Currently, I am scheduled to begin a study abroad with the School of Field Studies in Kenya and Tanzania in September of 2011. Over the course of the semester, I will expand upon the knowledge I've gained in my primatology and biocultural anthropology classes. In studying the native ecosystems and the indigenous populations of East Africa, I hope to gain a greater understanding of how pastoralist societies like the Maasai survive while also accommodating the restrictiveness of neighboring wildlife preserves.
Here at Penn State I work alongside Deirdre Fulton, and under the careful instruction of Dr. Brian Hesse, one of the founders of modern animal bone archeology. After months evaluating specimens collected in Tel Dan, Israel in the 1970s and 1980s, I can identify species, orientation, and modifications of Iron Age I bone samples. In this lab, we are currently finishing the specimens and begging data assembly in order to publish the research in Brian's memory.
Next I hope to continue working with the soon-to-be Dr. Fulton as she supervises the animal bone recovery during the Askelon Israel archeology project.
