Missions of Major Archaeological Organizations: the Society for American Archaeology (SAA)

May 15, 2013
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein

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Episode Description

The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) remains the largest and most influential archaeological organization in the United States, with a membership in excess of 6000 that embraces academic, applied, and avocational archaeologists. The SAA was founded in 1934 to foster the understanding of the past by highlighting contemporary archaeological methods and theories. Since the 1970’s, as commercial archaeology’s profile grew, the organization has placed a strong emphasis on professional education, outreach and the involvement of indigenous groups. Over the past 20 years, the SAA has made its voice known in the political sphere by lobbying for stronger enforcement of preservation laws, establishing platforms on ethics and enforcement of anti-looting legislation. Today’s program is devoted to the past, present and future directions of the SAA with an interview of the organization’s newly appointed President, Dr. Jeff Altschul, and its long-standing Executive Director, Ms. Tobi Brimsek.

Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology

Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel

This show targets an audience interested in archaeology. It explores myths surrounding this exotic, often misunderstood field and acquaints listeners with the contemporary practice of unearthing the human past. Themes range from Dr. Schuldenrein’s own “Indiana Jones”-like adventures in the land of the Bible to his team’s archaeological forensics effort to unearth Kurdish mass graves in Iraq. That undertaking helped convict Saddam Hussein in 2006. Topical issues contribute to the evolution vs. creationism controversy based on updated fossil records and innovative DNA studies. An episode highlights the main funding source for archaeology in the U.S. (Hint: the oil and gas industry). Experts reveal the latest high-tech approaches to buried archaeological landscapes that provide clues to understanding climate change, past, present and future.

Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein

Joseph Schuldenrein is president and senior scientist of Geoarcheology Research Associates (GRA) in Yonkers, New York. He has been a Visiting Scholar at New York University since 1996. His professional expertise is in geoarchaeology, a sub-discipline that introduces earth science techniques to traditional archaeological excavation. Joe has worked extensively across North America and the Old World. He received his doctorate in 1983 at the University of Chicago. Recent research in North America has concentrated on the urban archaeology of New York City and Native American landscapes of the Atlantic Coast. Joe’s projects in South Asia have ranged from Human Origins investigations to the beginnings of civilization of the Indus Valley. During the Iraq war Dr. Schuldenrein’s team helped direct a forensic archaeological mission in support of the Saddam Hussein prosecution. His newest venture is an assessment of Cultural Heritage Sites in war-torn Afghanistan (2011). Dr. Schuldenrein publishes widely in numerous archaeological and geological journals. He is a reviewer for American Antiquity, Geoarchaeology, and Quaternary Science Reviews. He has acted as Principal Investigator or Consulting Scientist for grants awarded by the National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory. Dr. Schuldenrein has been interviewed for PBS, as well as national and regional TV and radio outlets over the past 30 years.



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