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Katharine Napora, PhD
Assistant Professor
Office:听 SO177; Phone 561-297-0408; Email:听 knapora@fau.edu
Faculty Affiliate, School of Environment, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability
Education
Ph.D., Anthropology, The University of Georgia, 2021
M.A., Social Sciences, The University of Chicago, 2012
B.A., Archaeology, The University of Virginia, 2011, Third Year Phi Beta Kappa, High Honors
Courses Taught at 大象传媒
ANT 2410 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANT 3114 Stones & Bones:听 Unearthing the Past
ANT 3143 Archaeology of Europe
ANT 3312 Native American Culture & Society
ANT 4158 Florida Archaeology
ANT 4116/ANG 6905 Research Methods in Archaeology
Research Interests
Environmental Archaeology, Heritage Science Methods, Shell Middens, Tree Rings, Conservation Paleobiology, Science Communication & Outreach
I am an environmental archaeologist, and I use heritage science methods like radiocarbon and tree-ring dating, elemental and chemical analyses, and 3D scanning to study the relationships between societies and coastal and riverine environments.听 I am particularly passionate about collaborative research that operationalizes data on the ancient world and employs scientific methods to benefit communities, conservation, and restoration in the 21st century.
A major research program focuses on elucidating the temporal, geographic, and paleoenvironmental contexts of the major indigenous centers of Jupiter Inlet Complex in northern Palm Beach County.听 My work is currently being funded by the Bureau of Land Management, 大象传媒's School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability, and the College of Arts & Letters.
My grad students are working on a wide array of thesis projects, including identifying faunal material from archaeological sites in Palm Beach County, conducting charcoal analysis to learn about ancient and historic fire regimes and anthropogenic land management, and creating digital records of structures for historic preservation.
Grant Funding
Co-Principal Investigator. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Financial Assistance Cooperative Agreement. 2023. "Your Public Lands at Risk." NOFO No. L23AS00170. Award for 5 years totaling $474,693.
Principal Investigator. 大象传媒 School of Enrironmnental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability. Seed Grant. 2024. "Examining Cultural Temporalities, Paleoenvironment, and Resource Sustainability at the Jupiter Inlet Complex, Palm Beach County, Florida." $19,108.
Recent Publications
Refereed Journal Articles
2025听 Lecher, Alanna,听Katharine G. Napora, Sara Ayers-Rigsby, Malachi Fenn, Melissa Lehman, Peter De Witt, and John Sullivan. A Framework for a Sustainable Archaeology Field School in South Florida. Sustainability 17(2): 588. .
2024听 听Thompson, Victor D., Karen Y. Smith, Matthew Sanger, Carey J. Garland, Thomas J. Pluckhahn,听Katharine Napora, Jennifer Dodd Bedell, Carla Hadden, Alex Cherkinsky, Rachel Cajigas, Elliot Blair, Anna Semon, and David Hurst Thomas. The Dynamics of Fishing Villages Along the South Atlantic Coast of North America (ca. 5000 to 3000 years BP). Scientific Reports听 14(4691). .
2024听 听Hadden, Carla,听Katharine G. Napora, and Brent Tharp. "Approximate" Wiggle-Match Dating Applied to Early American Museum Objects.听Radiocarbon. .
2023听 听Napora, Katharine G., George M. Crothers, Carla S. Hadden, Lisa Guerre, Laura J. Waldman, Hugo Reyes-Centeno, James Keppeler, Madeline Imler, Edward Jakaitis, Alexander Metz, and Philip Mink. Multi-Method Analysis of a Historic Wooden Trough from Kentucky, USA: A Case Study in Corroborating Artifact Oral Histories with Heritage Science. Heritage Science 11(235). .
2022听 听Cramb, Justin, Brandon T. Ritchison, Carla S. Hadden, Qian Zhang, Edgar Alarcon-Tinajero, Xianyan Chen, K.C. Jones, Travis Jones,听Katharine Napora, Matthew Veres, and Victor D. Thompson. The Changing Profile of Tenure-Track Faculty in Archaeology.听Advances in Archaeological Practice听10(4): 371-381. .
Non-Refereed Publications
2024听 听Ayers-Rigsby, Sara, Katharine Napora, Alanna L. Lecher, Malachi Fenn, John Sullivan and Peter De Witt. "Your Program Was The Only Field Experience I Had": Using Partnerships to Collaborate for a Locally Accessible Field School at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area, Florida.听The Society for American Archaeology Archaeological Record 24(5):37-41.