Crossing Frontiers of Disciplines and Countries. A Symposium Honoring Eileen Johnson

We propose to honor the career of Eileen Johnson, because we believe her to be a "complete scientist" who goes beyond pragmatic training and theoretical issues to include public awareness and issues of ethics. During the course of her career she has integrated diverse some disparate disciplines including archaeology, zoology, taphonomy, geology, and museum science. Her 45-year career has primarily been devoted to interdisciplinary research on human-environment interactions on the U.S. Great Plains, emphasizing human subsistence, vertebrate taphonomy, and the reconstruction of Quaternary paleoenvironments. She has also applied these perspectives across the country and across the Americas. She has spent her professional career at the Museum of Texas Tech University, where she built a regional interdisciplinary Quaternary research program based around the Lubbock Lake archaeological site. In the Museum she also worked as a research scientist, curator, professor, and even director. In addition to her meticulous research, she has been closely involved with the care of the anthropology collection at the museum, working with students and peers, and eager to share what she learns with the public. The aim of this symposium is to highlight the many contributions Eileen has made to Great Plains archaeology and to interdisciplinary research.