Associate Research Professor Emeritus
Professional Interests
Dr. Buck is an archaeologist and educator. He has been involved in archaeological and anthropological projects in a wide variety of contexts in western North America and Egypt for more than 30 years. His research interests include human adaptation to arid environments of western North America, the transition from food collecting to food producing economies in the Southwestern U.S. and Egypt, the impact of technological change on prehistoric cultures, and applications of remote sensing and geoarchaeology to prehistory. Buck recently finished as Principal Investigator of research about sub pixel detection of archaeological artifacts funded by a 3 yr $372,786 award from NASA (2013 -2017, Sub pixel detection of archaeological materials using NASA satellite and aircraft data award #NNX13A66G). Buck was Principal Investigator for a NASA award (2009-2013) for “Space Archaeology”, a 3 year $290,000 research award with significant involvement of undergraduates and high school students.
In addition to his archaeological background, Buck is involved in a number of science education projects and other efforts to promote science inquiry in a variety of scientific fields, including archaeology. Buck just completed the Nevada GeoGateway Program a 3 year $376,327effort funded by NSF (proposal 1801605, M Jones NSF is program manager). Nevada’s GeoGateway Program is designed to create a structured pathway linking academic and research institutions in southern Nevada to train a new generation of geoscientists to serve the region and nation. He was the Principal Investigator of the Shadow Ridge High School/Tule Springs Earth Science Education Project (Clark County School District) funded by NSF to develop a new earth science honors course based on authentic research for 9th grade students (NSF award #0331249). He was the Principal Investigator for the Desert Research Institutes Nevada Science Teacher Enhancement Project, a three-year program funded by the National Science Foundations Teacher Enhancement Program (grant number ESI-9731285). He was the lead education consultant for DRIs IRCEB Project funded for 5 years by the NSF. He directed the Increasing Diversity in Nevada component of NSHEs recent EPSCoR grant, which aims to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups graduating from NSHE campuses with degrees in science, math, engineering, and technology.
Buck is also Emeritus faculty at Nevada State College in Henderson, where he taught anthropology and archaeology for almost 20 years.
Research Areas of Interest and Expertise
- Anthropology and Archaeology Research
- Remote Sensing, Landscape Dynamics and Geobotany
- Science Education
Recent Projects
Education
| Degree |
Year |
Institution |
Area |
| Ph.D. |
1990 |
University of Washington |
Anthropology |
| M.A. |
1984 |
University of Washington |
Anthropology |
| B.A. |
1978 |
California State University, Chico |
Anthropology
|
Publications
2017
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2017). Final Report for NASA Grant NNX13AP6G, “Sub-pixel detection of archaeological materials using NASA satellite and aircraft data”, 45pp. NASA
2014
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2014). Prehistoric Settlement Patterns and Optimal Maize Field Location in the Mt. Trumbull Region NW Arizona USA, In: Human Environment Interactions – Volume 2.. SpringerBriefs in Earth System Sciences
2013
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2013). Final Report: Remote Sensing to Aid in the Search of Prehistoric Anasazi Agricultural Fields and Seasonal Dwellings in NW Arizona?, 39pp.. NASA: Space Archaeology Program
2008
Arnone, J.A. III, Verburg, P.S.J., Johnson, D. W., Larsen, J. D., Jasoni, R. L., Lucchesi, A. J., Batts, C. M., Von Nagy, C., Coulombe, W., Schorran, D. E., Buck, P., Braswell, B. H., Coleman, J. S., Sherry, R. A., Wallace, L. L., Luo, Y., Schimel, D. S. (2008). Prolonged suppression of ecosystem carbon dioxide uptake following an anomalously warm year, Nature, 455, 383-386
2003
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E., Gillespie, A. R. (2003). Subpixel Artifact Detection Using Remote Sensing, Journal of Archaeological Science, 30, 973-989
1999
Buck, P., Hartwell, W. T., Haynes, G., Rhode, D. E. (1999). Archaeological Investigations at Two Early Holocene Sites Near Yucca Mountain, Nevada, Topics in Yucca Mountain Archaeology No. 2. Desert Research Institute: Las Vegas, NV, Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy, Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office, Las Vegas, NV.
1996
Rhode, D. E., Buck, P., Dufort, M. (1996). Ethnographic and Ethnohistoric Overview of Nellis Air Force Base and Range Complex, Nevada, Prepared for Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, NV.
Conference Proceedings
2017
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2017). Detection of Obsidian and Pottery by NASA Satellite and Aircraft Data, 49. Geological Society of America annual meeting: Seattle, WA , October 22, 2017-October 25, 2017
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2017). Sub-Pixel Detection of Obsidian and Pottery by NASA Satellite and Aircraft Data, 68-69. 82 annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology: Vancouver, Canada , March 29, 2017-April 3, 2017
Jennings, A. D., Buck, P., Rosales, E., Lagarde, L., Sabol, D. E. (2017). A remote sensing approach to understanding the health of Clark County Wetlands Park, NV, USA, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 49. Geological Society of America annual meeting: Seattle, WA, October 22, 2017-October 25, 2017
2016
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2016). Remote Detection of Archaeological Materials using NASA Satellite and Aircraft Data, p.57. 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeolog, April 6, 2016-April 10, 2016
2015
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2015). Sub-pixel detection of obsidian at Glass Mountain using NASA satellite and aircraft data. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting: San Francisco, CA
Sabol, D. E., Buck, P. (2015). Determining Optimal Conditions for Direct Detection of Sub Pixel Archaeological Materials Using Airborne and Satellite Spectral Data, 22-27. FOURTH RECENT ADVANCES IN QUANTITATIVE REMOTE SENSING: Publicacions de la Universitat de València
2014
Sabol, D. E., Buck, P. (2014). Determining optimal conditions for direct detection of sub-pixel archaeological materials using airborne and satellite spectral data. Recent Advances in Quantitative Remote Sensing: Valencia Spain, September 22, 2014-September 26, 2014
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2014). Sub-Pixel detection of archaeological materials using NASA satellite and aircraft data of Boquillas, AZ. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting: Austin, TX , April 23, 2022-April 27, 2022
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2014). Detection of Prehistoric Landscape Use in NW Arizona Using Remote Sensing. 33rd Great Basin Anthropological Conference: Lake Tahoe, CA, October 17, 2013-October 22, 2013
2013
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2013). Remote Sensing for Detection of Prehistoric Landscape Use in NW Arizona. American Geophysical Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 9, 2013-December 13, 2013, GC13C-1089
2012
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2012). Remote Sensing to Detect Prehistoric Landscape Use in NW Arizona, 67. Society for American Archaeology 77th annual meeting: Nashville, TN, April 18, 2012-April 22, 2012
2011
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2011). Optimal Prehistoric Maize Field Locations in Mt Trumbull, AZ Area. 76th Meeting Society of American Archaeolopgists: Sacramento, CA, March 31, 2011-April 3, 2011
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2011). Detecting Prehistoric Landscape Use through Remote Sensing in NW Arizona, USA. Geological Society of America: Minneapolis, MN, October 9, 2011-October 12, 2011
2010
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2010). Prehistoric Land-Use in the Mt Trumbull Region, NW Arizona, USA. Geological Society of America Conference: Denver, CO, October 31, 2010-November 3, 2010
Buck, P., Sabol, D. E. (2010). Modeling Optimal Maize Field Location on the Unkaret Plateau, NW Arizona. 32nd Great Basin Anthropological Conference: Layton, UT, October 20, 2010-October 23, 2010
