Utsav Arnout Schurmans

 

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Curriculum Vitae

Last Updated: 09/04

University of Pennsylvania
Department of Anthropology
325 University Museum
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Phone: (215) 898 9029
Fax: (215) 898 7462
E-mail: schurman@sas.upenn.edu

Research interests:

 

·  Old World Prehistory

·  Middle Paleolithic in the Near East and North Africa

·  Lithic Technology

·  Spatial analysis

·  Lithic Refitting

·  The use of quantitative methods and computer applications in archaeology
 

Education:

 

*Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

·  1994-1996: Kandidaat in de Kunstwetenschappen en de Archeologie, met onderscheiding

(Bachelor in Arts and Archaeology, cum laude)

 

·  1996-1998: Licentiaat in de Archeologie, met de grootste onderscheiding
(Master in Archaeology, summa cum laude)

 

Thesis: De bijdrage van een kwantitatieve methode in de studie van site-vormings-, en post depositionele processen: een k-meansanalyse van enkele sites op zandgronden.

(The Contribution of a Quantitative Method in the Study of Site Formation and Post Depositional Processes: A K-means Analysis of some Sites Deposited in Sand.)
 

*Arizona State University

·  1998 – 2001 Masters Program in Archaeology

 

Thesis: A Comparative Study of Mobility and Raw Material Availability at Two Epipaleolithic Rockshelter Sites on the Kerak Plateau, West-central Jordan.
 

 

*University of Pennsylvania

 

·   2001 – present  PhD candidate in Anthropology

 


 

 

Teaching experience:

 

 

·        Fall 2004:               WATU Fellow (Writing Across the University) UPENN for Dr. Jerry Drew’s Comparative Capitalist Systems

 

·        Spring 2004:           Teaching Assistant for Dr. Harold Dibble’s Computer Applications in Anthropology

 

·        Spring 2004:           WATU Fellow (Writing Across the University) UPENN for Dr. Jane Kauer’s Fat and Society

 

·        Fall 2003:               Teaching Assistant for Dr. Deborah Olszewski’s, Dr. Harold Dibble’s, and Dr. Janet Monge’s Becoming Human

 

·        Spring 2003:           Teaching Assistant for Dr. Harold Dibble’s Quantitative Analysis of Anthropological Data

 

·        Fall 2000:               Teaching Assistant for Dr. Geoffrey Clark's Old World Prehistory I.

 

·        Spring 2000:           Teaching Assistant for Dr. Keith Kintigh’s Buried Civilizations of the Americas.

 

·        Fall 1999:               Teaching Assistant for Dr. Michael Winkelman's Ethnic Relations in the US.

 

 

 

Awards, fellowships and grants:

 

 

Ø      Spring 2004:           Field funds Grant, Dept. of Anthropology, UPENN

 

Ø      Spring 2004:           Conference Travel Grant, Graduate Students Association Council, UPENN

 

Ø      Spring 2004:           Conference Travel Grant, School of Arts and Sciences, UPENN

 

Ø      Spring 2002:           Conference Travel Grant, School of Arts and Sciences, UPENN

 

Ø      2001/2002:            Geo L. Harrison Fellow, 2001-2002, University of Pennsylvania

 

Ø      2001/2005:            William Penn Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania

 

Ø      Spring 2001:           Conference Travel Grant, Graduate College, Arizona State University

 

Ø      Spring 2001:           Honorable Mention Award at the 2nd Annual Life and Earth Sciences Graduate Research Symposium for best paper contribution.

 

Ø      Spring 2001:           Conference Travel Grant, Steering Committee CAA

 

Ø      Spring 2001:           Research Assistant for Dr. P. McCartney and Dr. A. Razdan (KDI-PRISM Lithic Refitting Pilot Project: (http://3dk.asu.edu)

 

Ø      Fall 2000:               Conference Travel Grant, Associated Students Arizona State University

 

Ø      Fall 2000:               Research Assistant for Dr. P. McCartney and Dr. A. Razdan (KDI-PRISM Lithic Refitting Pilot Project: (http://3dk.asu.edu)

 

Ø      Summer 2000:        Grant from the Research and Development Committee, Anthropology ASU

 

Ø      Summer 2000:        Grant-in-aid-of-Research, Sigma Xi - ASU chapter

 

Ø      08/99 – 12/00:       Teaching Assistant Awards from the Dept. of Anthropology ASU

 

Ø      Fall 1999:               Research Assistant for Dr. Keith Kintigh.

 

Ø      Summer 1999:        National Grant-in-aid-of-Research, Sigma Xi

 

Ø      1998-1999:            Francqui Foundation Fellow, Belgian American Educational Foundation 

 

 

 

 

Fieldwork experience:

 

Ø      June 6 – July 7, 2004: Excavation and Lithic Analysis of Roc de Marsal and Pech de l'Azé IV, France: Middle Paleolithic

 

Ø      May 5 – June 5, 2004: Excavation and Lab work at El Mnasra, Marocco: Neolithic and Aterian

 

Ø      February 6 – March 11, 2004: Excavation and Lab work at Sai Island, Sudan: Lower and Middle Paleolithic.

