Origins Summer 2017

Final week: archaeology, stone knapping, and graduation!

The students, staff, and Tom! During the final few days of the TBI Origins Summer Field School, Dr. Sonia Harmand joined our students for an intensive introduction to Earlier Stone Age archaeology in the Turkana Basin. Dr. Harmand and SBU post-doctoral researcher Dr. Nicholas Taylor led everyone in a practical lesson on stone [...]

By |2017-07-17T13:07:10+03:00July 16th, 2017|Field Schools, Origins Field School, Origins Summer 2017, Origins Summer Field School|Comments Off on Final week: archaeology, stone knapping, and graduation!

More research at TBI Turkwel

Students have been working on their research projects at the TBI Turkwel campus under supervision of Dr. Jason Lewis. One group of students has been drilling modern and fossil teeth to obtain samples that will be analyzed to examine stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios. These data help to reconstruct what kind of plants the [...]

By |2017-07-12T04:08:33+03:00July 12th, 2017|Field Schools, Origins Summer 2017, Origins Summer Field School|Comments Off on More research at TBI Turkwel

Napudet hills and student research projects!

Ryan and Morgan at the Napudet Hills (photo credit: Dorien de Vries). Dr. Craig Feibel talks about the geological setting of the Miocene deposits in the Napudet Hills (photo credit: Dorien de Vries). Last Sunday, the students joined another group of visitors (part of the Academic Safari program hosted by TBI) [...]

By |2017-07-10T05:56:50+03:00July 10th, 2017|Field Schools, General, Origins Field School, Origins Summer 2017, Origins Summer Field School|Comments Off on Napudet hills and student research projects!

Post-excavation lab work at TBI Turkwel

As a reward for their hard work in the field, the group spent last Sunday in the nearby town of Lodwar. Lodwar is the closest population center, and it is growing in size every day. The students enjoyed milkshakes at the Diner and some shopping for traditional trinkets like handmade baskets, kikois, and beaded jewelry. [...]

By |2017-07-08T08:51:16+03:00July 8th, 2017|Field Schools, Origins Summer 2017, Origins Summer Field School|Comments Off on Post-excavation lab work at TBI Turkwel

Stones, sediments, and artifacts – archaeology has begun!

(Counterclockwise from bottom left) Petra, Sheng, Karolina, Nathan, Kelly, Ian, and TA Evelyn watch as Dr. Lisa Hildebrand discusses how to recognize stone tools. This week our students have started their second module ‘Archeological Methods’, taught by Dr. Lisa Hildebrand. The first three days were spent bringing the students up to speed on [...]

By |2017-06-29T13:08:34+03:00June 21st, 2017|General, Origins Summer 2017, Origins Summer Field School|Comments Off on Stones, sediments, and artifacts – archaeology has begun!

TBI makes a splash! Visiting Lake Turkana.

It can get pretty hot here in Turkana, so this weekend the students made two separate trips to the massive East African rift lake to cool off and take a well-deserved break from their first module. On Friday and after a week full of lectures, lab activities, and assignments, the whole group loaded up in [...]

By |2017-06-20T11:17:18+03:00June 20th, 2017|General, Origins Summer 2017, Origins Summer Field School|Comments Off on TBI makes a splash! Visiting Lake Turkana.

Into the field! Fossil hunting in our own backyard

After a few classes, lectures, and labs, it was time for the students to try out their new skills in the field! TBI Turkwel is situated on the banks of the Turkwel river, right on the cusp of some rocky outcrops with sediments dating to around 3 to 4 million years old. Tuesday morning, the [...]

By |2017-06-15T06:02:44+03:00June 15th, 2017|Origins Summer 2017, Origins Summer Field School|Comments Off on Into the field! Fossil hunting in our own backyard

From Mpala to Turkwel, it’s heating up!

Welcome to our second blog post! The students have now arrived at Turkwel, the Turkana Basin Institute Research facility on the West side of lake Turkana. Before we made our way out here, we spent our remaining time at Mpala studying the ecology of African bushlands. The students listening to a lecture by Dr. [...]

By |2017-06-29T13:09:56+03:00June 12th, 2017|General, Origins Summer 2017, Origins Summer Field School|Comments Off on From Mpala to Turkwel, it’s heating up!
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