2026 Trent Bioarchaeology Field School

Submitted 16/10/2025 by Amy Scott

Continuing in 2026, the Trent Bioarchaeology Field School will be offering students an exciting, one-of-a-kind Canadian field experience. Established in 2017 under the direction of Dr. Amy Scott, this field school program is offered by the Department of Anthropology at Trent University in partnership with Parks Canada, at the Fortress of Louisbourg, National Historic Site of Canada.

This field school offers students a multi-component, hands-on bioarchaeological field experience including skeletal excavation methods and techniques, field data recording, and ethical handling practices. Additionally, students will be engaged in various activities associated with the Fortress of Louisbourg and the Parks Canada operations on site, including public outreach, site interpretation, and historic reenactments. While students will be working with archaeological human remains, the skills learned through this field school are transferrable to similar disciplines such as forensic anthropology and archaeology.

Benefits to students:
• Important hands-on training to compliment undergraduate and graduate courses in bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, and/or archaeology
• An opportunity to obtain critical field experience related to terrestrial skeletal recovery, ethical handling and storage of human remains, site survey, burial identification and mapping, and burial context documentation
• A complex cemetery site with multiple burial types, including individual, disturbed, comingled, and mass burials
• An immersive experience to learn about the history of Louisbourg through lecture series, behind-the-scenes tours of the Fortress, and public outreach opportunities
• An introduction to collaborative project management with a federal agency

For more information about the program and how to apply visit our website:
www.trentu.ca/anthropology/experience/trent-bioarchaeology-field-school

Or check out our Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/trentbioarchaeologyfieldschool/

Applications for the 2026 program are open until December 1, 2025 with successful applicants notified by January 1, 2026.

Amy Scott

amyscott@trentu.ca

https://www.trentu.ca/anthropology/experience/trent-bioarchaeology-field-school

https://www.trentu.ca/sexualviolence/resources/sexual-harassment