This summer, Dr. Monica Wakefield, director of the anthropology and evolutionary studies programs at NKU, will begin annually bringing cohorts of students to the Uaso Ngiro Baboon Project (UNBP) in Laikipia, Kenya as part of a three-year, $257,596 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The undertaking, planned to range from 2025 to 2027, will study the social skills and patterns of UNBP’s baboon population to better understand how adversity in early life affects social development in juvenile primates.

Due to similarities in the way that baboons and humans see the world and behave, scientists can use anthropological studies of the genus to model human evolution. Dr. Wakefield says that her work through the grant will lay the groundwork for future research on early life adversity as a public health concern.

On-site research, which will be conducted with students during the summer field seasons, will study the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in primates and observe their day-to-day behaviors. On campus, during the fall and spring semesters, students will analyze the data collected over the summer.

"For me, this research is not only about unraveling the complexities of early social development in primates, but also about connecting these insights to broader questions of human evolution," says Monica Wakefield. "It’s a privilege to mentor the next generation of researchers, and I’m excited to see how our findings will contribute to both scientific knowledge and student growth at NKU."