 

Ø      June 14 – July 15, 2003: Excavation and Lab Management at Pech de L’Azé IV, France: Middle Paleolithic.

 

Ø      December 8 – January 12, 2002/2003: Survey at Abydos, Egypt: Middle Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic.

 

Ø      May 26 – July 27, 2002: Excavation and Lab Management at Pech de L’Azé IV, France: Middle Paleolithic.

 

Ø      May 28 - July 8, 2000:  Excavation and Raw Material Survey with the Eastern Hasa Late Pleistocene Project in the Wadi al-Hasa, Jordan: Early Epipaleolithic and Neolithic.

 

Ø      July 24 - August 31, 1999: Collection manager in Sagalassos, Turkey: Roman City (1st – 6th C. AD)
 

Ø      June 24 - July 23, 1999: Prehistoric Survey Kerak Plateau, Jordan
(I directed the survey under the auspices of Dr. G. Mattingly, director of the Kerak Resources Project)
 

Ø      August 2-31, 1997: Sagalassos, Turkey: Roman City (1st – 6th C. AD)
(Excavation of the Lower Agora and collection management)
 

Ø      July 7-25, 1997: Zonhoven-Molenheide, Belgium: Epi-paleolithic (Ahrensburg Culture) (11th mill. BC)
(Excavations and processing of lithics)
 

Ø      November 16-17, 1996: Kerkhove, Belgium: Roman-Middle Age site (2nd – 8th C. AD)
(Excavation weekend designed to teach students archaeological methods)
 

Ø      November 1-3, 1996: Brugge, Belgium: Middle Age village (5th – 7th C. AD)
(Excavation weekend designed to teach students archaeological methods)
 

Ø      July 6 – August 31, 1996: Sagalassos, Turkey: Roman City (1st – 6th C. AD)
(Excavation of the Roman bathhouse, with 3 others in charge of 15 Turkish workmen)
 

Ø      October 20-22, November 18-19, 1995: Rotselaar, Belgium: Middle Age watermill (13th – 17th C. AD)
(Excavation weekend designed to teach students archaeological methods)
 

Ø      August 10-21, 1995: Spiere, Belgium: Neolithic (Michelsberg Culture, 5th mill. BC)
(Excavations and processing of artifacts, lithics and ceramics)
 

Ø      July 3-14, 1995: Wehl, The Netherlands: Iron Age site close to Roman Empire (3rd and 4th C. AD)
(Excavations and processing of artifacts: glass, metal, ceramics and wood)
 

Ø      November 11-13, 1994: Kerkhove, Belgium: Roman-Middle Age site (2nd – 8th C. AD)
(Excavation weekend designed to teach students archaeological methods)


Publications:

 -U. Schurmans, A. Razdan, A. Simon, M. Marzke, P. McCartney, D. Van Alfen, G. Jones, M. Zhu, D. Liu, M. Bae, J. Rowe, G. Farin, and D. Collins (2002) Advances in Geometric Modeling and Feature Extraction on Pots, Rocks and Bones for Representation and Query via the Internet. In: G. Burenhult and J. Arvidsson (eds) Archaeological Informatics: Pushing the Envelope CAA 2001. Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. Proceedings of the 29th Conference, Gotland, April 2001 (BAR International Series 1016), Oxford, Archaeopress, pp. 191-202.

 

-D. Olszewski; N. Coinman; T. Clausen, J. Cooper, H. Jansson; M. al-Nahar; L. Saele; A. Sampson; U. Schurmans & J. Thompson (2001) The Eastern Al-Hasa Late Pleistocene Project. Preliminary Report on the 2000 Season. In: Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, 45: 39-60.

 

-D. Olszewski; J. Cooper, H. Jansson & U. Schurmans (2000) A Third Season of Excavations at Tor al-Tareeq (WHS 1065), an Early and Middle Epipaleolithic Site in the Wadi al-Hasa, Jordan. In: Neo-Lithics, 2: 14-16.

 

-D. Olszewski; U. Schurmans, H. Jansson, J. Cooper & M. al-Nahar (2000) Chert Raw Material Survey in the Wadi al-Hasa, Jordan: Preliminary Findings. In: Neo-Lithics, 2: 16-18.

 

-M. De Bie, U. Schurmans & J-P. Caspar (2002) On knapping spots and living areas: (intra-) site differentiation at Late Palaeolithic Rekem. In: Berit V. Eriksen & Bodil E. Bratlund (eds) "Recent Studies in the Final Palaeolithic of the European Plain". Proceedings of a U.I.S.P.P. Symposium. Stockholm, 14-17 October 1999. (Jutland Archaeological Society Publications, 39), Højbjerg: 139-164.

