91ÅÝܽ

91ÅÝܽ’s Archaeology Labs include multiple laboratory and outdoor facilities that are available to students and researchers.

Ten unique facilities provide specific resources, such as bench space and laboratory equipment – balances, lamps, microscopes, fume hoods and sinks. Photography equipment, computers and software are available to document findings. Indoor and outdoor spaces provide sites for hands-on learning. For example, there is a covered, outdoor flintknapping pit used in experimental archaeological research and teaching.

The labs also house botanical and faunal collections, bioanthropological research and teaching collections that include osteology, forensic, pathology, primatology, and hominin artifacts.

These facilities are supported by Canada’s , a federal program designed to cover the indirect costs of conducting research. These are expenses that are not tied to a specific research project, but are essential for maintaining a robust research environment.

The RSF helps support maintaining and upgrading laboratories, acquiring digital and library resources, and hiring staff who provide administrative services for research projects.

SFU staff also catalog and care for SFU’s collection of archaeological artifacts and strive to repatriate artifacts to the communities they belong too. At times when communities do not have the facilities to care for and display their belongings, the items are cared for at SFU’s Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology until repatriation is possible.

To date, the Department of Archaeology has helped to repatriate nearly 1200 Ancestors to 25 different communities, totaling approximately 70 percent of those cared for by the department.

According to laboratory manager and collections curator Shannon Wood, overseeing ten labs to ensure classes and research are running smoothly can be challenging. “Much of our work is troubleshooting and responding to immediate concerns—from keeping fridges and freezers operating to making sure the AV turns on—it’s never boring.�

We spoke with Shannon about her work.

What kinds of research are currently being supported by the archaeology labs?

Currently, the laboratories support work in the Centre for Forensic Research and the archaeology department. Staff ensure all laboratories, researchers and procedures are safe, equipment works and necessary supplies in place. We liaise with SFU Facilities Services as needed as well as outside agencies to ensure our laboratories are in compliance with provincial and federal regulations.

We support researchers in the Autopsy Laboratory by coordinating with the Coroner’s Office to investigate forensic cases and repatriate the remains of identified forensic individuals. Faunal remains used for experiments on trauma and taphonomy are also carried out here, at times incorporating time spent in the department’s Outdoor Taphonomic Centre.

In the DNA laboratories, we assist graduate student experiments in recovering DNA from soil samples and support studies comparing ancient faunal DNA from both local and international projects to modern samples to understand long-term human impacts. In the Isotope Laboratory we help process samples and prepare mass spectrometers to run samples for projects from Denmark, the U.K. and Canada.

Beyond these, we have other laboratories with exciting research in geoarchaeology, palaeobotany, ethnoecology, and human evolution. These spaces give students and researchers the ability to work with collections and technologies that directly connect them to questions about past environments, subsistence practices, and human development through time.

Are there projects or programs you are particularly proud of?

Although I oversee the labs and enjoy working in them, particularly in bioanthropology which was the focus of my graduate research, I have always had a strong preference for fieldwork— survey, excavation, and mapping. Over the years I have participated in both local and international projects, with SFU and external researchers. The project I have been most deeply involved with is professor Catherine D’Andrea’s Eastern Tigrai Archaeological Project, which studies early state formation in northern Ethiopia.

How do the labs support SFU’s goal of reconciliation, and work with communities to support the repatriation of their belongings?

This is one of the most important aspects of our work. The Department of Archaeology is a certified repository, which means we are responsible for the care of Ancestors and belongings. Together with the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, we work to facilitate the repatriation of ancestors and belongings to Indigenous communities in North America.  

Our ultimate goal is to return all Ancestors and belongings to their communities. Staff from the labs sit on the department’s Repatriation Committee and we work closely with the Museum and requesting First Nation communities throughout the repatriation process.

How has the RSF impacted the labs’ capabilities or growth?

The RSF has made a real difference. It has allowed us to hire and keep staff whose work is dedicated to supporting key aspects of our research operations, including maintaining the lab and managing day-to-day activities. Beyond that, RSF funds support the provision of technical support for the archaeology department’s research labs, computing operations, and ongoing research activities.

How do you see the labs evolving over the next few years?

We are planning a major rehaul of our field equipment and are investigating better survey techniques and methods. We also hope to secure better digital technologies to document archaeological materials and contexts.

Looking ahead, our main priorities include: completing the repatriation of Ancestors and belongings; re-evaluating our collections and incorporating them into more hands-on courses; and supporting new research in areas like bioanthropology, curation, and microanalysis.

As new faculty and staff bring their own expertise and research directions, the labs will continue to evolve.

Through it all, our core mission stays the same: to support research and teaching, and care for Ancestors and belongings until they can return home.

To learn more about SFU’s Archaeology Labs, visit the Department of Archaeology.

For more about Research Support Funds at SFU, visit SFU Researcher Resources, and read the Q&A with AVP Research Valorie Crooks.