Prestigious Grant Takes South Alabama Anthropology Student To Africa

By Alice JacksonUniversity of South Alabama

Political unrest in Ethiopia delayed Brittney Highland’s completion of a prestigious National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates fellowship until after she graduated from the University of South Alabama. Still, the 21-year-old persevered and recently completed her research abroad.

Each year, hundreds of outstanding undergraduates apply for the all-expenses-paid REU program, with only five to 10 students nationwide receiving one. And, while most of those recipients complete their research travel before graduating, travel to the world’s major anthropological sites can be dicey.

“I was supposed to go abroad for four weeks last fall to do field research, but there were really bad riots in Ethiopia, exactly where I needed to go,” said Highland, who received a bachelor of arts degree with a major in anthropology in December 2017.“Brittney is the first of my students to receive one of these extremely prestigious grants since I began teaching at USA in 2012,” said Dr. Lesley Gregoricka, assistant professor of anthropology, who supervised Highland in a directed study using chemical signatures in bones to compare childhood and adult dietary intakes among a group of people who lived during the Ottoman Period. “Most of the NSF-REU international research areas are in more stable places, but these delays can happen when you’re conducting research in areas like Brittney was. You have to be prepared for delays.”

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