UNE alumnus recognised for 'outstanding contribution' to archaeology

January 25, 2007

The most recent recipient of the nation's highest award for archaeology, Dr Mike Smith, was the first person to graduate with a PhD from the University of New England's Department of Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology.

Dr Smith (pictured here), who received his PhD degree from UNE in 1988, pioneered research into the Aboriginal settlement of Australia's deserts. Now the Director of Research and Development at the National Museum of Australia, he was presented with the 2006 Rhys Jones Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Archaeology last month. The medal is an annual award of the Australian Archaeological Association.

Iain Davidson, Professor of Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology at UNE, said that Dr Smith had "dedicated himself to the deserts of central Australia and the prehistory of their people". Dr Smith's research at the Puritjarra rock shelter 350 km west of Alice Springs has added 20,000 years to the date of the earliest-known settlement in the Australian desert. He is working on several research projects in central Australia in association with UNE's Dr June Ross.

"He has put the human occupation of southern-hemisphere deserts on the world agenda," Professor Davidson said, referring to a current international conference series - initiated, planned and conducted by Dr Smith - about the southern deserts of Australia, Africa and South America.

Dr Smith was elected to fellowship of the Australian Academy of Humanities in November 2006.

Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology at UNE became world famous in 2004 after Professor Mike Morwood led the international team that discovered the skeletal remains of a hitherto unknown human species on the Indonesian island of Flores, and Professor Peter Brown confirmed the discovery by analysing the remains. Renowned for its research in this and other nationally-funded projects, the department is able to inject the excitement of discovery into many aspects of its teaching.

Two new archaeology degree programs beginning at UNE this year will reflect this approach. One of them, leading to a Bachelor of Archaeology (Honours) degree, is designed for students aiming to become professional archaeologists. It is the first Australian degree program of its kind to be available through distance education. The other leads to a Master of Education (Archaeology and Ancient History) degree, and is designed for Ancient History teachers who did not have the opportunity to study archaeology during their training. In addition, the department will offer a unit on Forensic Archaeology for the first time this year, complementing its popular Forensic Anthropology unit.

Dr Smith's award is the latest in a series of achievements by – and accolades to – UNE archaeology graduates. Among these distinguished graduates are Dr Sue O'Connor (Head of the Department of Archaeology and Natural History at the Australian National University), Dr Heather Burke (Head of Archaeology at Flinders University), and Associate Professor Claire Smith (President of the World Archaeological Congress, who will succeed Dr Burke as Head of Archaeology at Flinders next year).

THE PHOTOGRAPH (by Stuart Grant) displayed here shows Dr Mike Smith at work in the Simpson Desert in May 2006.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at January 25, 2007 04:34 PM