Professional Interests
Dr. Beck has broad experience in anthropological and archaeological research in North and South America, and for more than three decades she has been involved in the management of cultural resources research projects in the Western United States. Dr. Beck is the DRI manager for the Nevada National Security Site Cultural Resources Projects, a diverse effort that includes prehistoric and historic archaeology, archaeology of Cold War activities, historic building evaluations and documentation, and consultations with Native Americans. She oversees the curation of artifact collections and records associated with this work. She has worked on management documents, such as Environmental Impact Statements, Environmental Assessments, and Cultural Resources Plans. Dr. Beck’s research interests include archaeological theory and methodology, cultural adaptations in arid lands, rock art, shamanism, and the archaeology of the recent past. She also is involved in assisting Native Americans with historic preservation and repatriation consultations.
Dr. Beck is a past-President of the Nevada Archaeological Society and received Secretary of the Interior appointments to the Bureau of Land Managements Mohave-Southern Nevada Resource Advisory Council. She currently is a member of the City of Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission and the Editorial Advisory Board for the University of Nevada Press. She is active in historic preservation and archaeological associations, both local and national, and has an associate graduate faculty position with the Department of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Research Areas
- Contemporary Archaeology
- Cold War Archaeology, Architecture and History
- Arid lands Archaeology and Ethnography
- Prehistoric rock art and graffiti
Research Projects
- Archaeology of Nuclear Testing and Nuclear Research
- Archaeology of 20th Century Protest Camps
- Great Basin and Mojave Desert Archaeology
Education
| Degree | Year | Institution | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | 1979 | University of California at Berkeley | Anthropology |
| M.A. | 1974 | University of California at Berkeley | Anthropology |
| B.A. | 1973 | University of California at Berkeley | Anthropology |
Selected Publications
Beck, Colleen M., Lauren Falvey, and Harold Drollinger
In pressInside the Tunnels: The Artistic Legacy of the Anti-Nuclear Activists at a Nevada Camp, Interdisciplinary Approaches to Graffiti: From Prehistory to Present, T. Lovata and Elizabeth Olton, editors, Left Coast Press,Walnut Creek, California.
Jones, Robert C., Maureen L. King, and Colleen M. Beck
2014 A Cultural Resources Inventory and Historical Evaluation of the Smoky Atmospheric Nuclear Test, Areas 8, 9, and 10, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada. Desert Research Institute, Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Las Vegas, Nevada (release pending).
Beck, Colleen M.
2014 Contemporary Archaeology of the Nevada Test Site and the Nevada Peace Camp, Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, Springer.
Beck, Colleen M., Susan R. Edwards, and Maureen L. King
2011 The Off-Site Plowshare and Vela Uniform Programs: Assessing Potential Environmental Liabilities through an Examination of Proposed Nuclear Projects, High Explosive Experiments, and High Explosive Construction Activities, 3 Volumes, Desert Research Institute, Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Beck, Colleen M., John Schofield, and Harold Drollinger
2008 Archaeologists, Activists, and a Nevada Peace Camp. Chapter in Contemporary Archaeologies: Excavating Now, Cornelius Haltorf and Angelia Piccini, editors, Peter Lang Press, Berlin.
Beck, Colleen M., Harold Drollinger, and John Schofield,
2007 Archaeology of Dissent, Landscape and Symbolism at the Nevada Peace Camp, in a Fearsome Heritage: Diverse Legacies of the Cold War, John Schofield and Wayne Cocroft editors, pp. 297-320, Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, CA.
Schofield, John, Colleen Beck, and Harold Drollinger
2006 Alternative Archaeologies of the Cold War: The Preliminary Results of Fieldwork at the Greenham and Nevada Peace Camps, in Landscape Under Pressure, Theory and Practice of Cultural Heritage Research and Preservation, edited by Ludomire R. Loxny, pp. 149-162, Springer, New York.
Schofield, John, Colleen M. Beck, and Harold Drollinger,
2003 Greenham Common and Peace Camp, Nevada, Conservation Bulletin 44:48-49, English Heritage.
Edwards, Susan R. and Colleen M. Beck,
2003 Project Tugboat: Hawaiis Contribution to the Plowshare Program, Hawaii International Conference on the Social Sciences, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 12-15, 2003, Conference Proceedings, p. 268-279, Honolulu.
Schofield, J., W. Johnson and C. Beck, editors
2002 Materiel Culture: The Archaeology of 20th Century Conflict. Routledge Press, London.
Beck, Colleen M.
2002TheArchaeology of Scientific Experiments at a Nuclear Testing Ground, in Materiel Culture: The Archaeology of 20th Century Conflict. (J. Schofield, W. Johnson and C. Beck editors)., Routledge Press, London.
Beck, Colleen M.
2002 Applying Archaeological Theory to Nuclear Testing Sites, Eureka! Archaeology of Innovation and Science, Proceedings of the 29th Annual Chacmool Conference, University of Calgary.
Beck, Colleen M.
2001 Corn Creek Dunes: A Historical Retrospective, Western Center for Archaeology & Paleontology Publications in Archaeology, No. 1, pp. 225-234.
Beck, C., M. Zedeno, and R. Furlow,
2000 Time, Trust, and the Measure of Success: The Nevada Test Site Cultural Resources Program, Working Together: Native Americans and Archaeologists, pp. 165-172. Edited by K. Dongoshe, M. Aldenherfer and K. Doehner, Society for American Archaeology, Washington, D.C.
Beck, Colleen M.
1998 Ethnography and Archaeology in the Great Basin, Models for the Millennium: Great Basin Anthropology Today, pp. 13-28, edited by Charlotte Beck. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.