The Anthropology Department houses over 200,000 archaeological artifacts from more than 300 sites as well as 50 years of associated paperwork and field notes. Proper curation is a focus of the Anthropology Department, with the Curator and Lab Supervisor actively maintaining the collections. The newly acquired storage area features compact shelving in a controlled climate. Curation of archaeological artifacts requires continual management. The Curator and Lab Supervisor are currently working with student assistants on a multi-year project to standardize and improve the organization of the collections.

Along with curation, the diverse collections provide students and faculty the opportunity to engage in research projects. Specialized equipment, such as the Dino-Lite hand held microscope, the Olympus polarizing microscope outfitted with a high-resolution scientific camera for thin section analysis, the Matter and Form 3-D Scanner to name a few, allow possibilities for original research. We also have a variety of software, including HyperTRANSCRIBE, HyperRESEARCH, and ArcGIS available.