USU Museum of Anthropology: Working With Primates

How anthropologists work with primates is the topic Sept. 29 at the next Saturdays at the Museum activity at Utah State University.

Activities are presented by USU’s Museum of Anthropology and guest speaker for the day is USU anthropology professor Andrea Birkby who will share her experience with orangutans in Borneo.

Birkby speaks at 1 p.m. at the museum and welcomes questions following the presentation.

“Primates tell us a lot about human behavior because they are so similar to us physically,” said Diana Azevedo, a museum assistant. “Evolutionary processes, like walking upright, can be studied through them. Also, disease research using primates has led to vaccines for polio and yellow fever. Primates are extremely diverse in where and how they live. Plus, they are incredibly interesting.”

Those visiting the museum throughout the day can play a matching game using primates and monkeys from around the world.

In addition to the Saturdays at the Museum activity series, community members and USU students alike can visit the museum during its standard operating hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Funding for the Saturday events is provided by a grant from the United States Institute of Museum and Library Services. More information about the IMLS is available online.

The USU Museum of Anthropology is on the USU campus in the south turret of the historic Old Main building, Room 252. Admission is free. For Saturday activities, free parking is available in the adjacent lot, south of the building.

For more information about museum events, call museum staff at (435) 797-7545 or visit the museum website.

The Museum of Anthropology is part of the Anthropology Program at USU in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Related links:

• USU Anthropology Program
• USU Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology
• USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Source: Museum of Anthropology

Contact: USU Museum of Anthropology, (435) 797-7545, anthro.museum@usu.edu