Newcastle University

Background

Myra obtained her BA and MA in Anthropology from Wichita State University (1984, 1986) and her PhD from Ohio State University (1992). Her postgraduate work focused on bioarchaeology, focusing on health, disease, and biodistance of Native American skeletal collections from the Ohio Valley. Between 1993 and 2006, Myra worked for the US federal government, initially as a field archaeologist, but soon became involved with compliance work related to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). She became the Bureau of Reclamation’s national lead on NAGPRA and the management of its museum property, working in Reclamation’s national policy office as a senior cultural resource manager. Since returning to academia in 2006, Myra is interested in the care of ancient monuments, contemporary issues facing heritage managers; fortified structures; collections/archaeological ethics; issues related to archaeological human remains; and reconciling records and extant human remains in collections to improve research capacity. Myra recently edited a book on the curation of human remains in the UK. She currently is contributing to a Heritage and Science project to evaluate condition assessment and risk of rock art. Additionally, she is working on a project that looks at nomenclature used to classify fortified structures on both sides of England-Scotland border.

 Roles and Responsibilities

• Degree Programme Director ICCHS’ Postgraduate Taught Programmes
  
• Heritage Studies: Education and Interpretation Programme Leader

Qualifications

• BA in Anthropology, Wichita State University (USA) 1984
  
• MA in Anthropology, Wichita State University (USA) 1986
  
• PhD in Anthropology, Ohio State University (USA) 1992 Title: Late prehistoric populations in the Ohio area: biological affinities and stress indicatiors

Previous Positions

• 2008-present Academic Tutor/Lecturer, University of Sunderland
  
• 1995-06 Physical Anthropologist, US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)
  
• 2001 Guest Lecturer, Newcastle University
  
• 1995 Instructor, Baker University
  
• 1994-present Adjunct Faculty, Department of Anthropology, University of Kansas
  
• 1994-95 Archaeologist, Reclamation
  
• 1993-94 Research Technician II, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
  
• 1993 Certified K-12 Substitute Teacher, Tucson Unified School District
  
• 1990-92 Graduate Research Assistant, OSU
  
• 1992 Contractor, US Corps of Engineers
  
• 1990 Research Assistant, Peabody Museum, Harvard University
  
• 1990 Contractor, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)
  
• 1989-92 Contractor, Archaeological Data Services (ADS)
  
• 1989-90 Staff Osteologists, OSU Excavations at Isthmia
  
• 1987-92 Teaching Associate, OSU
  
• 1987-92 Contractor, Franklin County Coroner's Office in Ohio
  
• 1987 Field Archaeologist, ODOT
  
• 1987 Teaching Assistant, OSU
  
• 1985-87 Contractor, Sedgwick County Coroner's Office in Kansas
  
• 1985 Research Assistant, WSU
  
• 1984-85 Teaching Assistant, WSU

Memberships

• American Association of Museums
  
• American Association of Physical Anthropologists — member since 2007; previously 1984-1992
  
• British Association for Biological Anthropology & Osteoarchaeology — member since 2006, Ethics Working Group 2010
  
• British Human Remains Subject Specialist Network — 2007-present, Steering Committee 2010
  
• Council for British Archaeologists (CBA) — member since 2008
  
• CBA North — member since 2008, newsletter editor (2008-present)
  
• Plains Anthropological Society — member since 1984
  
• Professional Archaeologists of Kansas — member since 1996, treasurer 2004-2006
  
• Museums Association — member since 2007
  
• Northern Centre for the History of Medicine
  
• Society for American Archaeology (SAA) — member since 1990
  
• World Archaeological Congress — member since 2001

Undergraduate Teaching

Module Leader: ARA3027 Mortuary Archaeology (2006/07; 2008/09)

Contributor:

• COM1032 Introduction to Museum, Heritage and Gallery Studies (2011/12)
  
• ARA1026 Introduction to Archaeological Science (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13)

Postgraduate Teaching

Module Leader:

• ICS8001 Issues and Ideas (2008/09, 2009/10)
  
• ICS8003 Communication and Interpretation (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13)
  
• ICS8012 History (2008/09, 2009/10)
  
• ICS8024 Heritage Management 1 (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13)
  
• ICS8025 Heritage Management 2 (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13)
  
• ICS8035 Heritage Education and Interpretation 1 (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13)
  
• ICS8036 Heritage Education and Interpretation 2 (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13)
  
• SHS8025 The Archaeology of Health and Disease (2008/09)

Contributor:

• miscellaneous sessions in modules offered in ICCHS

Research Interests

• Cultural & Heritage Management
  
• Heritage Resources Law, Policy, and Practice
  
• Treatment of human remains
  
• Reconciling records and extant human remains collection to improve research capacity
  
