This is a lab I use in ANT 2511 – Human Species here at UCF. Briefly, the lab centers on student groups following an arboreal quadruped around campus for one hour. As they do so, they also record it’s movements and activities in 10-minute increments. Since UCF has not been overrun by primates (other than humans, of course), we use… Read more →
Modeling & Simulating Storm Surge in Cedar Key
I first visited Cedar Key in 2005, during early research on Rosewood. A lot has changed since then. Some of this is the normal ebb and flow of a coastal town, some of it from increasing tourism, and some from the growing threat of sea level rise and storm surge. Much of my earlier research uses digital technologies to interpret… Read more →
Interdisciplinary Research of Rosewood and Sumner (2019)
The second and final season of the Interdisciplinary Research of Rosewood and Sumner (IRRS) project took place during the summer months of 2019. This included four weeks of fieldwork during May and June which included excavation, ground penetrating radar (GRP) surveys, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights, an photogrammetry work. This work resulted in the recording of 6 new Florida Master… Read more →
Interdisciplinary Research of Rosewood and Sumner (2018)
The first season of the Interdisciplinary Research of Rosewood and Sumner (IRRS) project began in August, 2018. This project is funded by Florida Historic Preservation Grant 19.h.sm.200.085. These grants are funded by Florida Division of Historical Resources. The goal of this project is to expand previous archaeological and historical research in Rosewood, Florida to include the neighboring community of Sumner.… Read more →
3D Hominin Lab
This lab provides a ‘hands-on’ opportunity to explore hominin evolution using 3D models. I’ve been using a version of this lab since the fall semester of 2017 at the University of Central Florida. The lab is divided into two parts. The first portion requires students to explore 3D models of hominin fossils created and uploaded to Sketchfab. The second portion… Read more →
Disaster Anthropology & HSOHP
Disaster Anthropology is a rapidly growing aspect of anthropology’s applied/engaged focus. This approach directs our attention to the ways risk and vulnerability are disproportionately experienced by cultures and societies during disaster events. It also offers ethnographically-based solutions to reconnecting local victims with non-local agencies before, during, and following such events (e.g., hurricanes, firestorms, earthquakes, reactor meltdowns). This post includes a… Read more →
Social Complexity: The Game!
I’m a long-time fan of games – card games, board games, and video games. I suppose this is an increasingly common thing as we live in a golden age for indie games. This is as true for board and card games as it is for video games. Recently, I began working on a game concept and design to simulate the… Read more →
IQ-GIS and Historical Archaeology
This post relates some thoughts on the combination of GIS and game engines for historical archaeology. This approach examines virtual world environments as a type of 3D GIS allowing users to move through space while simultaneously interacting with various data. This immersive, qualitative GIS (IQ-GIS) supports the display and interpretation of both qualitative and quantitative data. While a complete prototype… Read more →
Using Virtual Archaeology to Teach Historical Archaeology
The use of digital technologies for visualizing past environments is experiencing something of a renaissance. This is due to dropping costs of hardware and an increase in the intuitive usability of 3D/virtual environments. The ability to deliver interactive content via the internet (a.k.a. Web 2.0) provides new ways of sharing research wider audiences. These developments also provide exciting pedagogical potentials.… Read more →
Pedagogy, Engaged Anthropology, and Zombies
I love zombies! Not only are zombies popular, but in the immortal words of Levi-Strauss, zombies “are good to think with.” Zombies stand (stagger?) as powerful metaphors supporting everything from emergency preparedness to invasive species education. Scholars draw on zombies as part of an engaged pedagogy to spark student interest. This includes Drezner’s Theories of International Politics and Zombies and… Read more →