Dig UNI
Since 2018, UNI’s anthropology program has provided students with the opportunity to learn about the university’s past by participating in a “dig” on campus. UNI students experience the fundamentals of archaeological field research through hands-on training that prepares them for careers and graduate school. A variety of techniques, ranging from shoveling and troweling to note taking and artifact analysis, are introduced as students learn to excavate an historic site. Students value being able to engage in real field research in an outdoor setting.
Dig UNI’s most recent project can be found at the southern end of campus along Jennings Drive. There, students are looking for the remains of Hillside Courts, a student housing complex built in the 1970s. In addition to the natural setting, complete with deer and turkeys, this portion of the UNI campus provides an ideal location for exploring student life from an archaeological and historical perspective.