Linda Whitman

Contract Professional

Linda Whitman is an archaeologist who has worked primarily  east of the Mississippi River in North America.  With 15 years experience in cultural resource management (CRM), I am certified to conduct prehistoric and historical archaeological investigations in Ohio and numerous other states in the Midwest.  I have worked on a variety of aboriginal site types as well as Euro-American sites and at a thirteenth-sixteenth century site in India. 

My interests include prehistoric and historical archaeology, the evolution of complex society, material culture, prehistoric art and symbolism, curation, interpretive exhibits, archaeology in education, public outreach, and the history of museum anthropology.  I am experienced in all phases of curatorship including interpretive exhibitions, collections management, research, educational programming, volunteers, grant proposal writing, public relations, and fundraising.

 I received a M.S. in Anthropology and a certification in museum studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1988.  From 1988 to 1989, I was awarded a curatorial internship at the Indiana Museum of Art where I curated two exhibitions of archaeological material and evaluated their archaeological collections. I then ventured to Pueblo Grande Museum, a Hohokam site/museum/park in Phoenix, Arizona.  As curator, I was responsible for exhibitions, educational programming, and collections management. 

 In 1990, I returned to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as field supervisor for the Archaeological Research Laboratory CRM Program.  I supervised numerous projects in the Nicolet, Ottawa, and Hiawatha National Forests in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. There I was offered a wonderful opportunity to conduct fieldwork in India.  For two field seasons I received a research fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies to work for the Vijayanagara Research Project in Karnataka, India.  Vijayanagara is a World Heritage Archaeological Site.  It was the sacred and political capital of the largest Hindu empire in medieval Southern India.  Returning to Ohio in 1993, I became a principal investigator with ASC Group, Inc., a CRM firm in Columbus.  Upon opening a branch office in Cleveland in 1996, I also became a project manager. 

 In June 2001, became a full-time contract professional at The University of Akron.  I teach Introduction to Archaeology (future link), Archaeology Field School (future link), The Archaeology of Ohio (future link), Archaeology of the Americas and team-teach Archaeology Lab Methods (future link) with Dr. Tim Matney.  I will also teach special topics courses. 

Additionally, I direct the Community Archaeology Program (future link). This outreach program provides a partnership between University faculty and students with community and regional organizations and agencies.  The Program assists community organizations with cultural resource identification, interpretation and education regarding the past as it happened within the community.  Archaeology is promoted as a essential concern to both students and the community.  The Campus Archaeology Program (link) is included in the Community Archaeology Program.

Stop by the Archaeology Processing Lab in Olin 101 to see what projects we are currently working on.        

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