Dr. Adrian Evans,Lecturer - Arch and Forensic Science
Information about Dr. Adrian Evans at the University of Bradford.
- School of Archaeological & Forensic Sci
(Faculty of Life Sciences) - Email:
- a.a.evans@bradford.ac.uk
- Telephone:
- +44 1274 233557
Biography
Dr Adrian A. Evans is an Archaeological Scientist with wide-ranging research interests in methodological development and applications of novel technologies to develop digital heritage and archaeological and forensic inquiry. He is based in the School of Archaeological & Forensic Sciences at the University of Bradford and works closely with colleagues involved in Engineering and International Development. His current work focuses on the use of digital heritage as a tool in societal and economic growth and is working with displaced communities to test the use of digital heritage to build resilience. On collaborative research focusing on digital transformations he has designed and developed macro structured light scanners for object documentation to aid fragmented object refitting, has introduced the application of 3D microscopy to applied fields within archaeological science, primarily focusing on early stone tool use, and has developed a citizen science program of research as a means to survey small objects in large landscapes.Research
3D documentation, microscopy, project design and management, early prehistoric archaeology, drone applications, citizen scienceResearch projects
| Role | Date | Title/description | Funder | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI | 2012-10-01T00:00:00 | Common questions asked by the public of stone tools are 'what were they used for?' or, of the people, 'what were they doing there?' The primary aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate a technique that allows these questions to be reliably answered and illustrated. This project presents the analysis of an archaeological assemblage as a case study, designed to introduce new methods of high resolution three dimensional laser scanning microscopes to study archaeological stone tools. This presents the integration of methods from engineering into the study of heritage to improve the quality of archaeological research by digital transformation of current approaches. Lithic microwear analysis is a technique that has been developed to study stone tool use. It involves the use of microscopes to study edges of stone tools to find areas that have been worn through use. This method has allowed archaeologists to gain insight into prehistoric activities but there are known flaws which experts aim to improve. The main problem is the method relies on visual discrimination of surface wear. Testing of the method shows that this qualitative assessment of tool function is highly inaccurate and inconsistent. Stone tools are the primary artefact left by our ancestors as they have evolved over the last 4.5 million years. An understanding of stone tools is therefore fundamental to understanding evolution and social change. An important aspect of stone tool analysis is understanding how they were used. This level of understanding can help up learn about social development, environmental adaptation through climate change, and technological specialisation. The assemblage studied is an Upper Palaeolithic set of stone tools from the site of Wey Manor Farm, a well preserved site from surrey. It represents one of only a few discovered in the UK that show a good degree of preservation and was meticulously excavated, presenting a unique opportunity to match data from the location of tools at the site and activities carried out by their prehistoric users. The good preservation of the assemblage makes it highly suitable for the project as the ability to gather useful data from the tools and high quality graphics illustrating a variety of different tool uses will serve to highlight the capabilities of the approach used. The new technology introduced by this project aims to transform the approaches used through the addition of quantitative analysis wear and computed interpretation. The method changes the way that archaeological data is visualised and allows a shift of focus from method to interpretation. The visualisation of data in this new way reduces the complexity of the interpretative problem. Experts will no longer needs to visually discern complex and often subtle textural information. The task of textural characterisation is taken up by the computing system as is the interpretation of what this implies for tool use. This reduces error in identification, improves consistency, and strengthens the reputation of the method as a whole. This allows the expert to shift focus to the interpretation of results and the implications of these in the broader context of the archaeological question at hand. The reduction in need for the expert to be familiar with the visual system of remembering and cataloguing worn surface types for the purpose of future analysis also dramatically reduces the requirement for the associated extensive training (4-8 years is currently considered normal). Training requirements to use this new system will be on the scale of months; closer in line to other analytical systems in use across the applied sciences. This will make the technique more accessible across the discipline; a compound effect being the production of larger datasets pertaining to site function and subsequently a greater base for interpretation of heritage. | PI | |
