麻豆传媒

Dr. John Worth, professor of anthropology, teaches historical archaeology, historical research methods, Southeastern Indians, and field and laboratory methods in archaeology.

From his early beginnings as a high school volunteer at an archaeological field school to being named the lead site investigator for one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the United States, Worth is still motivated by the thrill of discovering new insights about the past. 

One of the foremost experts on Spanish colonial history, he is the principal site investigator for the archaeological site of the Trist谩n de Luna settlement 鈥� the oldest established multi-year European settlement in the United States 鈥� that was discovered in a developed neighborhood in Pensacola in 2015.

Worth, an ethnohistorian who has spent 25 years working with original Spanish documents, has written three noteworthy books that intertwine research with historical and archaeological investigations. One of those books, "The Timucuan Chiefdoms of Spanish Florida,鈥� studies the assimilation and eventual destruction of the indigenous Timucuan societies of interior Spanish Florida around St. Augustine. In 1999, this book received the Florida Historical Association鈥檚 Rembert Patrick Award for being the best scholarly book on Florida history. 

In addition to his book publications, he has written more than 150 professional and lay publications and presented papers. He has also served on the councils of archaeological associations, such as the Georgia National Historic Register Review Board and the Society for Georgia Archaeology.

Jennifer Melcher is a faculty research associate with the UWF Archaeology Institute. Melcher provides database,GIS, mapping and graphic support for faculty and students in the Division of Anthropology and Archaeology. In addition, she conducts geophysical surveys  and analysis, as well as the facilitation of 3D scanning and printing of archaeological models for research, education and outreach. 

In addition to her extensive digital work, Melcher鈥檚 research interests focus on Native Americans at the time of contact with an emphasis on cultural exchange. She teaches GIS for Anthropology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, serves on graduate student committees and offers workshops for students on topics including surveying, and geophysical methods.

Melcher is a member of multiple archaeological associations to include Pensacola Archaeological Society, Florida Anthropological Society, Florida Archaeological Council, Southeastern Archaeological Society and Society for American Archaeology. 

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Nicole Grinnan currently works with the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN), a program of the University of West Florida, as a research associate and public archaeologist for Florida鈥檚 Northwest Region. Before joining FPAN as a Public Archaeologist in 2012, she worked as an outreach assistant with FPAN, an intern with Biscayne National Park, and as an assistant with the NASA History Division in Washington, D.C. Nicole is also a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA), a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), and a SCUBA Instructor. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) and for the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS).

Nicole鈥檚 research interests include maritime archaeology and history, coastal heritage management, the interpretation of maritime cultural resources, and social history.

Dr. William B. Lees is executive director of the UWF Florida Public Archaeology Network. He has been involved in archaeological research, academic education, and public education for over 40 years and has worked extensively in the Great Plains and Southeastern United States.

Dr. Lees' research has included terrestrial and submerged archaeology with a focus on the early to mid-nineteenth century and sites of conflict of the American Civil War and the Indian Wars (in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Florida), as well as memorialization of the Civil War and other conflict. He is past president of the Society for Historical Archaeology, Society of Professional Archaeologists, the Register of Professional Archaeologists, and the Plains Anthropological Society. He is recipient of the McGimsey/Davis Award given by the Register of Professional Archaeologists for outstanding service to professional archaeology.

Dr. Della Scott-Ireton worked with the Pensacola Shipwreck Survey, West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc., Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research and the government of the Cayman Islands before joining the Florida Public Archaeology Network. She currently serves as associate director of FPAN.

Dr. Scott-Ireton is certified as a Scuba Instructor with the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). She is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and member of the Florida Archaeological Council, and has served on the board of the Society for Historical Archaeology, the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology and the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee. 

Dr. Scott-Ireton's research interests include public interpretation of maritime cultural heritage, both on land and under water, and training and engaging 鈥渃itizen scientists鈥� in archaeological methods and practices. She is the author of "Maritime Historic Site Management for the Public" in the Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology (Springer, 2014) and is editor/co-editor of several publications focusing on public interpretation and management of submerged heritage sites including Between the Devil and the Deep: Meeting Challenges in the Public Interpretation of Maritime Cultural Heritage (Springer, 2013), Out of the Blue: Public Interpretation of Maritime Cultural Resources (Springer, 2007), and Submerged Cultural Resource Management: Preserving and Interpreting Our Sunken Maritime Heritage (Springer, 2003).

