Research Associate/Public Archaeology Coordinator-Northwest Region
University of West FloridaArchaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Maritime History
Nicole Grinnan currently works with the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN), a program of the University of West Florida, as a research associate and public archaeologist for Florida’s Northwest Region. Before joining FPAN as a Public Archaeologist in 2012, she worked as an outreach assistant with FPAN, an intern with Biscayne National Park, and as an assistant with the NASA History Division in Washington, D.C. Nicole is also a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA), a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), and a SCUBA Instructor. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) and for the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS). Nicole’s research interests include maritime archaeology and history, coastal heritage management, the interpretation of maritime cultural resources, and social history.
Archaeology, History, Maritime History
Dysfunction, Maritime History
Dr. Amy Cook, professor of history, teaches maritime history, Atlantic world, early America and 19th century women. From the moment Cook volunteered on a maritime project in Yorktown, Virginia, she was hooked on shipwrecks. She later spent 10 years as a maritime archaeologist before shifting her focus to maritime history. She has written numerous chapters, articles and book reviews on the subject. Her book, “Sea of Misadventures: Shipwreck and Survival in Early America,” is based on more than 100 accounts of shipwreck narratives from 1640 to 1840, and explores the issues of gender, race, religion and power, and how it reflected on Americans in Anglo-American society. She co-wrote the chapter, “The Maritime History of Florida,” in the book, “The New History of Florida,” which is the first comprehensive history of the state to be written in a quarter of a century. She also co-wrote a chapter in an upcoming book, “Methodology in La Belle: The Archeology of a 17th Century Ship of New World Colonization,” on the methods archaeologists in Texas used to record and excavate the French ship that sank off the coast of Texas in 1685. In 2006 and 2007, Cook and Della Scott-Ireton, associate director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network, received funding from The History Channel’s, The Save Our History Grant Program to partner with a Ferry Pass Middle School to help preserve the Colonial Archaeological Trail, a series of outdoor exhibits that feature Pensacola's colonial past. Cook received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Florida, a master’s degree in maritime archaeology and history from East Carolina University, and a doctorate in history from Penn State University.
Historic Preservation, Marine Archaeology, Maritime History
Dr. John Jensen, associate professor, teaches maritime history, historic preservation, fisheries and marine archaeology. Jensen, an applied historian and marine archaeologist, focuses on the many relationships between people and inland waterways, coastal areas and oceans. Born and raised in Homer, Alaska, he spent most of his formative years working with his father as a commercial crab and shrimp fisherman. His experiences growing up in the rapidly changing coastal community of Homer and working on Alaska’s fisheries frontier inspired his scholarship and interests in the connections between history, policy and community identity. Jensen brings to UWF 25 years of professional experience connected with the historic preservation and cultural heritage of coastal communities. In 2012, Jensen was appointed a member of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Protected Area System Federal Advisory Committee. From 2012-2014, he was vice-chair of NOAA’s Subcommittee on Tourism. His research covers a wide range of fields, including historic preservation, maritime history, history of medicine, fisheries and marine archaeology. He has been published in numerous technical studies and historic preservation documents, and popular history and academic journals, such as Sea History, The American Neptune, The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Reviews in American History and American Academy of Underwater Sciences. He has also collaborated on the development and design of museum exhibitions, such as the "Exploring the Shipwreck Century" at the NOAA Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and “Sea Dogs! Great Tails of the Sea” at Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. Jensen has an undergraduate degree in history from Lawrence University, a master’s in maritime history and underwater archaeology from East Carolina University, and a master’s in history and policy and a doctorate in social history from Carnegie Mellon University.