Emma Dolan

Background

About Emma Dolan

I have recently completed my Honours dissertation. My project, ‘The evolution of language and speech capabilities in Early Hominin Species using Computed Tomography data and Finite Element Analysis’, while technically Archaeology, also delves into the realms of Palaeoanthropology, Physical and Biological Anthropology and Primatology. My focus is on the capabilities of Australopithecus afarensis to have possessed vocal humanoid type language and what proto-cultural implications this presents. While my true passion lies in early hominin evolution, I am also fascinated by early civilisations and the relationships that they developed with animals, their technological development and their social interactions in general. I was given the opportunity to participate in the Archaeological Winter School in 2016 at the Port Arthur Historic site working with the University of New England and PHASMA (which was a great honour). I was part of a 10 student team working on cataloguing the artefacts from the Penitentiary Ablutions excavation, which gave me a new appreciation of the vast amount of glass and ceramics present during the convict and post-convict periods. My other experience includes volunteering with the SHARP Archaeology Project run through the University of New England in 2015. Where I utilised my skills to sort the artefact identifiers into categories and provide a description for further analysis by the project researchers. My varied work history has allowed me to develop have extensive experience in the fields of presentation and customer service with a passion for learning, innovation and development, and a pursuit of excellence. My future career goals are to obtain employment in the environmental sector. I am currently undertaking a Masters in Environmental Management at Charles Sturt University specialising in Conservation.