Matt Howland, Ph.D.
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matthowland.bsky.social
Matt Howland, Ph.D.
@matthowland.bsky.social
610 followers 220 following 120 posts
Assistant Professor of Archaeology at Wichita State

3D and spatial methods to investigate climate resilience, plus community-engaged digital public archaeology

Studied old stuff at UC San Diego, Penn State
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matthowland.bsky.social
Explore the 3D model network in English here:

skfb.ly/pqFKP

and in Arabic here:

skfb.ly/pqFKQ
November 8, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Matt Howland, Ph.D.
saa-aap.bsky.social
🌟Out now in Advances in Archaeological Practice!🌟

Howland et al. describe how publishing interlinked 3D models Sketchfab enabled participatory, user-driven development of nonlinear narrative interpreatations of archaeology in Jordan 📸🧑‍💻🇯🇴

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
“As if the Pieces of the Past Were in Our Hands”: Nonlinear Digital Public Archaeology with 3D Models on Sketchfab | Advances in Archaeological Practice | Cambridge Core
“As if the Pieces of the Past Were in Our Hands”: Nonlinear Digital Public Archaeology with 3D Models on Sketchfab
www.cambridge.org
November 8, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Matt Howland, Ph.D.
sahndshel.bsky.social
A great write-up of a recent paper led by lab Co- Director Jake Holland-Lulewicz (@archaeojake.bsky.social) published in @commsearth.nature.com on the legacies of past Indigenous land use on modern coastal ecosystems of the American southeast! #archaeology #ecology www.psu.edu/news/liberal...
Q&A: Discarded ancient 'trash' now protecting Georgia barrier islands | Penn State University
Penn State Assistant Professor of Anthropology Jacob Holland-Lulewicz and colleagues recently published research on how oyster shells discarded over thousands of years by Indigenous people have helped...
www.psu.edu
July 25, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Reposted by Matt Howland, Ph.D.
aoc.bsky.social
Freedom from kings.
Freedom from fascism.
Power to the people forever. ♥️

