MSUās Cobb Institute taps seasoned scholar as new director of curation, cultural resources
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.āĀ鶹“«Ć½ Stateās Cobb Institute of Archaeology has appointed MSU alumnus and veteran scholar Edmond A. āTonyā Boudreaux III as director of curation, overseeing archaeological collections and cultural resources management.
Boudreaux, who also is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, joined MSUās faculty earlier this fall. He previously served as the director of the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Ā鶹“«Ć½.
āI could not be more excited that Dr. Tony Boudreaux has joined MSU, the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, and the Cobb Institute to direct our cultural resource management efforts in the instituteās service center,ā said Jimmy Hardin, institute director.Ģż
In addition to curating the Cobb Instituteās archaeological collections, he also will serve in a new role as the instituteās liaison with Native American tribes, bands and nations historically associated with Ā鶹“«Ć½. Archeologists across the nation are striving to connect modern descendants with archaeological finds, and MSU has had an ongoing effort related to this goal. Ā Boudreaux now leads this work for MSU and Ā鶹“«Ć½ sites. He also will manage archaeological research supported by grants and contracts that helps train MSU students.
āI have followed his career for a long time and there are few people spoken of as highly as Dr. Boudreaux, both as a person and a scholar,ā Hardin said. āHis impact on our understanding of Ā鶹“«Ć½ās prehistory is significant. We look forward to the many opportunities that will be created by his presence, and Iām happy he has chosen to return to his alma mater.ā
A native of Biloxi, Boudreaux earned his MSU bachelorās degree in 1994. He earned a masterās degree from the University of Alabama and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
āIt feels great to be able to come back to MSU,ā Boudreaux said.ĢżāAMEC is an excellent department where everyone is going above and beyond in their research and in working with students. The Cobb has been a part of doing great archaeology in Ā鶹“«Ć½ and Israel for 50 years now. Iām excited to be a part of that tradition.ā
Boudreaux said his recent research has focused on Native American communities that existed in the Starkville area between A.D. 1400-1700 and that ābeing at Ā鶹“«Ć½ Stateālocated in my area of researchāis a great opportunity for me to continue and expand this research.ā
āEven if we just focus on the small part of the world that is Starkville and Oktibbeha County, that human experience has been playing out over and over again for thousands of years.ĢżBeing able to learn about and tell something of the stories of so many people who have come before me is a part of what is intriguing to me as an archaeologist,ā he said.
Boudreaux is the author of, āArchaeological Investigations at Jackson Landing: An Early Late Woodland Mound and Earthwork Site in Coastal Ā鶹“«Ć½,ā a 2015 archaeological report of the Ā鶹“«Ć½ Department of Archives and History. He also has written extensively about the remains of a town located on the northeastern edge of the state in āThe Archaeology of Town Creek,ā a 2017 University of Alabama Press publication.
He is an active reviewer for the National Geographic Society, National Science Foundation, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Southeastern Archaeology, American Antiquity, University Press of Ā鶹“«Ć½, and University Press of Florida, among others.
Boudreaux holds membership in the Society for American Archaeology, Southeastern Archaeological Conference, Ā鶹“«Ć½ Association of Professional Archaeologists, Ā鶹“«Ć½ Archaeological Association, North Carolina Archaeological Council, and the North Carolina Archaeological Society
Part of MSUās College of Arts and Sciences, more information about the Cobb Institute of Archaeology is available at .
MSU is Ā鶹“«Ć½ās leading university, available online atĀ .Ģż