Priscilla Mollard
- Research Assistant
- Anthropology
Broad Areas of Interest:
Human Behavioral Ecology
Cultural Evolution
Ritual and Performance
Regional Interests:
Lowland Central America
Andes
Amazonia
Research Interests:
Cultural complexity and ritual in an ecological context
Human burials
Cave archaeology
Human biological and cultural evolution in tropical rainforest ecologies
Priscilla Mollard
Research Interests:
Development of complex civilizations, particularly in jungle or rainforest environments, archaeology of warfare and violence, mortuary and bioarchaeology, ecological anthropology and archaeology, caves, ritual space and architecture.
Overview of Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Over 5 years of experience in the field of academic anthropology, both at the university level and at the California Academy of Sciences, a world-renowned Natural History museum. Advanced archaeological field skills, including survey and excavation methodologies, pen-and-paper mapping and ESRI mapping software. Bioarchaeological and osteological techniques, including whole and fragmentary bone identification. Proficiency with osteological equipment, including mandibulometers and spreading, sliding and Vernier calipers. Metric and nonmetric assessments of cranial and postcranial age, sex, ancestry, and pathology. Public speaking and conference/symposium presentation.
Languages:
Fluent English (native), good French, basic Spanish, limited Mandarin
Education:
2012 San Francisco State University, MA forthcoming (ABD), Archaeology
2005 San Francisco State University, BA, Anthropology
Scholarships and Grants:
2008, 2009 Welker Memorial Scholarship, Maya Research Program, Belize
2008 Kiana Dressendorfer Scholarship in Archaeology, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, San Francisco State University
Invited Lectures:
2010 Marin Academy High School, “What Do Archaeologists Do, Anyway?”
(June 3)
2007 San Francisco State University, “The Classic Maya Ballgame”
(December 9)
San Francisco State University, “Bats and the Classic Maya”
(May 12)
Public Speaking/Presentation:
2010 Fourth Annual Maya at the Playa, American Foreign Academic Research and The Archaeological Institute of America, Florida, USA
2010 Annual Meeting, Anthropological Association of America (AAA), New Orleans, USA
2009 42nd Annual Chacmool Conference, University of Calgary, Canada
2008 41st Annual Chacmool Conference, University of Calgary, Canada
Publication:
2010 Who was that masked man: iconography and identity in the Middle Classic Maya ballgame. Proceedings of the 42nd Annual (2009) Chacmool Archaeological Conference, 42:253-262.
Current Position:
Research Assistant to the Curator of Anthropology, The California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: All basic and advanced office/administrative tasks including full familiarity with office technology, i.e. digital photocopiers, printers, scanners, etc. Digital image creation/processing with 35mm/IX240 Film Scanner (SUPER COOLSCAN 4000 ED and COOLSCAN IV ED), image database development and maintenance, creation and maintenance of reference databases using bibliographic software (EndNote X), GIS Database creation and application (ArcGIS software: ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo), word processing and data entry (80 wpm), complete familiarity with MS Office Suite. Anthropological research and collection-management methodologies, including artifact processing, curating and cataloguing.
Academic Positions Held:
2007, 2008 San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Appointment: Lecturer, Department of Anthropology
Course: ANTH 110, Introduction to Archaeology
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: University-level instruction, classroom leadership, design and implementation of a survey-based world archaeology curriculum, exam and project development, grading and evaluation.
Current Fieldwork:
2012 Cochuah Regional Archaeological Survey (CRAS), Quintana Roo, Mexico
Position: Staff archaeologist
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Regional survey methodology, line and profile mapping, surface collection, test-pit excavation, cave and water source/feature identification.
Previous Field Experience:
2011 Belize Regional Archaeological Reconnaissance (BVAR), Cayo, Belize
Position: Field school student, Lower Dover Research Station
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Basic and advanced excavation methodologies, archaeological laboratory methods, including artifact processing, cleaning, and typological sorting.
2009 Maya Research Program (MRP), Blue Creek, Belize
Position: Project supervisor, Chultun excavation, Nojol Nah
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Chultun feature excavation. Archaeological supervisory duties, including team health and safety assessment and administrative tasks, including opening/closing levels, Munsell analyses, etc. Continued development of bioarchaeological, mortuary and osteological archaeology abilities. Recovery and extraction of highly fragmentary and damaged human remains from inhospitable matrices (i.e.jungle).
2008 Maya Research Program (MRP), Blue Creek, Belize
Position: Field school student, Nojol Nah
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Basic archaeological methodology for initial investigations at a newly identified site, including compass orientation for opening new units, establishing primary and secondary datum points and initial sampling methodologies. Mortuary excavation and analyses of over 17 human burials. Basic osteological principles of identification, including sex, age, gender and pathology.
Mollard, P.
2010 Who was that masked man: iconography and identity in the Middle Classic Maya ballgame. Proceedings of the 42nd Annual (2009) Chacmool Archaeological Conference, 42:253-262.