News & Events

Chilton Tippin Presents at AGSA Brown Bag Series

Renee Kuban — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:25:44 +0000

Chilton Tippin Presents at AGSA Brown Bag Series Renee Kuban Mon, 03/09/2026 - 12:25

Chilton Tippin (Cultural Anthropology, PhD Candidate) presented his research at the 2025–2026 AGSA Brown Bag Series.

His talk, "Dwelling with Drought: Lived Experiences of Climate Change and Megadrought in Mexico's Rio Conchos Valley," examined the human impact of environmental shifts and water scarcity within the region.

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Cristian Figueroa Presented at the Newberry Library for the 2026 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference in Premodern Studies

Renee Kuban — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:19:24 +0000

Cristian Figueroa Presented at the Newberry Library for the 2026 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference in Premodern Studies Renee Kuban Mon, 03/09/2026 - 12:19

Cristian Figueroa (Archaeology, PhD in Progress) recently presented his research at the 2026 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference in Premodern Studies, held at the Newberry Library.

His presentation, "Interpreting Comca’ac Ceramic Figurines as Materialized Non-Binary Identities," examined how archaeological materials can offer new perspectives on gender and identity in premodern contexts.

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Michael Orellana Soto Presents at AGSA Brown Bag Series

Renee Kuban — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:03:42 +0000

Michael Orellana Soto Presents at AGSA Brown Bag Series Renee Kuban Mon, 03/09/2026 - 12:03

Michael Orellana Soto (Biological Anthropology, PhD in Progress) presented his research at the 2025-2026 AGSA Brown Bag Series.

His talk, "The Impact of Genomics on Understanding the Domestication of South American Camelids: New Perspectives and Challenges," focused on how genomic data is transforming the study of camelid domestication across South America.

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Kate Goldfarb Receives CARTSS Faculty Research Grant

Renee Kuban — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:57:07 +0000

Kate Goldfarb Receives CARTSS Faculty Research Grant Renee Kuban Fri, 03/06/2026 - 09:57

Professor Kate Goldfarb has been awarded a CARTSS Faculty Research Grant to support her upcoming sabbatical project, "Future of Japanese State Care." The funding will facilitate her ongoing research into the evolving systems of social welfare and institutional care in Japan.

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48 students from the RMSEL School in Denver came to CU ��ý�� Anthropology

Renee Kuban — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:10:56 +0000

48 students from the RMSEL School in Denver came to CU ��ý�� Anthropology Renee Kuban Thu, 03/05/2026 - 11:10

Forty-eight students from the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning (RMSEL) in Denver came to ��ý�� for a Maya Archaeology Learning Experience. Students learned how archaeologists collect data in the field, analyze the data, and interpret it to learn about ancient Maya peoples. Activities included four "archaeology stations". At the archaeology table station, students learned to excavate and screen for artifacts such as ceramic sherds and plant foods like corn and beans. At the artifact analysis station, students learned how to analyze artifacts once they're excavated by photographing artifacts, weighing them with a scale, and measuring artifacts with calipers. Students then learned how archaeologists interpret artifacts by drawing and describing figurines and other artifacts at the interpretation station. Lastly, students at the everyday Maya life station learned how ancient Maya peoples used grinding stones to process food, and played games to learn the Yucatec Mayan names of local animals in the Maya area. Huge thanks to graduate students Sasha Buckser, Cristian Figueroa, Gabi Perry, and Nicholas Puente for helping!

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Sarah Kurnick and Sam Fladd Guest-Edit New Issue of Advances in Archaeological Practice

Renee Kuban — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:06:12 +0000

Sarah Kurnick and Sam Fladd Guest-Edit New Issue of Advances in Archaeological Practice Renee Kuban Thu, 03/05/2026 - 10:06

Professors Sarah Kurnick and Sam Fladd have released a guest-edited themed issue of Advances in Archaeological Practice: "Beyond Leaky Pipelines: Exploring Intersectional Gender Inequalities in Archaeological Practice."

This issue challenges the "leaky pipeline" metaphor, arguing instead that exclusion is an active, structural process. By focusing on visibility and citation, the authors offer data-driven recommendations to build a more inclusive discipline.

The project represents years of collaborative work and features significant contributions from graduate students Sasha Buckser, Kelsey Hoppes, Gabi Perry, and Sarah Simeonoff. We encourage the department community to read and share this impactful research.

Read the issue

Beyond Leaky Pipelines: Exploring Intersectional Gender Inequalities in Archaeological Practice

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Sasha Buckser Co-Authors and Illustrates Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice

Renee Kuban — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:45:12 +0000

Sasha Buckser Co-Authors and Illustrates Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice Renee Kuban Thu, 03/05/2026 - 09:45

Sasha Buckser (Archaeology, PhD Candidate) served as both a co-author and illustrator for a new study advancing feminist recommendations for structural change in archaeology. The research proposes moving beyond "leaky pipeline" metaphors toward sustainable "watering can" models to better support diverse participation in the field.

Abstract
Despite improvement over the past few decades, particularly for white, cisgender women, intersectional gender-based inequality remains prominent within anthropological archaeology and beyond. Building on critiques of the leaky pipeline metaphor laid out in the introduction to this themed issue, and drawing on Black, Indigenous, and Posthumanist Feminisms, we advocate for a metaphorical shift focused on care, inclusivity, and diversity—that of a garden. The garden metaphor provides a way to express and explore the complex and intertwined ways disciplinary norms, institutions, and individuals structure and shape experiences in archaeology. After reviewing the garden metaphor and summarizing previous suggestions for improving equity in archaeology, we present recommendations for actionable steps at disciplinary, institutional, supervisory, and individual levels. Drawing on insights from the articles in the issue, as well as existing literature within and beyond archaeology, we argue that a greater emphasis on care, and its integration into the value structure of archaeology, would create a more inclusive discipline.

