The PAST Foundation was founded in 2000 by an ad hoc organization of anthropologists and scientists who were determined to make ongoing scientific research across a broad spectrum of professions accessible to the public. Immediately, the PAST team began building partnerships and programs for seamless education. The initial work in 2001 included a partnership with the Zoo School from Lincoln, Nebraska, Yellowstone National Park, and PAST. The year-long program featured the first Thermal River archaeological investigation on the Marshall Hotel in the Firehole River and culminated in a published book on the archaeology of the site garnering PAST the National Park Service "John L. Cotter Award" for Excellence in American Archaeology.