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Who you've helped
By supporting the Kent Opportunity Fund, you could help gifted students like Amy, Emmanuel, Emma, Sam to produce groundbreaking research, or help Nick to develop volunteering opportunities for thousands of Kent students.
Without donations from alumni, current and former staff and friends of the University, a new targeted therapy for use in cancer treatment would be further away than it now is.
Amy
Amy graduated from Kent in 2009 with a BA Honours in Classical and Archaeological Studies. Having completed her Masters in Ancient Egyptian Culture at Swansea University, Amy returned to Kent this year as the 2012 Alumni Postgraduate Research scholar studying for a PhD in Classical and Archaeological Studies. Her research explores the mystery of Ancient Egyptian clay ball artefacts.
How did you feel when you found out you had been selected for the Alumni Postgraduate Research Scholarship?
I was surprised and really excited. I can’t believe that alumni are so generous and I’m incredibly thankful for their support.
What is your research about?
My PhD seeks to uncover the purposes of clay ball artefacts found at locations in Egypt. Research in this area has been very limited in the past, with only a few papers published on the subject. No clear practical use for the artefacts has been discovered, so my hope is that through my research I will be able to unlock their mystery, potentially uncovering a ritual that gives us insight into this ancient civilisation.
What are your goals for the first year of your PhD?
My focus is on the development of the first database of its type for the collections I’m studying. Alongside the database I will where possible create an image reference catalogue which will act as a guide for researchers when more balls are discovered in the future.
How will you use the funding you have received from the alumni community?
Without the donations from alumni I would not be able to do my PhD at Kent, as I couldn’t afford to live in Canterbury without it or afford the trips to and from museums. With the alumni funding I’m able to cover all my living costs here in Canterbury and come on campus whenever I need to, to see my supervisor and spend time in the library or to attend university workshops and events.
What are your long term ambitions?
Eventually I would like to become a lecturer and in pursuit of that goal I aim to build my reputation through writing publications for journals such as the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. I also hope to write a book someday.