Happy Independence Day 🇺🇸
July 4, 2025 at 9:20 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
It’s behind Greenland in the Mercator Projection
theonion.com The Onion @theonion.com · May 30
World’s Cartographers Continue Living Secret Life Of Luxury On Idyllic, Never Disclosed 8th Continent theonion.com/world-s...
World’s Cartographers Continue Living Secret Life Of Luxury On Idyllic, Never Disclosed 8th Continent
May 30, 2025 at 2:01 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
not enough parking
gabrielledrolet.bsky.social Gabrielle Drolet @gabrielledrolet.bsky.social · Apr 29
Cartoon with caption by my buddy @jackhauen.bsky.social
Two people riding bikes in Amsterdam. One says “if anyone proposed this in my town I’d kill them”
April 30, 2025 at 1:55 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
Congratulations to Max Gosch, student in my Geospatial Archaeology Lab, for his 2nd place finish in the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum poster competition at WSU!
Man standing in front of an academic poster titled, “the impact of fluvial erosion on archaeological sites in Kansas”
April 25, 2025 at 7:56 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
Very proud of my MA student MJ Jacobs for successfully presenting her poster on using UAV photogrammetry to monitor erosion at archaeological sites at #SAA25!
Woman stands in front of an academic poster titled “preliminary study of erosion risks to heritage sites in Kansas”
April 25, 2025 at 2:42 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
Just got to Denver for #SAA2025 #SAA25!
April 23, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Reposted by Matt Howland, Ph.D.
archaeojake.bsky.social
Our most recent work has been covered by National Geographic!! Have we made it?! #archaeology #ecology #conservation #climatechange www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/...
How trash from ancient humans is protecting these coastal islands today
The barrier islands off the coast of Georgia are littered with millions of oysters left behind by Indigenous peoples. New research shows they’re still protecting the land.
www.nationalgeographic.com
April 22, 2025 at 9:06 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
I found this really interesting!
carlbergstrom.com Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · Apr 13
Since people expressed curiosity, here's an excerpt from my textbook Evolution (coauthored with Lee Dugatkin) that addresses fever as an evolved defense and why we can treat it safely nonetheless.
The proximate mechanisms responsible for triggering mammalian fever are relatively well understood. When immune cells recognize the presence of a pathogen, they release signaling chemicals known as cytokines. Among many other functions, cytokine signals stimulate the brain region known as the hypothalamus, which is responsible for regulating many of the body’s physiological systems (Figure 20.2). The signals induce a shift in the body’s thermal setpoint for temperature regulation, promoting warmth-seeking behavior while driving an endogenous increase in body temperature and inducing fever (Osterhout et al. 2022). For example, when components of the bacterial cell wall are bound by immune cells known as macrophages, the macrophages produce the fever-inducing signals. The presence of bacterial cell wall components is a strong indicator of bacterial infection, and thus this pathway illustrates a mechanistic coupling between indications of pathogen challenge and the fever response. Consequences of Fever In humans, higher fevers are associated with more severe infections. A number of studies of human patients have shown that patients who receive fever- reducing antipyretic drugs such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen recover less quickly from viral infection (Hasday et al. 2000). These observations indicate that fever may play a beneficial role in shortening the duration of infection. Studies of patients with bacterial sepsis (a severe and very dangerous full-body inflammatory response induced by bacterial infection) have often, but not always, revealed a higher survival rate in patients that exhibit fever than in patients without fever. It is important to recognize that this observed correlation does not provide direct evidence of causation. Survival rates could be lower in patients without fever because, for example, the inability to mount a fever response could be indicative of more severe illness. As we described in the introduction of this chapter, numerous nonhuman species exhibit a fever response as well (Figure 20.3). In many of the species, manipulative studies are possible. Animals infected with bacterial pathogens and then treated with antipyretic drugs have more rapid bacterial proliferation and higher mortality rates than individuals allowed to develop a normal fever response. Similar results have been observed for viral infections. Because manipulating temperature by pharmaceutical means may cause additional side effects that make it hard to interpret the experimental results, researchers have also conducted experiments in which they manipulate body temperature directly. These studies tend to show comparable benefits to elevated body temperature. Taken together, the correlational studies in humans and manipulative studies in … of bacterial cell wall components is a strong indicator of bacterial infection, and thus this pathway illustrates a mechanistic coupling between indications of pathogen challenge and the fever response. Consequences of Fever In humans, higher fevers are associated with more severe infections. A number of studies of human patients have shown that patients who receive fever- reducing antipyretic drugs such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen recover less quickly from viral infection (Hasday et al. 2000). These observations indicate that fever may play a beneficial role in shortening the duration of infection. Studies of patients with bacterial sepsis (a severe and very dangerous full-body inflammatory response induced by bacterial