College of Science and Engineering, November 2, 2023
Julie K. Stein received a masters degree (1976) and a PhD (1980) in ancient studies from the University of Minnesota. Her advisor was Regents Professor H.E. Wright, a faculty member in what is now the Department of Earth Sciences. She has been a professor of anthropology at the University of Washington since 1980 and the executive director of Washington State’s natural history museum, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, since 2005. As director, she is credited with playing a significant role in developing a strong outreach program that engages students and the public, as well as raising funds to build the new museum, which is now complete and will open in fall 2019. Stein is internationally renowned for her research expertise in archeology, paleoanthropology, and geology. She is best known for her pioneering research on shell mounds and archaeological sediments. Her work on sites in the Pacific Northwest includes tracing the archeological record of the path of the Lewis & Clark expedition. In 1999, she was chosen to serve on a scientific team that was investigating the “Kennewick Man,” the name given to the skeletal remains of a prehistoric Paleoamerican man found on the bank of the Columbia River near Kennewick, Washington. Stein has taught and trained numerous undergraduate and graduate students and is a role model for many women who are interested in geoscience and archaeology. She is the author of numerous publications, including her book, Deciphering a Shell Midden (Academic Press 1992), which demonstrates the application of geoscientific methods and theories in addressing site formation processes. A sought after speaker, she has traveled the world giving talks and raising awareness about archaeological geology.
Biography is at the time of award presentation.