DR. MICHELE KOONS
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Michele L. Koons​

                                                                                                                                
 CURRENT POSITIONS 
   2013-present       Curator of Archaeology, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
   2014-present       Lecturer, University of Colorado, Denver

PAST POSITIONS
   2014              Adjunct Faculty, University of Denver
   2012- 2013    Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Anthropology, Denver Museum of Nature & Science

EDUCATION    
   2012   Ph.D.    Harvard University (Anthropology)
   2006  M.A.      University of Denver (Anthropology) 
   2001   B.A.      University of Pittsburgh (Anthropology)

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Archaeology of Complex Societies, Andean Archaeology, Southwest Archaeology, Desert Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Human-Environmental Dynamics, Geophysical Archaeology, Ceramic Analysis and Petrography, Radiocarbon Dating, GIS, Public Archaeology, Museum Studies

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD EXPERIENCE
   2019-present     Pañamarca Landscapes Archaeological Project, Nepeña Valley, Peru (Co-Director)   
   2016-present     Magic Mountain Community Archaeology Project, Golden, Colorado (Co-Director)
   2014-present     Reserve Area Archaeological Project, New Mexico (Co-Director)
   2013                  Peru Human Eco-Dynamics Project Sub-Project: Past Land Management Strategies 
                                  and Environmental Responses in the Chicama Valley, Peru (Co-Director)
   2009-2012        Proyecto Arqueológico Licapa II, Chicama Valley, Peru (Director)
   2010-2011         Chengdu Plain Archaeological Survey, Pixian, China (Survey Supervisor)
   2007-2009        Proyecto Arqueológico San Jose de Moro, Jequetepeque Vallley, Peru
   2006-2009        Magdalena de Cao Viejo Archaeological Project, Chicama Valley, Peru
   2007-2009        Harvard Yard Archaeological Project, Cambridge, Massachusetts
   2004-2006        Proyecto Arqueológico Pumapunku Akapana, Tiwanaku, Bolivia
   2002-2003        LTA, Inc. (CRM Company) Laramie, Wyoming, Crew Chief- Multiple Excavation and Survey projects throughout Wyoming,                                                         Montana, Nebraska and Idaho
   2000                  Museo San Miguel de Azapa- Multiple projects in the Azapa Valley, Chile
   2000                  Parker Farm and Rogers Farm Archaeological Project, University of Pittsburgh, Field School, Ithaca, New York
        
MUSEUM EXHIBITS
   Ongoing             Curator, Egyptian Mummies, permanent exhibit at DMNS—Updated in 2017
   2017-2018         Curator, Dead Sea Scrolls, temporary exhibit
   2015-2017         Curator, Mummies: Secrets from the Tombs, temporary exhibit
   2012-2014         Curator, Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed, temporary exhibit

OTHER MUSEUM EXPERIENCE
   2012                 Museum of Science- Volunteer Interpreter- Human Body Connection, Boston, MA
   2010-2012        Harvard University Peabody Museum- Research Assistant- Collections and Archives, Cambridge, MA
   2002-2005       Museo de las Americas- Educator, Workshop Developer, Docent, Denver, CO         
   2001                 College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Mütter Museum- Intern, Philadelphia, PA 
   2000                 Museo Arqueológico de San Miguel de Azapa- Intern, Student, Arica, Chile
         
HONORS AND AWARDS
   2020                Colorado State Archaeologist’s Stephen H. Hart Award for the Magic Mountain Community Archaeology Project
   2019                 Josephine H. Miles History Award from History Colorado for the Magic Mountain Community Archaeology Project
   2019                 Society for American Archaeology Award for Excellence in Public Education for the Magic Mountain Community                                                                       Archaeology Project
   2009, 2008        Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching

GRANTS
   2018                  Colorado State Historical Fund Grant for Magic Mountain Community Archaeology Project ($137K)

   2017                  National Endowment for the Humanities Grant to move Archaeology Collection at DMNS ($300K)
   2017                  DMNS Decision Package Granted for Excavation and Analysis for Magic Mountain Archaeological  Project, Golden, CO ($60K)
   2016, 2014        DMNS KT Challenge Grant ($10K total)
   2012, 2010        Harvard University Peabody Museum Hemenway Award ($14K total)
   2011-2012         Harvard GSAS Dissertation Completion Fellowship
   2010                  National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant ($20K)
   2010                  National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration Grant ($25K)
   2010                  Dumbarton Oaks Short-Term Pre-Doctoral Residency Fellowship
   2009                 David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Research Grant ($5K)
   2009                 Harvard University Graduate Society Merit Fellowship ($12K)
   2009                 Geological Society of America Graduate Student Research Grant ($3K)

