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PhD: Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.BSc: University of Toronto, Anthropology (Archaeology and Biological Anthropology focus) and Biology (Botany and Ecology)Path to PresentI came to the University of Toronto as an undergraduate student in 1970. Back in those days programs weren't as structured as they are now so I took a range of courses, and in 2nd year enrolled in biology, ecology, botany, and archaeology. Advisors told me how interdisciplinary te field of archaeology was, and I saw that one could combine botany, ecology, and archaeology. So I put together my own program of study that would prepare me for the developing field of palaeoethnobotany. Originally I wanted to focus on Eastern North America so I went to visit Richard Yarnell at UNC and the fit for me in the UNC department seemed perfect so I applied to their program, and the rest, as they say, is history. The UNC department, especially with the help of Richard Yarnell, influenced my research focus on the study of the relationships between plants and people in prehistory (palaeoethnobotany), set withing a framework of human ecology. An overview of my adventures in these fields is here. Why archaeology and palaeoethnobotany? I was a child of the cold war, having been raised for four years on an R.C.A.F. base in France. My family’s fascination with ancient history took us to all corners of Europe and the fascination stayed with me. I have always been interested in the Canadian environment because my family spent its summers canoeing and camping in the Kingston, Ontario area where my father's family has its roots and where I spent my pre-university years. When I went to U of T as an undergrad, I decided to combine my interests in the past and the environment. I have also been involved in the development and implementation of public policy relating to history and archaeology. My other interests include environmental archaeology, archaeoastronomy, computer applications in archaeology and public archaeology programs, and I hosted and helped to write a television series produced by TVOntario called "Archaeology from the Ground Up." which aired for several years beginning in 1989. Japan has been my primary geographic focus since 1974 where I began many years of research on the Jomon Culture in the Hakodate area. I have been pursuing research on Ainu subsistence and human ecology, exploring the nature of their agricultural systems and foodways. My research has also taken me to Wisconsin (Oneota culture), Kentucky (Archaic shell mounds), Algonquin Park, Mississauga and parts north of Toronto, and the Grand River, research that provides a comparative foundation for my work in Asia. One of my specific research topics is the origins of agriculture in Ontario (OAS) through a project that was funded by SSHRC in collaboration with Prof. David Smith, also at U of T. SSHRC also supported my research on 1) early agriculture in the lower Yellow River (Huanghe) valley in North China and 2) early agriculture in the Lower Yangzi (Zhejiang Prov.). This research explored the ecological and material aspects of plant domestication, particularly millets and East Asian rice (Oryza sativa). I served for 22 years in various administrative positions on the St. George and Mississauga campuses of the University of Toronto, the lastest being Acting Chair of Anthropology at UTM just before retiring. I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2007. |