Professional Interests
Dr. Buck is an archaeologist and educator. He has been involved in archaeological and anthropological projects in a wide variety of contexts in western North America and Egypt for more than 25 years. His research interests include human adaptation to arid environments of western North America, the transition from food collecting to food producing economies in the Southwestern U.S. and Egypt, the impact of technological change on prehistoric cultures, and applications of remote sensing and geoarchaeology to prehistory.
In addition to his archaeological background, Buck is involved in a number of science education projects and other efforts to promote science inquiry in a variety of scientific fields, including archaeology. He is the Principal Investigator for the Desert Research Institutes’ Nevada Science Teacher Enhancement Project, a three-year program funded by the National Science Foundation’s Teacher Enhancement Program (grant number ESI-9731285). He is the lead education consultant for DRI’s IRCEB Project funded for 5 years by the NSF. He is also the Director of the Increasing Diversity in Nevada component of the UCCSN’s most recent EPSCoR grant. IDIN aims to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups graduating from UCCSN campuses with degrees in science, math, engineering, and technology.
Research Areas of Interest and Expertise
- Anthropology and Archaeology Research
- Remote Sensing, Landscape Dynamics and Geobotany
- Science Education
Recent Projects
- Virgin Anasazi Prehistory Project
- Goshute Valley Prehistory Project
- Subpixel artifact detection using remote sensing
- NSTEP
Education
Degree | Year | Institution | Area |
---|---|---|---|
Ph.D. | 1990 | University of Washington | Anthropology |
M.A. | 1984 | University of Washington | Anthropology |
B.A. | 1978 | California State University, Chico | Anthropology |