Students dig up the past at Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Michigan (WILX) – For 14 students, this is a rare opportunity to dig up history.

The Michigan State University (MSU) Archaeology Program offers this experience to MSU undergraduates and talented middle school students every other summer. This summer, they will excavate an old MSU observatory dating to 1880.

Olivia Cardinell is one of those students and was surprised to learn that MSU students also had the opportunity.

“It’s pretty exciting to just get my hands dirty and find some historical artifacts,” she said.

Stacey Camp is the program director and professor at MSU. She says this program allows students to have the experience of an archaeological dig without having to pay for it.

“When you think of archaeology, you think, ‘Oh, they’re going to the Amazon or Egypt,’ and that can be really prohibitive for our students.”

Here, students can really get involved and delve deeply into the history of the observatory.

“I love campus history and it’s so cool to be a student uncovering other students’ history,” said Max Levanduski, a rising junior at MSU who is participating in the program.

So far, students have found buttons, beads, bricks, nails and even the foundation of the observatory.

“It’s just very convenient to be able to gain experience right in your own home,” said Cardinell.

This experience is not only convenient, but also cost-effective and offers students the opportunity to discover history.

MSU’s archaeology program hosts a public day where anyone can visit the site and view the students’ findings.

The event will take place on Friday, June 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. next to MSU’s Mayo Hall.

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