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND TRAININGS
   Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Scientific Recovery Expert (SRE) training, December 2020
   Leadership Training: 200-hour certified yoga teacher, graduated November 2020
   Institute on Digital Archaeology Method and Practice. East Lansing, MI 2015 and 2016
   DGPS training 2015
   Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science training. Denver, CO, 2015
   Photogrammetry training class- CHI Institute. San Francisco, CA 2014
   UAV Training 2014
   
Rachel Carson Center and the Global Diversity Foundation Fellowship, Munich, Germany 2012
   X-Ray Florescence training 2010 and 2011
   Ceramic Petrography class at MIT 2009
   Geophysical Techniques: GPR, Magnetometry, Resistivity, Magnetic Susceptibility, Conductivity 
     
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
University of Colorado, Denver 
   2015-present      Museum Anthropology in the 21st Century
University of Denver
   2014                  Environmental Archaeology: Humans in the Natural World, Winter 2014
   2005-2006       Teaching Assistant (TA) for University of Denver GPR Class     
   2005                 TA for Field Methods course in Picket Wire Canyon, CO
   2003-2005       TA for Global Perspectives    
Harvard University                            
   2011                   Teaching Fellow (TF) for Digging the Glyphs: Adventures in Decipherment
   2009                  TF for Harvard Yard Archaeology; The Conquistadors; Anthropology and the Uses of History
   2008                  TF for Introduction to Archaeology; Harvard Yard Archaeology Laboratory Class 
  
 2007, 2009       TF for Harvard Archaeological Field School at San Jose de Moro, Chepén, Peru

RESEARCH POSITIONS
   2005-2006       University of Arkansas- Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) Technical Assistant- SERDP Contract-Visualization                                                     of GPR data from Pueblo Escondido, NM
   2005-2006       University of Pennsylvania- Visiting Scholar- 3D Visualization of GPR data from Tiwanaku, Bolivia        
       
PAPERS AND PUBLICATIONS    
Publications in Refereed Edited Volumes and Journals
   2021 KOONS, M. and C. ARBUCKLE MACLEOD, eds. The Egyptian Mummies and Coffins of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. University Press of              Colorado    
   
2019 VELLA, M.-A., E. ERNENWEIN, J.W. JANUSEK, M.KOONS, J. THIESSON, C. 
SANCHEZ, R. GUERIN, and C. CAMERLYNCK New insights into           
           prehispanic urban organization of Tiwanaku (La Paz, Bolivia): Cross-combined approach of photogrammetry, magnetic surveys and previous
           archaeological excavations. Journal of Archaeological Research: Reports (23) 464-477

   2016 CARAMANICA, A. and KOONS, M. Living on the Edge: Pre-Columbian Habitation of the Desert Periphery of the Chicama Valley, Peru. In The
           Archaeology of Human-Environmental Interactions: Strategies for Investigating Anthropogenic Landscapes, Dynamic Environments, and Climate
           Change in the Human Past pp. 141-165. Edited by Daniel A. Contreras. Routledge, New York

   2015 KOONS, M. Moche Socio-Political Dynamics and the Role of Licapa II, Chicama Valley, Peru. Latin American Antiquity 26(4): 473-492 
   
2015 KOONS, M. External versus Internal: An Examination of Moche Politics through Similarities and Differences in Ceramic Style. In Proceedings from
           the Andean Ceramic Characterization Session from the 2014 SAA Annual Meeting in Austin, TX, edited by I. DRUC, pp. 57-82. Blue Mounds, WI:
           Deep University Press.

   2015 KOONS, M. and S. NASH Preliminary Results of AMS Radiocarbon Dating of Sandals from Tularosa Cave, NM. In Collected Papers from the 18th
            Biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference, edited by L.C. LUDEMAN, pp. 216-231. Las Cruces, NM: Friends of Mogollon Archaeology
 
 2015 NASH, S. and M. KOONS The Reserve Area Archaeological Project. In Collected Papers from the 18th Biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference,
            edited by L.C. LUDEMAN, pp. 233-248. Las Cruces, NM: Friends of Mogollon Archaeology
   
2014 KOONS, M. and B. ALEX Reevaluating Moche Chronology through Bayesian Methods. Radiocarbon 56(3): 1039-1055.
   2013 KOONS, M. Reexamining Tiwanaku’s Urban Renewal through Ground-Penetrating Radar and Excavation: The Results of Three Field Seasons. In
             Advances in Titicaca Basin Archaeology - 2, edited by A. VRANICH, pp. 147-165. Los Angeles, CA:  Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press, UCLA

​   2012 QUILTER, J. and M. KOONS The Fall of the Moche: A Critique of Claims for the South America’s First State. Latin American Antiquity 23(2): 127-
             143
     
   2012 QUILTER, J., R. FRANCO, C. GALVEZ, W. DOONAN, C. GAITHER, J. JIMENEZ, H. 
STARRATT, and M. KOONS The well and the Huaca: Ceremony,
            Chronology and Culture Change at Huaca Cao Viejo, Chicama Valley, Peru. Andean Past 10: 101-131 

