AIA News

August 2, 2024

2024 Waldbaum Scholar Spotlight: Shayla Faminow


The AIA sent ten students to the field this summer with $2000 Jane C. Waldbaum Field School Scholarships! This year’s cohort brought a wide variety of archaeological interests and academic backgrounds. Please join us in welcoming Shayla Faminow.


Name: Shayla Faminow (she/her)

School: University of Victoria

Field School: Eastern Boeotia Archaeology Project (Ancient Eleon), Greece

Miles Traveled: 6094.14 miles (about 9807.57 km) 

Bio: Shayla Faminow, a recent graduate from the University of Victoria, is excitedly preparing to join the Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project this summer. She is particularly excited by the prospect of working with Bronze Age materials and potentially helping excavate the first section of the Ancient Eleon Acropolis with the team.

The Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project is now in its 6th season of excavations. This joint effort, sponsored by the Ephorate of the Antiquities of Boeotia (Thebes) and the Canadian Institute in Greece, is currently focused on the ancient site of Eleon in the village of Arma in central Greece. The site has evidence from the Mycenaean Age, the Archaic-Classical periods, and Medieval times – fascinating periods of Greece’s past. The excavation is under the expert guidance of Alexandra Charami (Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia), Brendan Burke (University of Victoria), and Bryan Burns (Wellesley College). Learn more about the project here!


Since its inception in 2007, the Waldbaum Fund has supported undergraduate juniors, seniors, and first-year graduate students as they venture into the field for the first time. The fund helps make it possible for them to participate in this vital part of their archaeological training by contributing to travel costs, accommodations, and tuition. Your contribution can make a significant difference for these young scholars. Donate today to support the future of archaeology at archaeological.org/donatewaldbaum

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The AIA is North America's largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to archaeology. The Institute advances awareness, education, fieldwork, preservation, publication, and research of archaeological sites and cultural heritage throughout the world. Your contribution makes a difference.