Dr. Scott-Ireton is the recipient of the 2015 Florida Department of State Senator Bob Williams Award for Public Service in Historic Preservation in Florida.

She currently serves as Associate Director of FPAN, and Interim Associate Dean for the UWF College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.

Thomin manages the Destination Archaeology Resource Center at the FPAN headquarters in Pensacola. He received the 2016 Museum Excellence Award from the Florida Association of Museums.

Dr. Elizabeth D. Benchley is director of the Division of Anthropology and Archaeology and of the Archaeology Institute at the University of West Florida. Dr. Benchley manages the institute's resources to support the academic and research interests of the division's faculty, staff and students. Her local research focuses on the Spanish, British and American archaeology of the Pensacola area. She teaches courses in cultural resource management and writing in anthropology and she is active in public archaeology outreach.  Dr. Benchley has authored hundreds of reports and monographs on her archaeological investigations in the Midwest and the Pensacola area.

Dr. John Bratten, professor of anthropology, teaches archaeology, maritime studies, shipwreck archaeology and artifact conservation.  

Bratten was always fascinated by stories of arctic explorers and shipwrecks. But reading the book, 鈥淭he Sea Remembers: Shipwrecks and Archaeology,鈥� inspired him to switch careers midstream 鈥� from teaching science to studying maritime archaeology.

As co-principal investigator of the Emanuel Point II shipwreck, Bratten combines his passion for science and archeology by overseeing the excavation and artifact conservation of the second vessel from Trist谩n de Luna鈥檚 1559 colonization fleet. He utilizes a state-of-the-art freeze-dryer provided by the Archaeology Institute to stabilize and maintain diagnostic information from artifacts that have been submerged in water for more than 400 years. 

Bratten wrote, 鈥淭he Gondola Philadelphia and the Battle of Lake Champlain,鈥� a comprehensive analysis of the oldest intact warship and the associated artifacts that were recovered from the bottom of Lake Champlain. In addition to his manuscript publication, he has written numerous journal articles, lay publications and technical reports. He was also board member of the CSS Alabama Project and the Pensacola Archaeological Society. Before joining UWF in 1996, he was a conservator for Florida鈥檚 Bureau of Archaeological Research.

Bratten received a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology and master鈥檚 in science education, both from Northwest Missouri State University, and a doctorate in anthropology, with an emphasis on nautical archaeology, from Texas A&M University. 

Dr. Gregory Cook, associate professor, teaches shipwreck archaeology, maritime archaeological field methods and archaeological field survey.

Cook is a maritime archaeologist who uncovers buried clues that provide insights into historic shipwrecks. 

As co-principal investigator of the Emanuel Point II shipwreck, he leads a team of students in surveying and conducting underwater excavations on the second vessel from the Tristan de Luna鈥檚 1559 colonization fleet. Cook, who specializes in remote sensing techniques, utilizes advanced sonar equipment to map out the location of objects on the seafloor. 

During an undergraduate study abroad trip to Malawi, Africa, his interest in African studies converged with maritime research. As a doctoral student, he received a National Geographic Society Research Grant that supported the first remote sensing survey and shipwreck investigation in Elmina, Ghana. A second grant from National Geographic enabled him to continue his research on the merchant trading vessel.

He has written book chapters, publications and technical reports on his archaeological investigations. He wrote a chapter for an upcoming book on the final excavation of the vessel La Belle, which will be published by the Texas Historical Commission. He also wrote, 鈥淭he Maritime Archaeology of West Africa in the Atlantic World: Investigations at Elmina, Ghana,鈥� his doctoral dissertation that chronicles the discovery of the 17th century vessel in west Africa.

In 2011, he received the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary's Partners in Conservation Award for assisting in an offshore diving project that assessed six submerged cultural resources sites for National Historic Register Eligibility in the Gulf of Mexico.

Key words: maritime archaeology, shipwreck archaeology, remote sensing techniques, maritime archaeological field methods, archaeological field survey, Emanuel Point II shipwreck, Tristan de Luna colonization fleet.

He received a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Indiana University, master鈥檚 degree from Texas A&M University, and doctorate from Syracuse University, all in anthropology.