The story of human evolution has long been told with fossils from South Africa – discovered by a privileged few.
The Human Evolution Research Institute (Heri) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) aims to change that with a new generation of female scientists.
“We have an incredible record of human evolution in South Africa, but the entire narrative of palaeoanthropology has been dominated by white men, many of whom are not even South African,” says Heri’s director, Dr Robyn Pickering.
“We want to disrupt this narrative by supporting South African researchers from all backgrounds and telling our origin story with a diverse and inclusive team.”
Heri aims to do this with projects that break down barriers faced by young researchers. Among these are annual field camps that give women confidence in the remote sites their research will take them.
“Fieldwork is a big aspect of palaeoanthropology, but many of these women don’t know what to expect because they’re not exposed to hiking and camping in their upbringing,” says Pickering.
Heri is investing in black women who want to pursue careers in palaeoanthropology, including archaeology, geology and evolutionary biology. Heri has been committed to diversity since its start in 2016, under the directorship of Pickering. It has strengthened that stance thanks to support from UCT’s Advancing Women initiative.
With only 39% of science researchers in South Africa being women, Heri’s focus couldn’t come at a better time.
“It’s about time institutions and groups made it part of their memorandum to include young black women and people of colour,” says Heri student Nomawethu Hlazo.
Hlazo is a PhD student in Archaeology at UCT studying the fossils of Paranthropus, a distant human relative that was discovered in east and South Africa. Currently, she is the only black South African woman, and one of only a few South Africans, to focus her research on the evolution of these fossils.
“Having access to this history on our doorstep is something to be proud of,” she says. “It means I can take pride in where I come from and what I’m doing to tell our origin story as a black South African woman.”. Future scientist, girls and boys, wanting to apply at UCT should note that undergraduate applications close on Wednesday, 31 July. Applicants who need financial assistance must submit their applications on the NSFAS online application system.
All applications close on 30 November 2019. NSFAS applications must be completed at http://www.nsfas.org.za/content/how-to-apply.html.
Visit the UCT website at https://applyonline.uct.ac.za for more information.
