Vanya Dill
Fall 2023 SAFE Fund Recipient
Project: "Detecting Erosion at the Sero Hominid Footprint Site, Tanzania, and Implications for In Situ Trackway Conservation"
Vanya Dill, a junior geology major from Morrisville, received a Fall 2023 Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) Fund grant to attend the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP)'s 83rd Annual Meeting in Cincinnati, OH, from October 19-21, 2023.
Dill presented a poster on her research, titled "Detecting Erosion at the Sero Hominid Footprint Site, Tanzania, and Implications for In Situ Trackway Conservation." She explained, "In the study, we quantified the rate of erosion of three footprints from the Engare Sero site in Tanzania from 2017 and 2022 and compared it to the previously calculated erosion of the same prints between 2010 and 2017. By comparing the rates of erosion in these two time intervals, we aimed to see if a wall and fence built around the site during the 2010-2017 interval has had an observable impact on the print's erosion." The project is advised by Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences senior lecturer Brian Zimmer.
Through her work on the project, Dill learned how to use a technique called photogrammetry and gained experience conducting research and creating posters. "With the results of the work, I hope to both contribute to efforts in fossil conservation and to draw attention to an approachable and cost effective method to monitor erosion," she shared.
Support provided by the SAFE Fund and the Office of Student Research, helped Dill cover the registration, travel and accommodation expenses associated with presenting her research at the SVP Annual Meeting. "Being able to do research and attend professional conferences as an undergrad was something that drew me to Appalachian State when I was applying to colleges, but I didn't expect to have the opportunity to attend one so soon," wrote Dill. "I was only able to turn this opportunity into a reality with the help of grants like the SAFE grant. I found the conference itself to be an exhausting but incredibly rewarding experience that is somewhat beyond what is normally available to an undergrad."
Dill shared that attending the conference provided her with the opportunity to meet a researcher who conducted work at the same site. "She was very excited to see my work as she felt that it could be used to try and gain funding for further conservation efforts for the site, which is in the middle of nowhere in Tanzania making it hard and expensive to get materials and equipment to," explained Dill.
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About the SAFE Fund
Initially endowed by Hughlene and Bill Frank, the College of Arts and Sciences Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) Fund provides resources that can be used to support undergraduate, graduate and faculty experiences. The SAFE Fund provides funding for college priorities and opportunities that arise throughout the year. These unrestricted funds support student and faculty travel, publication support for faculty and student research opportunities. Learn more at cas.appstate.edu/students/student-and-faculty-excellence-safe-fund.
About the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Located in Western North Carolina, Appalachian State University provides the perfect setting to study geological and environmental sciences. The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences provides students with a solid foundation on which to prepare for graduate school or build successful careers as scientists, consultants and secondary education teachers. The department offers six degree options in geology and two degree options in environmental science. Learn more at earth.appstate.edu.
By Lauren Gibbs
December 9, 2024
BOONE, N.C.
Vanya Dill is a junior geology major from Morrisville. Photo submitted
Vanya Dill is a junior geology major from Morrisville. Photo submitted