Aaron N. Shugar joined the department in January 2006 as our new conservation scientist, focusing on inorganic chemistry. Aaron comes to us from the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute , where he was a visiting scientist. He also served as Co-Director of the Archaeometallurgical Laboratory at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. With a Ph.D. in archaeometallurgy from University College London, Aaron’s work in the analysis of archaeological metals and glass has taken him around the globe, from the Middle East to Europe to Central America. You can even see him on the Discovery Channel, investigating the technology of 9th-century Samurai swords! With his considerable experience, his interest in historic technologies, and his energy and enthusiasm, we know he will be a great fit for our department.

Aaron is also the current President of The Society for Archaeological Sciences.

Recent Activities:
March 2006 - Aaron gave a lecture on non-destructive heavy metal pesticide identification and standards at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education.

April 2006 - Aaron traveled to Madrid to conduct a workshop at the 5th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East on “Culture, Chronology and the Chalcolithic: Transitions in the Late Prehistory of the Southern Levant.” Aaron will also co-present a paper entitled, “Developmental Trends in Chalcolithic Copper Metallurgy: A Radiometric Perspective.”

He also took several faculty and students to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery to examine several works of art with a hand-held XRF device. The picture to the right shows Aaron examining a Man Ray and if you visit our recent news section of the website, you will see the Bierstadt and Frankenthaler studied.

Recent Publications:
To be added shortly