It's time to collect some data in Santa Cruz!

Hello everyone!

I know it's been quite some time since I've provided an update on my research progress this year. Here it goes...

My research schedule for 2017 got flipped upside down, as it often does, and I ended up completing my research in Kenya before heading out to California for the experimental phase (thanks for your patience backers!). I spent January to April directing the Turkana Basin Institute Origins field school, which was an amazing opportunity in the development of my career.

I then headed back to Nairobi where I collected data from the museum collections relevant to my dissertation research from May to August. I'm happy to report that I successfully collected all of the data that I need from the three sites that I selected from the Kokiselei site complex. I haven't had time to crunch the numbers yet, but I have a good feeling that these data include many exciting and unexpected finds! Stay tuned later this fall for more news on these results...

 

I conquered the Kokiselei collections! Here I'm standing with a selection of particularly interesting artifacts from one of the Kokiselei sites.

After a few weeks off at home with family and friends, it's time for phase 2 of dissertation data collection: the experimental comparison! These experimental data will help me interpret what I found in the archaeological collections in the museum in Nairobi. Without this work at UCSC, I wouldn't be able to test the main hypotheses of my dissertation project.

I arrived at Santa Cruz, California late last night. Tomorrow I meet with Dr. Jay Reti to begin my work analyzing his experimental stone tool assemblage. I'll be working on Dr. Reti's stone tools here for a little over a month. It's been a long time coming, but I'm still so grateful for all of you who have supported me in preparing for the work. I'm ready to hit the ground running!