Director of the Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology Field School (ANTH 588) Dr. Ventura Perez reports:
"I wanted to share some exciting news regarding yesterday's public open house for the Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology Field School.
The event was an enormous success and provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase our students, our program, and the innovative work taking place within the Department of Anthropology.
Throughout the day, we welcomed a remarkable group of visitors. Dean Karl Rethemeyer spent approximately an hour at the site, while Provost Fouad Abd-El-Khalick visited for nearly an hour and a half. The Provost was extremely impressed with both the field school and the educational opportunities it provides our students. We were also joined by several Associate Deans, as well as our colleagues from UMass Chan Medical School, including the leadership and staff of the Anatomical Gift Program and Dr. Jenna Watson from the Department of Anatomy.
In addition to university leadership, we hosted elementary, middle school, and high school students, parents, community members, and representatives from UMass Social Media and University Communications. Visitors had the opportunity to tour our unique taphonomy facility, observe ongoing excavations, interact with students, and learn about how archaeological methods are used in forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the day was watching our field school students explain their projects and demonstrate the excavation techniques they have spent the past several weeks learning. They represented the department exceptionally well and were outstanding ambassadors for Anthropology."