Pseudo-Archaeology · The Archaeology Podcast Network

Speaking to the Public at the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Meetings: Me, Flint Dibble, Milo Rossi (Miniminuteman), and More! - Ep 162

·39 min·2 clips

Milo Rossi was put in “storage room B” at the SAA meetings.

1. Pseudo-Archaeology episode 162 centers on Dr. Andrew Kinkella’s trip to the Society for American Archaeology meetings in Denver. 2. Kinkella is the host of Pseudo-Archaeology, and Flint Dibble and Milo Rossi join the story as outreach-oriented archaeologists tied to the workshop. 3. The episode asks what the SAA meetings reveal about archaeology, public outreach, and the way archaeologists speak to non-specialists. 4. Kinkella says the SAA meetings ran from April 23rd to 27th, with his own schedule limited to Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday. 5. He describes the SAA as the “big mama” and “mothership” of archaeology meetings, alongside the AAA and smaller regional gatherings like the Belize Archaeology Symposium. 6. He explains that he was invited into an underwater symposium because his dissertation focuses on the cenotes of Belize. 7. Kinkella says the symposium format gave him a 15-minute PowerPoint slot, followed by handshakes and moving on. 8. He says seeing his friend Jason at the conference was one of the best parts of the trip. 9. He also admits he does not reach out to old friends often enough and calls himself a “crappy friend.” 10. He notes that he went to the convention bookstore and bought a book on stone tools for his research. 11. Kinkella says he first learned Flint Dibble would miss the meetings because Dibble said on a YouTube live stream that he was not feeling well. 12. He emailed Flint and offered to help with the presentation, which led to his last-minute involvement. 13. The workshop with Flint Dibble and Milo Rossi focused on how archaeologists can use social media to reach the public. 14. Kinkella says Milo Rossi, known as Miniminuteman on YouTube, had more than two million followers and was exactly as he seemed online. 15. He explains Flint Dibble’s “pre-bunking” idea as telling the real archaeological story first instead of arguing point-by-point with pseudo-archaeology. 16. He says the audience was split into groups and asked to develop video themes that he and Rossi would help refine. 17. Kinkella praises the students’ ideas and says they were willing to take constructive criticism. 18. He says the workshop room was basically “storage room B,” which he treats as a bad sign for how the SAA handled the event. 19. This episode suits listeners who want archaeology conference stories, public outreach talk, and Milo Rossi references. 20. Skip it if you want a neutral conference recap without strong opinions about academic archaeology.

As heard by us

A conference report at its best when it gets irritated about archaeology's habits.

Dr. Andrew Kinkhella turns the Society for American Archaeology meetings in Denver into a candid look at conference life, from cenote fieldwork to a bookstore stop for a book on stone tools and then on to a lightly attended media outreach panel.

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You want a Denver archaeology conference report with blunt opinions baked in.

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