Read the full article Advances in Archaeological Practice

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Sarah Simeonoff Co-Authors Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice

Renee Kuban — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:38:32 +0000

Sarah Simeonoff Co-Authors Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice Renee Kuban Thu, 03/05/2026 - 09:38

Sarah Simeonoff (Archaeology, PhD Candidate) has co-authored a new study examining gender inclusion and representation at the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) annual meetings. The research reveals how underrepresentation in prestigious roles impacts visibility and professional capital for women and marginalized scholars.

Abstract
Academic and professional conferences provide opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge, networking, and professional development. Those in more prestigious roles often gain greater visibility, and invited roles in particular make important statements about whose research the profession values most. Conference participation is therefore a source of economic, social, and cultural capital that translates into real opportunities and future career success. In this article, we examine gender representation in the field of archaeology through the lens of participation in the annual meetings of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA). Using archived SAA annual meeting programs from 2002 to 2024, we analyze differences in gender representation across conference roles and participation formats. We find that although women and men are similarly likely to fill self-selected leadership roles, women are less frequently asked to fill invited roles by their peers, particularly when men serve as organizers. We thus argue that gender plays a strong role in determining who occupies positions of prestige and that decisions about who is “qualified” affect distributions of capital within the discipline. We conclude by recommending a series of interventions to session organizers, session participants, and the SAA to help redress gender-based differences in conference participation.

Read the full article Advances in Archaeological Practice

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Kelsey Hoppes Co-Authors Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice

Renee Kuban — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:22:33 +0000

Kelsey Hoppes Co-Authors Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice Renee Kuban Thu, 03/05/2026 - 09:22

Kelsey Hoppes (Archaeology, PhD Candidate) has co-authored a new study in Advances in Archaeological Practice titled "The Names We Know." The research examines the complexities of coauthorship and gender in archaeology journals, offering a critical look at how professional credit is distributed across the discipline.

Abstract
Authorship metrics are a key component of academic advancement. Given recent increases in the publication of collaborative, multiauthored articles, we examine patterns in the perceived gender of authors of peer-reviewed journal articles with five or more coauthors in 11 academic archaeology journals. Our results suggest consistent patterns in lead and last authors and in coauthors. Men are more likely to serve as both lead and last authors and to include far more men than women as coauthors on their publications. We consider the ways gender homophily, friendship networks, and other forms of often unintentional exclusion may have a negative impact on the careers of women and members of other marginalized communities in archaeology and propose recommendations to address these issues within the field. In addition to greater individual reflexivity around coauthorship decisions, we encourage the development of clear guidelines on author ascription by archaeological organizations and publishing outlets and advocate that institutions adopt both total publication and fractional publication counts as measures of individual productivity.

Read the full article Advances in Archaeological Practice

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Sarah Simeonoff and Gabi Perry Co-Author Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice

Renee Kuban — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:49:28 +0000

Sarah Simeonoff and Gabi Perry Co-Author Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice Renee Kuban Thu, 03/05/2026 - 07:49

Sarah Simeonoff and Gabi Perry (Archaeology, PhD Candidates) have co-authored a new study titled "Tough Enough: Preliminary Survey Results on Field Experiences in Archaeology." The Society for American Archaeology (Advances in Archaeological Practice) has designated the article as their Paper of the Month.

Abstract
This article examines field experiences across archaeological sectors and demographics through the results of a survey aimed at understanding how the culture of toughness is manifest in archaeological fieldwork through the prevalence of discrimination and pressure to accept inappropriate behaviors and to push oneself physically, mentally, and emotionally. We selected these particular behaviors as they demonstrate ways in which archaeologists perceive expectations and how individuals prove they can endure, that they are tough enough. Our survey data demonstrate that women, noncisgendered, and entry-level archaeologists are the most vulnerable to negative experiences, that the pressure to push beyond one’s limits is universal, and that discrimination and harassment are factors increasingly considered by women as they decide whether to continue in the profession. We argue that many of these rules and social conditions are created and maintained inconspicuously through performative informality which is linked to the discipline’s culture of toughness. Through analysis of our quantitative survey results, we discuss how archaeology’s work culture shapes experiences in the industry and examine avenues for reform to promote equity in archaeology.

Read the article Advances in Archaeological Practice

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News & Events

Chilton Tippin Presents at AGSA Brown Bag Series

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Cristian Figueroa Presented at the Newberry Library for the 2026 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference in Premodern Studies

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Michael Orellana Soto Presents at AGSA Brown Bag Series

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Kate Goldfarb Receives CARTSS Faculty Research Grant

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48 students from the RMSEL School in Denver came to CU ������ý���� Anthropology

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Sarah Kurnick and Sam Fladd Guest-Edit New Issue of Advances in Archaeological Practice

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Sasha Buckser Co-Authors and Illustrates Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice

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Sarah Simeonoff Co-Authors Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice

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Kelsey Hoppes Co-Authors Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice

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Sarah Simeonoff and Gabi Perry Co-Author Article in Advances in Archaeological Practice

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48 students from the RMSEL School in Denver came to CU ��ý�� Anthropology