About The Director
Dr. J. M. Adovasio, Director of MAI, achieved
world acclaim as an archaeologist in the 1970s with his excavation
of Meadowcroft Rockshelter, 30 miles southwest of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. Meadowcroft has been recognized as the earliest
well-dated archaeological site in the Western Hemisphere, with
evidence of human habitation dating to 16,000 years ago.
While chairman of the University of Pittsburgh's
anthropology department, Dr. Adovasio founded that institution's
Cultural Resource Management Program (CRMP) as a direct outgrowth
of the Meadowcroft-Cross Creek project. Under his direction,
CRMP grew into the largest contract archaeology program in the
world, employing over 200 people and conducting work in 27 states
and five foreign countries. In 1990, Dr. Adovasio moved to Erie,
Pennsylvania, to assume the positions of Chairman of the Department
of Anthropology/Archaeology and Director of Mercyhurst Archaeological
Institute. Dr. Adovasio also serves as a Commissioner with the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Working at Mercyhurst with a staff of carefully
picked specialists, Dr. Adovasio has built the first comprehensive
archaeological research program in the tri-state region comprised
of northwestern Pennsylvania, western New York, and eastern
Ohio.
