Yeah, I've already driven away more than one roommate with the roadkill.... Luckily, I've been promised a big industrial freezer to share with the biology dept! And they've agreed to my setting up a dermestid colony!
Thanks so much. I really like your point about the storage materials! And your point about hands on learning (I designed and taught programs for the Museum of Science in Boston for a number of years, so I couldn't agree more!!!). I'm going to revise my budget right now!
Best,
E.
Timothy Scarlett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
You are welcome Elizabeth. I would reiterate to you the point that
good type collections are important for teaching and almost
impossible to buy. Creating them is an excellent opportunity for
learning projects and I'm a big fan of discovery-based learning! I
wouldn't worry as much about trying to buy slag, replica ceramics, or
projectile points. Concentrate on the things you will need to build
and store those collections well- cases, boxes, slides, envelopes.
You should certainly order a cat skeleton, but also order the
equipment and supplies you need to set up for defleshing without
creating biohazard waste. You'll spend the next twenty years keeping
roadkill frogs and coyotes in your freezer at home if you don't have
a good freezer in your lab.
Best,
Tim
On Nov 1, 2007, at 12:19 AM, Elizabeth Newman wrote:
> Hi Tim,
>
> Thanks so much! I'm cc'ing the list on this so that everybod
> gets the answer to your "what will you be teaching" question/
> point. I wish, myself, I had a better idea of what I will be
> teaching, but the situation is very, uhm, "open ended." I know for
> sure that I'll be teaching intro to physical anthropology, intro to
> archaeology, and archaeological method and theory. I will also use
> the lab for research purposes, mainly in zooarchaeology for myself,
> but also for anything students are interested in pursuing. Beyond
> that, I have the opportunity to develop any and all classes I'm
> excited about teaching, and so I am trying to equip the lab so that
> I'll be set for anything that strikes my fancy. So, as a result,
> any and all suggestions regarding things that are useful in the
> lab, class, or field are most welcome! The intial budget allowance
> is extremely generous, so I'm trying to throw in everything I can
> imagine!
>
> Thanks again for your generous help and suggestions!
>
> best,
> Elizabeth
>
>
> Timothy Scarlett wrote:
> Hi Elizabeth,
>
> I have attached a proposal I wrote for enhancements to our lab here.
> It was part of a series of changes, two complete and several more
> remaining to be made when I can find the funding. You can certainly
> bet that the funds get harder to find once you are up and running in
> your new post! You did not explain if you would be setting up for
> research or what types of classes you would be teaching. I bet
> people could give better advice if they knew. My start up included
> $10K to install some kilns for ceramic experiments, an agate mortar
> pestle set, a lapidary trim saw, and other similar equipment that I
> use in my research. If I'd known, I think I might have considered
> asking the dean for a LA-ICP-MS that we could share with another
> department!
>
> If you are thinking about teaching, rather than research, make a list
> of the labs you'd like to teach in each subject area. Then list some
> stuff for each lab. You'll need replica hominid fossils to teach
> human evolution as well as replicas of famous stone tool types, but
> perhaps also want other biological material. Would you like to show
> your students DNA gel packs? You'll want to put together comparative
> seed collection and charcoal, etc, to teach archaeobotany, but will
> you also want a flotation tank? You can build your own or order one
> from an existing company. I ordered some seeds, but now realize that
> for many of the species and varietals, I could have gone shopping at
> the local coop grocery store. It would have been less expensive and
> easier. I've also worked with several students on independent study
> projects where they tried to build comparative collections of things,
> like collecting wild seeds, mineral and toolstone samples,
> comparative samples of ceramics, or wood samples and mounting them on
> slides or storing them in archival boxes or envelopes. If you are
> going to be doing serious zooarch, besides just teaching the basics
> as I do, you will want to have the capacity to clean up road kill.
> Perhaps you'll want to maintain an insect colony? That's never been
> my cup of tea, but I bring it up so you think about developing a
> sustainable capacity for growth. Try to get a commitment for a lab
> support budget beyond simply the funds you get from students' lab
> fees. You could order a boat load of archival envelopes, glass slide
> mounts, acid free pens, archival boxes that can different size
> specimens- from mouse to moose skeletons, acetone and B-72, and so
> on. I have samples of coal, metal ores, slags from blast and
> bloomery furnaces, since I teach much about metallurgy. I also do
> units on drawing and photography, so we have light boxes and photo
> stands, scales, and fabric for backdrops.
>
> I wish I had more suppliers to tell you. It seems to me that 24
> hours is totally unreasonable. If the University you are creating
> these labs really wants you to do good work teaching their students,
> they should recognize that the time crush is totally unreasonable.
> Perhaps you should tell them you need a scanning electron microscope,
> then you could use the few hundred thousand bucks setting up a
> descent lab... Just a suggestion.
>
> Cheers,
> Tim
>
>
> 
>
> On Oct 31, 2007, at 8:12 PM, Elizabeth Newman wrote:
>
>> Hi all!
>>
>> I'm hoping some of you out there can help me! I will be
>> beginning a new faculty position this spring, and have just heard
>> from the university that they need an equipment list and budget
>> from me in the next 24 hours for the lab I'm setting up. I'm
>> starting from scratch, and will need it to serve for Physical
>> Anthropology, Archaeology (field and lab), and Zooarchaeology.
>>
>> Does anybody out there have such a list (for one or all of the
>> disciplines mentioned) that they would be willing to share? Or is
>> there anything that isn't obvious that I might want to include.
>> Since they seem to be prepared to be generous with start up costs
>> (and getting money later might be difficult), I'm trying to compile
>> the most complete list possible!
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
>>
>> Best,
>> Elizabeth
>>
>> ElizabethTerese Newman
>> PhD Candidate
>> Department of Anthropology
>> Yale University
>>
>> __________________________________________________
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>
> Timothy Scarlett
> Assistant Professor of Archaeology
> Department of Social Sciences/AOB 209
> Michigan Technological University
> 1400 Townsend Ave.
> Houghton, MI 49931
> [log in to unmask]
> (906)487-2359 (office)
> (906)487-2468 (fax)
> ------------------------
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________________________
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> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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Timothy Scarlett
Assistant Professor of Archaeology
Department of Social Sciences/AOB 209
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Ave.
Houghton, MI 49931
[log in to unmask]
(906)487-2359 (office)
(906)487-2468 (fax)
------------------------
__________________________________________________
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