| Co-PI | 2013-10-01T00:00:00 | This project aims to revolutionize landscape, site, and artefact analyses by bringing new transformative digital recording methods and computed analysis to fields that are traditionally labour intensive. The scale of the resultant technology and capability will generate a paradigm shift in the way that spatial and functional data are studied in heritage sciences. Conventional 'refit analysis' requires an expert to study thousands of individual pieces from prehistoric archaeological sites and try to find pieces that fit together, eventually reconstructing objects, such as stone tool cores. Due to the size and complexity of these sites, it makes them important for understanding past human behaviour, however this also makes them the least understood by archaeologists and the public. The amount of effort this requires increases exponentially with assemblage size and generally entire sites can not be studied. Automation of this process will transform working practices bringing rapid and total surveys in reach of many more projects. The implications of such capability are widespread. At a site and landscape level the addition of digital recording, automated capture and processing to augment landscape survey will enhance the ability to archaeologically record and resolve complex surface scatters in landscapes, this will also allow sites that have previously been too remote and inhospitable to be surveyed. Work can then be done faster and allow areas for targeted survey to be identified easily and safely. At a macro scale, the method will resolve complex associations facilitating interpretation through visualisations and aiding physical reconstruction. The generation of high fidelity digital output will enable closer working of researchers across traditional boundaries and will benefit the specialist and nonspecialist alike. These combined transformative scalable approaches to refit analysis will have broad application to all disciplines working with objects across the arts and humanities - ranging from three-dimensional artists to heritage professionals such as conservators/ restorers and even impacting on other disciplines such as forensic science. Outputs of the project will be highly visual and are tailored to maximise impact with the involvement of a visual artist as an integral part of the project team. The project teams involved in the various work packages involve high profile international co-investigators. | Co-PI | |
| PI | 2019-02-01T00:00:00 | This project's overall objectives are: (i) to engage with the refugee (primarily Syrian) and mixed communities in and around Azraq in Jordan to enable them to discuss and use the digital heritage technologies and capacities developed in our AHRC-funded projects for their own well-being, including building mutual confidence and community cohesion, and (ii) to learn from the experience to develop approaches and good practices for wider uses of digital heritage resources to the benefit of refugee, displaced and conflict-affected communities in other regions. The project builds on the successes of the AHRC-funded Augmenting Jordanian Heritage (AJH) and Fragmented Heritage (Curious Travellers element) Projects, as well as drawing on aspects of the AHRC-funded Continuing Bonds Project. The follow-on funding reaches new audiences, namely refugee and communities in the Azraq region of Jordan, with an additional focus on the role of heritage in peacebuilding, thus representing a new interdisciplinary collaboration between archaeology, digital heritage, peace studies and international development, working with local partners in Jordan. The project aims to use heritage as a further key tool in an innovative and creative way, to enhance a sense of place, explore the role and value of digital heritage in identity, community development and wellbeing in contexts of displaced and conflict-affected communities., The project combines several recently established bodies of knowledge and practice from the areas of peace studies & international development, and