With National Science Foundation support Dr. Lupo will travel to Mikumi National Park in Tanzania to assess the feasibility of a long term research project. She will also meet with relevant government officials in Dar Es Salaam to discuss the procedure to receive a research permit and will establish contacts with scientists at the University of Dar es Salaam. Dr. Lupo is an archaeologist who is interested in the subsistence strategies of prehistoric peoples and wishes to determine the extent to which such groups, at different points in time, followed patterns predicted by optimum foraging theory. She has focused on utilization of fauna since bones of prey animals are often preserved in archaeological sites. Early in her work she learned that one must determine the nutritional value of different body parts from different species of animals and she has collected such data for small and medium sized species in Kenya. It has not been possible however to collect information for larger counterparts and the Mikumi reserve offers an opportunity to do so. This research is important for several reasons. It will offer new insight into interactions between human groups and their environment and how this relationship developed over time. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists and will assist in advancing the career of a promising young scientist.
