AMDA is a not-for-profit volunteer group. Student tuition supports instructor travel expenses, course materials, and for AMDA only equipment purchases.
AMDA and Instructors follow the Register of Professional Archaeologist Codes and Standards.
Neither AMDA nor our instructors have any affiliation with metal detector companies, dealers, or resellers; we do not receive compensation in any form for our opinion on the performance of metal detectors and associated products we use to teach the class or in our professional activities.
Nature of the Class
The AMDA class recognizes that the three main factors affecting the efficacy of a metal detector investigation are: 1) competency of the operators; 2) appropriateness of the device to the task at hand; and 3) suitability of the research design. The class includes eight hours of classroom instruction, where we present best practices. The class notebooks also include a case study CD with examples of successful research efforts.
We also recognize that professional archaeologists need an opportunity for instructor-monitored, hands-on, practical field experience with a variety of currently available devices. AMDA has created a partnership with several manufacturers and retailers who provide trial models at various price points. Our fieldwork sessions are designed to contribute to the research needs of our local hosts, and we work on real problems on real sites.
Future Classes
The response to our first classes demonstrated that there is still sufficient demand to support one-two classes per year for the next several years. The fourth and fifth classes underlined a cost-effective option for firms or agencies with multiple employees needing training. AMDA is evaluating regional demand, and we expect to begin offering the class in other parts of the country. Please monitor the web-site listed below to keep abreast of our next offering.
We continue to update our case study CD. If you have examples of successful application of metal detecting, especially on non-military sites, please send a pdf of the article or report to AMDAinstruction@gmail.com.
AMDA is also open to adding to our instructor corps. If you are interested in being considered, please send a resume to AMDAinstruction@gmail.com
For further information about AMDA, please contact:
Jo Balicki at AMDAinstruction@gmail.com