archaeology & heritage, from which the CoI OG and PI, CoI AW and CoI KC have strong experience. Local community involvement will be embedded in the project from the outset, with our Jordanian collaborators involved in all stages of the project as they have been from inception. Members of this project team have substantial experience of conflict and conflict sensitive analyses and community building processes (CoI OG) and archaeological and heritage research in Jordan and elsewhere in the Middle East, including some field experience (PI; CoI KC). Our local partners are Jordan Heritage and Wafr Al Waqt, both local NGOs with track record of activities and engagement with local and refugee communities on issues of diverse tangible and intangible heritages. These local partners have fully contributed to, the development of this proposal; and the project will enhance their capacity for follow-on activities after the project ends. Five face-to-face project events are planned (4 in Jordan, 1 in the UK), to prepare the project, build capacity of local patterns, and to monitor, review and evaluate the project progress and process. A series of three community workshops will be established and facilitate processes of community engagement in and around Azraq on the relevance and values of diverse cultural heritages, and to guide and use digital heritage assets that are either already generated or will be created for this project. The project team will also meet at least monthly (via Skype), and more regularly when needed. The outputs include creation and use of the digital assets customized to community priorities and needs; establishment and conflict-sensitive facilitation of community dialogue and building processes; capacity-building; and evaluation and development and dissemination of targeted whitepapers for NGO, government and international use, based on the lessons learned and methodology we will develop through the project, and articles aimed at lay audiences (in English and Arabic). The project aims directly and primarily address UK Aid / ODA priorities. They further address identified strategic development goals and established United Nations regional response plans (United Nations, 2014) and to proposed policies for the use of heritage in sustainable development (UNESCO, 2015) each of which link directly to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015). | PI | |
| Co-PI | 2016-11-01T00:00:00 | This project is an enhancement to the AHRC 'Fragmented Heritage' project, which aims to revolutionize landscape, site, and artefact analyses by bringing new transformative digital recording methods and computed analysis to fields that are traditionally labour intensive. The scale of the resultant technology and capability will generate a paradigm shift in the way that spatial and functional data are studied in the heritage sciences. Fragmented Heritage has developed a means for refitting knapped (flaked) stone tools. In this extension of that research, we aim to apply the method to reconstruct broken and fragmented heritage objects and monuments that have sustained damage as a result of human and natural agencies. This cutting edge research will provide museums and heritage sites the opportunity: 1) to record their important heritage materials in 3D; 2) to refit fragmented heritage objects digitally, which can then be displayed in 360 degrees; 3) to decide whether to repair the fragmented object physically using the digital model as a guide. This research allows us to contribute much more directly to public outreach in places where disasters such as war and earthquakes have impacted on the great heritage that exists or once existed. Until now no one has been able to produce a methodology to refit broken three dimensional objects back together digitally. Our methodology is at the very forefront of heritage and engineering sciences. By demonstrating this research at the Jordan Museum, we expect the results will greatly impact on the heritage fields (e.g., archaeology, history, conservation), and for museums and organisations specialized in the presentation and distribution of heritage understanding. This project extension serves to bring direct capacity and capability to the heritage infrastructure in Jordan and to afford the same to other ODA countries as a result of interactions during project dissemination. The aim is to transform the existing virtual presence of The Jordan Museum. We will digitally reconstruct a sample of fragmented heritage objects to demonstrate the potential application of the 3D refit methodology for objects, statuary, and monuments damaged as a result of climate change, warfare, earthquakes and other harmful events. It builds on the existing Fragmented Heritage project by translating and applying research conducted as part of that program of research in the area of digital refitting and presentation. | Co-PI | |
