Laura received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, United States), Master of Arts in Anthropology and Applied Archaeology at Eastern New Mexico University (New Mexico, United States), and Certificate in Geographic Information Systems at New Mexico Highlands University (New Mexico, United States). She worked primarily working as Archaeologist and Program Manager with US government agencies, which lead to her current research interests centred around cultural heritage law.
Research Interests
- Cultural Heritage Law, Regulation, and Policy
- Cultural Heritage Resource Management
- Cultural Heritage Stewardship Practices
- United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites
- Risk Assessments and Environmental Planning
- Geographic Information Systems
Research Focus
Her research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cultural heritage law and regulation in addressing increasing threats to cultural heritage resources. These threats include but are not limited to changing environmental conditions, increases in tourism, decreases in financial support, inadequate staffing and/or expertise, and encroachment of urban and economic development.
Publications
- Kilby, J. David and Laura Hronec (2020). Evaluating the Integrity of Blackwater Draw’s Locality X: The Role of Wind in the Formation of a Late Prehistoric Site on the Southern High Plains. Journal of Texas Archaeology and History 6:1-18. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HborENxRdZl9iJv8gh9H6VHXLIYGS3ua/view
- Hronec, Laura and Courtney Carlson (2024). “Watch Out for that Tree!” Evident of Land Survey at the Former Fort Stanton Military Reservation. Archaeological Society of New Mexico Collected Papers in Honor of John Roney: 91-106.