RESEARCH INTERESTS

Historical Archaeology, Economic Anthropology, Contact in the Americas, Ethnohistory, Intercultural Exchange Systems, American Material Culture, Quantitative Methods, Regional Approaches to Archaeology, Cultural Resource Management, Archaeology of Legend, The Gift

CURRENT MEMBERSHIPS

2004 American Culture Association
2004 Popular Culture Association
2001 Society for California Archaeology
1998 American Anthropological Association
1996 Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
1995 Society for Historical Archaeology

FUNDED RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the California Department of Transportation and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (August 2007)
Funding Agency: The California Department of Transportation
Funding Amount: $16,500.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources and surveys in San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the Pechanga Indian Reservation and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (May 2007)
Funding Agency: The Pechanga Indian Reservation
Funding Amount: $12,000.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources and surveys in the Luiseno cultural area of San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: “Provision of Materials for the California Office of Historic Preservation” (April 2007)
Funding Agency: California Department of Parks and Recreation
Funding Amount: $34,900.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources, surveys, and site records in San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: “San Diego State University’s Lost WPA Murals” (April 2007)
Funding Agency: Parker Foundation
Funding Amount: $28,000.00
Description: This grant provides the final money necessary to remove, conserve, and reinstall the recently rediscovered San Diego State University Works Progress Administration mural “NRA Packages.”  The 1936 mural, created by Genevieve Bredo Burgeson, has been sealed behind a lowered ceiling for the last half century.  The conservation work will be conducted by Nathan Zakheim Associates. (Co-PI Connie Vinita Dowell)

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the County of San Diego and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (February 2007)
Funding Agency: The County of San Diego
Funding Amount: $50,800.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources, surveys, and site records in San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: "2006-07 South Coastal Information Center Historic Resources Archive Maintenance” (October 2006)
Funding Agency: California Office of Historic Preservation
Funding Amount: $3,096.00
Description: This project will acquire, maintain, and disseminate a complete set of Archaeological Site Records and Historic Property Records, USGS Maps, Historic Property Directories, Archaeological and Historic Reports, and a Professional Referral List for its Project Area, the County of San Diego. All site/property data shall be entered into the State's computer file created for the Project Area.

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the City of San Diego and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (September 2006)
Funding Agency: The City of San Diego
Funding Amount: $13,800.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources, surveys, and site records in San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the California Department of Transportation and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (August 2006)
Funding Agency: California Department of Transportation
Funding Amount: $13,800.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources, surveys, and site records in San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: “The SDSU WPA Mural Restoration Project” (July 2006)
Funding Agency: The President’s Leadership Fund, San Diego State University
Funding Amount: $21,276.00
Description: The SDSU WPA Mural Restoration Project seeks to restore five large murals on campus.  These rare works of art were created in the 1930s and thought to have been destroyed during campus renovations in Hardy Memorial Tower from 1957-59.  They escaped destruction, however, enabling the university an opportunity to reconnect with its past through these artistic time capsules.  This project endeavors to remove the murals from their hidden location in Hardy Tower, conserve them, and display them permanently in the library.

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the Pechanga Indian Reservation and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (March 2006)
Funding Agency: The Pechanga Indian Reservation
Funding Amount: $7,375.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources and surveys in the Luiseno cultural area of San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the California Department of Forestry and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (December 2005)
Funding Agency: The California Department of Forestry
Funding Amount: $8,000.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources and surveys in San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: "Archaeological Information Center" (October 2005)
Funding Agency: California Office of Historic Preservation
Funding Amount: $3,096.00
Description: This project will acquire, maintain, and disseminate a complete set of Archaeological Site Records and Historic Property Records, USGS Maps, Historic Property Directories, Archaeological and Historic Reports, and a Professional Referral List for its Project Area, the County of San Diego. All site/property data shall be entered into the State's computer file created for the Project Area.

