MCC Community Science Lecture Series Presents “An Ice Age Odyssey”

MANCHESTER, Conn. (October 23, 2017) – MCC’s Community Science Lecture Series continues with Connecticut State Archeologist Dr. Brian Jones, who will present “An Ice Age Odyssey: The Pope Mastodon’s Epic Journey through Life, Death, Storage Crates and Museums.” The lecture will be held Thursday, October 26, in room C211 in the SBM Charitable Foundation Building from 4 to 6 p.m. This presentation — as well other events held as part of the MCC Community Science Lecture Series — is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Dr. Jones will discuss the Pope mastodon’s recent return to the public eye. This rare archeological find was originally unearthed in 1913 by workers digging on the Hill-Stead estate of Alfred A. Pope in Farmington. Now thanks to a successful radiocarbon dating process that pinpoints exactly when the mammoth passed away, the discovery has recaptured the public’s imagination.

Bones of the mastodon were excavated by scientists from the Yale Peabody Museum where it was then taken for conservation and study. Shortly after, the bones were put into storage until the late 1970s, when the Institute for American Indian Studies arranged to have the mastodon put on exhibit. A decade later the mastodon was transferred back to Yale before heading to the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History at UConn and was again ignored for decades, until now.

Dr. Jones’ talk will not only discuss the Pope mastodon’s epic journey but also the importance of understanding Connecticut’s ancient environment and history. The MCC Community Science Lecture Series is sponsored by the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) division. For more information regarding the lecture series or this specific talk, please contact Associate Professor Pamela McManus, at 860-512-2738 or email pmcmanus@manchestercc.edu, or Professor Ann Hadley, at 860-512-2706 or email ahadley@macnhestercc.edu.