For AIA members: How can I get involved in public engagement?
For teachers and community members: How can I connect with an archaeologist?
Are you an archaeologist who loves what you do? Are you passionate about sharing archaeology with others? If you have some time to give back, consider signing up as a volunteer through Skype a Scientist or forming your own partnerships with classrooms and community groups. The AIA’s Code of Professional Standards stresses the importance of actively engaging with the public; read on to learn more about how to get started!
Skype a Scientist is an innovative program that matches professionals of all kinds with classrooms and community groups around the world to talk about their field and their work through free virtual conversations. Don’t consider yourself a “scientist”? That’s totally fine! AIA members who work in museums, teach art history, history, or ancient languages, and/or whose research is humanities-focused have all connected with learners through Skype a Scientist.
Signing up is easy! Here’s how it works:
This program is a great way to present to groups that may not otherwise have a chance to meet an archaeologist. It gives learners of all ages a chance to ask the questions they’ve had as they’ve learned about ancient civilizations, encountered history in their local community, or pondered the age-old question, Do archaeologists dig dinosaurs? Through Skype a Scientist, you can share your personal experiences, inspire the next generation, and think about your research from a whole new perspective. Some of the most thought-provoking questions come from the most unexpected places!
For an example of a “Skype a Scientist LIVE” session, recorded as part of an international public event, check out this video featuring AIA member Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow. (Note that regular Skype a Scientists sessions are not recorded and usually do not follow a lecture format.)
Interested in engaging with your local community to form meaningful partnerships closer to home? There are many local groups looking to connect and learn with an archaeologist on a variety of topics, such as excavation, conservation, art history, ancient languages, museum work, and more.
Wondering how to get started?
Try reaching out to local K-12 schools/teachers, libraries, senior centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, scouting groups, historical societies, parks, recreation centers, camps, religious organizations, and other community groups to ask about their needs, interests, and what they might like to learn about. You’ll be amazed by the positive response!
Connect with your local AIA Society to see if any local organizations have already reached out to them to connect with an archaeologist, or if the Society has existing contacts in the area.
Top tip: Be sure to consider the interests, needs, and level(s) of the audience(s) you are hoping to connect with. For K-12 classrooms, look up the state standards and general curriculum and think about how your collaboration might augment it.
Here are a few examples of how AIA members are engaging with their communities:
AIA member Cindy Colburn started engaging with middle schools in her Los Angeles community almost two decades ago. She created experiential learning opportunities for her college students to visit 6th grade classrooms and share their knowledge of archaeology, art, and architecture with younger students who are learning about ancient civilizations as part of the California social studies curriculum. This group project (see the template) is now a favorite option for college students in her upper division courses in Greek art and archaeology, Roman art and archaeology, and Near Eastern and Egyptian art and archaeology. Cindy and her students have worked with four different middle schools over the years. In their reflections, the college students who participate in this project consistently comment on how much they learn from the experience. The feedback Cindy has received from the middle schooler students is equally positive. It’s a win win!
This project was initially supported by an AIA outreach grant, which helped fund transportation to and from the middle schools, as well as the purchase of library books for schools that were struggling financially.
When AIA member Rachel Dewan was a graduate student at the University of Toronto, a former professor invited her to volunteer at the Ontario Student Classics Conference as a judge for the conference’s annual mock excavation competition. With activities ranging from Latin recitations to artifact reconstructions and chariot races, the conference took place every spring at Brock University and saw high school students from across Ontario gather to compete in Classical Studies-related competitions and performances. Rachel enjoyed the conference so much and was so excited to see the enthusiasm of the mock excavation participants that she returned for the following three years. Although she hasn’t been able to return as a judge since changes following the COVID-19 pandemic, Rachel continues to present a lecture at the conference virtually each year, sharing her research on prehistoric Greece with student participants.
AIA member Jen Thum formed a years-long partnership with a team of middle school Social Studies teachers in Lexington, Massachusetts after one of them reached out to her directly. Since then, Jen and the teachers have collaborated on two day-long professional development sessions at the Harvard Art Museums focused on object-based learning about ancient Egypt (one even included a session on learning through making ancient crafts!). Jen also visits the teachers’ 6th-grade classrooms almost every year during their unit on ancient Egypt, engaging students through close looking at images of Egyptian artifacts and answering their questions about her work in a museum.
If you are a teacher, librarian, or group leader, check out Skype a Scientist and see how easy it is to connect your group with a real-life archaeologist. Skype a Scientist is an innovative program that matches professionals of all kinds with classrooms and community groups around the world to talk about their field and their work through free virtual conversations. Numerous AIA archaeologists eagerly await the chance to share their experiences digging up the past with you! They might work with human bones, ancient plants, ancient languages, art and artifacts in museums, or other exciting topics.
Who can connect with an archaeologist? Any group of curious minds! Skype a Scientist is especially popular among teachers, librarians, homeschooling educators, and scout group leaders.
Here’s how it works:
While many AIA members have signed up with Skype a Scientist, you may also be interested in connecting with your local AIA Society to learn about their public engagement initiatives. Many societies host events, programs, lectures, and contests in their communities, which your group may be able to take advantage of. There may also be professional members of your Society who have already expressed interest in connecting individually with community groups.
Search for the Society nearest you here and send an email to the listed Society Contact—they’ll be happy to discuss the outreach initiatives that best fit your group!
If you have lingering questions, please fill out this form and an AIA representative will follow up with you.
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