[open-archaeology] FW: Opportunity to Help Shape the Future of Archaeology

Sun Apr 22 16:10:57 UTC 2012

Given the recent AIA issue, I wonder if this might be especially relevant
for those interested in Open Archaeology?

Cheers

L.

 Dear Collegues,

I know many of you are not eligible for NSF grants/funding, but this
project will not only impact archaeology in the United States, but also
further afield including Britain. The project aims to set the agenda for
funding and the direction of archaeological research for the next decade.
Though, I recieved this as a member of the Register of Professional
Archaeologists (RPA), similar to the IFA, I feel that all of you may have
an important contribution to this study. The email does state that
"Professional
archaeologists and archaeology graduate students are invited to contribute.
The important questions don’t have national boundaries and we want to
include a broad spectrum of professional voices, including those outside
the US. Please feel free to forward this request to other interested
individuals." So feel free to pass this on to other interested parties. I
feel that the larger the spectrum of professional voices heard, the more
significant the implications of the study produced. Thank you all for you
time and interest. The link to the survey is
http://tinyurl.com/ArchaeologyGrandChallenge
. Feel free to read the email I recieved below as well and thank you for
your time and effort.

Best,
Chris Kerns
 ------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:42:21 -0400
From: info at rpanet.org
To: cjkerns at hotmail.com
Subject: RPA: RPAs Have Opportunity to Help Shape the Future of Archaeology

   Dear Fellow RPAs:

As the leading professional archaeologists in the U.S. we have been asked
to participate in an NSF-funded Arizona State University research project.
I hope you will take the few minutes required to complete their survey,
which allows for detailed responses.

The study seeks to identify a suite of " 'grand challenge' problems of
broad scientific and social interest that can drive cutting-edge research
in archaeology for the next decade and beyond".

Participation in the study is on an individual, anonymous, basis, and is of
course entirely voluntary. You simply go to *MailScanner has detected a
possible fraud attempt from "www.mmsend2.com" claiming to
be*http://tinyurl.com/ArchaeologyGrandChallenge
<http://www.mmsend2.com/link.cfm?r=150087532&sid=18456856&m=1900808&u=CLEMONSRPA&j=9809208&s=http://tinyurl.com/ArchaeologyGrandChallenge%20>and
complete and submit the survey form.

The distinguished project steering committee comprises Keith Kintigh,
Arizona State University; Jeffrey Altschul, Statistical Research, Inc., and
SRI Foundation; Ann Kinzig, Arizona State University; W. Frederic Limp,
University of Arkansas; William Michener, University of New Mexico; and
Jeremy Sabloff, Santa Fe Institute.

Details of the program, provided to RPA by the Committee, are below:

Identifying Grand Challenges in Archaeology

We are soliciting discipline-wide consideration of these challenges in
order to determine what investments in computational infrastructure by the
US National Science Foundation (NSF) would be most likely to effect scalar
transformations of our ability to address major problems in archaeology,
and in science more broadly. The results of this effort will be published
and disseminated on the Web.

“Grand challenge” is a term used to mean "a fundamental problem in science
or engineering."* For example, in archaeology a grand challenge might be:
“Understanding the origin, timing, routes, and demographic dynamics of the
peopling of the Americas." In this sense, grand challenges would not
include disciplinary challenges with respect to the practice of
archaeology, such as changes in financial and legal frameworks. While the
current project will use the grand challenges identified here to argue for
investment in computational infrastructure, others may find them useful in
arguing for funding, policy, or other changes.

This first stage of the research seeks professional perspectives on the
major scientific challenges facing the discipline. Following a synthesis of
the results, we will return to the community to rank the challenges that
emerge most clearly from this initial call. Two project workshops will then
explore the data and modeling requirements of highly ranked grand challenge
problems to develop a formal argument for major NSF investments in
computational infrastructure for archaeology. Computational infrastructure
includes improved data acquisition tools for the field and laboratory,
digitization of existing data, documents, and reference collections,
improved ability to discover, access, and integrate digital data and
documents, tools to facilitate modeling and visualization, and training and
community building necessary to exploit this infrastructure.

The survey generally takes from 2 to 10 minutes and is completely
anonymous; no personal identifying information will be associated with the
individual responses. No benefit or disadvantage will accrue to
respondents, from NSF or any other entity. You may exit the survey at any
time; answers are not recorded until you press the "next " (>>) button at
the end of the survey.

Questions about the survey can be directed to Keith Kintigh (principal
investigator; kintigh at asu.edu). If you have any questions about your rights
as a participant in this research, or if you feel you have been placed at
risk, you can contact the Chair of the Human Subjects Institutional Review
Board, through the ASU Office of Research Integrity and Assurance, at (480)
965-6788.

The project steering committee thanks you in advance for your participation.

We invite your participation in an effort to identify “grand challenge”
problems in archaeology. This confidential survey is a key component of a
research project that will compile and publish a list of “grand challenge”
problems in archaeology and develop an associated plan that would justify
major US National Science Foundation (NSF) investments in computational
infrastructure for archaeology. To participate, please go to: *MailScanner
has detected a possible fraud attempt from "www.mmsend2.com" claiming
to be*http://tinyurl.com/ArchaeologyGrandChallenge<http://www.mmsend2.com/link.cfm?r=150087532&sid=18456857&m=1900808&u=CLEMONSRPA&j=9809208&s=http://tinyurl.com/ArchaeologyGrandChallenge>.

Professional archaeologists and archaeology graduate students are invited
to contribute. The important questions don’t have national boundaries and
we want to include a broad spectrum of professional voices, including those
outside the US. Please feel free to forward this request to other
interested individuals. Participation is voluntary but you must be at least
18. The survey takes only 2-10 minutes. For additional information you may
follow the link or contact Keith Kintigh (principal investigator;
kintigh at asu.edu). We thank you in advance for your assistance.

This looks like an interesting opportunity for a real debate on where we
are headed.

Ian Burrow

President, Register of Professional Archaeologists
  5024-R Campbell Blvd. |  Baltimore, MD 21236   |  Tele: 410-933-3486  |
Fax: 410-931-8111  Please Click
here<http://www.mmsend2.com/link.cfm?r=150087532&sid=18456858&m=1900808&u=CLEMONSRPA&j=9809208&s=http://unsubscribe.magnetmail.net/Actions/unsubscribe.cfm?message_id=1900808&user_id=CLEMONSRPA&recipient_id=150087532&email=cjkerns%40hotmail.com&group_id=807369>to
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