• Fortified structures along the border of England and Scotland
  
• Integration of science and heritage studies
  
• Archaeological Collection Management

Current Work

• Heritage and Science: Working Together in the CARE of Rock Art
• Fortified Structures along the Scotland-England Border
  
• Decay of Ancient Stone Monuments Research Cluster
  
• Dead but not forgotten: human remains from archaeological excavations in north-east England

Postgraduate PhD Supervision

Current research students: 

• Tori Park – Impact that the portrayal of human remains in the popular media has on their future in the UK (AHRC Doctorial Award)
• Louise Tolson – What nineteenth-century objects know: archaeology, oral histroy and the communal knowledge of working-class women (AHRC Collaborative Doctorial Award) 
• Niki Black – Community Cultural Festivals in Northumerland: How do these events contribute to the social sustainability of their host community? (AHRC Doctorial Award)

Past research students:

• Liz White (PhD) 2011, Thesis Title: Giving Up the Dead? The Impact and Effectiveness of the Human Tussue Act and the Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in English Museums

Esteem Indicators

• BABAO Ethics Working Group — 2010
  
• British Human Remains SSN Steering Committee — 2010
  
• Department of the Interior Taskforce on Deaccessioning — 2005-2006
  
• Interior Museum Property Committee — 2002-2005
  
• Professional Archaeologists of Kansas, Kansas Curation Committee — 1999-2007
  
• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee Delegated Designated Federal Official for Hopi Tribe/National Park Service disputes — 2003-2005
  
• Reclamation Museum Property Working Subgroup (Chair) — 2004-2006
  
• Society of American Archaeology, Public Education Committee — 1998-2005

• Giesen M, ed. Curating Human Remains: Caring for the Dead in the United Kingdom. Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2013.
• Giesen M. Introduction: Human Remains Curation in the United Kingdom. In: Giesen, M, ed. Curating Human Remains: Caring for the Dead in the United Kingdom. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer, 2013, pp.1-11.
• Giesen M, White L. International Perspectives towards Human Remains Curation. In: Giesen, M, ed. Curating Human Remains: Caring for the Dead in the United Kingdom. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer, 2013, pp.13-23.
• Giesen M, McCarrison K, Park V. Dead and Forgotten?: Some Observations on Human Remains Documentation in the UK. In: Giesen, M, ed. Curating Human Remains: Caring for the Dead in the United Kingdom. Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2013, pp.53-64.
• Giesen MJ, Ung A, Warke PA, Christgen B, Mazel AD, Graham DW. Condition assessment and preservation of open-air rock art panels during environmental change. Journal of Cultural Heritage 2013, Corrected Proof. In Press.
• Giesen MJ, Mazel AD, Graham DW, Warke PA. Care and Management of Ancient Stone Monuments during Environmental Change. International Journal of Heritage and Sustainable Development 2011, 1(1), 60-71.
• Giesen M. Book Review: C Bell and R Paterson (eds) Protection of First Nations Cultural Heritage: Law, Policy, and Reform. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 2010, 12(2), 186-188.
• Giesen MJ, Mazel AD, Graham DW, Warke PA. The resilience and care of ancient stone monuments in changing environments. In: Amoêda, R; Lira, S; Pinheiro, C, ed. Heritage 2010: Heritage and Sustainable Development. Barcelos: Green Lines Institute, 2010, pp.515-523.
• Giesen MJ. Native American human remains in UK collections: implications of NAGPRA to consultation, repatriation, and policy development. In: Ninth Annual Conference of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology. 2009, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading: Archaopress.
• Giesen MJ. Book Review: Chris Scarre and Geoffrey Scarre (ed.) The Ethics of Archaeology: Philosophical Perspectives on Archaeological Practice. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 2008, 9(3), 176-178.
• Giesen, M. Book Review: Vicki Cassman, Nancy Odegaard, and Joseph Powell (eds) Human Remains: guide for museums and academic institutions. Museum and Society 2007, 5(2), 126-128.
• Giesen MJ. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Activities. CRM 2000, 23(1), 36.
• Giesen MJ, Czaplicki JS. Over Fifty Years of Dam Good Archeology: An Introduction to the Bureau of Reclamation's Cultural Resources Program. Cultural Resource Management 2000, 23(1), 3-4.
• Ferguson B, Giesen M. Accountability in the Management of Federally Associated Archaeological Collections. Museum Anthropology 1999, 23(2), 19-33.
• Giesen, Myra J. Introduction: The Management of Federal Archaeological Collection. Museum Anthropology 1999, 23(2), 3-5.