Outreach

In my education and outreach missions, I have given over 100 invited public talks over the last 5 years on a variety of archaeological and historical topics. Examples of the venues of these talks include: Arkansas Master Naturalists, Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources (Smackover, AR), Arkansas Tri-Peaks Regional Chamber of Commerce (Lake Dardanelle, AR), Barton Library Saturday Lecture Series (El Dorado, AR), Chidester School Museum (Chidester, AR), Columbia County Genealogical Society (Magnolia, AR), DeQueen Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (DeQueen, AR), Fayetteville Public Library (Fayetteville, AR), Historic Arkansas Museum (Little Rock, AR), Historic Washington State Park (Washington, AR), Hobbs State Park (Rogers, AR), Hooks Public Library (Hooks, TX), Jones Center for Families (Springdale, AR), Lions Clubs (Magnolia and DeQueen, AR), Moasic Templar Cultural Center (Little Rock, AR), NorthWest Arkansas Community College (Bentonville, AR), the Old State House Museum (Little Rock, AR), Ouachita & Calhoun County Genealogical Society (Camden, AR), Preserving African-American Cemeteries Workshop (Little Rock, Monticello, & Washington, AR), Red River Heritage Symposium (Washington, AR), Rotary Clubs (Camden, Magnolia, Fayetteville & DeQueen, AR), Shiloh Museum of Ozark History (Springdale, AR), South Arkansas Community College Brown Bag Series (El Dorado, AR), South Arkansas Historical Foundation’s speaker series (El Dorado, AR), University of Arkansas Community College at Hope (Hope, AR), and the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute (Morrilton, AR),

This also includes invited talks to a number of avocational archaeological organizations such as chapters of the Arkansas Archeological Society (Arkansas River Valley, Arkhoma, Central Mississippi Valley, Kadohadacho, Ko-Ko-Ci, Ouachita, Toltec and Tunica Chapters), the Louisiana Archaeological Society (Acadia, Northwest, and Northeast Chapters), and the Oklahoma Anthropological Society (MacAlester and Tahlequah Chapters). Additionally, as a part of the Arkansas Archeological Society’s certification program, I have taught avocational seminars in Arkansas Archeology, Laboratory Methods, Historical Archeology, Basic Excavation, and Research Methods.

I have also been a part of efforts to educate the public about archaeology through various media outlets. I have appeared on various radio programs on local NPR affiliates—Red River Radio (KDAQ 89.9FM, Shreveport, LA) and KUAF’s “Ozarks at Large” (91.3FM, Fayetteville, AR)—and other regional radio talk shows (such as “Timber Talk,” KZHE 100.5FM, Magnolia, AR). I have contributed to the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial on-line podcast program. I have appeared in two Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) documentaries—

Dr. Brandon in a promotional still from the AETN documentary "Sesquicentennial CW150: Remembering the Civil War in Arkansas."

I have also participated in a variety of local, regional and state events such as Arkansas Archeology Month, Arkansas Heritage Month, American Heritage Week, Civil War Weekend (Washington, AR), Jonquil Festival (Washington, AR), Louisiana Archeology Month, Stage Coach Days (Chidester, AR), Texarkana Archaeology and History Fair (Texarkana, AR/TX), as well as Boy Scout and Cub Scout events.

Finally, I have also been invited to give talks in formal, academic, non-conference/colloquia settings at such institutions as: Clemson University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology (Clemson, SC), Florida Public Archaeology Network (Pensacola, FL), Howard University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology (Washington, DC), Indiana University Department of Anthropology and the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology (Bloomington, IN), Michigan Technological University’s Department of Social Sciences (Houghton, MI), University of Alabama-Birmingham’s Department of Anthropology and Social Work (Birmingham, AL), University of Oklahoma’s Anthropology Department (Norman, OK), and Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of World Studies (Richmond, VA).