The last event, and almost certainly the one everyone was looking forward to was the Rhythmic Dancing and Singing. This event was different from all the others because the athletes would not only be judged on their skill, but, more importantly, their creativity. And of course, for this, we had three experienced judges - Dr. [...]
During the Human Evolution module the students also got the chance to go on a number of field trips. The first was to the sites of Kalodirr and Losodok where Dr. Skinner set them the challenge of finding a Miocene Ape. The students begin their search of the outcrops. Kalodirr is dated to [...]
Last week marked the beginning of the last module of the Spring 2014 Field School - Human Evolution, taught by Dr. Matt Skinner from University College London. The module kicked off with a journey through the history of palaeoanthropology from the first fossils discovered to important scientific breakthroughs that enabled early scientists to start piecing [...]
On Thursday, after having collected all the raw materials during the Nariokotome trip, it was time for our young hominins to test their knapping skills and prove their worth to the Oldowan community. But before we started, the students made a short trip just outside the compound to collect some quartz pebbles to use as [...]
Day 1 On Thursday, the students set off an a camping adventure to Nariokotome. The truck and the pick-up were packed with bed-rolls, tents, cooking equipment,wash-tubs, and enough food to feed a small army of archaeology students for the next three days. The students also made their own preparations, taking notebooks, academic articles and a [...]
First and foremost, a belated Happy Mardi Gras! The Students and the TA make impromptu masks for Mardi Gras. Our athletes have been very busy these past weeks studying hard and doing research for their modules. But, as all good athletes, they have made time for their training sessions (even if this required [...]
We are now down to the last two modules of this Spring's field school. It's been a wonderful journey so far; and the students have now been joined by Dr. Sonia Harmand, who is teaching the penultimate module - Archaeology. On Monday, the students learned what archaeology is all about and discussed the ultimate question: [...]
Last Spring semester Dr. Fortelius, Dr. Meave Leakey and the TBI students initiated a simple taphonomy experiment. They started off with the exciting task of smashing Mary Leakey's crockery into small pieces, which were then buried at different levels within the TBI compound. Here is the link to the blog post: http://www.turkanabasin.org/2013/03/paleontology-off-to-a-smashing-start/. Taphonomy is the study [...]