Students 'discover' science

The Mathers Museum of World Cultures held its annual "Discovering Archaeology" event Saturday afternoon, giving students and members of the community the opportunity to peek inside the historical science.\nThe event, which has run annually since 1996, featured hands-on activities such as pottery-making using ancient techniques, flintknapping (a technique for building stone tools), and even a demonstration of remote sensing technology that helps archaeologists look below the surface of the ground without even lifting a shovel.\nWhile many of the offered activities were geared toward children, "Discovering Archaeology" also showcased various archaeological institutes on campus, giving representatives from the different programs the chance to promote archaeology and anthropology to people in the community. \nSenior Jill Narozny spent almost the entire duration of the event visiting only three of the 16 booths present.\n"This is a lot of information that's helping me to understand what archaeologists go through," Narozny said. "It's just really good to have these people out here to be open and talk about what goes on."\nThe Underwater Science Program, one of the organizations represented at the event, is one of the country's leaders in underwater site investigation and park development. Program Director Charlie Beeker said he believes that public outreach programs like "Discovering Archaeology" and coverage through media like the History Channel are essential in conveying this idea of "public archaeology."\n"We think of archaeology as a public interest," Beeker said. "These are public resources, so public archaeology means this stuff belongs to you, so our job is to tell you what it means and why it's important."\nMathers Museum Director Dr. Geoff Conrad said getting the word out to the general public and making people aware of the importance of archaeology is one of the biggest parts of the event.\n"The public awareness and public support for archaeology are vital for the future of the profession," Conrad said. "This kind of reaching out to the public is actually one of the most important things that we can do."\nConrad said things like development, construction, wars, and even looting are destroying possible dig sites every day, leading to the death of archaeology and the loss of major parts of cultures today.\n"Without increased public awareness, ultimately there'd be not much left," he said. "We're the stewards of our history, and we're losing it."\nOther programs represented Saturday included the Glen Black Lab, the Department of Natural Resources, the Undergraduate Anthropology Society, the Archaeology and Social Context program, IU's Zooarchaeology Lab, and the IU Archaeological Field School, the program that caught Narozny's eye.\n"I think archeology is something that everyone can get involved in," said graduate student Sarah Willie, who is involved in the Field School, an archaeological dig organization whose most recent operation at the ancient Mayan city of Chau Hiix in Belize occurred in March. "The more people you have involved, the more interesting it is. It makes it a better science."\nNot only is public involvement imperative to the continuation of archaeology, but archaeology is imperative to the future of the world's cultures, said Jeanne Sept, the chair of anthropology at IU.\n"If you can't learn from the past, you'll never survive in the future," she said. "Knowing how the past is important to all of us is part of being an informed citizen. Besides, it's fun."\n-- Contact staff writer Sean Abbott at seaabbot@indiana.edu.