Archaeology lab plays special role in child’s ear reconstruction

When Hugo Cardoso received a unique request from a B.C. family needing assistance with their daughter's ear reconstruction surgery, he was happy to help by offering the use of his lab's specialized technology. Cardoso leads Simon Fraser University's Juvenile Osteology Group (JUNO) research lab , named after Juno, the Roman goddess and protector of children. As an archaeology professor and co-director of the Centre for Forensic Research, his work focuses on studying human remains using advanced technical tools such as a high-resolution 3D scanner. The family, from Nelson, B.C., needed a specialized scan of their five-year-old daughter Zillah's fully developed ear that would be sent to California-based surgeon Sheryl Lewin of Lewin Ear Reconstruction, to create an implant that would be applied to her ear, affected by a condition known as microtia. The procedure will allow Zillah to "have a big ear like mommy," as explained on her gofundme page. Lewin connected with the SFU lab after reaching out to the supplier of the Artec Space Spider, the specialized scanner, seeking to find one in B.C. "Although the equipment was purchased for specific purposes related to my work involving human remains, from various contexts and situations, I'm happy to contribute in helping families like Zillah's family," says Cardoso, who also chairs the archaeology department. JUNO Lab undergraduate research assistant Nicola Murray says the scanner works by taking a series of pictures that are processed into a 3D computer Murray ensured no angle or detail would be missed to create an accurate model of Zillah's ear.