64th Annual Meeting

Hosted by the Panhandle Archaeological Society at Tallahassee

2012 FAS Annual Meeting

Forever Changed, La Florida

May 11-13, 2012
Tallahassee, Florida

The Panhandle Archaeological Society at Tallahassee will host the 64th Annual Meeting of the Florida Anthropological Society in Tallahassee, May 11-13, 2012. The theme of this year's conference - Forever Changed, La Florida - recognizes the significance of Florida's Spanish colonial heritage beginning with Ponce de Leon's 1513 landing and ending when Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821. Tallahassee is the ideal setting for the conference. In addition to being the site of Hernando de Soto’s 1539-40 winter encampment, Tallahassee is also home to the extraordinary Mission San Luis de Talimali, established in 1656 when Spanish authorities decided to locate their western capital among the Apalachee on one of the city’s highest points. Owned by the State of Florida, San Luis is now a National Landmark and a living history village based upon decades of meticulous archaeological research. San Luis boasts a recently constructed state-of-the-art conference facility and museum – the setting of FAS 2012. Papers and posters on all topics pertaining to Florida anthropology and archaeology are invited for presentation with papers related to the archaeology of Florida's Spanish missions and Spanish colonial period particularly encouraged.

Abstracts will be accepted with the conference registration fee through February 27, 2012. See the Call for Papers for additional information.

FAS 2012 Call for Papers

FAS 2012 Conference Registration Form

Conference Accommodations

Accommodations for FAS 2012 are at the Aloft Tallahassee Downtown at 200 North Monroe Street, only 2 miles from Mission San Luis and an easy walk to the historic Capitol, Museum of Florida History, as well as excellent restaurants and bars. The host hotel is offering a conference room rate of $89 per night plus tax with parking fees waived. The Aloft has kindly expanded their shuttle hours to accomodate FAS guests on Friday and Saturday. Reservations should be made directly with the hotel at 1-866-716-8146. In order to receive the special conference room rate, reservations must be made prior to April 9, 2012 and you must ask for the “Florida Anthropological Society group rate” to guarantee the rate of $89 per night plus tax. After this date, reservations will be accepted on a space and rate available basis. The Aloft is extending the conference rate three days on either side of the conference. Why not stay and see all historic Tallahassee has to offer. More information at: www.visittallahassee.com.

FAS 2012 Preliminary Schedule

Friday, May 11:  FAS, FAC, FPAN and Trail of Florida’s Indian Heritage board meetings will be scheduled for Friday morning and afternoon at Mission San Luis 2100 W. Tennessee St., Tallahassee. Free tours of the National Park Service Southeast Archeological Center collections facility will be provided between 11:00am and noon and of the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research conservation facility between 1:30 and 2:30pm. Do not miss this opportunity to view unique southeastern artifacts and learn how artifacts, such as cannons and wood canoes are conserved. Registration is requested and transportation is not provided.

Saturday, May 12: Papers and posters of the Florida Anthropological Association conference will be presented Saturday morning and afternoon at Mission San Luis concurrent with the 12th Annual Meeting of the Florida Underwater Archaeology Conference. The deadline for abstracts and poster proposals is February 27, 2012. The Mission San Luis store will have a variety of titles dealing with Florida and southeastern archaeology and history as well as other unique wares. The FAS Annual Business Meeting and FAS New Board Meeting will follow the Saturday conference sessions. The Saturday night banquet will be held at Mission San Luis with noted researcher and author, Dr. Bonnie McEwan, Director of Archaeology at Mission San Luis as Keynote speaker.
Reserved parking at Mission San Luis is available for FAS conference attendees. Please look for volunteer parking attendants in orange vests.

Sunday, May 13: Stick around after the Saturday presentations and engage in one of the exciting opportunities planned by the conference hosts. Enjoy a guided paddle of the wild Wacissa and Aucilla Rivers and the 1850s slave canal with former and current Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research archaeologists and state geologists (limited to 20 persons) or take a Behind the Scenes tour of the San Luis archaeological site and lab with staff archaeologists and participate in a blacksmithing or historic cooking workshop. A workshop for chapter representatives also provides an opportunity to discuss the operations and challenges of FAS at the chapter level. So that chapter representatives do not miss out on other Sunday fun, reserved spots have been made for the 9:00am Behind the Scenes tour for these individuals. More details on all conference activities and events are provided in the Preliminary Program.

Florida Anthropological Society Student Paper Competition

Undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in degree granting collegiate programs are encouraged to compete for a prize. The student must submit a paper of original research that contributes to our understanding of Florida’s cultural history. Contestants must submit three (3) copies of their paper and make an oral presentation at the FAS meeting. The oral presentations must be drawn from the written paper. The written paper cannot exceed 2500 words and must be typed and double-spaced. Postmark deadline for student papers is Monday, March 12, 2012.

Student papers and oral presentations will be judged on writing quality, overall presentation, quality of arguments and supporting data, and contribution to our understanding of Florida’s cultural past and/or present. Prizes will be awarded at the ceremony during the Saturday evening banquet.

A three-person committee will judge the papers using the following criteria:

I. Written Presentation
Organization of paper: Must be clearly written in a coherent, logical and organized format Development of ideas/thoroughness of research:  Must demonstrate substantive knowledge of topic Significance of research / contribution to the field

II. Oral Presentation
Organization of presentation: Must present ideas in an organized and coherent format Communication skills:  Must articulate and express ideas clearly and intelligibly Appropriate and effective use of technology, if appropriate.

All students entering the competition must complete and submit their abstract and registration by February 27, 2012 with a copy of valid student ID. Written and submit three copies of the written paper by March 12, 2012.

Please email a digital transcript of your abstract to Dr. Glen Doran.

Please observe the conference deadlines and contact PAST with any questions or concerns about the 2012 conference.