Public Education/Outreach

ASC Facility Tours

School tour of Curation Facility

The ASC offers tours of its facilities to students and visitors of all ages, both during the school year and over the summer holiday. In the past, ASC staff have provided facility tours to Sonoma County and elementary school students, SSU undergraduates, visitors from San Jose State University, and members of the SSU community on Staff Appreciation Day. Visitors can view the ASC's extensive collections facility, artifact analysis lab, and technology lab, touching artifacts and learning about animal bones and archaeological tools of the trade.

SSU EXCEL Class

EXCEL students surveying ASC site

EXCEL is a summer academic enrichment program held at Sonoma State University providing experiences in science, art, engineering, mathematics, and technology for fourth- through ninth-grade students. Each summer the ASC offers a one-week archaeology course guiding archaeologists-in-training through the process of collecting and analyzing archaeological materials. The students are led by an ASC staff member in a pedestrian survey of SSU's archaeological demonstration site. They collect artifacts such as bottles, ceramic tablewares, projectile points, and faunal remains from the site, clean the items, and then identify them using the same references and resources employed by ASC archaeologists. Working as a team, the students identify the function and manufacture date of the artifacts, and practice using this data to interpret the site. The course culminates with an open-house exhibition where students present their interpretations to family members. 

The students' questions and interests shape the course into an experience in which they hone their research and critical thinking skills, supporting their claims with physical evidence and data.

Classroom Talks

SSU graduate student giving talk to group of school children

Educating the public about arcaheological and the relevance of our work has always been important to the ASC. Our staff gives classroom presentations at local elementary and middle schools and we offer tours of our facilities for students and visitors of all ages.

Please call ahead to arrange a tour (707) 664-2381.

Museum Displays