   2007 ERNENWEIN, E. and M. KOONS Subsurface Imaging at Tiwanaku. University of Arkansas, Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, Research
            Paper No. 37

   In Press KOONS, M. and J. D’ALPIOM GUEDES Quality vs. Quantity: Changes in Ceramic Production and Burial Practices in Neolithic China. In Renewing
            the Search for Structure: New Frameworks and Techniques in the Instrumental Analysis of Archaeological Pottery, edited by A. GREENE and C.
            HARTLEY. London: Equinox Publishing (January 2020)

   In Review KOONS, M., M. MITCHELL, M. HERNANDEZ-BRAVO, T. HITTE, J. MOSS LOGAN and E. BAXTER. The Magic Mountain Community Archaeology
            Project. Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage 

    
Popular Publications
   2019 KOONS, M. “More than Just Pieces” in Dig into History: The Moche of Peru. Editor, Rosalie Baker. pp 14-16
   2018 KOONS, M. Dig into Science. Denver Museum of Nature & Science Catalyst Magazine. Summer 2018
   2017 KOONS, M Public “digs” Magic Mountain archaeological project. Historically Jeffco 38:8-10
   2017 KOONS, M. and M. MITCHELL Magic Mountain Archaeological Project. Newsletter of the Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologist 39(3)1, 5-6
   2017 KOONS, M. and M. MITCHELL Feature Article: Magic Mountain Archaeological Project. The Calumet. Newsletter of the Indian Peaks Chapter of the
            Colorado Archaeological Society. pp 11-14. November, 2017

   2017 KOONS, M. The Mystery of Magic Mountain. Denver Museum of Nature & Science Catalyst Magazine. Summer 2017
   2016 KOONS, M. Advanced Technologies Reveal New Storylines. Denver Museum of Nature & Science Catalyst Magazine. Winter 2016
   2015 KOONS, M. Tiwanaku Pottery. Denver Museum of Nature & Science Catalyst Magazine. Winter 2015
   2014 GARNEAU, N. and M. KOONS  The Making of Maya Beer. Denver Museum of Nature & Science  Catalyst Magazine. August/ September 2014
   2014 KOONS, M. The Collapse of the Maya. Denver Museum of Nature & Science Catalyst Magazine. February/ March 2014
   2014 KOONS, M. and S. RICHARDS Veracruz Ball Court Markers. Denver Museum of Nature & Science Catalyst Magazine. February/ March 2014
   2012 KOONS, M. The Moche of Ancient Peru.  Denver Museum of Nature & Science Catalyst Magazine.  December 2012/ January 2013
    
 SERVICES
   2020-present      Program Committee Chair for the 86th Annual Meeting for the Society for American Archaeology
   2020-present      National Geographic Explorer Rocky Mountain Hub Coordinator

   2020-present      University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology's Publications Editorial Board Member  
   2019-present       Board Member At Large, Colorado Council for Professional Archaeologists
   2018-present       SAA Awards Committee: Excellence in Curation, Collections-based Management, and Collections-based Research Committee
   2016-present       Colorado State Historical Fund, Archaeology and Historic Preservation Committee Member 
   2015-present       SAA Committee on Museums, Collections, and Curation Member 
   2015-2018           SAA Public Education Committee Member
   2014-present       Co-founder/ organizer Rocky Mountain Pre-Columbian Society
   2014-2015           AAA Annual Meeting Local Committee Member for 2015 Meeting in Denver, CO    
   2014                    Co-Organizer of SAA Symposium on Moche Household Archaeology in Austin, TX 
   2011                     Director for the Licapa II Public Outreach Lecture Series, Paiján, Peru
   2008-2010          Coordinator for Graduate Student Symposium: Current Research in Anthropology Series, Harvard University 
   2007-2008         Coordinator for Andean Archaeology and Art History Working Group, Harvard University
   2007-2008         Graduate Student Representative to the Faculty, Harvard University 
   2006                   Co-Organizer of SAA Symposium:  PAPA’s 2005 Research and Results from Tiwanaku, Bolivia
   2004-2005         Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honors Society- Club Officer: Graduate Liaison University of Denver    

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
  Society for American Archaeology
  Register of Professional Archaeologists
  American Anthropological Association
  Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists
  Rocky Mountain Pre-Columbian Association (Founder)
  Institute of Andean Studies Member (invited membership)
  National Geographic Society Explorer
    
LANGUAGES
  Spanish 
    
COMPUTER SKILLS
   ArcGIS, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, Photoscan, Surfer, AutoCAD, Filemaker Pro, Microsoft Office

To download or print a copy of my CV, please click on the attachment below:
dr._michele_koons_cv.pdf
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Archaeologist * Museum Curator * Public Speaker * Mom & Wife
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  • MEET MICHELE
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