Charles E. Rozaire Award for Student

Research in California Archaeology

Rozaire Flyer

Dr. Charles E Rozaire
(photo courtesy of LA Museum of Natural History)

As a young man during the 1940s, Charles Rozaire was an active volunteer at the Southwest Museum, working with Mark Harrington and others at various sites in western North America. Inspired by these experiences, he received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 1957, writing about ancient twined weaving techniques. Following his Ph.D., he worked at the Nevada State Museum until accepting a job at Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, where he spent the majority of his career (1963-1990). Rozaire made lasting contributions to California and maritime archaeology through his work on the California Channel Islands. The collections he made and his field notes continue to be an important source of research material for archaeologists today.

Throughout his career, Rozaire spent significant time conducting archaeological fieldwork across California. He greatly valued these experiences, both socially and academically; and he wished there had been more funding to support field and laboratory projects during his career. This award is intended to promote such experiences among young archaeologists, and to bring greater attention to California’s rich past.

The award supports undergraduate or graduate student research in California archaeology that includes a significant fieldwork or collections component. Funding from the award is intended to help pay for the various costs associated with fieldwork or analyzing an existing curated collection and/or for preparing the materials for long-term curation. The award is to promote original research on the material culture of all periods of California's history.

ALLOWABLE EXPENSES

Funding from the award (up to $2,000) may be used for fieldwork or collections expenses directly related to the study. These include travel to and from the field or museum; lodging, camping, and food to support a field crew; data collection; and/or the purchase or maintenance of minor field equipment (i.e., items under $300 such as shovels and screens). Expenses may also include initial stages of laboratory analysis associated with preparing the collection for further study and curation (e.g., illustrations or casting of artifacts, assistance with artifact or ecofact identification, purchase of curation supplies such as boxes or bags). Expenses not allowed include salary or stipends to field participants, tuition, or purchase of equipment over $300.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Complete proposals must include all of the following. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

• Research proposal (see below)
• Detailed budget and justification for all expenses
• Schedule for conducting and finalizing research and presentation, not to exceed one year (including at the annual meeting of the Society for California Archaeology)
• Curriculum vitae
• Letter of support from a faculty advisor

The research proposal should be no more than three pages, including: (1) research statement and design; (2) field or lab methods to be employed; (3) how the data to be gathered from fieldwork or museum work relate to the research design; (4) the significance of the site or area to California archaeology and Charles Rozaire's body of work; (5) objectives and scientific or educational significance of the proposed research; and (6) statement of approval or consultation by appropriate tribal entities for research focused on Native American archaeology.

DEADLINES

Applications are due by December 15 of each year. Applications will be reviewed by the committee, with the winner contacted by January 15 of the meeting year. The winner will be announced and honored at the Banquet at the annual meeting later that year.

RECIPIENT’S OBLIGATIONS

By accepting the award, the recipient commits to presenting a paper or poster at the following annual conference of the Society for California Archaeology and to submitting a version of this paper to the Journal of California Archaeology or the SCA Annual Proceedings. If additional papers are published in other venues, the recipient is asked to acknowledge financial assistance from the award.

Submit your proposal to cer_student_award@scahome.org, with Rozaire Award Proposal in the subject line.

2026 Charles E. Rozaire Award for Student Research in California Archaeology

Rose Mooney
University of Oregon

Tsnungwe Stewardship and Archaeological Geophysics at łe:ldin—the place where the rivers come together

This project builds upon a recent collaborative study between the Tsnungwe Council, Elders Council, and the University of Oregon. This research will investigate the use of geophysical survey methods to document subsurface features at the ancestral village of łe:ldin, the cultural and geographic center of Tsnungwe territory. Through implementation of exploratory ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and high-resolution 3D grids, this research will expand documentation of subsurface features. By exploring the degree to which the site remains intact, identifying which portions have been disturbed and to what extent, and assessing the factors that threaten the site’s overall integrity, the proposed research aims to inform Tsnungwe stewardship of łe:ldin. The findings of this project will provide the Tsnungwe Council and Elders Council with detailed spatial data to guide long-term management, cultural preservation, and future educational initiatives.

The call for proposals for this project goes out each year in October.

Past Winners

2025 Jennifer Leiva, California State University, Los Angeles
"Comparative Rock Art Studies in a Cultural Transition Zone: Photogrammetry and pXRF Analysis across Five Sites in Northern Baja California, Mexico"

2024 Jeremy McFarland, University of Nevada
"Investigating Traditional Management of Marine Ecosystems on the
Northwest Coast of California in the Late Holocene"

2023 JILL EUBANKS, UNIVERSITY OF california, davis

2022 Peter banke, university of nevada, reno
“Characterization of Monterey Formation Chert Sources for Purposes of Material Provenance”

2021 ALEC APODACA, UNIVERSITY OF california, BERKELEY
"ELKHORN SLOUGH ECO-ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY"

2019 jESSICA MORALES, UNIVERSITY OF california, DAVIS
"Reconstructing the Ancient Human-Canid Relationship in California: The Role of Hunting"

2018 Kaitlin Brown, UNIVERSITY OF california, Santa Barbara