For Dr. Neal Lopinot, an ideal day at work involves digging in the dirt. As director of the Center for Archaeological Research, much of his time involves writing proposals or reports on the center’s work, but his true love is working in the field.

Preserving history and discovering the significance of historic sites is the core mission of the Center for Archaeological Research.

A recent project involved surveying islands in the Missouri River for steamboat wrecks, so work by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and Army Corps of Engineers wouldn’t disturb historic remains. They found at least one steamboat wreck, so the planned work was moved to avoid impacting the site.

And at the Three Finger Bay site on the Gibson Reservoir in northeast Oklahoma, research archaeologists have been excavating a site that was occupied between 100 BC and AD 400 to discover the site’s historical significance.

Lopinot has led or been very involved in research at prominent archaeological sites including Big Eddy, Delaware Town and Cahokia Mounds.