On September 7th and 8th the Department of Anthropology hosted an X Ray Florescence (XRF) training workshop by Dr. Bruce Kaiser and Mr. Zach Dismukes of Bruker Industries. The workshop was attended by 22 faculty, and graduate and undergraduate students from the Departments of Anthropology, Geology, and Forestry at MSU. Dr. Kaiser reviewed the basics of elemental analysis using XRF. The Departments of Anthropology and Geology obtained a handheld Bruker XRF Tracer with funds provided by a Teaching and Learning Enhancement (TLE) award from the Office of the Provost to Dr. Bill Lovis and Dr. Tyrone Rooney. It is being used for student instruction in both departments, and will be an integral part of a scheduled spring semester Laboratory Methods in Archaeology course (ANP463, Sec 001) being taught by Dr. Heather Walder.
Below: Dr. Walder and Becca Albert, an undergraduate anthropology major, pondering the results of an XRF elemental spectrum.