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the City of San Diego and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (October 2005)
Funding Agency: The City of San Diego
Funding Amount: $7,375.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources and surveys in the west half of San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the California Department of Transportation and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (September 2005)
Funding Agency: California Department of Transportation
Funding Amount: $7,375.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources and surveys in the west half of San Diego County.  The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: “Geographic Information System Data Maintenance Between the San Diego County Water Authority and the San Diego State University Research Foundation” (July 2005)
Funding Agency: San Diego County Water Authority
Funding Amount: $7,375.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources and surveys in the west half of San Diego County. The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: “Curation, Conservation, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Evaluation and Use of Department of the Army Archaeological Collections” (June 2005)
Funding Agency: DOD Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity
Funding Amount: $2,142.00
Description: The purpose of San Diego Archaeological Center is to implement collections management procedures, including NAGPRA review of the collections if necessary, and provide curatorial services. The San Diego Archaeological Center shall also be responsible for accessioning, labeling, cataloging, storing, maintaining, inventorying, and conserving archaeological collections.

Project Title: "Archaeological Information Center" (Oct. 2004)
Funding Agency: California Office of Historic Preservation
Funding Amount: $4,500.00
Description: This project will acquire, maintain, and disseminate a complete set of Archaeological Site Records and Historic Property Records, USGS Maps, Historic Property Directories, Archaeological and Historic Reports, and a Professional Referral List for its Project Area, the County of San Diego. All site/property data shall be entered into the State's computer file created for the Project Area.

Project Title: "Archaeological Sites and Historic Record Searches for the County Parks Historian Program" (Jul. 2004)
Funding Agency: San Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation
Funding Amount: $2,000.00
Description: Through San Diego State University, the South Coastal Information Center shall provide both research and records searches for San Diego County Parks Historian Program.

Project Title: "Record Searches for County of San Diego" (Jul. 2004)
Funding Agency: San Diego County Public Work Department
Funding Amount: $2,500.00
Description: Through San Diego State University, the South Coastal Information Center shall provide both research and records searches for San Diego County Public Work Department

Project Title: "Curation, Storage, and Collections Management for MCB Camp Pendleton Archaeological Collections" (Mar. 2004)
Funding Agency: Camp Pendleton
Funding Amount: $28,234.00
Description: The purpose of San Diego Archaeological Center is to implement collections management procedures, including NAGPRA review of the collections if necessary, and provide curatorial services. The San Diego Archaeological Center shall also be responsible for accessioning, labeling, cataloging, storing, maintaining, inventorying, and conserving archaeological collections.

Project Title: "Archaeological mapping tool--Tilting prism metal target for total station laser transit" (Mar. 2004)
Funding Agency: San Diego State University College of Arts and Letters Research Committee (CAL micro-grant)
Funding Amount: $375.00
Description: Total station laser transit prism targets enable SDSU archaeologists to record the individual placement in the ground of every artifact they find. The prisms are precision ground glass with 60 mm effective diameter and ±2 arc second accuracy in hermetically sealed prism canisters.

Project Title: "San Diego County California Historic Resource Information System Project-Phase 1" (Mar. 2004)
Funding Agency: California State Department of Parks and Recreation
Funding Amount: $20,605.00
Description: This project continues the digitization of all of the historic resources and surveys in the west half of San Diego County. The maintenance of the South Coastal Information Center's Geographic Information System enables its partners to access to the region's sensitive cultural resources through a digital medium.

Project Title: "San Diego County Gravestone Project" (Dec. 2003)
Funding Agency: San Diego State University; Faculty Grant-in-Aid (FGIA)
Funding Amount: $6,394.00
Description: Begun in the fall of 2002, the San Diego County Gravestone Project entails surveying, inventorying, and analyzing all of the region’s historical grave markers. I currently lead teams of students, employees, interns, and volunteers to each of the over 100 San Diego County cemeteries where we measure, document, and digitally photograph old gravestones. The information recorded from the individual markers includes spatial coordinates with a global positioning system (GPS), standardized Munsell color readings and emic granite designations, gravestone type, material, condition, dimensions, orientation, decorative techniques, motif, inscription, and offerings. Students participating in this study simultaneously investigate history and culture, noting intricate details of mortuary art and symbolism, survey techniques, data collection strategies, methods of statistical data analysis, local and regional history, and preservation law. I hope to use FGIA funding as a precursor to larger external grants that I intend to pursue in the immediate future. I will use the findings from this temporally, spatially, and formally controlled dataset of over 20,000 cases across 45 variables to fuel multiple refereed research publications, master's theses, and a book-length manuscript. Topics of intellectual investigation will include how historical gravestone designs changed over space and time, how war, historical governance, gender, ethnicity, religion, and status affected mortuary art, and how common cultural trends can be seen between gravestones and other contemporary forms of material culture, including architecture, clothing, foodways, music, etc. This project also serves to record permanently these precious and non-renewable historic resources before they fall prey to further development, vandalism, decay, and neglect.

