Our ongoing module is Vertebrate Paleontology which is instructed by Prof. Ellen Miller. Students have been learning about the evolution of various forms of life on earth. We learn from Prof. Miller that, fossils are the gold mines for paleontologists as they enable them to collect data on the extinct fauna, flora and their past [...]
On our way to Koobi Fora, we made a pit stop at the fossil elephant site which houses the skeleton of an extinct Elephas recki. The fossil lies in situ in silty-like sediments that have been dated to about 2 mya. Later on, we headed to our campsite at the Koobi Fora Museum where we [...]
We are in the last week of the Geology Module. Students have been busy in the field finalizing their projects on the Main Fish Beds which were later presented on Tuesday evening. Our next few days will be spent in Koobi Fora where we are headed on Wednesday morning for a two-day camp. Keely [...]
The Geology module started on Monday with a quick introductory lesson on safety to prepare students for the field excursions. Our instructor, Dr. Greg Henkes, introduced the students to the geology of Ileret, a locality in the East of the Lake Turkana Basin, characterized by Plio-Pleistocene deposits. A mini-expedition in the afternoon to the Koobi [...]
Welcome back! Our last week at Mpala was exciting and educational. The lessons on ecology and epidemiology with a focus on the mosquito vector were the peak of our discussion. Environmental and human factors influence the breeding spaces for mosquito larvae. In quest to understand this, the students hiked Mlima Fisi with Dr. Dino Martins [...]
Greetings everyone! Welcome to the Fall 2019 Origins Field School. I am Winfred Mbogo, the resident academic director for this program and together with Medina Lubisia, the TA, we will be leading the students through this exhilarating journey. All students met last week in Nairobi and spent a couple of nights at the Wildebeest Eco [...]