MWAC Education
A main mission of the National
Park Service is to make available to the public,
and preserve for the future, the valuable resources
found within units of the National Park system. The
Midwest Archeological Center is committed to this mission
as well, specifically as it relates to archeological
resources. Education in this case is equivalent with
availability; the work of archeologists makes information
about the past available for the public.
Education also contributes directly to
preservation. Increased awareness of these unique and
non-renewable resources leads to increased appreciation
and stewardship. In the end, this augments the preservation
of our nation's archeological and other cultural treasures
, on private as well as public lands.
Learning about the value and potential
of archeological resources can happen throughout life.
MWAC and its staff get opportunities to inform and educate
people of all ages about the archeological record. Education
about archeology takes multiple forms, from meeting
with elementary school groups to working with interested
volunteers at archeological sites or in our lab.
Event
Exhibits - Opportunities to let the public
know more about the archeological record and what we
do with it also take the form of adult professional
and avocational outreach. We use posters and exhibits
to communicate about our projects with other professionals
as well as with adults from other walks of life.
Field
School - MWAC has participated in multiple
Archeological Field Schools. In 2001 and 2002, University
of Nebraska-Lincoln students participated in investigations
at Hopeton Earthworks at Hopewell Culture National Historical
Park in Chillicothe, Ohio. Cooperation with UN-L will
continue this summer. Click here for a printable file
(PDF) with information on the 2003 field school.
Interns
- Educational and developmental opportunities are not
limited to UN-L students; interns from other cooperating
programs have also worked with us, both in the field
and the office.
Junior
Rangers - Students also
have the chance to learn about archeology first hand
with MWAC staff during research projects in the parks.
These participants in the NPS
Junior Ranger program helped MWAC archeologists,
Western Michigan University interns, and park paraprofessionals
excavate at Cuyahoga
Valley National Park.
Popular
Media - Publications produced by MWAC are
often geared toward communicating information about
the record to the public as well as professionals. Our
first obligation is to publish results and analyses
of work in a way that is accessible and useful for other
archeologists to evaluate and build upon. We also incorporate
this work in products accessible and of interest to
the public.
School
Groups - School group outreach. School
requests have led to opportunities to field archeological
questions from and lead activities with students. Here,
MWAC staff participated in a field day at Eugene Mahoney
Nebraska State Park, and had a chance to share a little
about the nature of the archeological record with students
from the Marrs Academy of Omaha, Nebraska. Students
also had a chance to explore prehistoric technology.
The Nebraska
State Historical Society-Museum of Nebraska
History graciously provided teaching replicas for use
that day.
Student
Training - Post-secondary education. MWAC
also has the opportunity to participate in college and
graduate level education in several ways. The Center's
proximity to the University of Nebraska's Lincoln campus
allows for extensive interaction with students. Many
of our employees, volunteers and interns are Anthropology
and Museum Studies students. The students get a chance
for professional development, and MWAC is able to meet
short to medium-term staffing needs with interested
and motivated individuals.
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