Labs
OVERVIEW
The laboratories of Physical Anthropology and Archaeology are dedicated to teaching and research in both
physical (biological) anthropology and archaeology. Within the labs are spaces for the study of
comparative anatomy, osteology, forensic anthropology, zooarchaeology, ceramics, lithics, and
Monterey Bay archaeology. The laboratories maintain collections of comparative vertebrate osteology and
taphonomic specimens. The laboratories are overseen by Professors Nathaniel Dominy, Alison Galloway,
Diane Gifford-Gonzalez, Judith Habicht-Mauche, and Adrienne Zihlman and managed by Richard Baldwin.
The labs provide a venue for a variety of courses including the only laboratory course in human anatomy
at UC Santa Cruz. The teaching laboratories' mission is to provide students with hands-on training in
the technical skills of physical anthropology and archaeology. These practical skills and experiences
serve students well in the job market and in graduate research. Physical anthropology and archaeology
courses are enhanced by a wide variety of interactive teaching materials and multi-media tools augmented
by audio/visual equipment acquired with a National Science Foundation (NSF) Department of Undergraduate
Education grant awarded to the program.
The Physical Anthropology and Archaeology Research Laboratories are used for faculty, staff and student
projects. Faculty research includes work in zooarchaeology, ceramic analysis, taphonomy, comparative
anatomy and forensic anthropology. The staff also cooperates with local wildlife management officials to
monitor mountain lion and other carnivore kills on the UCSC campus. Students gain valuable experience
through observing or participating in these projects.
FACILITIES
The UCSC Physical Anthropology and Archaeology Laboratories are housed in state-of-the-art facilities that
provide an excellent venue for research and instruction. A dedicated research laboratory is provided for
each of our five physical anthropology and archaeology professors. In addition, teaching labs are designed
specifically for the research and instructional needs of our faculty for the teaching of courses in
comparative anatomy, osteology,ceramic and lithic analysis and archaeological curation. The Laboratories
include a large meeting room used as a primary location for discussion sections, special lectures and
meetings.
The Anatomy Laboratory is used for enrichment labs and hands-on instruction in the Human Anatomy lab
course and several other physical anthropology courses. This lab is also used to process animal remains
for inclusion in our comparative osteology collection and for other research projects.
The Osteology Laboratory is one of the main instructional spaces. This lab houses the comparative osteology
collections. These collections include specimens representing regional mammal, bird, fish and reptile
species. A large primate osteology collection includes specimens from both Old World and New World monkeys
and apes. Classes taught in this room include human skeletal biology, primate evolution, human evolution
and primate behavior and ecology.
The Ceramics and Lithics Lab is the primary instructional laboratory for archaeology courses. This lab
includes student microscopes and a special microscope attached to a video monitor. The lab houses a drying
oven and other equipment required for ceramic analysis. Courses taught in this room include Ceramic
Analysis, Basic Lithic Technology, and Physical Anthropology Practice.
Forensic Osteological Investigations Laboratory
ARCHIVES
The Archaeology Archives is a depository for archaeological materials from the greater Monterey Bay area.
The collections are overseen by Professor Diane Gifford-Gonzalez and lab manager Richard Baldwin. The
Archives house cultural materials from 10 prehistoric and historic sites in Santa Cruz County and from
over 60 prehistoric and historic sites in northern Monterey County. In addition to the actual materials,
site excavation records, reports, and other documentary materials relevant to the sites are deposited in
the Archives.
Most of the sites curated in the UCSC Archaeology Archives are from a region occupied by peoples of the
Ohlone (also known as Costanoan) cultural group at the time of the first Spanish entry into the area. Sites
from the Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve are from lands atributed to Esselen or Salinan peoples at the time
of Spanish contact.
The collections are available to research scholars from other institutions whose projects contribute to
local prehistory, and to undergraduate and graduate students from the University of California. An average
of three scholars a year wish to come in andwork with the collections or to check out specimens for
laboratory analysis. Each request for access to the materials is screened by the curatorial staff for its
appropriateness relative to standards of theSociety of California Archaeology and Native American
communities.