| Co-I | 2018-01-01T00:00:00 | 'Project code-named Humpty' [P c-n H] is a narrative art process, conceived by artist Kate Johnson in response to the wider goals of the 'Fragmented Heritage' [FH] project, awarded to archaeological sciences at the University of Bradford, under the umbrella of the theme: Digital Transformations. It is a project, delivered in 'chapters' bringing artist and archaeologists into a shared creative and scientific arena. A 10' high figurative sculpture has been created by the artist in clay. It will be cast in a uniquely developed material suitable for deliberate fragmentation over a precipice, with the purpose of yielding fragments which have not been influenced by an internal metal armature. Archaeologists will retrieve the fragments as if from an archaeological site and manually reconstruct the fragments, informed by innovative reconstruction and digital visualisation technologies they have developed on the FH project. When taken at face value, creating a monumental sculpture only to break it into pieces with the goal of putting the pieces back together again might seem a frivolous venture. Although the project involves some degree of risk, a frivolous undertaking it is not. P c-n H functions formally and conceptually and in its entirety, it is designed to allow for multiple layers of interpretation. It promotes reflection on our relationship with the objects we make, the nature of manual skill in a technological age as well as the nature of value and of beauty in relation to the art object. It concerns the paradoxes of human behaviour today and throughout the archaeological record. It will serve to strengthen the wider legacy of the Digital Transformations theme to the wider public as well as to heritage practitioners, curators, object handlers and excavators. P c-n H touches the core of the AHRC's ethos in supporting projects serving to enhance 'understanding of our times, our capacities and our inheritance'. In collaboration with Project Partner Bradford UNESCO City of Film, short films will be made documenting the process of the piece at each stage. The making of these films will give the artist and archaeologists opportunities for collaboration outside of academia. Engagement with the wider public will occur through the screening of the films in an open city space reaching an expected footfall of a minimum of 30,000. A live fragmentation/fragment retrieval event at Swinden Quarry accommodating a crowd of between 500 and 2000 people will incorporate crowd participation through music and the event will be filmed. P c-n H extends themes in contemporary art and importantly contributes to the growing genre of art and archaeology collaborative ventures whilst embracing wider interdisciplinary and non-academic communication. | Co-I |
Publications
There are 24 publications involving or that are attributed to Dr. Adrian Evans. They are listed as:
- editorial (3)
- peer reviewed journal (20)
- reviews (1)
Editorial
| Title | Year | Publication name | Journal | Volume | Pages | Authors | Editors | ISSN | Publisher | DOI | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exploring the microscale: Advances and novel applications of microscopy for archaeological materials | 2018 | Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports | 18 | 804 - 805 | Macdonald D.;Stemp W.;Evans A. | 2352-409X | 10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.02.036 | ||||
| Exposing the past: Surface topography and texture of paleontological and archeological remains | 2016 | 4 | Ungar, Peter; Evans, Adrian | 2051-672X | 10.1088/2051-672X/4/4/040302 | ||||||
| Standardization, calibration and innovation: A special issue on lithic microwear method | 2014 | 48 | 1 - 4 | Evans, A;Lerner, H; Macdonald, D; Stemp, W; Anderson, P | 0305-4403 | 10.1016/j.jas.2014.03.002 |
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Title | Year | Publication name | Journal | Volume | Pages | Authors | Editors | ISSN | Publisher | DOI | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New test to assess pilot's vision following corneal refractive surgery. | 2003 | Chisholm, Catharine M.; Evans, A.D.B.; Barbur, J.L.; Harlow, J.A. | |||||||||
| Thyroid hormones, brain function and cognition | 2002 | Smith, Jeremy W.; Evans, A. Tudor; Costall, Brenda; Smythe, James W. | |||||||||
| Gestational stress induces post-partum depression-like behaviour and alters maternal care in rats | 2004 | Smith, Jeremy W.; Seckl, J.R.; Evans, A. Tudor; Costall, Brenda; Smythe, James W. | |||||||||
| Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in lesbians and heterosexual women in a community setting. | 2007 | Evans, A.L.; Scally, Andy J.; Wellard, S.J.; Wilson, J.D. | |||||||||
