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Congratulations to the February Undergraduate Researcher of the Month, Sarah Boyd! 

Sarah Boyd is a junior dual majoring in anthropology and biology with a concentration in ecology and evolution biology, who plans to graduate in fall 2026. She is currently in her third semester working with Dr. Jacqueline Meier, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, in the ��ɫ��Ƶ Zooarchaeology Laboratory. Through this experience, Sarah has assisted with the identification of faunal specimens from the colonial site of Sarabay in northeastern Florida and the Chalcolithic site of Tel Tsaf in Israel. Beyond the lab, Sarah has actively participated in archaeological fieldwork, including excavations at the Timucuan Historical and Ecological Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida, as a part of the ��ɫ��Ƶ Archeological Field School, under Dr. Keith Ashley, associate professor of anthropology. Last year, Sarah was also awarded the Hicks Honors College Fellows Award to excavate at Tell Yunatsite in Bulgaria with the Balkan Heritage Field School, which she completed in the summer. Now, Sarah is currently working on a project with Dr. Meier to identify microfaunal remains from Tel Tsaf to better understand human-animal ecological interactions during the Middle Chalcolithic period. Their research is supported by an O.U.R. Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities (U-RSCA) Training Grant.  

Sarah has presented her research at multiple on-campus symposia, including the ��ɫ��Ƶ Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Symposium in April 2024, where she presented her work with Dr. Meier. She also presented findings from her fieldwork with the Balkan Heritage Field School at U-GLIDE (the Undergraduate – Graduate Learning, Inquiry and Distinctive Experimentation Symposium) in December 2024, and later this month, she will present this work again at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) in Tampa.  

When reflecting on her research journey, Sarah notes that she has particularly enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of the projects she's worked on. As a dual major, she enjoys applying her background in natural sciences — such as statistics and morphological analyses — to answer anthropological questions about the past. She credits her research experiences with strengthening her skills in pattern recognition, critical thinking, and problem solving. According to Sarah, these skills are crucial for identifying species and bone elements, as well as understanding how bones make it to an archeological site and what they reveal about past human behaviors. 

After she graduates, Sarah plans to pursue a graduate degree in archeology or biological anthropology and a career that will allow her to study human evolution through environmental reconstruction. Her advice to others wishing to gain research experiences is to “take every opportunity for research that comes your way.  Don’t be afraid to apply for programs, talk with your professors, and put yourself out there!”