Faculty will open their lab spaces to showcase their work, with hands on activities and demos. Labs are located across Machmer Hall (Anthropology Department). Upon arriving at Machmer, guests will find host students who will point them to specific labs.

Human Evolution/Noli Lab (Brigitte Holt, Machmer Hall W14, 9AM-12PM): Life in an Italian Medieval village on the sea
We will open “windows” into the past to show how bioarcheological methods help us reconstruct the lives of the people who once lived in Noli, a small medieval coastal village. First, visitors will encounter a short recorded presentation introducing the Noli Project—its history, views of the site, the significance of human remains for studying the past, and brief summaries of our findings about life in medieval Noli. Next, several stations will demonstrate how biological profiles are created from human remains. We may also include a hands-on area where visitors can try estimating things like stature and body mass themselves.

Archaeology & Archaeobotany of the Atlantic World Lab (Johanna Pacyga, Machmer Hall E-15, 11am-2pm)
The AAAWL will be open with three different stations, displaying the types of materials, research, and learning that students and I work on in the lab. First, the archaeobotanical station will allow visitors to take a look at partially processed flotation samples from Western Senegal, so they can see how that process unfolds as part of the ongoing research that takes place in my lab. We may also try to do a flotation machine demonstration about halfway through the day. Second, glass beads excavated from the Mission of St. Joseph site on Senegal’s central coast will be available for viewing under microscopes, demonstrating how we identify different modes of production in bead analysis. Finally, there will be a pottery station where visitors will be able to look at 19th-century Senegalese pottery motifs and then try their hand at crafting their own roulettes for making impressions on air-dry clay. This last, very hands-on, station should be enjoyable by adults and children alike, whereas the others are more geared towards adults and older children.

Biological Anthropology Lab (Sarah Reedy, Machmer Hall W-17, 10:30-1:30)
Join us for a look inside a biological anthropology teaching lab and see how we introduce students to the study of human evolution. During this open-house–style event, you’ll be able to walk through a series of hands-on, interactive stations that highlight key concepts in our field. Guests can examine comparative primate and human skeletal replicas, along with hominin skull casts that help illustrate what we know about our evolutionary history and how scientists build taxonomic relationships. Explore questions such as how are we related to non-human primates? How do we know which hominin ancestors walked upright? When did our brains become so big? What did they eat? In this lab, you’ll get to ask the questions and see the evidence up close! This relaxed, informative session offers a window into the learning experiences our students encounter in the classroom and the methods we use to bring human evolution to life.

Biological Anthropology Science (BOAS) Lab (Achsah Dorsey, Location: Machmer Hall, 9:30-12:30pm Room W12)
Food is a basic human need. However, beyond basic biological functions food also has a deep evolutionary history and rich cultural significance. Visitors to the BOAS Lab on Founders Day will explore some of the factors that influence food choice, learn how nutritional status impacts health and wellbeing, and discuss ongoing research projects with graduate and undergraduate lab members.

Hands-on stations will include the following:

• Natural selection, genetics, and taste
  • Can you taste PTC (phenylthiocarbamide)? Place one of our safe, disposable, PTC testing strips and discover whether you can taste the bitterness of PTC (only about 70-75% of people can detect it!). This station reveals the genetic difference in bitter taste perception, often related to the TAS2R38 gene and highlights the important evolutionary history behind this specific chemical.
• Edible Insects
  • Insects are both a source of fascination and fear for humans and have played important roles in human health and culture. In fact, insects have been a part of human diets for thousands of years. While consuming insects has declined historically, there is a growing interest in using insects as a sustainable and environmentally friendly source of protein. Come learn more about the role of insects in human diets and try some yourself!
• Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) Activation
  • BAT, or brown fat, is a special type of adipose tissue that generates heat by burning calories. This is a crucial step for maintaining body temperature, especially in cold climates. Stop by and learn more about the importance of BAT in adults and children and test your BAT activation with cold water and a thermal imaging camera!

The Comparative Primatology Lab at UMass Amherst (Jason Kamilar, Machmer W16, 10a-1p)
will be open to the public for Founders Day. Activities that will be available are: a selection of living primate skeletons and fossil primate casts can be viewed and lab members will be present to discuss the anatomical traits and how they are connected to the biology of the species; slide shows and/or videos of primates in the wild illustrating how their traits are connected to their environments and showing the research being done by lab members.

Building Solidarity Economies (BSE) (9am-11am) Boone Shear, Machmer E26)
Building Solidarity Economies (BSE) researches and strives to help produce economies of care and solidarity. Stop by anytime between 9-11am to meet students, faculty, and others who are a part of this expansive community engaged project. You will greeted with an overview of the past, future, and current projects and methods that BSE students and community partners are engaged in; will be able to talk with current students and faculty involved in the work; and at 10am you can participate in a brief, fun, workshop demonstrating how community economies can be built from the ground up.

Violence and Conflict Lab (Ventura Pérez, Machmer Hall E14, 10AM-1PM): Science in the Lab: Forensics, Ethics, and Hands-On Discovery - Using the Science in the Lab: Forensics, Ethics, and Hands-On Discovery - Visitors will view student research posters presented at regional and national conferences, learn about our hands-on courses and field schools, and engage in conversations about ethical research using fully consented donors. Interactive displays with osteological casts would allow visitors to learn how scientists study skeletal trauma and forensic evidence, while also highlighting collaborative projects such as the whale currently on display in Morrill Hall.