Melody K. Pope (Ph.D., Anthropology, Binghamton University, 2005)
Pope is the director of the General Contracts Program at the Office of the State Archaeologist at the University of Iowa. She received her B.A. from Indiana University in 1979, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Binghamton University in 1989 and 2005, respectively. She has published in several journals, including the American Journal of Archaeology, Research in Economic Anthropology, Lithic Technology, Iraq, and the Journal of Field Archaeology. She has presented several technical reports on microwear analysis of chipped stone tools from specific sites in Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, and Iran. Her research interests include North American Prehistory with an Eastern Woodlands emphasis, Old World Prehistory with a Near East emphasis, landscape archaeology, materials analysis with a microwear emphasis, and cultural resource management, preservation and heritage tourism.

Angela R. Collins (M.A., Anthropology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 2006)
Collins is the newest Project Archaeologist for the General Contracts Program at the OSA; she has experience in prehistoric and historic period archaeology at the Phase I and II levels. Collins was previously employed at the OSA as a field and lab technician, artifact illustrator, digital photographer, and graphic artist since 2002. After earning a M.A. from the University of Iowa, Collins was hired at the OSA as a Project Archaeologist in the GCP program. Her work includes small to large projects in roles such as Field Archaeologist, GPS recorder, laboratory analysis, supervision of lab and field work, and report writing. She has created maps in ArcMap 9.2 based current handheld GPS units in the field. Currently, Collins is managing multiple field crews working on a gas pipeline survey and site assessment projects in northeastern Missouri. Two Phase I reports have been completed and accepted by Missouri SHPO and the first Phase II report is expected to be completed in the fall of 2007. Phase III site mitigations are expected in summer of 2008.

Cynthia L. Peterson (M.A., Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno, 1996).
Peterson is a Project Archaeologist for the General Contracts Program at the UI-OSA; she specializes in historic period archaeology, including in urban/industrial settings, although she has considerable experience in Phase I, II, and III projects involving prehistoric sites. Peterson has been employed at the UI-OSA since July 1992. Her work includes many types and sizes of projects, for which she supervises fieldwork and writes technical reports. Click here to see one of her reports. Peterson served as Project Archaeologist for the data recovery of six sites in Jones County, Iowa along US 151, including the Bowen’s Prairie townsite. She directed the fieldwork and lab analyses for these sites and was primary author of the multi-volume report for the three-year project. Previously, she completed an extensive ISTEA-funded research project focusing on the Sand Road Heritage Corridor in Johnson County south of Iowa City that resulted in discovery of Johnson County’s earliest fur trading post. Peterson has authored more than 200 publications, technical reports, and professional papers on Midwestern archaeology.

William E. Whittaker (Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Iowa, 2002).
Whittaker is a Project Archaeologist for the General Contracts Program at the UI-OSA. Whittaker’s work at the UI-OSA includes many Phase I investigations throughout Iowa and a growing number of Phase II testing and Phase III data recovery projects. Whittaker has been employed at the UI-OSA since October 2002. He recently completed the analysis and reporting for the Lafayette Mound (23LF3) data recovery (Phase III) project for the Missouri DOT. Whittaker is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) and is responsible for the GCP’s ground-penetrating radar (GPR) investigations, for which he collects the field data and conducts the post-processing and data analyses. He is currently working on a GPR study investigating burial mound structure at Effigy Mounds. His role in GCP projects consists of fieldwork supervision, lab analyses, and report writing. Whittaker has authored or co-authored more than 50 publications, technical reports, and professional papers on prehistoric and historic archaeology and is a faunal specialist with extensive Midwestern experience. Click here to see one of his reports.

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