be two online mapping tools available under NVCRIS – a Restricted and an Unrestricted service. In this session, the new Unrestricted service will be demonstrated. This new service has all the same features and capabilities as the Restricted site. However, the Unrestricted site does not contain data that is protected by National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA § 307103 [formally section 304]) or the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA §470hh). This Unrestricted site is available to those entities who have preservation responsibilities under NHPA but may not have a Secretary of Interior qualified archaeologist on staff. This presentation will not cover the Restricted NVCRIS site. If you have questions about the Restricted site, NVSHPO will have a booth in the Vendor’s Area throughout the conference.
0043 - GBAC 2016 - Michael Ashley - Paperless Archaeology
ASHLEY, MICHAEL (CODIFI, INC.)
WEBSTER, CHRIS (DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONSULTING) Rethinking the Future of [Paperless] Archaeology
Throughout human history, we have invented remarkable new technologies that, in their time, were met with skepticism and even rejection, only to be embraced by later generations who realized the value of these innovations. We are feeling this struggle now as archaeology moves from an analog/paper/film recording to a paperless/digital ecology. It has been a 20+ year process, but it is about time to fully consider the impacts of thinking beyond the page. In this ‘paper’ we will explore the implications of a post-paper archaeology for our current practices of field recordation, analysis, and production of the archaeological record through emerging technologies that have the potential to transform the way we engage with, share, and preserve the past.
0041 - GBAC 2016 - Andrew Owens - Aging Mandibular Bison Teeth with ArcGIS
35th Great Basin Anthropological Conference, Reno, Nevada, Oct. 6 - Oct. 8
OWENS, ANDREW (UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY) Aging Mandibular Bison Teeth with ArcGIS
This presentation presents a non-destructive, empirical and replicable method for aging bison teeth. Tooth eruption, growth, and attrition can document age-at-death, which informs on hunting strategies, occupation seasonality, environmental conditions, and herd health. Previous dentition studies utilize numerous tooth metrics that commonly require specimen-destructive research methods. Also, occlusal wear age estimates rely on subjective wear patterning classifications and figures. We suggest a new approach that provides age profiles by “mapping” occlusal wear with ESRi’s AcrGIS software. Planview mandibular tooth photos from the University of Wyoming’s known-age mandible sample, and well-documented prehistoric samples including the Agate Basin, Hawken, Horner, Glenrock, and Vore sites were captured and georeferenced. Next, GIS polygons were digitized for various occlusal surface features. Digitized GIS shape files were then used to generate various occlusal surface feature areas, and multiple statistical methods were employed that explore relationships between quantified occlusal surfaces and specimen ages.
0040 - GBAC 2016 - Meg Tracy - Modeling Human Locational Behavior
35th Great Basin Anthropological Conference, Reno, Nevada, Oct. 6 - Oct. 8
TRACY, MEG (GREAT BASIN INSTITUTE) Modeling Human Locational Behavior in Montane Settings
Models were developed to predict spatial distribution of prehistoric archaeological site potential in the Sawtooth National Forest. Archaeological data and environmental parameters were collected and processed in a GIS. Predictor variables were evaluated to discover correlates with human locational behavior & compared against a control dataset. Three modeling methods were used: Logistic Regression, Regression Tree, and Random Forest. These models were assessed for efficacy using k-fold cross-validation and gain statistics. Although observed relationships could result from biases in archaeological data and predictors, results suggest a strong correlation between environment and prehistoric site location.
0039 - GBAC 2016 - Chris Webster - APN
35th Great Basin Anthropological Conference, Reno, Nevada, Oct. 6 - Oct. 8
Podcasting as a Way to Promote Archaeology and Engage the Public, or, Archaeology - Straight from the Trenches to Your Ears!
Podcasts have been around for over 10 years now and only in the last couple years, since the release of the popular This American Life spin-off, Serial, has the American public been interested. Until Serial, it seemed that you were either a podcast listener or you weren’t. Now, people are incorporating them into their lives as trusted sources of information and entertainment. The Archaeology Podcast Network was founded as the first season of Serial came to a close and our downloads quickly hit 20,000 a month. Podcasts on the APN range from niche shows about specific topics related to professional archaeologists to popular shows that can reach a wider audience. Every show, however, is free and accessible to anyone on the planet. It is clear that podcasting is a great way to engage the public and that more archaeological endeavors, from projects to field schools to contract projects, can use podcasting to present data, inform and educate the public, and start conversations.