The museum's research is carried out through the Oregon State Museum of Anthropology (OSMA), a self-contained division of the Museum of Natural History. This research division is comprised of two subdivisions: archaeological research and collections.
Contact Information - Current Research - Research Publications - Collections Division
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH DIVISION
 New archaeological discoveries constantly re-shape common knowledge and understanding of our human history. The Research Division of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History has been Oregon’s most active archaeological research program for many decades, and has been the leader in bringing to light new findings about the region’s cultural past.
Within the museum, more than 500,000 items held in collections offer university students, faculty, and visiting researchers significant scholarly research opportunities. Many Ph.D. and master's degrees in anthropology have been awarded on the basis of research accomplished on the museum’s holdings.
Outside the museum walls, its researchers and archaeologists lead surveys and excavations throughout the region. This research has unearthed fragile centuries-old basketry and traces of ancient settlements buried beneath volcanic ash. It has also uncovered evidence of a 19th century Chinatown in southwest Oregon and the doomed Donner Party camp in the Sierra Nevada.
Through field schools, grant-funded studies, and collaborations with corporations and public agencies (like the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Bureau of Land Management), the Research Division helps to rediscover and preserve Oregon’s rich cultural heritage. One major project in collaboration with ODOT is the Bridges Project, begun in 2003, in which archaeologists survey areas adjacent to soon-to-be redesigned and rebuilt highway bridges, looking for evidence of past human settlement.
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 Contact Information
Current Research
Research Publications
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COLLECTIONS DIVISION
The Collections Division of the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History was established by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1935 (a year before the museum officially opened) to serve as the custodian of state-held anthropological materials.
Click here to find out more information about the collections division.
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