Project Title: "2003-04 South Coastal Information Center Historic Resources Archive Maintenance" (Nov. 2003)
Funding Agency: California State Department of Parks and Recreation
Funding Amount: $4,500.00
Description: This project will acquire, maintain, and disseminate a complete set of Archaeological Site Records and Historic Property Records, USGS Maps, Historic Property Directories, Archaeological and Historic Reports, and a Professional Referral List for its Project Area, the County of San Diego. All site/property data shall be entered into the State's computer file created for the Project Area.

Project Title: "Record Searches for County of San Diego" (Oct. 2003)
Funding Agency: San Diego County Public Works
Funding Amount: $2,500.00
Description: Through San Diego State University, the South Coastal Information Center shall provide both research and records searches for San Diego County Public Works.

Project Title: "Curation, Conservation, NAGPRA Evaluation and Use of Department of the Army Archaeological Collections" (Oct. 2003)
Funding Agency: Department of Defense United States Army
Funding Amount: $15,885.00
Description: The San Diego Archaeological Center will provide cultural resource management to the Presidio in the inventory, organization, NAGPRA assessment, archival packaging, and curation of archaeological artifacts.

Project Title: "Curation, Storage and Collections Management for Marine Corps Logistics Base" (Jan. 2003)
Funding Agency: Department of Defense United States Navy
Funding Amount: $173.00
Description: The purpose of San Diego Archaeological Center is to implement collections management procedures, including NAGPRA review of the collections if necessary, and provide curatorial services. The San Diego Archaeological Center shall also be responsible for accessioning, labeling, cataloging, storing, maintaining, inventorying, and conserving archaeological collections.

Project Title: "2002 Archaeological Information Center" (Oct. 2002)
Funding Agency: California Office of Historic Preservation
Funding Amount: $4,500.00
Description: This project will acquire, maintain, and disseminate a complete set of Archaeological Site Records and Historic Property Records, USGS Maps, Historic Property Directories, Archaeological and Historic Reports, and a Professional Referral List for its Project Area, the County of San Diego. All site/property data shall be entered into the State's computer file created for the Project Area.

Project Title: "Image and Process Documents and Conduct Quality Assurance on GIS data for the purpose of Maintaining the CHRIS GIS database" (Sep. 2002)
Funding Agency: California Department of Parks and Recreation
Funding Amount: $12,316.50
Description: The purpose of this project is to generate digital images and Portable Document Format (PDF) files of resource records and at least parts of reports and provide Quality Assurance services during maintenance of CHRIS GIS data. This project will involve historical resources recorded in and studies conducted in the area delineated by 51 USGS 7.5' quads in western San Diego County.

Project Title: "South Coastal Information Center Record Searches" (Jan. 2002)
Funding Agency: California Office of Historic Preservation
Funding Amount: $6,000.00
Description: This project will acquire, maintain, and disseminate a complete set of Archaeological Site Records and Historic Property Records, USGS Maps, Historic Property Directories, Archaeological and Historic Reports, and a Professional Referral List for its Project Area, the County of San Diego. All site/property data shall be entered into the State's computer file created for the Project Area.

Project Title: "2001 Archaeological Information Center" (Nov. 2001)
Funding Agency: California Office of Historic Preservation
Funding Amount: $4,500.00
Description: This project will acquire, maintain, and disseminate a complete set of Archaeological Site Records and Historic Property Records, USGS Maps, Historic Property Directories, Archaeological and Historic Reports, and a Professional Referral List for its Project Area, the County of San Diego. All site/property data shall be entered into the State's computer file created for the Project Area.

Project Title: "South Coastal Information Centers Record Searches Fiscal Year 2001-2002" (Jul. 2001)
Funding Agency: California State University Sacramento Foundation
Funding Amount: $14,400.00
Description: Through the San Diego State University, California State University Sacramento shall provide both research and records searches from the South Coastal Information Center, San Diego State University.