| Thyroid hormones, brain function and cognition: A brief review | 2002 | Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews | 26 | 45 - 60 | Smith J.;Evans A.;Costall B.;Smythe J. | 0149-7634 | 10.1016/S0149-7634(01)00037-9 | ||||
| Replicating surface texture: Preliminary testing of molding compound accuracy for surface measurements | 2018 | Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports | 18 | 839 - 846 | Macdonald D.;Harman R.;Evans A. | 2352-409X | 10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.02.033 | ||||
| A pilot study of "black chert" sourcing and implications for assessing hunter-gatherer mobility strategies in Northern England | 2007 | Journal of Archaeological Science | 34 | 2161 - 2169 | Evans A.;Wolframm Y.;Donahue R.;Lovis W. | 0305-4403 | 10.1016/j.jas.2007.03.007 | ||||
| Dating human occupation and adaptation in the southern European last glacial refuge: The chronostratigraphy of Grotta del Romito (Italy) | 2018 | Quaternary Science Reviews | 184 | 5 - 25 | Blockley, S; Pellegrini, M ;Colonese, A; Lo Vetro, D; Albert, P; Brauer A; Di Giuseppe, Z; Evans, A; Harding, P; Lee-Thorp, J; Lincoln, P; Martini, F; Pollard, M; Smith, V; Donahue, R. | 0277-3791 | 10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.09.007 | ||||
| Glut-1 as a therapeutic target: Increased chemoresistance and HIF-1-independent link with cell turnover is revealed through COMPARE analysis and metabolomic studies | 2008 | Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology | 61 | 377 - 393 | Evans A.;Bates V.;Troy H.;Hewitt S.;Holbeck S.;Chung Y.;Phillips R.;Stubbs M.;Griffiths J.;Airley R. | 0344-5704 | 10.1007/s00280-007-0480-1 | ||||
| Reaping the rewards: The potential of well designed methodology, a comment on Vardi et al. (Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 1716-1724) and Goodale et al. (Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 1192-1201) | 2012 | Journal of Archaeological Science | 39 | 1901 - 1904 | Stemp W.;Evans A.;Lerner H. | 0305-4403 | 10.1016/j.jas.2011.04.015 | ||||
| Lithic raw material sourcing and the assessment of Mesolithic landscape organization and mobility strategies in northern England | 2010 | Holocene | 20 | 1157 - 1163 | Evans A.;Langer J.;Donahue R.;Wolframm Y.;Lovis W. | 0959-6836 | 10.1177/0959683610369500 | ||||
| New method development in prehistoric stone tool research: Evaluating use duration and data analysis protocols | 2014 | Micron | 65 | 69 - 75 | Evans A.;Macdonald D.;Giusca C.;Leach R. | 0968-4328 | 10.1016/j.micron.2014.04.006 | ||||
| Effect of process parameters upon the dopamine and lipid peroxidation activity of selected MIG welding fumes as a marker of potential neurotoxicity | 2001 | Annals of Occupational Hygiene | 45 | 187 - 192 | Hudson N.;Evans A.;Yeung C.;Hewitt P. | 0003-4878 | 10.1016/S0003-4878(00)00053-3 | ||||
| Cell reactions to dielectrophoretic manipulation | 1999 | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications | 257 | 687 - 698 | Archer S.;Li T.;Evans A.;Britland S.;Morgan H. | 0006-291X | 10.1006/bbrc.1999.0445 | ||||
| The elemental chemistry of lithic microwear: An experiment | 2005 | Journal of Archaeological Science | 32 | 1733 - 1740 | Evans A.;Donahue R. | 0305-4403 | 10.1016/j.jas.2005.06.010 | ||||
| Laser scanning confocal microscopy: a potential technique for the study of lithic microwear | 2008 | Journal of Archaeological Science | 35 | 2223 - 2230 | Evans A.;Donahue R. | 0305-4403 | 10.1016/j.jas.2008.02.006 | ||||
| Using metrology in early prehistoric stone tool research: Further work and a brief instrument comparison | 2011 | Scanning | 33 | 294 - 303 | Evans A.;MacDonald D. | 0161-0457 | 10.1002/sca.20272 | ||||
| Cytokine gene expression in intact anagen rat hair follicles. | 1994 | Journal of Investigative Dermatology | 103 | Little JC;Westgate GE;Evans A;Granger SP; | 0022-202X | ||||||
| New Advances in the Automated Digital Reconstruction of Fragmented Artifacts for Cultural Heritage Conservation | 2019 | PLoS ONE | Evans, A. A., Sparrow, T., Murgatroyd, A., Strawbridge, H., Holland, A., Johnson, K., Davis, R., Hutson, J., Pope, M., Ashton, N. & Wilson, A. S. | ||||||||
| Protein kinase inhibition and the oestrogen - Like relaxant effects of genistein on isolated rat aorta | 1997 | Biochemical Society Transactions | 25 | Babaei H.;Tudor Evans A.;Trying G.;McCurrie J. | 0300-5127 |
Reviews
| Title | Year | Publication name | Journal | Volume | Pages | Authors | Editors | ISSN | Publisher | DOI | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface analysis of stone and bone tools | 2016 | 4 | Stemp W.;Watson A.;Evans A. | 2051-672X | 10.1088/2051-672X/4/1/013001 |