There are few places on campus a person can go to discover the decorative uses of beetle wings, the musical value of an armadillo or how to make a hand towel out of tree bark.

But there is the Matson Museum of Anthropology, located on the second floor of Carpenter Building.

The Matson Museum houses an array of exhibits dealing with native cultures from South America, Africa, New Guinea and Asia, as well as presenting studies on human evolution and tools of archaeology.

Claire Milner, curator and director of museum exhibits, said anthropology is the study of everything human.

She added that it is divided into three categories: cultural anthropology, the study of living people; archaeology, the study of past people; and biological anthropology, which includes studying human evolution using genetics.

"It makes you look at your own culture differently," Milner said.

Displays include anything from Danish pottery, sometimes called the Tupperware of the 18th century, to intricately designed Indonesian shadow puppets.

In addition to these artifacts, there is a collection of skulls and bones that are part of an evolution presentation. The skeletons also provide archaeologists with information about culture.

Students in the anthropology department design and curate many of the exhibits, which are housed in four galleries and two classrooms, as part of a class or as an independent study, Milner said.

In addition, certain classes use the museum as a tool for specific cultural studies.

"Our mission first and foremost is going with the needs of the (anthropology) department," Milner said.

Each fall as part of her Anthropology 380 (Museology) class, Milner presents students with various artifacts and — with a theme in mind — challenges them to find a thread connecting the various objects.

This year, students were given several 20th century derivatives of traditional Native American objects. Milner said she sent students away somewhat puzzled, but that they were able to find a connection between the modern pieces and older artifacts.

"The most difficult stage is the research and expressing it to the public," Milner said.

Aside from participating in class projects, students also work at the museum independently. Often they work sorting and preserving the artifacts that are not on display.

"I like the experience," said Luthien Baker (senior-American studies), as she delicately wrapped colorful Peruvian textiles in acid-free paper. "It's kind of fun, and it's more of a hands-on way of learning."

The museum began as a few displays during the 1970s and traveled around various buildings on campus until it found a permanent home in the Carpenter Building in 1987.

Right now, Milner estimates it has about 30,000 artifacts that come from a variety of sources, although they do not come on a regular basis.

"Our space is not real big," Milner said. "We survive by capturing display cases that are being thrown out."

Students are working on new ways of showing artifacts in what Milner described as open storage displays.

Students use drawers to hold objects with a specific focus, such as biblical archaeology, in a type of miniature exhibit. Not only do students have the opportunity to work on smaller scale projects, but also the drawers allow for more of the museum collection to be displayed.

Milner expects to use this type of display more often in the future.

Aside from its daily operations, each year the museum holds a children's day in the spring and, in November, a craft bazaar with jewelry, pottery, baskets and other crafts from around the globe.

Karen Boden (graduate-anthropology) spends two hours each week offering assistance to museum visitors.

"I love it," Boden said. "I like the chance to interact with the undergraduates."

Milner said the most popular exhibits among children are the skulls in the displays about human evolution and the model of a Mesoamerican farmhouse.

Boden said students seem to be interested in the cross-cultural music display, which has, among other items, a guitar made from an armadillo shell and a didgeridoo.

Many of the displays allow visitors to handle the artifacts, something that Milner said the museum will continue to emphasize over technology.

"That 3-D experience is something that stays with people," Milner said.

The museum is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are available upon request. For more information visit the museum Web site at http://anthro.psu.edu/mat_mus/index.htm.