Building constituencies through evidence-based outreach: Findings from an archaeological STEM camp for International Baccalaureate high school students in the USA

Abstract

ABSTRACTA recent Society for American Archaeology poll of Americans over the age of 18 revealed that while 93% of Americans believe that the ‘work archaeologists do is important,’ only half of Americans are willing to support an increase in federal funding for archaeological research. This article considers how archaeologists might work towards building archaeological constituencies to increase future voter support of archaeology. We argue that one method of reaching out to Americans is through intensive exposure to archaeology through an Archaeology STEM Camp aimed at high school students. We present the results and survey data from one such camp conducted in collaboration with local high school teachers, which reveal how a 2.5 day residential outreach programme can transform student perceptions of archaeology.