Welcome to the 2020-2021 Lecture Series!

Dear Friends:

I hope you are all finding some joy in the summer season.

As we plan for the 2020-2021 year, we regret that it will not be possible to hold any in-person lectures. Given the uncertainties around space availability, and most importantly the safety and health of us all, we have decided to move our programming to a virtual format. We are pleased to announce, however, that we are scheduling six free lectures to be held on-line. In some cases a video recording of the live lecture will be posted on our website, www.siarchaeology.org, as well for those who are not available to attend the live lecture. This is the silver lining – we can actually reach a wider audience, and welcome speakers without restrictions.

We are pleased to offer the 2020-2021 lecture series at no cost to participants.  However, there are still expenses that need to be covered.  Please think about joining or renewing your membership at $30 per year.  Donations of any amount would be greatly appreciated.  Please send your check to: AASI, PO Box 140504, Staten Island, NY 10314.

All announcements and notification of lectures will be made via email. If you know of someone else who is interested in attending, please have them email us at info@siarchaeology.org so they can be added to our e-newsletter list.

Many cultural and educational institutions have transitioned to on-line lectures as a result of the recent virus related lockdowns. This has made important educational opportunities available to those who, for whatever reason, could not previously attend a live in-person presentation. We are confident that the Archaeology Society of Staten Island will reach many more interested participants through on-line lectures as well.

The live lectures will be presented via a platform called Zoom. When the announcement about this lecture comes to you or your friend via email (approximately two weeks prior to the lecture date), there will be a link for you to click if you wish to attend. Once you click on it, you can sign up. Once you do this you will receive a return email with the link that you use to go to the lecture on the indicated date and time. It is essential that you sign up ahead of time, via email, in order to get your name on the guest list and acquire the link to “go to” the lecture. During the lecture, the speaker will present as usual, sharing visuals. Once they are done we will have a Q and A hosted by a moderator. Attendees will be able to send questions through the ‘chat” feature, and the moderator will pose them to the speaker. If you are unfamiliar with navigating these video conferencing platforms, we suggest you check out video tutorials ahead of time (https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206618765-Zoom-video-tutorials). Know that you do not need to subscribe for this service – you will be an invitee, so you’ll have access once you sign up through the link we send you. Specific instructions will be sent in September.

If you prefer not to participate in this manner, you can access some of the lectures via a recording which will be posted on our website (www.siarchaeology.org). Know, however, that not all will be recorded – it will ultimately be up to the speaker and their ability to grant copyright permissions.

Our calendar of lectures is now posted on our website, www.siarchaeology.org. In the coming weeks, details about each lecture will be posted on the site, and as indicated above, announcements and sign-up procedures will be shared two weeks prior to each lecture.

Enjoy the summer. Stay well and please join us for an exciting and stimulating year of ASSI lectures.

Sarah J. Scott, Ph.D., President www.siarchaeoogy.org