"Finding Lucy" exhibit opens at Innovation Gallery
Yohannes Haile-Selassie, professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and the director of the Institute of Human Origins, lauded the exhibition's accessibility.
"When you look at what happened in the 80s with all of this Lucy research coming out, there was a clear increase in public interest in understanding where we came from," said Yohannes Haile-Selassie a professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.
On Tuesday, Nov. 6 a crowd gathered in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change’s Innovation Gallery to celebrate the grand opening of “Finding Lucy,” an exhibition which coincides with the 50th anniversary of Donald Johanson’s monumental discovery of Lucy.
Johanson, the Virginia M Ullman Chair in Human Origins in SHESC, discovered the 3.18 million year old hominid skeleton popularly known as "Lucy,” at the site of Hadar in Ethiopia. That fateful day in 1974, forever changed how we look at human history.
For Christopher Campisano, an associate professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and research associate with the Institute of Human Origins, the exhibition was a special moment.
“I am going to date myself, or make this a bit cheesy, but as with many people, I read ‘Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind’ in high school and that’s what got me interested in the field of human origins. So now to actually be running the project at Hadar — to have sort of come full circle is kind of mind boggling,” Campisano told the audience.
Campisano’s young daughter, Noelle, who was in attendance, appeared as taken with Lucy as her father was so many years ago.
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A crowd gathered in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change’s Innovation Gallery to celebrate the grand opening of “Finding Lucy,” an exhibition which coincides with the 50th anniversary of Donald Johanson’s monumental discovery of Lucy.
OHara Shipe
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Yohannes Haile-Selassie and Christopher Campisano smile as Campisano's young daughter, Noelle, is among the first to approach Lucy at the grand opening of the exhibit.
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One senior community member, Thomas Wolcik, was so inspired by the exhibit that he vowed to take a course with Professor Yohannes Haile-Selassie in the spring semester.
OHara Shipe
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School of Human Evolution and Social Change Professor Yohannes Haile-Selassie poses with students in front of a reproduction of Lucy's skeleton.
OHara Shipe
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A School of Human Evolution and Social Change graduate student reads about sexual dimorphism in chimpanzee skulls.
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“She literally redefined how we study human origins — about where we came from. That’s one thing from the scientific aspect. But she was also the one who inspired a lot of further exploration," said School of Human Evolution and Social Change Professor Yohannes Haile-Selassie.
OHara Shipe
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Ryan Williams, professor and director of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, opens the exhibition.
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Yohannes Haile-Selassie, a professor with the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, discusses the discovery of Lucy with current ASU students.
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Christopher Campisano, associate professor; Yohannes Haile-Selassie, professor; and Patrick Ryan Williams, professor and director, all with School of Human Evolution and Social Change, pose with Lucy.
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Modern technology meets the 3.2-million-year-old discovery of Lucy.
OHara Shipe
“Finding Lucy celebrates the iconic discovery of the fossil hominid that captured the world’s attention in defining the origin of our species,” said Ryan Williams, professor and director of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. “It is an inspiring exhibit and it was amazing to see the interest from across the ASU community, and beyond, attend the opening event. It really emphasizes how the research we are engaged in has a lasting impact on people from many walks of life.”
Yohannes Haile-Selassie, professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and the director of the Institute of Human Origins, lauded the exhibition's accessibility.
“It is really an honor to have an exhibit prepared in a way that it is understandable to the general public. In the Institute of Human Origins, one of its purposes is science education and public outreach. So when designing this exhibit, we made sure that we didn’t have a lot of scientific jargon, but answered the key questions in a way that any lay person can understand,” said Haile-Selassie.
One senior community member, Thomas Wolcik, was so inspired by the exhibit that he vowed to take a course with Haile-Selassie in the spring semester.
“I told him I am going to take a class with him after seeing the exhibit, so I guess I am on the hook now,” laughed Wolcik.
“Finding Lucy” will continue to be on display weekdays from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., excluding ASU holidays, through Feb. 27, 2025. The exhibit is free and open to the public.