A renowned archaeologist specialist in Egyptology at the University of Alabama (Birmingham), Sarah Parcak has just been announced as the 2016 TED $1 million Prize Winner. The annual award prize goes to only one exceptional individual, who uses the funding to launch a high-impact project.

At the 2016 TED conference in February, Sarah Parcak will be discussing her project. The project will be identifying and protecting archaeological sites in the Middle East and around the globe using satellite imagery.

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According to Forbes, Parcak has been called a space archaeologist as she uses satellite imagery beamed down from just outside the Earth's orbit to see archaeological sites that have been lost to time. Parcak's uses infrared imagery to see more than is possible with the naked human eye, as well as advanced computer algorithms that help separate the ruins of ancient temples or tombs from mere piles of rocks.

According to TED Prize officials, she is credited with using satellite infrared imagery to assist in mapping 1,000 tombs, 17 potential pyramids and 3,100 unknown settlements in Egypt. She has also discussed in a textbook the use of satellite remote sensing for archaeology and she explains further in her six-minute 2012 TED talk that this method can find ancient cities that have been "missing" for millennia, reported NBC News.

Parcak is now using data from satellite imagery to help stop looting at archaeological sites across the Middle East. Her work was very critical given the recent deprivation of history-rich artifacts and ruins in places like Palmyra - the ancient Syrian city that the Islamist group ISIS conquered this year.

"The last four and half years have been horrific for archaeology. I've spent much time, as have my colleagues, looking at the destruction," Parcak said in a statement. "This Prize is about our field and not about me. It's about the thousands of men and women around the world, mostly in the Middle East, who are defending and protecting sites."

Parcak hopes to use the grant money to quicken the process of locating and preserving ancient sites. According to Newsweek, she will announce the details of her project in February in Vancouver, during a live TED conference.

Many of Parcak's colleagues from around the world are lauding her past work and are excited to learn more about the development of her new TED-funded project. Archaeologist Rachel Opitz of the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies at the University of Arkansas told me that Parcak's effort "has been crucial in enhancing the use of aerial imagery to identify and monitor archaeological remains, particularly in Egypt and the Middle East. Her projects raise awareness of both the diversity and richness of the archaeological landscapes in these areas and the current threats to their preservation."

TagsSarah Parcak, TED Prize, Satellite Archaeologist