Anthro-Teach has teamed up with nine students from Parker High School to work on researching a historical cemetery in Titusville. The students receive one hour of college credit from UAB for their fifteen weeks of hands-on work and research. The students met one day a week after school for one hour, as well devoting eight Saturdays of the spring semester to fieldwork and field trips.The goal of the project is to educate the students in ethnohistory, archeology, genealogy, and to introduce anthropology and archeology as possible career paths.
The students were recognized Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at The Birmingham City School Board meeting for receiving an award for the Best Poster in Science Education at The Alabama Academy of Science meeting.
(From left) Malcom Ryans, Sabrina Bone, and Delana Benford presenting at the Alabama Academy of Science meeting
Photo taken of the students, faculty, and Birmingham City School Board members
In addition to presenting at The Alabama Academy of Science meeting and receiving recognition at The Birmingham City School Board meeting, the students from Parker also participated in a mock archeology dig on Thursday, April 29th. The nine students from Parker High School participating in The Titusville Historical Archeology Field Study took at trip to The University of Alabama at Birmingham's campus to learn and practice basic archeology techniques and theories. The students spent time learning how to prep a site by making a grid of their area,which was two large planting boxes filled with various artifacts.
Anna McCowan, UAB student and anthropology major, teaching Parker students how to setup a grid for an archeology site
The students also learned the importance of surveying a site and taking detailed notes. Students learned basic techniques for unearthing artifacts using trowels and other various tools. The mock dig was divided into two stations, and each student spent time setting up a grid, recording data, excavating, sifting for artifacts, and soil analysis, all basic and important components to a successful dig. The practice dig was led by Professors in UAB's Department of History and Anthropology, Dr. Lorreta Cormier and Dr. Sharyn Jones, as well as Parker history teacher, Barry McNealey, Titusville Historical Archeology Project Manager, Sabrina Bone, and five UAB anthropology students.
Jade Delisle and Angela Cales, UAB anthropology graduate students, giving Parker kids an introduction to trowel use and excavation techniques.
(From left) Brea Roper, Melvin Griffin, and Kenneth Sutton excavate a deer skull
Both The Birmingham News and News Channel 33/40 came out to the mock excavation to do a story on the kids and their work with The Titusville Historical Archeology Field Study. For more information on the project and the kids from parker please see the following links
http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-stories/2010/05/amateur_archaeologists_sift_th.html
http://cfc.abc3340.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=64169&category=news
