January 19, 2012
Rather than simply relaxing and spending time at home during winter break, Peter Laciano ’13, Tucker Keren ’13 and Claire Sayler ’12 had the opportunity to join faculty members Dr. Barb Tewksbury and Dave Tewksbury to conduct field research in Egypt as part of the Desert Eyes project funded by the National Science Foundation International Research Experiences for Students program.
Laciano, Keren and Sayler were joined by students and professors from University of Idaho, Missouri University of Science and Technology and University of Vermont as well as Egyptian researchers from Damanhour University, Alexandria University, Assiut University and South Valley University, which allowed for the students to not only gain experience working in the field, but also to gain experience working with researchers from a wide variety of cultures.
“Our journey to Egypt had duel objectives,” Laciano explained. “First, we aimed to continue field research of unstudied circular fold and fault structures in the Western Desert that had been discovered using Google Earth satellite imagery. There is a limit to what can be understood even with purchased super high-resolution satellite imagery, so we headed out into the field to gain a full understanding of the geometries, kinematics and origin of these structures. In addition, the trip was educational in that it aimed to provide the students with research experience in an international setting and expose us to working with people from a range of different cultures.”
The trip was divided into two different locations in Egypt, with the first segment in the White Desert, a remote area in the Western Desert near the Farafra Oasis. The second portion of the trip was spent doing field research around the Seiyal Fault in the Western Desert.
“A typical day would be waking up at 6 a.m. for a breakfast of pita, hard-boiled eggs and cheese and heading out via Land Cruiser to our area of focus for the day, often off-road in the middle of the desert. We would spend the next 8 hours combing the area with a field notebook, GPS and Brunton Compass taking field observations, collecting samples and testing hypotheses that could not be confirmed using satellite data alone. The long day in the field would be broken up by a lunch of pita, cheese and a crumbly spread called halawa consisting of sesame and sugar that provoked strong opinions of both absolute love and disgust. At the end of the day we would return to our housing and eat a dinner of pita, soup and either chicken or meat. After dinner we had free time to go into the local town if possible, play cards, or just relax with a cup of tea. However, bedtime soon beckoned and I admit to going to bed at 8 p.m. more than a few times,” Laciano said.
Yet, despite the long days, Laciano found the trip to be a very rewarding experience.
“My favorite part of the experience was certainly the cultural immersion. Working with Egyptian students and professors provided a much richer experience than would have been possible had we been traveling as a team of only Americans. We became close friends with both our Egyptian research colleagues and locals we met along the way. One of our Bedouin friends in the Farafra Oasis called us every day after we left the oasis just to make sure we were doing okay and still having a great time in his country,” Laciano said.
However, there were still difficult moments along the trip.
“My least favorite part was the fourteen hour bus ride from Minia to Aswan that passed through every agricultural town along the way and went over about six dozen speed bumps in each town,” Sayler said.
Besides simply doing research, the participants also had time to fit some sightseeing into their schedules.
“While in Cairo, we were able to visit the Pyramids at Giza, the Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square, the famous bazaar at Khan el-Khalili and the Citadel, a medieval fortification and site of several grand mosques perched on a hill overlooking the city. In addition, we met with a distinguished petroleum geologist in Cairo who talked to us about working abroad and generally having a career in petroleum geology. In Aswan, we toured the High Dam, the Nubian Museum and the Philae Temple, which honored the Egyptian goddess Isis,” Laciano said.
Yet, at its core, the focus of the trip was on research and not sightseeing.
“I learned a lot about how reconnaissance geological field work is conducted and how theories and ideas are postulated, discussed and modified through observation of the faculty on the trip,” Sayler said.
However, the trip also provided the participants with an opportunity to immerse themselves into life in Egypt.
“I was surprised at a number of things during our time in Egypt. First, the impression here in the U.S. that Egypt is in chaos and unsafe for travelers turned out to be somewhat overblown. A number of us on the trip compared it to saying the U.S. is unsafe based on the Occupy protests in New York City. Obviously, a number of precautions were required, but overall I felt very safe most of the time. Second, the level of poverty seen both in the main cities and in the rural sections of the Nile Valley shocked me. If you overlook the cars and power lines, much of the country on the Nile is extremely rustic and likely looks the same as it did hundreds of years ago. The cities were densely packed with large sections of slums and rather run down buildings and roads. Finally, I was shocked at how friendly almost everyone we met was to us Americans. Strangers on the street welcomed us to Egypt and were genuinely happy we had come to visit their country,” Laciano said.
Next winter break, another team of Hamilton students will have the opportunity to return to Egypt to continue the field research.