Tara Skipton
taraskipton@utexas.edu
Department of Anthropology
2201 Speedway, C3200
Austin, TX 78712
Education
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B.A. in Anthropology + Geography | University of Florida
Gainesville, FL | May 2019
Anthropology (magna cum laude) + Geography (cum laude)
Minors: History and Leadership
Certificate: Geospatial Information Analysis
Thesis: Charity Hall: A Pre-Removal Chickasaw Mission in Eastern Mississippi
Advisor: Dr. Charles Cobb
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M.A. in Anthropology | Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL | April 2021
Thesis: Elusive Forever?: Assessing the Value of Least-Cost Networks in Locating Eighteenth-Century Maroon Archaeological Sites in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
Advisor: Dr. Jayur Mehta
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Ph.D. in Anthropology | University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX | in progress expected May 2027
Advisor: Dr. Maria Franklin
Academic Positions
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Jan 2024 – Apr 2024
Intro to Archaeological Science
Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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Sep 2022 – Dec 2023
Drs. Maria Franklin, Alan Covey, Fred Valdez
Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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Jan 2021 – May 2021
Dr. Jayur Mehta
Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
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Aug 2019 – Dec 2020
Drs. Jayur Mehta, Amy Kowal, Geoffrey Thomas
Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
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May 2019 – Apr 2019
Dr. Michael McDonald
Virginia Redistricting Project, Department of Political Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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May 2018 – May 2019
Dr. Michael McDonald
United States Election Project, Department of Political Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Publications
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Assessing the Role of Collectivism and Individualism on COVID-19 Beliefs and Behaviors in the Southeastern United States
2023
Jayur Mehta, Choeeta Chakrabarti, Jessica DeLeon, Patricia Homan, Tara Skipton, and Rachel Sparkman
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Archaeological Investigations at the Charity Hall Mission Site (22MO733)
2022
Matthew Rooney, Tara Skipton, Brad R. Leib, and Charles R. Cobb
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An Unthinkable Loss: A Consideration of Climate Change and Archaeology in the Southeastern United States.
2020
Dustin Bethell, Eric Bezemek, Bianca Book, Caleb Brady, Alison Bruin, Makenna Chandler, Caitlin Delmas, Michelle Gray, Analise Hollingshead, Daniel Hougland, Ariana Kline, Tara Skipton, Benjamin Stewart, Nicholas Yarbrough, Heather Young, and Jayur Mehta
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Florida’s Indigenous Heritage Faces a Watery Grave
2019
Jayur Mehta and Tara Skipton
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Rising Seas Threaten Hundreds of Native American Heritage Sites along Florida’s Gulf Coast
2019
Jayur Mehta and Tara Skipton
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Charity Hall: A Foundational Report of a 19th-Century Chickasaw Mission
2019
Tara Skipton
Awards, Recognitions, and Fellowships
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Wenner Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant
2025 ($25,000)
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Lewis & Clark Fund for Exploration and Research
2025 ($3,700)
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Society for Historical Archaeology Dissertation Research and Travel Scholarship
2023 ($800)
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University of Texas at Austin’s Provost Graduate Excellence Fellowship
2021, 2026
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Leslie N. Wilson-Delores Auzenne Graduate Assistantship for Minorities, 2020-2021
2020 ($5000)
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Honorable Mention for National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
2020
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Dunkle Award
Awarded to one undergraduate student per year in the Department of Geography at the University of Florida
2019 ($1000)
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University Scholars Program
Funding for undergraduate research at the University of Florida
2018–2019 ($1750)
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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida Dean’s List
2016–2019
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University of Florida Presidential Scholarship
2015–2019 ($5000/year)
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Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholar
2015–2019 ($7200/year)
Field Experience
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Florida
Bulow Plantation, Ormond Beach, FL
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Mississippi
Stark Farm, Starkville, MS
Charity Hall, Amory, MS
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Louisiana
Evergreen Plantation, Edgard, LA
