ASU students recognized for their archaeology research

Two graduate students from Arizona State University’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change received recognition for their outstanding research at the Pecos Conference last month in Utah.

The Cordell/Powers Prize competition celebrates the legacies of pioneering archaeologists Linda S. Cordell and Robert P. Powers.

During the Pecos Conference, panelists deliver a 10-minute presentation on complex archaeological research with no slides, charts or images to lean on for aid. The Cordell and Powers Prizes are given for the best two talks by archaeologists aged 35 and under; both the depth of their research and ability to share it clearly with diverse audiences are judged.

Emily Thurman, a graduate student pursuing a a PhD in anthropology, was awarded the Cordell Prize for her research presentation this summer. Her research focuses on past and present connections in marine shell craft production in the U.S. Southwest and Mexican Northwest.

Her presentation, titled “Cross-Continental Connections: Spondylus Harvest and Use in the Ancestral O’odham Region,” looked at how the marine shell Spondylus was harvested, traded and used across the U.S. Southwest, Mexican Northwest and South America. Thurman explained how demand in the Andes may have influenced resource overexploitation and drove travel as far north as Mexico to acquire enough Spondylus to satisfy the demand in Andean Peru. By explaining how these shells were transferred in long-distance trade networks, her project outlined both the cultural connections created by Spondylus and the ecological impacts of its intensive harvesting.

“This recognition was an important milestone in my career,” said Thurman. “The insightful conversations I had at the Pecos Conference confirmed that the work I am doing now holds value for Southwestern archaeology and beyond.”

She will hold the Cordell Retablo until next year’s recipient is chosen, at which point Thurman will also return to the conference as a judge for the competition.

But she wasn’t the only student from the School of Human Evolution and Social change to stand out during the conference.

Babalola Jacobs, a graduate student studying anthropology, also received an honorable mention for the Cordell Prize. His presentation, titled “Farmer Power? Contrasting Lithic Economies at S’edav Va’aki and the Emergence of Extractive Institutions,” examined how everyday tool use and production reflect broader political and economic shifts in Arizona, and whether farming communities may have resisted the rise of more extractive political institutions.

“This recognition reminded me that archaeology is not just about the past; it’s also about how we, as scholars, tell stories that matter for understanding inequality, resilience and human creativity today,” said Jacobs. “Personally, it's a reminder that my background and perspectives as a West African scholar have a place in shaping global archaeological debates.”

Thurman and Jacobs join others from the school, including current students and alumni, who have been recognized with this award over the years, including Zithlaly Vega, Caitlin Wichlacz, Christopher Caseldine and Chris Schwartz.