 

Presentations:

 -4/2004 U. Schurmans and I. Muntz, Spatial Analysis of Pech de l’Azé IV, Paper presented at the 69th Annual Society for American Archaeology Meetings, Montreal, Canada.

 

-4/2004 R. Iovita, H. Dibble, U. Schurmans and A. Steenhuyse, Modeling Cortex in Lithic Assemblages. An Experimental Approach, Paper presented at the 69th Annual Society for American Archaeology Meetings, Montreal, Canada.
 
-4/2002 U. Schurmans and M. Tocheri, Computer Science and Small Finds. New Avenues for 3D Research?, Paper presented at the 67th Annual Society for American Archaeology Meetings, Dencer, CO.

 

-1/2002 U. Schurmans, 3D Digital Modeling of Stones, Bones, and Pots: Archaeology, Small finds and Computer techniques, paper presented at the Graduate Anthropology Colloquium, UPenn.

 

-11/2001 U. Schurmans, A. Razdan, P. McCartney, G. Farin, L. Dezhi and M. Bae, Addressing Old Questions with New Technology: Towards Automated Lithic Refitting, invited paper presented at the 100th American Anthropological Association, Washington DC.

 

-9/2001 U. Schurmans, P. McCartney & M-S. Bae Towards Automated Refitting: Dream or Reality?, paper presented at the 14th International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences Conference, Liège, Belgium.

 

-4/2001 U. Schurmans, A. Simon, P. McCartney, M. Marzke, D. Vanalfen, G. Jones, S. Panchanathan, D. Collins, G. Farin, M-S Bae & A. Razdan Advances in 3D Research on Bones, Pots & Rocks: Modeling, Feature Extraction, and Dissemination via the Internet, paper presented at the 29th Computer Applications and Quantitative Mehtods in Archaeology Conference, Gotland, Sweden.

 

-4/2001 U. Schurmans & G. Clark Epipaleolithic Rockshelter Sites on the Karak Plateau. A Comparative Study, poster presented at the 66th Annual SAA meetings, New Orleans.

 

-2/2001: Utsav Schurmans, Peter McCartney, Anshuman Razdan, Gerald Farin, & Myungsoo Bae Towards Automated Lithic Refitting: Problems and Potential, paper presented at the 2nd Life and Earth Sciences Graduate Research Symposium, ASU.

 

-11/2000: Utsav Schurmans & Geoffrey Clark The Karak Prehistoric Survey, West-Central Jordan, poster presented at the 99th AAA Meetings, San Fransisco, CA.

 

-11/2000: Utsav Schurmans & Peter McCartney Lithic Refitting Pilot Project, paper presented for PRISM’s KDI Advisory Board Meeting, ASU.

 

-2/1999: Utsav Schurmans Walking the Land – Prehistoric Survey of the Karak Plateau, West-Central Jordan, paper presented for the Faculty and Graduate Students at ASU.

 

Activities:

 

-2004: editor Participant Observations – Newsletter, Dept of Anthropology, UPENN

 

-2001: organized a symposioum - Fitting Rocks: the Big Puzzle Revisited - together with Dr. M. De Bie, held at the UISPP Meetings in Liège Belgium, Sept. 2001.

 

-2001: undertook a 3-month long biking trip through the Himalayas of Nepal and India

 

-2001: co-founder of the Graduate and Professional Student Association at ASU

 

-2000: Elected Co-President of the Association of Anthropology Graduate Students, ASU

 

-2000: President of FOPS (Friends of the Paleolithic Society) at ASU.

 

-1996-1997: Elected Praeses (President) of Alfa (association of archaeology students at KUL) and representative of Alfa at Loko (the overarching Student Association of the KUL).

 

-1995-1996: Elected member of Alfa, responsible for distribution of syllabi and student representative in the “Permanent Education Commission of Archaeology, Art History and Music, KUL”

 

-March/1994: Counseling of Elementary School Students at the ‘Whiskeytown Environmental School, California.

 

-August/1993-June/1994: lived one year in Salyer, CA, USA, as an exchange student and went to school in Hoopa High on a Native American Reservation. (Associated Field Services, Intercultural Programs)

 


Professional memberships:

 

·  1998-present: Scientific Research Society, Sigma Xi
·  1999-present: Society for American Archaeology (SAA)
·  1999-present: American Anthropological Association (AAA)
·  2000-present: Paleoanthropology Society

 

 

Skills:

 

-Languages:

 

Dutch: native language

French and English: good knowledge

German, Spanish and Italian: reading comprehension

Arabic: notions
 

-Computers:


Environments: PC - Windows, unix/linux, limited Mac experience

Web page building

Course on Statistical Analysis Systems (Sas 6.11) at the University of Leuven

Mathematical packages: SPSS, STATISTICA, SYSTAT

Geographic Information System programs: Idrisi, Mapinfo, Arcinfo (limited)

Datamanagment: Paradox, Microsoft Access, beginning XML

3D laserscanning (using Cyberware products in a unix environment)
 

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