lydia myers '20

During the summer of 2019, Lydia Myers ‘20, Anthropology and Human Evolutionary Biology, traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to conduct field work as part of her senior honors thesis, an experience made possible by the Edward Guiliano, PhD ‘78, Global Fellowship Program. In what follows, Lydia shares the details of her project, reflects on how she benefited from the trip, and offers advice to students considering applying for the Guiliano Fellowship. 

The Guiliano Fellowship funded my senior honors thesis research, which was focused on a small primate fossil found during field work in Kenya in the summer of 2019. I travelled to Nairobi and spent a week at the Nairobi National Museum's Paleontology Department, studying other small primate fossils dated to the same time period as the fossil we found during field work. The main objective of my trip was to use a laser surface scanner to record 3D models of the other primate fossils, and to collect measurements and photographs of them as well.

This was the first time I have stayed in Nairobi for an extended period, as all of the work I have done in Kenya has taken me to the more remote areas in the northwest. It was intriguing to notice and try and understand the cultural differences between Nairobi and the area around Lake Turkana in which I have done field work.

Without the Guiliano Fellowship, I would not have been able to afford to travel to Nairobi and collect the data I needed. Without this data, my thesis would be obsolete, as the fossils I scanned are the only ones from a similar time period, location and are from the same taxonomic family as the fossil we discovered.

The experience was integral to my senior honors thesis, which has majorly improved my academic literacy and research skills. Without it, I would not be as prepared to enter graduate school as I am now. This project also proved to me that I was able to conduct research on my own, as I travelled to Nairobi by myself. It was a liberating experience and made me proud of myself.

To a fellow student preparing to apply for the Guiliano Global Fellowship, I would tell them not to hesitate, and to not choose the "safe project," but to choose a project that makes them proud of themselves and fulfills them.