infection) have often, but not always, revealed a higher survival rate in patients that exhibit fever than in patients without fever. It is important to recognize that this observed correlation does not provide direct evidence of causation. Survival rates could be lower in patients without fever because, for example, the inability to mount a fever response could be indicative of more severe illness. As we described in the introduction of this chapter, numerous nonhuman species exhibit a fever response as well (Figure 20.3). In many of the species, manipulative studies are possible. Animals infected with bacterial pathogens and then treated with antipyretic drugs have more rapid bacterial proliferation and higher mortality rates than individuals allowed to develop a normal fever response. Similar results have been observed for viral infections. Because manipulating temperature by pharmaceutical means may cause additional side effects that make it hard to interpret the experimental results, researchers have also conducted experiments in which they manipulate body temperature directly. These studies tend to show comparable benefits to elevated body temperature. Taken together, the correlational studies in humans and manipulative studies in … downtime—is far less than the cost of failing to produce a fever when it is needed to clear an infection. Thus, we might expect that fevers should be relatively common, and most should be unnecessary. If so, this means that in most cases, we should be able to intervene safely, reducing fever with antipyretic drugs. Medical technologies—most notably antibiotics and rehydration therapy—and improvements in nutritional status further reduce the risk of death by infection relative to what it would have been throughout much of our evolutionary history. Even many of those infections that might historically have been lethal without a fever response can now be safely controlled without fever. This is not to say that treating most fevers with antipyretic drugs is necessarily a good idea. Further research will be needed to resolve that issue. But it does provide an explanation for why we can often safely interfere with fever, despite its role as an evolved defense against pathogens.
April 13, 2025 at 8:54 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
Compare:
Before - www.asor.org/about-asor/c...
After - www.asor.org/about-asor/c...
matthowland.bsky.social Matt Howland, Ph.D. @matthowland.bsky.social · Apr 3
Is this a fucking joke @asor-research.bsky.social? You couldn’t send a clearer signal about how much you value diversity in this field
ASOR President Sharon Herbert and Executive Director Andrew Vaughn invite you to a virtual conversation about ASOR’s continuing efforts to address recent global actions impacting access, inclusion, and cultural heritage funding. This town hall meeting will be held via Zoom on Thursday, April 10th at 12:00pm EDT. You may have heard that ASOR’s Committee, previously known as DEI, has proposed a new name: “The Carolyn Midkiff Strange Committee on Growth, Innovation, and Visibility (GIV),” and we encourage you to check out its mission. This new, interim name will be used on the ASOR website until the May 2025 ASOR Board meeting when discussion and a change to the bylaws can take place. We also invite you to review the Cultural Heritage Inititiatives section of ASOR’s website.
April 4, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Reposted by Matt Howland, Ph.D.
foundhistory.bsky.social
Lots of people are hurting today, but I think it’s important to say that the closure of NEH and IMLS is an existential event for #DigitalHumanities #DH
April 3, 2025 at 10:35 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
Is this a fucking joke @asor-research.bsky.social? You couldn’t send a clearer signal about how much you value diversity in this field
ASOR President Sharon Herbert and Executive Director Andrew Vaughn invite you to a virtual conversation about ASOR’s continuing efforts to address recent global actions impacting access, inclusion, and cultural heritage funding. This town hall meeting will be held via Zoom on Thursday, April 10th at 12:00pm EDT. You may have heard that ASOR’s Committee, previously known as DEI, has proposed a new name: “The Carolyn Midkiff Strange Committee on Growth, Innovation, and Visibility (GIV),” and we encourage you to check out its mission. This new, interim name will be used on the ASOR website until the May 2025 ASOR Board meeting when discussion and a change to the bylaws can take place. We also invite you to review the Cultural Heritage Inititiatives section of ASOR’s website.
April 3, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Reposted by Matt Howland, Ph.D.
archaeojake.bsky.social
🚨 Our new paper is out today in Communications Earth & Environment (@commsearth.bsky.social)!! “Modern coastal ecosystems of the American Southeast are shaped by deep-time human-environment interactions” Check it out! 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s43...
March 26, 2025 at 7:29 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
go birds
diffendale.bsky.social Dan Diffendale @diffendale.bsky.social · Mar 17
they actually did it, the absolute madmen
Photo of the Leaning Tower of Pisa at night, lit up all in green for Saint Patrick's Day.
March 18, 2025 at 12:13 AM
matthowland.bsky.social
No one should be arrested for exercising their right to free speech, and the exercise of free speech certainly should not impact one’s immigration status
evanhill.bsky.social Evan Hill @evanhill.bsky.social · Mar 10
Trump signals the beginning of a new campus crackdown, promising "many" more arrests of students "across the country" who protested for Palestine or against Israel's war in Gaza
March 10, 2025 at 7:27 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
I would have thought citing yourself in the same paper was cutting-edge self citation methodology but apparently it is well-established
carlbergstrom.com Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · Mar 9
"Paper self-citation: An unexplored phenomenon."

