Anthropology Professor Named AAAS Fellow

Timothy A. Kohler, regents professor of anthropology, was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in fall 2007. AAAS fellows are recognized for their contribution to science and technology.

The mission of AAAS, an international nonprofit organization founded in 1848, is to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, and science education. In addition to scientific newsletters, books, and reports, AAAS publishes the peer-reviewed journal Science, whose readership is estimated at one million.

Kohler arrived at WSU in 1978 after receiving his master's and doctoral degrees in anthropology from the University of Florida, Gainesville. He specializes in Southwestern (U.S.) archaeology and has collaborated with William D. Lipe (professor emeritus, anthropology) on the Dolores Archaeological Program in southwestern Colorado, directed excavations in Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, and worked on a National Science Foundation biocomplexity project devoted to understanding the causes for changes in settlement systems in southwestern Colorado between 600 A.D. and 1300 A.D.

According to Kohler, though, "The main thing people remember when they think about my work is my attempt to use agent-based modeling as a tool for archaeological research," a focus that emerged through his work at the Santa Fe Institute, where he is an external faculty member.

"I've been very lucky to have been able to work with smart colleagues who were willing to share their knowledge, and with graduate students who usually taught me at least as much as I taught them," Kohler said.

Kohler's work involves quantitative analysis of archaeological data and simulations of aspects of prehistoric behavior. This method of modeling helps archaeologists make sense of what they find in the field and provide possible explanations for data they collect.

Widely published over his career, Kohler recently edited with Sander van der Leeuw Model-Based Archaeology of Socionatural Systems, published by SAR Press in 2007.