A key development during the Institute’s 75th Anniversary year in 2012 was the launch of an appeal for donations from alumni and other friends to support new opportunities and initiatives by both staff and students. While generous donations had been made – and gratefully received – in the years before 2012, the launch of the 75th Anniversary Fund succeeded in doubling the number of regular givers and we are delighted by the ongoing support that we receive.
It is a great pleasure to report now on the first round of awards made from the Fund. The current round has been used to support fieldwork and to send a number of our graduate students to key conferences and colloquia around the world:
Philip Austin travelled to Belize to put together a much needed reference collection of wood charcoals
Alice Berger attended the 12th International Council for Zooarchaeology in Argentina and presented the results of her research on animal subsistence and treatment at Tel Beit Yerah, Israel
Andrew Brown conducted fieldwork in New Zealand as part of his reassessment of the prehistory of New Zealand
Carol Lo-Yun Chung presented her research on identity and museums in Taiwan at a conference on museums and education there
Jill Goulder attended a conference in Greece to give a paper on her investigation into the much neglected role of donkeys in agriculture and transportation in the Ancient Near East
Eri Ohara Anderson attended the Institute’s excavations in Olduvai Gorge to assist with archaeological conservation
Pira Venunan received funding for a series of radiocarbon dates which will be crucial to her research into iron production in the Angkorian Khmer kingdom between the 9th and 15th centuries AD
Alia Wallace attended a conservation management conference in Italy where she presented a paper on her work at Pompeii and other sites in that region
By attending and presenting at conferences our students play an important ambassadorial role, showcasing high-quality original research and forging personal and institutional links which bring a range of benefits in return. Future awards will be made to fund field projects and for the purchase of new items of equipment, as well as to continue sending our researchers out into the wider world.
Our donors’ continuing support is much needed and hugely appreciated. If you would like to contribute to our fund, please follow this link from the Institute’s home page: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/online-giving/support/institute-of-archaeology-75th-anniversary-appeal