Yes, there are 44,000 papers that purportedly cite themselves in the Web of Science dataset.

These authors had the opportunity to do the funniest thing but alas.

arxiv.org/pdf/2503.04324
Paper self-citation: An unexplored phenomenon Robin Haunschild* and Lutz Bornmann*,** *R.Haunschild@fkf.mpg.de, L.Bornmann@fkf.mpg.de 0000-0001-7025-7256; 0000-0003-0810-7091 Information Retrieval Service CPT, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Germany **bornmann@gv.mpg.de 0000-0003-0810-7091 Science Policy and Strategy Department, Administrative Headquarters of the Max Planck Society, Germany In this study, we investigated a phenomenon that one intuitively would assume does not exist: self-citations on the paper basis. Actually, papers citing themselves do exist in the Web of Science (WoS) database. In total, we obtained 44,857 papers that have self-citation relations in the WoS raw dataset. In part, they are database artefacts but in part they are due to papers citing themselves in the conclusion or appendix. We also found cases where paper self-citations occur due to publisher-made highlights promoting and citing the paper. We analyzed the self- citing papers according to selected metadata. We observed accumulations of the number of self-citing papers across publication years. We found a skewed distribution across countries, journals, authors, fields, and document types. Finally, we discuss the implications of paper self-citations for bibliometric indicators. 1. Introduction In simple terms, a self-citation usually happens when the citing paper and the cited paper have at least one author in common (Carley, Porter, & Youtie, 2013). However, self-citations cannot only be studied on the basis of authors, but also on the level of journals, institutions, and countries (Bakare & Lewison, 2017). In these cases, self-citations are defined as citing papers and cited papers that have at least one journal, one institution, or one country in common. Most of the studies dealing with self-citations in previous bibliometric studies have considered self- citations on the author level. The accuracy of the common author identification at the citing and cited paper can… Alas, this paper does not cite itself.
March 10, 2025 at 1:06 AM
matthowland.bsky.social
raises the question of who has “The Hockey Hair of Archaeologists”
nytimes.com The New York Times @nytimes.com · Mar 7
Minnesota’s high school hockey tournament is a fashion show of mullets, perms and bleach. With his “All Hockey Hair Team” video, John King, the self-described “archaeologist of hockey hair,” chronicles the lettuce and flow. nyti.ms/3DoYrII
March 9, 2025 at 1:35 AM
matthowland.bsky.social
This year I’ll be co-directing the Wichita State University archaeological field school in Arkansas City, Kansas, for which EVERY student will receive a scholarship covering the ENTIRE costs of the field school!

Students encouraged to apply: www.wichita.edu/academics/fa...
Etzanoa Archaeological Field SchoolPlay
www.wichita.edu
March 7, 2025 at 3:17 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
My MA student Katy Reis designed this StoryMap about the devastating 2023 earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, based on an article by my colleague Jens Kreinath. Check it out: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4adf...
In Search for Human Dignity
How aftershocks from the catastrophic 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes impacted the lives of locals and all that the city means to them.
storymaps.arcgis.com
March 4, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Reposted by Matt Howland, Ph.D.
antiquity.ac.uk
You can find more incredible Yup'ik #archaeology in the new Nunalleq Digital Museum (www.nunalleq.org), where the results of 9 excavation seasons are accessible whilst the original objects remain with the descendent community.

🆓 Antiquity research explores the project: doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
Screenshots of content in the Nunalleq Digital Museum, including illustrated reconstructions of Yup'ik life, 3D models of artefacts and in-depth explorations of specific activities featuring stories and workshops from local Elders and culture-bearers.
March 3, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Matt Howland, Ph.D.
moudhy.bsky.social
Bricks from ancient Mesopotamia may seem boring, but there is more to them than mud and straw.

A short thread on some fun facts about bricks in ancient Mesopotamia from my book, Between Two Rivers.
Photo of a square shaped mud brick in excellent condition with a stamped cuneiform inscription near the centre Photo of a stamp or mold used to press into a wet mud brick with cuneiform signs in relief poking out
March 2, 2025 at 2:50 PM
matthowland.bsky.social
Trump and Musk are testing what will happen if enshittification happens to the federal government
February 28, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Reposted by Matt Howland, Ph.D.
saa-aap.bsky.social
The Society for American Archaeology wants to benchmark losses in the federal archaeological workforce and invites members and other archaeologists to please take this anonymous survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/HPDWBBK.
Anonymous survey on US Federal government layoffs
Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.
www.surveymonkey.com
February 22, 2025 at 3:15 PM