Last Thursday (Feb. 23) Maya archaeologist Ben Thomas spent the day at UE. Dr. Thomas is the Director of Programs at the Archaeological Institute of America and an assistant professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Dr. Thomas met with over 40 students in a number of small groups throughout the day to discuss everything from excavating in the jungle to the end of the Maya calendar in 2012 to careers in archaeology outside of academia, museums, and CRM. In the evening he gave a lecture to a packed house of over 120 people from both campus and Evansville about his research in caves along the Sibun River Valley of Belize. His explanations of the project’s goals and findings were laced with stories about the rigors and dangers of fieldwork in the jungle, including his encounters with a creature known in Belize as the “assassin bug.” All in all it was a great visit; Dr. Thomas had a wonderful time learning about our program and students and the students enjoyed discovering facets of archaeology about which they do not normally hear.
No comments:
Post a Comment