Empowering CSUSB Students, Unearthing Ancient Egypt

When you give back to CSUSB through this campaign, you help students do more than study the past. You help them enter it as researchers, archaeologists, photographers, mapmakers, designers, programmers, and storytellers.

For more than a decade, the CSUSB-affiliated Wadi el-Hudi Expedition has investigated an ancient Egyptian amethyst-mining region in the Eastern Desert. Four thousand years ago, Egyptian expeditions traveled deep into this harsh landscape to mine the purple stone used in royal jewelry. Their settlements, mines, sanctuaries, inscriptions, tools, and everyday refuse still preserve the human story of that work.

CSUSB students help uncover and interpret that story at every stage. In the field, they learn archaeological excavation, survey, photography, and documentation. On campus, they research artifacts and historical contexts, prepare maps and publications, and create videos and visual materials that make the evidence accessible to wider audiences. CSUSB students are also using ArcGIS, Metashape, Blender, and Unreal Engine to build immersive 3D models of the archaeological landscape from more than 800,000 field photographs.

Your gift helps sustain this continuum of learning. It can support student travel and field participation, research materials, digital production, mapping, software-enabled projects, and the creation of virtual experiences that allow people around the world to explore Wadi el-Hudi. Every contribution helps students gain the skills and confidence to pursue the next step in their education and careers.
As a friend of CSUSB, you know that opportunity can change a student's future. This GivingTuesday, help make that opportunity possible for the next generation. Give back to CSUSB archaeology and help our students bring the ancient world to life.

Join us in unearthing the past and empowering the future. Together, we can bring the ancient world - and our students' dreams - to life!