Scott Macrae, Ph.D student
Position:
Third year Ph.D student, University of Florida: Department of Anthropology
Education:
Ph.D. student Anthropology and Concentration in Tropical Conservation and Development, University of Florida
M.A, Anthropology, Trent University, 2010
B.Sc Honors, Anthropology with Emphasis in Archaeology, Trent University, 2007
Research Interests:
New World Archaeology, Southeast Asia Archaeology, Environmental Archaeology, Combined Socio-Ecological Systems, Resilience Theory, Adaptive Cycles, Entanglement, Socio-Economic and Socio-Political Systems of the Ancient Maya, Relic Agricultural and Water Management Systems, Settlement Patterns, Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, and Archaeological Field Methods.
Geographical Expertise:
Belize, Canada, Greece, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar
The Researcher
Academic Background
Currently I am a third year Ph.D. student at the University of Florida within the Anthropology department focusing on Archaeology with a concentration in Tropical Conservation and Development. My dissertation focuses on the resilience of the agricultural strategy of the ancient Maya focusing specifically on relic agricultural terraces. Further, these strategies will be tested for the potential application of these past strategies amongst contemporary inhabitants of the North Vaca Plateau. My academic career began at Trent University with a Bachelors of Science (Honors) in Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology. My Honors Thesis focused on the use of Remote Sensing within Archaeology focusing on a case study from the Greek island of Antikythera. This was followed a subsequent M.A. in Anthropology also at Trent University. During my M.A. I produced a thesis on the ancient Maya socio-political and socio-economic organization of agricultural terraces found within the North Vaca Plateau of Western Belize.
Field Experience
Over the years I have accumulated a significant amount of field experience working in 6 different countries with several different projects. My field experience began in 2005 with the Trent University: Belize Field School, Social Archaeological Research Project (SARP). I then volunteered on the Antikythera Survey Project, fielded walking and developing an agricultural terrace survey methodology. In 2007 I returned to SARP as a supervisor and continued over seven field seasons. This has allowed me to conduct a significant amount of fieldwork. I have had the responsibility of running the survey for the project including organization and supervision of the settlement and agricultural terrace survey, creating and maintaining the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) database, and supervising excavations. This past fields season as the field director I supervise and organize the settlement and terrace excavations. Over the years, I actively assist in the editing and production of publications, conference presentations, annual site reports, and permit applications for submission to the Institute of Archaeology of Belize. Recently, I have joined the Socio-ecological Entanglement in Tropical Societies (SETS) research team as an agricultural specialist and have begun preliminary investigations in Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar for comparative insights in past agricultural strategies in tropical environments across the globe. During the off seasons I have worked on numerous Cultural Heritage Management projects in Canada.
Links
Trent University, Anthropology Department
University of Florida, Anthropology Department
University of Florida, Tropical Conservation and Development
Bibliography
archaeologymacrae 